One of our SmartBox employees spent part of his military service in Germany, and that’s where he learned the phrase “between the years” to describe the period between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve adopted the phrase, because it just makes sense to me.
The days leading into Christmas, and between Christmas and New Year’s, are really anything but “business as usual.” Employees take vacation time and lot of businesses are running on skeleton crews. That’s usually okay because new business typically slows down, unless you’re in retail. Doors get decorated for the season. Somewhere in there, if not before, companies hold their Christmas parties.
The current year hasn’t officially ended, nor has the new year begun, but things have changed. This period of time is “between the years.”
I think the time between the years can be a time of opportunity for you. Yes, you’ll have those “emergency” appointments to get people’s smiles ready for that party, or patients who are using up their dental insurance benefits, but you’ll still have some time to think.
And what you should think about is how things are going. In particular, you should think about how you’re doing.
Those two things aren’t necessarily the same.
First, there’s the question of how your practice is doing. Are you attracting enough of the right kinds of patients to stay busy, to grow your practice, and to reward your staff according to their accomplishments? Professionally, are you handling enough rewarding cases, or are you stuck in an endless series of drill-and-fill patients? Do you have enough time off, and enough security to enjoy that time away from work?
Secondly, do you feel fulfilled? Do you have hobbies that you enjoy, or are you able to travel and see parts of the world you always wanted to see? If you have family, are you “there” for them, or does your mind always wander to how your practice isn’t doing and what you could do to make it perform better?
If your chosen profession isn’t providing you with the personal, professional, or financial satisfaction that you want, it’s time to do something different. Exactly what you should do differently is another “between the years” question.
Insanity: Doing Exactly the Same Thing, But Expecting Different Results
Most dentists market their practices like the other dentists in their area: newspaper ads, postcards, outdoor boards, and maybe some radio spots. There’s nothing wrong with using those mediums, but they’re not the right mediums to help you set yourself apart from you competitors. Why? Because they’re basically sound bites, and usually those sound bites are about discounts, specials, and value-adds.
You’re doing what all of your competitors are doing, and patients have no reason to choose you over another dentist. If you’re unhappy with “traditional” dental marketing has brought you, it would be the height of insanity to keep doing the same thing.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be crazy because there’s a proven, better way to market your practice… if you’ll take this time “between the years” to decide that you’re tired of getting the same-old, same-old run of patients.
Go to www.smartboxwebmarketing.com/blueprint and schedule a Patient Attraction System Blueprint™ Session. They are free to serious dentists who want to see a patient attraction system that can double their practice. You can get more patients, more profits, and more freedom.
Frankly, it’s the sane choice to grow your practice, and probably the best gift you could give yourself, your staff, and your family next year.