2 great questions about testimonials

I've gotten some great questions about testimonials on the heels of my last two messages. I answered one last time, and this time I'll address two more.

PLUS, there's a bonus I'm going to give you ALL...as a gesture of thanks for your attention, for your continued involvement as a subscriber, and for the relationship that we're developing! It's at the end, but don't miss what's in the middle.

Here are the Q's:

Dr. Doug Shindollar asks:
In the state of Illinois the Dental Practice Act forbids the use of testimonials. Now What???!!!

Well, Doug, things MAY not be as bad as you think. The first thing you'll want to do is VERIFY what the law TRULY is...through an attorney who will actually check the law! You may be surprised to find out what is legal and what's not.

Much more frequently than not, what we hear from others is far, far from the truth...especially regarding legal matters. By the time one colleague tells another and so on, the truth often innocently gets lost. It's natural, it's not our specialty to know the true law.

Even if you find from an attorney that the use of testimonials is in fact not allowed by law, then the next step is to ask the attorney what exactly IS legal? Then do that!

WARNING: I'm not an attorney! Don't break the law! BUT...do everything that is both ethical and legally allowable...according to a reliable attorney. It'll be the best few hundred bucks you ever spend!

Want some examples? OK. Can you use photos of you and/or your team with one or more of your happy patients? With captions identifying who's in the photo? With a description of the services you provided...but without a direct quote from the patient? What are the true limits of your laws?

How about writing a "profile" story about one or more of your patients in a marketing piece, or your patient newsletter? Can you tell the patient's story, including what you did for them. Their permission to print the story may not be considered a testimonial, but it's the next best thing.

Does the "no testimonials" law pertain only to EXTERNAL advertising? You may be able to use them all you want in your practice, and your newsletter. Who knows...until you have the law checked out by a pro.

With all due respect to our colleagues and buddies, you can't rely on their interpretation of the law to make these critical decisions about your practice. And you can't worry about irritating them when you do find a legal angle and deploy your new strategy. After all, they're not going to be calling to schedule, are they?!

Now, on to question #2. Dr. John Durling asks:
Chris, is there a consent form you recommend or could share for those patient testimonials. Seems like you had one that you shared a while back.

This one's easy. Yep, I do have a form I can share. And it's also the BONUS I mentioned above that I want you all to have...with ONE CONDITION:

I'm NOT legally responsible for it's use in your practice!

In other words, get your attorney to review it too. Be sure that the consent forms you use are thoroughly examined, so you can be confident it's legit.

I currently use a consent form in my practice that includes a section devoted to gaining permission from the patient to use their testimonials in ANY form. Even though I still obtain verbal approval for every form of usage, the signature rests on this form from the beginning.

Today I'm going to upload my consent form to my blog so I can give it to you, with *no*strings*attached*! Actually, my webmaster is going to that since I'm a programming dunce. She'll get it on there for you to download sometime today, and it may be there already. Please check back again if it's not there when you go
to get it.

My consent form will be located at this webpage:
www.DentalInsiders.com/blog

There will be a clearly visible link to download the form near the top of the page. Just click on it and follow the instructions.

If you have any trouble, just let me know at
DrChrisBowman@DentalInsiders.com. Vanessa or Sarah will get back with you soon and make sure you get the form asap.

Download the Consent Form

Have a SPECTACULAR weekend!

All my best,
Chris