There was a very interesting article released in late November about the expectations of Canadian dental patients. While it’s true that dental competition in Canada is very different than in the United States, it seems likely that the same trend is occurring in both countries.
It comes down to this: dental patients are better informed and have higher expectation for the dental practice they choose, specifically in the area of having the latest and greatest dental technology.
In fact, more than half of Canadian dentists reported that there have been times when their practices didn’t measure up to patients’ expectations.
Interestingly, it seems that most patients didn’t know how the more advanced technology would benefit them. They simply knew it existed, and they wanted it. They wanted it so much, in fact, the article indicates that many patients routinely chose a different dentist simply on the basis of whether their “technological” expectations would be met.
American dentists are, by report, seeing much the same trend as the Canadians. Certainly, the presence or absence of CEREC or any other well-known technology isn’t a deal-breaker for everyone. But with competition at an all-time high, dentists who plan to remain profitable will need to even the playing field by investing to keep their offices up to date.
Speaking Of Competition…
The article mentions that more than 17 percent of Canadian dentists don’t know what their competitors are doing. Reading that might have left you shaking your head, but ask yourself this – do you keep close tabs on the discounts and specials that your competitors within a five-mile radius are offering?
The odds are that you’re too busy to keep track. Unless you’ve assigned a staff member to monitor the competition, you probably don’t know for sure what tactics other dentists in your area are using.
Make Your Competition Irrelevant
There’s no getting around the need to maintain a modern, up-to-date practice that offers a number of patient amenities. That’s becoming the expected norm for almost all dental practices.
Given that you’ll stay reasonably current, the next question is how you pay for it. You basically have two options: keep offering low prices and discounts, or attract more patients who are interested in elective dentistry and have the resources to pay for it.
Clearly, which road you follow is your choice, but consider this: the low price road leaves you working too hard for too long for too little. The second road means you can, if you choose, work less, earn more, and enjoy life.
If you’re interested in making your practice everything it can be, here’s a simple first step.
Your future success starts with a Roadmap call. Invest about the amount of time you need to place a single crown or implant. The call is free and there’s no obligation of any kind.
Following the call you’ll receive your tailored Patient Attraction Roadmap to build your bigger and better future.
SmartBox provides a steady stream of better dental patients for our dentists so that they can practice the dentistry they want. That’s a far cry from taking what walks in the door, and far more satisfying.