I hope your new year / new decade is getting off to a good start.
I'm fired up for 2010...and I'm excited to help you grow your
practice like never before!
Regarding what it takes to get you the results you want in your
practice, one thing's for sure today: what WAS working "then" is
either not working AS WELL "now"...or not AT ALL. Although macro
economic conditions do not necessarily dictate our individual
"micro" economic outcomes (i.e. your practice), they do dictate
that you employ NEW strategies to overcome the challenges and
seize the opportunities that they create.
Yes, I did say "opportunities"! Look back through history and
you'll see countless examples of amazing, once-in-a-lifetime
opportunities borne out of horrific economic corrections. It's
a natural phenomenon that you can take advantage of if you're
nimble and adaptive...and if you're willing to do things
differently.
Ahh, there's the key! Doing things differently. Today I'll begin
to review some excellent advice that I must attribute to one
of my most referred-to marketing mentors: Dan Kennedy. As you
may know, Dan is legendary in the marketing and business building
world. He's also a genius when it comes to REINVENTING businesses
for whatever reasons. This economic downturn is as good a reason
as any.
A while back Dan gave an excellent summary of 3 brilliant adaptive
strategies for growing ANY business during challenging times.
Today, Friday and Monday I'm going to share all three, and of
course relate them directly to dentistry.
Strategy #1: "Sell something DIFFERENT." (Don't worry about the
word 'sell'...you can change it to 'offer' if it makes you
feel better.)
This one's pretty easy to grasp, but boy is it powerful! As
dentists, our "products" are our services and procedures...and
a little actual product too. Let's explore the ways we can
"sell something different" in our practices.
- Add new procedures that you haven't normally done. Many
smart dentists are gravitating to learning and practicing
new procedures. Think of all the things you typically refer
out to specialists that you could likely provide in your own
office. It could be a long list...worth a LOT of revenue!
Not doing root canals? Placing implants? How about Invisalign
AND 6 Month Smiles? Sleep apnea treatment with oral appliances...
sedation dentistry...dentures? What else can you think of?
Sure, many of these require focused training and have a learning
curve. Better get on the on-ramp now, before it's too late!
You'll certainly find that your patients PREFER to come to you
in most cases...and you'll enjoy the big bump in your numbers.
- Look for new adjunct services that you can also add. Perio
Protect, Cari Free, and Arestin are good examples, as are adult
fluoride, home care products, etc.
- Do you have an extra unused operatory? I'll bet you could get
a massage therapist to lease it out...and when he/she's not
busy, your patients can get a special treat in the way of a
free mini-massage.
- Better yet, the most valuable usage of an extra op is to have a
specialist in your office for a 1/2 to full day per week, or more
if needed. Pick one that does procedures you don't think you'll
be doing (for me it's perio surgery), and split the revenues.
You're providing the facility and the patients...the specialist
is providing the expertise and the labor. Tons of ways to work
this out, and it's a complete win-win-win.
"Selling something different" allows you to increase your
productivity without necessarily increasing your patient base.
When you add services and procedures to your mix, your average
lifetime patient value increases, because there's more you
can do for them!
What are YOU going to "sell" that's different this year?
All my best,
Chris
PS: On Friday I'll discuss Strategy #2: Selling to different
people!
Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
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