“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
That well-known saying applies to many things in life, including the practice of dentistry. Dentists from 50 years ago would be hard-pressed to recognize much of the equipment and other technology now widely available in dental practices.
While there’s no denying that the dental industry is evolving, one thing hasn’t changed – providing excellent patient care is still at the core of a successful practice. Patient care takes in far more than satisfactory clinical results; dentists today are widely viewed as being competent, so satisfactory outcomes are the absolute minimum that prospects expect.
The most successful dentists are the ones that are viewed as more than “tooth technicians.” Those dentists and their staffs establish long-term relationships with patients, becoming trusted partners in their oral health. The sustainable dental practice today must establish a “family” atmosphere that makes dental appointments something to look forward to rather than dread.
The Patients You Want Are The Ones Who Want You
Dentists who promote their practices based on offering the lowest prices are unlikely to attract loyal patients. Price-shoppers are notoriously fickle, and today’s price-driven patient becomes tomorrow’s former patient.
Your marketing has to work to position you as the dentist of choice for prospects. That means focusing less on you than on the solutions to problems that prospects are experiencing and on the benefits of those solutions. For instance, prospects care less about the technical aspects of getting a crown than they do about being to eat without pain or smile confidently.
Prospects care less about the latest and greatest technology (although that is a selling point) than they do about knowing that they’ll be taken care of, that their fears will be addressed, that they’ll be comfortable in your practice, and that they will like and trust you and your staff.
When your marketing conveys to the prospects you want that you’ll meet all their expectations, you get better dental patients. Your average case value will increase, leaving you with the option of working less while earning as much or more.
Do You Have The Time To Retool Your Marketing?
Revising and integrating your marketing to seamlessly position you as the dentist of choice for better prospects is a lot of work. Not only that, creating that kind of marketing system requires specialized skills that may not be present among your staff – search engine optimization, local search optimization, content writing, social media marketing, and much more.
SmartBox works with thousands of dentists on three continents to help them get more of the better patients they want. Our industry-leading Patient Attraction System® is the proven solution that allows our dentists to work less, earn more, and enjoy life outside the practice.
See what’s possible for your practice by reserving your free, no-obligation Roadmap call. It’s a phone consultation that takes about as long as you need to place a single crown or dental implant.
Following the call, you’ll receive your customized Roadmap to success.
The future of dentistry lies in creating a stable practice based on better patients who stay, pay, and refer. Once you’ve established that, you’re largely free of decreased insurance reimbursements and immune to what the corporate chains might do.