One of the most common complaints that SmartBox hears from dentists is that they’re chained to their practices. It’s common for dentists to work four, five, or even six days a week – not because they want to, but because they need or want to see as many patients as possible.
In fact, many dentists describe themselves as running between operatories just to try to keep up with their packed schedules. Some even say they’re on roller skates.
If you’re struggling to keep your chairs filled, you probably think that too many patients would be a great problem to have. It’s true that those doctors are making money, but they’re paying a high price – aching necks and backs, stress, and not enough time with family.
What Are You Working For?
When dentists are first starting out, their goals probably include paying off educational debt and establishing themselves in the profession. After that, the definition of success depends on their individual goals.
Are you looking to establish a thriving practice and sell it for enough money to retire on? Do you want to achieve market domination? Or are you like Dr. Sean Hanson of Salem, Oregon, after he became a SmartBox dentist?
“I will be able to spend more time away from the office,” he told SmartBox, “and that’s really my biggest thing. Not that I don’t like working and not that I don’t like my job, but if I know that I have good doctors here and good hygienists and good staff members, then if I’m here I’m just another pair of hands. Ultimately, I can go and take a week vacation with my kids and take them to Europe or go somewhere farther away than just California. That is ultimately the goal: that I’m not spending my 40s and 50s slaving away doing dentistry.”
Make Your Dental Practice All You Want It to Be
Unless your idea of success is working too hard for too long, the path to success lies in the quality of the patients you attract through your marketing. Rather than taking the traditional dental marketing approach – advertising low price, specials, and insurance acceptance – use your online and offline marketing to position yourself as the dentist of choice for the better prospects in your market.
Better dental prospects are in virtually every market and in many cases make up 20 to 30 percent of potential patients. Better prospects have the ability and willingness to pay more for the right dentist. The right dentist – the dentist of choice – is the one they perceive to be trustworthy, relatable, and expert.
Getting Inside Their Heads
Better prospects don’t much care about low price or insurance acceptance. They’re looking for a long-term relationship with the dentist and practice that they ultimately select. Your marketing has to engage them and position you and your staff as warm, caring, and expert.
Decision-making for better prospects is different than it is for price-shoppers. They’re not usually looking for a quick fix. They’re in it for the long run, and the lifetime value of such patients is many, many times greater than a string of one-and-dones.
With a larger number of better dental patients representing higher average case values, you won’t need to roller skate between operatories. You can work less and earn more.
Can You Do This?
Take a look at the focus of your current marketing. Are you appealing to the better prospects in your market? If not, a complete revamping is in order. That’s a big “ask” for busy dental practices. You’re looking at a website rewrite (and possibly a re-design); a completely different approach to your social media; new PPC ads; and much more.
SmartBox specializes in helping dentists get a steady stream of better dental patients. Our doctors can focus on actually doing the dentistry rather than riding herd on their marketing. And many of them discover that they can take time away from the practice without feeling guilty or impacting their bottom lines.
Visit www.smartboxdentalmarketing.com and click on the “Get Started” button. Schedule your free, no-obligation Practice Discovery Session
.
Following the 25-minute phone call, SmartBox will send you your completely personalized, free, Patient Attraction Roadmap.
We’ll show you how to turn the myth of time away from the practice into your reality.
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