Develop Your Marketing Plan - Jennifer de St. Georges International Inc.

JdSG's Practice Resource Centre (PRC)

… Gateway to Excellence

6. Develop Your Marketing Plan … grow your practice

Dentistry is quickly moving from a “need” based purchase to a “want” based purchase. A dentist is now competing for the patient’s discretionary income and that Caribbean cruise they have always dreamed about!

How do you currently attract your new patients, the lifeblood of a successful practice? And even more important than the number of new patients, is the quality of a practice’s new patient profile, which sets the standard for success. Happy patients need to be asked to become ambassadors in the community, proactively to be asked to refer their friends, neighbors, relatives and co-workers.

It is therefore essential to develop a Marketing Program that targets quality over quantity, excellence over mediocrity, patient referral over practice convenience and last but not least … satisfaction over price.

Focus:

► Visualize your future
► Develop Your Marketing Plan
► Deliver what you promised

QUIZ

Do the doctor and staff feel comfortable asking patients for referrals?

A. Yes
B. Some do and some don’t feel comfortable
C. Most of us feel uncomfortable asking
D. We don’t ask for referrals
Regarding a Web site, does the practice:

A. Have one
B. In the process of developing one
C. Planning on doing one later this year
D. Don’t feel a need for one
Does the practice have a written down, well developed Internal Marketing Plan?

A. Have one and use it to plot our growth
B. In the process of developing one
C. Planning on doing one later this year
D. Don’t feel a need for one
Do you know what your patients think/feel about the doctor/practice/staff?

A. Yes, we are knowledgeable about why patients refer people to the practice
B. Only what patients tell us unsolicited
C. We are thinking of using a patient questionnaire this year
D. No idea what brings patients into our practice
How do you thank patients who refer their friends, etc., to your practice?

A. Send them a handwritten card and remember to thank them in person
B. Send them a handwritten card
C. We try to stay on top of thanking them
D. We don’t have an established system

FAQ

Q.	I feel I’m not getting enough new patients. Is marketing with mailers and flyers the only way to increase the number of new patients?
A.	No. Before one even considers such an approach, which for some practices in the right area can be very effective, it is necessary to analyze all the philosophies, systems and languaging used in the practice to see if one can establish WHY patients are not referring their friends, neighbors, relatives and coworkers. If one does not correct a problem, it is doomed to be repeated.
Q.	We have a lot of patients who call and ask how much we ‘charge for a crown’. What can I say so they schedule an appointment even though I have not given them a fee?
A.	Offer them a brief, no charge observation visit.
Q.	We have noticed the number of new patients not showing up for their appointment is increasing. How can we ensure that they keep their appointments?
A.	Practices should always monitor their Show rate for new patients. If the No Show rate is high, there are three potential problems: patient waiting too long for the appointment patient perceives poor customer service/attitude on the phone money discussed in an unprofessional manner

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