I have a college friend who became a dentist because he thought it would be a great profession for someone who had aspirations of becoming a family man with 2.5 children and a wife in a suburban community.
He had loads of school loans starting out. The children came quickly and he and his wife didn’t want someone else raising the kids so she stayed home with them. They moved to be near family and established a dental practice. With the referrals from family, his practice got off to a good start but then began to level off and ultimately, slump.
He didn’t know how to find patients.
His association suggested he offer coupons in the local coupon mailer and have his staff call those who hadn’t been in for a while. The direct mail piece brought a few new patients. His staff didn’t want to make the cold calls and neither did he.
He thought to himself, I’d rather work at a car wash than make cold calls.
My friend watched a dentist’s practice in the next town flourish through referrals. His competitor had been practicing there for decades and was a member of Kiwanis, the Chamber and every other group in that town.
Good for him, my friend thought. I don’t have the time, interest or inclination to be at every meeting for breakfast and lunch and happy hour. He wanted his free time to be with his family.
Another dentist colleague he knew with a booming practice helped him do some advertising in the newspaper and community magazines. That dentist once said to my friend, I have more patients than I can see but half of my revenue is paying for advertising.
My friend had to do something different in order to make enough money to pay his bills and support his family.
He eventually found out how to generate leads, change his dental practice and ultimately, his life.
He discovered how to get three different kinds of leads to call and book appointments for all sorts of different dental services: teeth whitening; Invisilign; you name it. He learned how to use EXTRAORDINARY Internet marketing techniques to help make the phone ring and bring in the patients.
Here are the patient lead sources he went after:
- Patients who had not been in for more than six months
- Residents new to his community, new parents and smaller developments within his community
- People who have called for information about his practice but had never made an appointment
He had to think differently than he had before.
He began using systems to help him reach the patients who had fallen off the grid. The system communicated with his patients offering helpful information about better tooth care and tips for better living. These communications were fully automated and allowed his practice to build a relationship with his patients.
From time to time, he proposed offers that his past patients couldn’t say no to and called him. When they called, his staff had speaking points to help get them in for an appointment.
My friend was able to serve these patients and many new ones with exactly what they were seeking. What else do you think happened?
He started to make more money.
He was able to open an additional office to serve the many new patients he was attracting.
His and his family’s lifestyle improved dramatically.
He was able to start saving money for retirement and his kids’ college fund.
Eventually, he was able to hire another dentist to help out.
He now has the business running smoothly and the knowledge to continue to grow his income. He won’t have to worry about making payroll any longer–all thanks to sound marketing and communication systems.
Helping professional service providers see the light, one practice at a time.
