Dr. Don Deems, the Dentist's Coach - Free Newsletter: What's Your Marketing Mentality? Practical, Real-Life Marketing Strategy

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What's Your Marketing Mentality? Practical, Real-Life Marketing Strategy
October 01, 2009

The general economic conditions and slowdown of dental spending has affected everyone in one way or another. Some practices have fared well, others not so well. And true to the nature of how we dentists work, when things get slow, we look for places to cut back on expenses.
Unfortunately, one of the first things to go is our marketing budget. Harry Beckwith, the service marketing guru and author of Selling the Invisible, would remind us that this is the opposite of what will maintain and grow our practices.

For sure, dental practices have been deluged with supply reps and others wanting to sell supplies and products. No doubt, the supply companies have felt the economic crunch, too. The amount of marketing mail to offices has also increased, and dental journals teem with articles about "marketing" and gaining new patients. Everybody seems to be an expert on the subject touting the greatest "new" marketing idea guaranteed to make you the envy of all the dental profession. When we believe this stuff, that's when we get into trouble.

What do you really understand about marketing?

If you're being honest, what you have learned has probably been through trial-and-error (an expensive way to learn) or through using a marketing firm (an even more expensive way to learn). Besides, you went to dental school and were under the impression that you would build a "practice of dreams" and then "they would come." The sad part is the dental curriculum provided very (we mean really very little) marketing training to prepare you for the real world. Unfortunately by the end of your first year of practice, you found out it wasn't so. Like many, you probably wandered around with marketing plans and gimmicks, most of which didn't really do anything, but at least you felt you were doing something to build your practice. Have no fear, it wasn't for waste, because your efforts did do some good - just maybe what you had not intended because it likely wasn't wasn't very efficient, focused, consistent, persistent, and directed.

You read about what other dentists did and how it made them busier than they ever imagined, and you dreamt about your practice being that way. You read the about marketing plans guaranteed to work, and you may have even bought some business card magnets because you were sure that having your name on their refrigerator door would bring in gobs of new patients. Nearly everyone has been sucked into a few schemes, and we're sure we've all spent a small fortune with little return on our investment. How about practice pens ... you know, those nice, large-barreled pens with your name on them that your family and staff just love? How did those help your practice? Or, advertising in the local Rotary's 'Night at the Races' where all the horse race fans will want to visit your office because you sponsored "Tooth Fairy", and he came in last. I want to change that from happening to you again by getting you on solid marketing ground right now.

Generally, the marketing I see is frequently landing the wrong type of patients for the practice that's doing the marketing. That's called schizophrenic marketing. Marketing - even bad marketing - does indeed provide a response. The question to consider is this: Is your marketing getting you the type of patients you're asking for? Are they patients consistent with your ideal patient profile? If your marketing is "all over the map", then you can expect that your results will be "all over the map"! You've got to be absolutely clear from the start, as I'll get to in a moment.

In my experience and that of patient-centered marketing experts, the problems dentists face with marketing boils down to two items:

1. The dentist has unrealistic expectations about what marketing can do for him/her - and how quickly - or worse, the dentist has unclear and possibly unspoken expectations.
2. The marketing firm tries to guess what the dentist wants and needs (not always the same thing as their perception) or, in the worst cases, gleans that the dentist is an amateur and gives him/her amateur-level work in return.

At this point, you may be thinking, "he's right, yet I just am stuck and really don't know where to go with this." I've been "around the block" and want to offer you some real direction (back to basics as marketing is not rocket science) that will indeed pay the dividends you want and help you avoid the pitfalls that can come from unclear expectations or marketing paralysis.

Where do you start?

How do you market your dental practice? Well, that's not a short answer, and it will take a tremendous amount of homework to do it right. Notice here, it will take action. You have to do the work. This is not something you simply turn over to someone else and expect it to represent you. For one thing, if you think you should just make a short cut of hiring a marketing firm, don't do it! They'll take your money and give you some very pretty materials that will soothe your ego and just seem to scream out of your incredible dentistry. Just think, you'll have the best brochures, business cards, web site, and appointment cards in the state - maybe the world! (OK, I got a little carried away, but you see my point!) It's not much different than fishing lures that seem to catch more fishermen than they do fish.

I'm not advocating you don't work with a marketing firm, because I do. There are many good marketing firms available. However, they can't help you if you're not ready for them or if you're not willing to provide clear direction and take action. What will it take to get ready? Let's jump into the heart of the matter by first outlining what you'll need in place before you set out to market your practice.

• Your practice brand is crystal clear
• You know how you want your practice positioned
• You know EXACTLY your target group(s) and ideal patients
• You know precisely how much money you are willing to spend over the next 12 months for marketing
• You have clearly defined objectives and goals, both short-term and long-term
• Your Creative Brief is fully developed
• You have clearly defined goals for your marketing efforts with specific measurables
• You have a dollar amount of productivity gains you expect to result from your marketing investment
• Your office is running smoothly and efficiently, and is ready to handle the changes that will come about from marketing efforts
• Your entire staff has excellent phone and people skills and they clearly know and understand your marketing objectives and can support those with their skills
• Your technical skills and expertise is on par with the type dentistry you want to do and the type of dentistry your target group will want
• You know yourself very, very well: your wants, needs, values, and priorities
• You understand your strengths and weakness as a dentist, leader, and business owner
• You know your abilities and talents - or lack thereof - as a speaker, writer, networker, or otherwise
• You have a thorough Demographic and Psychographic Profile of your city or town

Sound daunting? In a way, it might be, which is why so few dentists market well. Remember, I said it will take effort and action. Maybe you just thought other dentists marketed so well because the material you saw of theirs looks soooooo good. Maybe it did look good, but was it getting the results they intended? Maybe. No one will really know but them and these days, you probably will not know the whole truth.

Many of the items are not ones that you can just sit down and think about for a few minutes. It takes a plan and focus to accomplish everything in preparation for working with a marketing firm. Let's explore some key definitions that will add further context to your efforts.

Key Definitions

Scott Bedbury, who helped brand Nike and Starbucks, says "A great brand taps into emotions ... a brand creates a powerful connecting experience. It's an emotional connection that transcends the product. A great brand tells a story and creates the emotional context people need to locate themselves in the larger experience." So, we can say that a brand is the unique combinations of words, feelings, and emotions that pop into people's heads when they think of your practice. In order to increase the likelihood that they will come to your practice or choose more of your services, your brand must speak to their thoughts, concerns, feelings, imaginations, and needs. Great brands - even in dentistry - communicate the following:

- Your products and services
- Great customer service
- A reputation for quality

As Malcolm Gladwell said in The Tipping Point, "There is a way to package information under the right circumstances can make it irresistible. It can be done by changing the content of communication, or by making it a message so memorable that it sticks in someone's mind and compels them to action." The message your practice sends out has to be just that.

Positioning refers to the process by you try to create an image or identity in the minds of your target market for its brand or organization. It is the 'relative competitive comparison' your product/service occupies in a given market as perceived by your target groups. In other words, what really makes you different from any other dentist up and down your street or in your building? You have to be clear about this because people have a hard time understanding the differences between dentists and dental offices.

Knowing yourself needs no real definition, but its impact is powerful on your marketing. Randy Kosimar, author of The Monk and The Riddle: The Education of a Silicon Valley Entrepreneur says, "Passion and drive are not the same at all. Passion pulls you toward something you can't resist. Drive pushes you towards something you feel compelled or obligated to do. If you know nothing about yourself, you can't tell the difference. Once you gain a modicum of self-knowledge, you can express your passion. But it isn't the desire just to achieve some goal or payoff, and it's not about quotas, bonuses, or cashing out. It's not about jumping through someone else's hoops. That's drive." What are your business core values and are you "living them on display" every day in your office? You've got to "walk your talk" each day, every day, without fail. That type of work is quite introspective, takes time and effort, and isn't something you're likely to hear from a marketing firm, but it is foundational for your success.

A Creative Brief is a collection of important items that your marketing firm will need in order to support the creative process and your objectives. It includes many of the elements listed above, in a written format, that your marketing team can work with.

Whom do you work with?

I wouldn't dare make recommendations on which marketing firm to work with, however most practices would be well-served to work with small marketing firms. Small or solo firms can keep the cost down, as they don't have large overhead and are more likely to be able to devote a lot of attention to you. Large firms can work well, but oft times can be more expensive, frequently impersonal, and you're more likely to be put into a package deal with very little customization. No doubt the material can look great, but the question lingers as to whether it will get the results you want.

Another important element we've not yet addressed is that in my experience, dental practices may find a good marketing firm to work with, but the public relations (PR) aspect is left out. For example, you may have some great material or a great website, but who knows it's there? Are you a secret? Many excellent dentists are. You need a part-time PR person who can get your message out to the right people, and the right place, at the right time. Do you get this wonderful ad that you're then supposed to negotiate the fees and placement in whatever publications you choose? Or, do you just send it to the newspaper or magazine and hope for the best? Frankly, you don't have time to do the PR work - although many dentists try to do it or their own or assign a staff member to do that (with little or no success since they have no training in PR work) - and it takes a very knowledgeable person with marketing experience to have and make the connections you need. I suggest your marketing firm and PR person to be local; they know your city or town and its culture.

Lastly, many of the items we listed can be worked out with the help of your team, a management consultant, or of course, a dental coach. Additionally, there are good workbooks available if you choose to go the process alone. Although a complete guide cannot be discussed in the space of this article, working with someone knowledgeable about dentistry and the process of getting ready to work with a marketing firm cannot only be life- and practice-enhancing, but it can speed the process tremendously. As a professional coach who is also a dentist, I am much too aware of the effect of the dentist as a person and their goals, dreams, and wishes can have on the success or failure of their practice and any marketing strategies.

In the end, it's not the actions that a marketing firm or PR person takes on your behalf, it's who you are that ultimately matters the most. So, why not take the next step and answer the following three coaching questions:

What did you find in this article that was compelling for you?
Who can you discuss your ideas with that will be as energized and as passionate as you are?
What steps will you take - and by when - to take the first step on developing your Marketing Mentality?

(I would like to acknowledge fellow coach and friend, Dr. Ron Arndt, for his collaboration with me on this article.)

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