Dental News - Accidental discovery leads to 601 new patients in one week

Jay Geier, USA

Thu. 13 September 2012

save

Odds are your practice is suffering because of a blind spot that I guarantee you’re not aware of. A blind spot that is costing you $5,000 to $54,000 a month (maybe even more). A blind spot that, if removed, could boost your new patients by 20-50 percent, maybe even as much as 100 percent.

Sandwich board gets attention, but doesn't close appointments

It all started about 15 years ago. I was vice president of marketing for a large private practice in Georgia. My sole responsibility was generating new patients, and my livelihood depended on it. I employed every imaginable tactic to get new patients — screenings, health fairs, referral programs, contests, magazine ads, newspaper and yellow page ads — just to name a few. I think I even wore a sandwich board and waved to drivers passing by at one point. It was never a question of whether or not my efforts were successful. They generated hundreds of calls every month, but the hard-earned calls just weren’t translating into new patients.

As you can imagine, this was a beast that had to be tackled. So I rolled up my sleeves and started sinking my teeth into it to figure out how to close the huge gap that was negating every marketing dollar spent and costing the practice thousands of dollars a day. I was able to use our practice as a learning lab. I worked day in and day out to discover the blind spot and figure out how to get rid of it. I knew I had cracked the code when the calls started translating into booked appointments and our staff set a practice record, scheduling 601 new patients in one week.

Finally: Turn your largest expense into your greatest investment!

To eliminate the blind spot in your practice, it doesn’t require an additional investment. It doesn’t require a new source of new patients. It requires an open mind because it almost seems too simple to be true. The secret lies in your telephone and your team, specifically your front-desk team. Both are investments you have already made, but they are not being leveraged to their peak performance potential.

No doubt your staff is courteous and helpful to everyone who calls your office — and while that’s a good thing, it’s simply not good enough. In fact, their courtesy is probably resulting in lost new patients. And lost new patients means lost money. For example, let’s say your average new patient is worth $1,500. Then one lost would cost you $1,500, five lost would cost you $7,500, and 15 would cost you $22,500. And that’s just one month’s worth. Imagine the impact of that over an entire year or how the impact would increase drastically if your patient value is higher.

Being courteous and helpful are not praiseworthy qualities if your staff doesn’t produce a profitable result and, even worse, if it is costing you money. Actually, effective “closing” skills are the attributes your staff should strive to master. But you can’t just expect them to possess this and know how to effectively use it. No one is born with these skills. They must be taught, then practiced, then reviewed on an ongoing and consistent basis.

Not knowing this could cost you tens of thousands

If you are among the majority of dentists who are spending money to market your practice you are absolutely not an exception. In fact, the reason for recognizing this blind spot and taking action to eliminate it is even more compelling because you are investing thousands of dollars, maybe tens of thousands, to get your phone to ring. And if the phone rings and it’s a shopper and the shopper doesn’t translate into a new patient, you might as well take every dollar, one by one, and flush them down the toilet.

Revenue-producing dream team

It takes a lot of skill — and an open mind — to scrutinize your practice to create positive change. It takes even more talent, knowledge and a gift for teaching to work with your staff on the fine points of the changes needed to take your practice to the next level, and way beyond. But it’s worth it and it’s a win-win.

Your staff can be one of your best and most profitable marketing tools if they are trained and you leverage them correctly, but if not, they could cost you thousands.

Create a plan to get your staff trained. Talented employees want training. They want to perform better and contribute to your practice’s growth and success. If you have someone who doesn’t, they shouldn’t be on your team.

Note: This article appears in Dental Tribune U.S. Edition, Vol. 7, No. 9, September 2012.

Jay M. Geier is president and founder of the Scheduling Institute.

To post a reply please login or register

Genetic discovery could lead to advances in dental treatment

Researchers have identified the gene that ultimately controls the production of tooth enamel, a significant advance that could some day lead to the repair ...

Innovative strategies to increase new patient exams

In the ever-evolving world of orthodontics, standing out from the competition requires more than just clinical excellence. It demands a strategic marketing ...

New research could lead to major advances in regenerative dentistry

NEW YORK, NY, USA: Behind the therapeutic promise of the stem cells found in teeth is the work of scientists such as Paul Sharpe, Ph.D., a pioneer in ...

A toehold in Europe leads to a global footprint

It seems logical that if the goal is international success, one of the steps toward growing a prosperous company would be to establish a strong presence in ...

With Root Canal Awareness Week, AAE aims to dispel fear among patients

Ask anyone what dental procedure they fear most, and you will invariably hear one thing: the root canal. And such fears often keep people away from dental ...

New Quick Up method eliminates risk of accidental locking of dentures, cuts procedure time in half

Millions of Americans wear dentures. Unfortunately, the majority of denture wearers are dissatisfied with their prosthesis — their chief complaints ...

AADOM names 1-800-DENTIST its official new patient lead source

The American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM), recently announced that it has endorsed 1-800-DENTIST as the group’s official new patient ...

DentalVibe launches consumer campaign to generate new patients

A savvy marketing guru has joined forces with Dr. Steven Goldberg, the inventor of DentalVibe. DentalVibe, a comfort injection system, utilizes patented ...

Bone growth in eight weeks

NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: One of the most popular giveaways during the Greater New York Dental Meeting in recent years has been the bone augmentation sample ...

The ideal toothbrush to recommend to patients

KRIENS, Switzerland: Dental professionals are expertly positioned to guide patients towards an oral health routine that is both effective and gentle. The ...

Education

Live webinar
Thu. 11 September 2025
1:00 PM EST (New York)