I don’t know if you follow the industry trade journals, but the other day, I was being bashed – by someone who doesn’t know me, doesn’t know my clients, and was only out to try and grow his business by putting down mine!
I tried to extinguish the hatred politely, and had to finally withdraw from the conversation when he started to criticize my clients who came to my defense.
You see, he was a part of the darkside of dentistry – the side that thinks that marketing and selling is a sin and if you rely on “being a good dentist” people will come.
What is the Darkside? Darkside is anything that limits your ability to make money, misinformation about how to ‘really’ attract new patients, or fills you with limiting beliefs.
Here are just 2 of 21 Darksides – thoughts that are prevalent in dentistry… and that need to change.
Darkside thinking #1:
All you need to do is “Be A Great Dentist & You’ll Be Successful!” Reality: This is False! The goal of your business is to attract good patients who stay with you for life and send their friends. The only way to get people to know how great you are or to get patients to choose more services is to market and sell.
Darkside Thinking #2:
Marketing and Selling is Unprofessional or Bad!
Reality: Marketing and selling that is unethical, misleading, or that doesn’t work is bad. However, marketing that gets patients to call your office preeducated…and happy to do business with you…is good marketing! 🙂
Marketing you should be proud of… and your patients appreciate.
…but here is one thought.
Most offices actually do more disservice to patients by not understanding a ZERO-pressure form of selling that actually gets patients to choose better dentistry for themselves. Rather they over-educate, confuse, or unintentionally putting more external pressure on a patient…which simply drives them away.
Don’t believe me? Simply listen in on your hygienist tomorrow and ask yourself, “does the patient really know how bad their situation is?” (if applicable)
Is the patient more motivated to get help or less motivated?
Do they fully understand what was just explained?
OR, ask yourself this:
Do I find that patients are increasingly becoming price driven?
Are they asking ‘logical’ questions?
Think about this: we try and motivate our team to produce more by giving bonuses, but if they are not properly trained on how to use Zeropressure, education based selling, then what they do is put more pressure on patients in order to hit goal. In my opinion, that is crazy.
Your # 1 goal should be to have a consistent stream of new patients that you serve. The vehicle you do that through is Marketing (Internal and External)!
HOW you do it…is VERY important!
When "selling" is done properly 3 things should occur:
1. When the patient is fully educated and feels confident, price is less of an issue… “Why?” because they understand the benefits, dangers of not moving forward, and have the ability to make a BETTER decision.
2. ZERO external pressure is put on the patient. Pressure is put on a patient when staff and doctor are trying to hit their production goals and aren’t skilled.
Listen, this is one topic that I’m extremely passionate about, and if you’ve been at one of my private webinars, you’ve heard me talk about it. Using language and speaking at a very high level is an art. It’s one that needs to be practiced and repetitively improved on. Think about this: every person who communicates to your team is actually "presenting" every day to over a dozen people who need help.
Yet, how much communication, presentation, and sales training have they done?
By the way, training and sitting in a seminar room and listening are two completely different things. ANSWER: probably less than 2 hours their entire life.
3. Patients are appreciative and send their friends!
When "selling" and marketing are done correctly…this is the ultimate end-game. We want happy patients who send their friends! NOT becoming excellent at these skills prevents the same docs who are "trying" to be ethical and full of integrity from experiencing these kind of results. The reality is that the most ethical and integrity driven thing you can do is learn how to create a world-class practice, how to promote it, how to sell it…and by doing so…you help more people and get them healthy, thus creating a prosperous life.
You must stay away from anyone who is going to tell you that you can’t make more money NOW! That selling and marketing is bad! That all you need to do is get more clinical training…or even worse: “all you need to do is get your name out there.”
My final thoughts: the world is an abundant place with money that is out there waiting for someone to go out there and capture it. I, personally, know dozens of my clients who are experiencing RECORD MONTHS NOW…while others are sinking quickly.
The ones who are sinking quickly bought into the darkside while the “record month club” are ignoring all that crap. They are training their staff… they are doing special programs for their existing patients… they are marketing and selling consistently… and they are committed to making this year their best year ever.
If you want to use some of the actual strategies my “record month club” clients are using to grow a prosperous practice, Go NOW to http:// www.DentalDarkSide.com/TPD
Graig Presti (speaker, #1 best-selling author, and CEO of three-time Inc. 500/5000-recognized company LocalSearchForDentists.com™) is helping dentists all over the world gain dominance in their local search market and consequently gain more business. Presti has been featured in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and on networks such as NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, CNBC, CNN, and more.With over a decade in worldwide dental marketing experience, Presti’s system has helped thousands of dentists achieve record-breaking new patient numbers and income levels.
