Tag: David Schwab

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.

www.davidschwab.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Reviews for Your Dental Practice: Five Stars on Google

Reviews by happy patients on any review site are always welcome, but the ones that count the most are Google.  Why are five-star Google reviews so valuable?

Google loves Google.  When you have many five-star reviews, you rank higher in search engine results.

When patients see five-star Google reviews, they are more likely to choose your practice.  A recent survey showed that 90% of respondents said that positive reviews of businesses influenced their purchasing decisions.

Those great testimonials on other sites are certainly worth having, but Google is the “gold standard.”  You gain credibility.  Think about it.  Because you are serving the public, you need a steady stream of new patients.  Those patients use Google.  They are influenced by what others are saying.  Take a look at how many great Google reviews your competitors have racked up and you be motivated to get more of your own.

You first have to create or claim your Google business listing. Navigate to Google My Business.

Just follow the instructions.  Make sure that the information is correct and be sure to add a photo if one is not already on your listing.

Ask patients who have already given you a five-star review to please review you on Google.  If you get just one new, five-star Google review per month, you will reap great benefits over time.

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What is Your Biggest Challenge?

Take advantage of a FREE consultation to help you deal with your biggest challenge.

It could be:

  • Need more patients
  • Practice not growing
  • Staff issues
  • No shows
  • Case acceptance

You tell me.  This phone consultation is designed to help you.  I promise you that this is NOT a sales pitch.  My goal is to help you.  Consider it a “try before you buy.”

What’s the catch?  Time slots are limited and this offer will end soon.   This is a “summer special!”

Contact me now to arrange a time: drdavidschwab@gmail.com

David Schwab, Ph.D.

www.davidschwab.com

 

 

 

 

Three Reasons Your Practice Will Grow in 2017

Your practice will grow in 2017 unless you lock the doors and put bars on the windows. Patients are going to demand dental services in the coming year for three very solid reasons.

Consumer Confidence. In late 2016, consumer confidence hit a 15-year high. This confidence index is a psychological snapshot. When people feel more optimistic about their economic well-being, they spend more money. When they spend more money, the economy grows. When the economy grows, people then feel even more confident and the cycle repeats. As Hamlet says, “as if increase of appetite had grown by what if fed on.”

Economic Vibrancy. The U.S. economy grew at 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016, its best showing in two years. The country’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9%, the first time this important measure has been below 5% since 2008. Because more people are working and the economy is growing, people have more money to spend on personal care such as dentistry. Your practice will grow in the coming year, because a rising tide raises all ships.

Demographic Destiny. Every day in the U.S., 10,000 people reach the age of 65. Many people in their 60’s are still working, or retiring and deciding to travel, dine out frequently, and spend money on themselves, especially for services that improve the quality of their lives. As these Baby Boomers continue to mightily influence the economy, the Millennials are on the cusp of their peak earning years. Larger than any other group and driving social media and consumer trends, the Millennials are starting families, buying houses, and becoming an increasingly important part of the dental population.

These factors are coming together to create a perfect storm for production growth in your practice in 2017. With the external factors all moving in the right direction, the challenge is to position yourself to take full advantage of these trends.

Throughout the coming year, I will be writing about how to ride the wave by seizing on trends, running the practice efficiently, motivating the team, and finding creative ways to tap into a growing market for your services.

Happy New Year!

 

www.davidschwab.com

Magnetic Dental Marketing to Attract New Patients

Magnetic dental marketing is all about attracting new patients.  You have walking billboards that frequently attract interest—your team.  Individuals who work in dental offices can turn inquiries into dental patients very easily by following some simple steps.

  1. When team members leave the office wearing clothing with the practice name and logo, they frequently attract attention.  “Where do you work?”  “Oh, is that a dental office?”  “I’ve heard of that dentist.”  These are questions people ask when they see a doctor’s name emblazoned on a shirt.
  2. If the person wants to end the conversation at that point, then that is their choice; but if the discussion goes further, then talk up the practice by giving your 15-second practice summary. Click here for my podcast on that topic.
  3. Offer the person who asked the question a business card and answer the questions that are posed.
  4. Ask them open questions to determine if they need a dentist. Many people will ask for advice about a dental problem and are eager to hear what you have to say.  If they need more information or you think could benefit from seeing the doctor, proceed to the next step.
  5. Ask for their business card. If they have one, that’s great; if not, give them another one of your cards and use this script:  “Please write your name and contact information on the back of this card.  If you like, I will have our office manager contact you to answer questions and help you make an appointment.”
  6. Tell the prospective patient that, if they prefer, they should call the office to make an appointment. Here’s the script:  “Call the office and mention my name.  Say that I said to get give you priority and get you in as soon as possible.”   Now the new patient has clout.  The patient can call the office and use your name to get special consideration.   You are using magnetic dental marketing to encourage someone to call the office.
  7. Make sure that everyone who answers the phone in the office knows that a team member has made a contact. The script is as follows:  “Yesterday I met a woman named Jane while I was out shopping.  If she calls, say that you have been expecting her call and that you will give her priority scheduling because she knows me.”

Note how each step makes the person feel important and enhances the likelihood that the person will call the office.  This is magnetic dental marketing.  Attracting new patients is all about seizing opportunities, making people feel special, and seeing the process through to the happy conclusion–a new patient on the books.

www.davidschwab.com

 

Podcast 4: Internet Marketing Requires Team Training

Internet marketing generates patients who are a different breed of cat. Because they are not referred by family or friends, they are starting from a different place and need more time and education to convert them to good patients. Many patients who make an inquiry from the Internet will not come in or accept treatment. It’s a numbers game and you should look at the big picture and not get discouraged. Find out why even when patients say no, it’s not a waste of time because you are getting closer to the patient who will say yes. The key is team training and setting appropriate expectations.

The Personal Report
by David Schwab, Ph.D.
TPR episode 004 – Internet Marketing Requires Team Training

www.davidschwab.com

They Are Out There: Dental Implant Marketing Challenges

I know they are out there. It’s a question of finding them and bringing them into your practice with adroit dental marketing. One middle-age woman with a mouthful of broken down teeth, an unattractive smile, and significant periodontal disease recently completed dental implant treatment.   She found the dental office that helped her when she responded to the practice’s Internet advertising. For years, this individual had driven past countless dental practices. She had no doubt been bombarded by ads promising replacement teeth and a beautiful new smile. Until one day, she searched on the Internet, clicked an ad that caught her eye, and made the decision to make a new patient appointment. Her life was changed forever.

This success story reminds us that demographics are destiny: we have an aging population with significant unmet dental needs. At my recent lecture at the American Academy of Implant Dentistry in Las Vegas, I identified four major challenges in dental marketing, specifically dental implant marketing:

  1. Increasing competition. There was a time when dental implants were placed only by specialists, but now general dentists routinely offer this service. Dental implants have gone mainstream. Trying to get a patient into your practice for implant dentistry is harder because every dentist around you has the same idea.
  2. Downward pressure on fees. With more competition and some very aggressive pricing in the market place, patients are seeing eye-popping fees for dental implants. It is harder for traditional practices to justify their fees, which nonetheless remain quite justifiable.
  3. It is difficult to cut through the clutter and get your message out. Doctors are honing websites, testing Google ads, and using more targeted television advertising to find patients who need their services. It’s not about “mass mailings” any more; it’s about precise demographic and geographic targeting.
  4. People often have priorities other than needed dental implant treatment. The patient I described above is now delighted with her new teeth, but she rationalized her procrastination for years before seeking treatment.

While marketing challenges have multiplied, the profession’s ability to deliver implant dentistry in an efficient and predictable manner has also increased. I will discuss specific marketing strategies in future blogs. Finding the “right” patients requires finely-tuned dental marketing, but every day we are reminded that they are out there.

David Schwab, Ph.D.

www.davidschwab.com