Category: New Dentist
Get the Word Out: New Docs Joining Dental Practices
Summer is here and new doctors are joining dental practices. Here are two great tips to get the word out to patients and the community.
First, send an e-mail or letter to patients of record and be sure to include a photo of the new doctor and the established doctor. Show them smiling and shaking hands. The established doctor has spent years building up trust with patients. A photo of two doctors shaking hands strongly implies that the mantle of trust is now being shared with the new doctor. If a new doctor is joining a group practice, then you need a photo of all the current doctors welcoming their new colleague.
One patient said that he had not been to see his dentist in two years. He remembered getting a photo of the two doctors, so he called the practice and made an appointment with the new doctor. He said he might have forgotten or passed over a written notice, but the image stuck in his mind. When he was ready to seek dental services, he contacted the new dentist.
Next, send out a news release. You want to generate some publicity for your practice, and bringing in a new doctor qualifies as “news.” To learn more about the power of news releases, see my blog called “Five Ways News Releases Help Your Dental Practice.”
You may have heard the phrase, “yesterday’s news.” For something to be newsworthy, it has to be fresh and new. If the new doctor is joining the practice this summer, then now is the time to get the news release out. Don’t wait until the fall or the end of the year; act now while the information is timely. You should begin planning to get your release out even if the new doctor has not officially started.
I help practices get the word out to patients and the public about new events by creating well-crafted letters and news releases. Take advantage of my “summer special.” Contact me now for a free consultation and let’s talk about getting the word out regarding the new doctor in the practice: drdavidschwab@gmail.com.
New Dentist Should be a Manager
A new dentist joins an established dental practice. Let’s call this individual Doctor Newcomer. The owner of the practice, Dr. Established, has high hopes for the freshly minted dental graduate. Dr. Established thinks that Dr. Newcomer will pick up clinical speed and confidence and one day be ready to take over the practice.
Dr. Newcomer soon learns that one of the hardest aspects of joining a private practice is dental practice management. Not only is Dr. Newcomer inexperienced in dental marketing, but there are added pressures of managing the team.
Dr. Newcomer is relatively young. It is quite natural for the new, young dentist to hang out with the team, swap stories, and talk about the road ahead. The problem is that the new dentist is often drawn into the staff orbit. He or she relates to team members rather than Dr. Established, who is the boss.
Bad habits and patterns soon emerge. Team members bring Dr. Newcomer into their confidence and Dr. Newcomer reciprocates. Before long, even in the most professional dental offices, Dr. Newcomer unwittingly crosses the line and starts to share gossip with the team. Inevitably, someone makes an unflattering comment about Dr. Established, and Dr. Newcomer is in the middle of this cabal.
Dr. Newcomer is not savvy in the ways of office politics. He or she does not yet know that there are no secrets in a dental practice. Dr. Established finds out that Dr. Newcomer is talking about him behind his back. In the eyes of Dr. Established. Dr. Newcomer has become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.
The best way to guard against this scenario is to be aware of it at the outset. Dr. Established needs to make it clear to the entire team that the management structure of the practice has changed. It now consists of Dr. Established and Dr. Newcomer. There needs to be respect throughout the team for everyone’s position, and the role of Dr. Newcomer needs to be clear to everyone on the team from day one.
David Schwab Ph.D.