What’s the worst that could happen?

I spoke to an office manager today who’s doctor had to re-wire his brain after a car accident and learn how to do do everything over again- not just dentistry- everything. 

That is perseverance!  That is survival.

She tells me this as she tells me the practice is failing.  She told me that the Dr. gets tired and has to quit around 3:00 everyday.  He sometimes gets frustrated with procedures and will throw instruments.  He remains cranky most of the time etc, etc, etc. 

He does incredible work.  But the practice is failing.

And she tells me the reason he is that way is because of his debilitating condition.  That it is his body that is behind all of it.  At least that’s what he tells HER.  So that is what she believed just like HE belives it. 

The only reason that doctor is tired and grumpy and frustrated is because of his failing practice.  Not the other way around. 

You get that?

His practice isn’t failing because of the way he is.  He is the way he is because of his failing practice.

Think about it.  This man came back from a MAJOR car accident and brain surgery with the loss of his motor functions.  He then proceeded to battle his way through himself to gain his ability to move properly and THEN move properly enough to practice excellent dentistry again.

WOW!!

If his body could have stopped him, it would have done so long ago.

It is the pressure of the failing practice and his sense of responsibility to himself, his family, his staff, and the family of the staff that is causing him grief. 

But even after being shown the facts, the doctor isn’t going to do any external marketing OR internal marketing. 

He thinks that things will be get better by themselves and “What’s the worst that could happen?”

I think we all know the answer to that.  If he applied that same attitude when he had the accident, he would be dead today.  He would have given up on himself long ago.

But now it’s the life of his practice on the line.

Don’t worry.  The office manager (and the rest of the staff) are working on him.  Hopefully he will come around.

One of my favorite quotes is by Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption.

“Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.”

Jeff

www.dentalreferralmarketing.com

Don’t just run your mouth – not without a destination

One would think that “word of mouth” is pretty self explanatory.   WORD out OF the MOUTH.  One would also think that it would be easy to do.  Just open up your mouth and speak right?

It could be that simple, sure.  As long as what comes out of your mouth is directed to accomplish the correct purpose.  huh?  Let me explain.

Every word that comes out of our mouths every day of every year is released into the air with a purpose.  Think about it.

Every time you uttered a word there was a reason behind it from asking for your mommy when you were a child to asking for honey mustard in the drive-through.

Whenever you tell your friend how your day was or when you tell the air just how much it hurt when you stubbed your toe, there is a purpose or a reason you said it.

That goes also for when you talk to your patients.  As they leave what do you say?  Do you just exchange pleasantries, setup their next appointment, and thank them for coming?  Don’t get me wrong, you should.  It re-enforces the positive experience and places a future commitment in their minds.  Very logical purpose.   However, it doesn’t really do anything for your practice growth.

Absolutely, a patient that has a positive dental experience will refer you if they are asked.  As a matter of fact, 80% of a doctors active patient base on average would refer their doctor if asked.  Read my lips.  If Asked.  Every doctor has at least a handful of patients coming in a month from patient referrals.  That is as natural as breathing.

But, To get MORE referrals from you patients, they need to be initiating communication about you or having productive and not just positive conversations about your practice.

So add asking for referrals to your purpose of communication.  Make it part of the destination of your words – the seed of referral planted in their minds.

Systematic Engagement – Get the word out…literally.

Word of mouth starts with actually speaking.  For word of mouth (referral) marketing to work, an initiation of communication has to occur.  Seems obvious right?  You would think so.  

But time and time again I run into the same problem with dental practices.  The staff is not initiating communication.  They are not getting the word out of their mouths.  You have to get the word out and you have to do it consistently.   Your patient base is your Social Capital.  So capitalize on it.   You are in the people business.

This is from an article by a friend and colleague of mine Michael Graves.  It lays out the importance of systematic engagement or consistently getting the word out.

“Most dentists have the wrong idea about the business they are in.

Let’s face it, you are not in the dental business. You are in the relationship business. Dentistry is what happens when they go back to the ops.

Let me put it this way. 85% of all Fee For Service patients rely on word of mouth when choosing their dentist. 83% of all patients surveyed would refer their dentist because of their experience with the practice.

Their experience with the dentist, the staff, the atmosphere, and everything in between.

That’s a relationship. And that is why a doctor gets referrals. On average, about 9.6% of a dentists active patient base refer new patients. But if 83% WOULD refer new patients why aren’t they?

Lack of Systematic Engagement. The doctor and the staff are not engaging the customer and systematically, yet comfortably, orienting that patient towards a productive conversation. That’s why.

Here is a simple test to prove my point. Now keep in mind 83% of a dentist’s patients like the practice.

Take the amount of new patients from patient referrals you get every month. Not the patients you get from external marketing and multiply that number by 12 (months). Now divide that number by your active patient base.

That will give you your patient referral rate. i.e. 20 X 12 = 240 new patients divided by 2500 active patients = .096 or 9.6%. 9.6% of the patients are referring the doctor..

9.6%? What about the other 73.4%. What gives?

The customer is not being engaged properly by the staff. They are walking out happy and some are having conversations about the doctor, but they are not having PRODUCTIVE conversations about the doctor.

If you are not realizing at least a 20% referral rate from your active patient base, your patients are not being systematically engaged. And no amount of referral cards, $25 off coupons, or Gift Certificates, or nifty slogans, or smiling faces can do the trick all by themselves.

It’s the whole package. It’s the precise systematic combination of several key elements that culminate into a perfect relaxing engagement with the patient. The result of which is a productive conversation in the field and a new patient walking through your door.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Jeff Simms

http://www.dentalreferralmarketing.com

Friendly Power – Referral Marketing

Referral marketing has been and always will be the most powerful form of advertising for the dental and financial management industries.
Did you know that over 80% of all new patients or financial management clients stem from referrals? Over 80%!

With this in mind, the right system for referral marketing could potentially make the difference between 5 new patients (or clients) or 20 per week on a regular       basis.

When someone is on the lookout for a professional in these fields, they normally will consult friends or family – wouldn’t it be beneficial for your practice or office if these people were mentioning your name or handing out cards for you? Even better would be to have a “machine” set up as part of your business or practice that would constantly work to bring new people in while also rewarding patients and staff.

There are a couple of key elements in making this happen. One is having the right referral cardsthat are working a sort of “magic” for you and the other is establishing the “machine”. Here is a helpful article on this subject:

Referral Marketing for Dental Practices:  How to Market Effectively

Jeff Simms

www.dentalreferralmarketing.com

A few other dental marketing resources

 

Dental Referral Marketing

Here are other resources for your use regarding information on marketing in general, as well as specific information on referral marketing for the dental and financial management industries:

Our Website:

dentalreferralmarketing.com

 

 

Helpful Articles:

Referral Marketing for Dental Practices: How to Market Effectively
Dental Marketing: The Basics

 

About Lighthouse Referral Marketing

dental referral maketing

Welcome to our blog!

Our company is Lighthouse Referrals, we are specialists in some of the most effective marketing campaigns in the world today for the Dental and Financial Management industries.

Our Managing Director Duke Simms has been a marketing advisor for over 20 years and has worked with over 5000 offices and practices across the U.S. Through his extensive experience, Duke has refined a specialized technique in referral marketing that is unsurpassed in the industry.

Like our company name, we strive to provide a beacon for practices to achieve their goals – both long and short-term.

Over time, we will be providing many helpful marketing tips and advice here at this blog, and will also have regular marketing tips available on our website – click here to find out more:

Visit the Lighthouse Referrals Website

Feel free to visit often, provide any comments or questions you may have here on this blog and/or subscribe to our feed!

Thanks for visiting!

Jeff Simms

Founder and Managing Director