As the seasons change, Gary Nelson urges practices to think about freshening up their marketing and patient communications.
I am fortunate to go to a gym with very large glass windows, one-way glass I’m glad to say on these dark mornings, but I find the outlook better than a dark wall in front of me. This morning from the treadmill I watched as the light changed from darkness to dull as the local council started fencing off large parts of the car park. I asked the person beside me: “What do you think they are doing that for?” “Cleaning up the leaves apparently” he chuckled.
Initially I thought…’bonkers’ as the leaves are still falling.! Why would anyone clean leaves as they fall? But then I thought this is so appropriate to both life and business.
Seasons do change, as businesses and their marketplace changes. Leaves do fall, as businesses fall. If they don’t adapt and sweep as they go along, they cause a right old mess in the end.
So here are two simple observations I have made about the Business of Dentistry in the past few months:
Seasons Change
Back in 2020 I wrote an article on Patient Dispersion, the basic synopsis being that 2020 was the year that patients would be dispersed all over the place after the COVID storm as practices opened at different rates and times due to a variety of factors.
Patients sought care elsewhere based on their needs and circumstances.
I am still seeing patient dispersion happening even after all this time, both in the many established independent practices and NHS practices transitioning this year. I am still hearing the phrase: “my husband/wife/brother/sister can’t get to see their dentist” from patients at the reception desk when discussing their friends and family dental care and when joining as members.
My question to you and your practice is – Are you letting your patients know that you make room for friends and family of your existing patients? You could be using the above wording on Internal Signage, Recall Letters/Emails, Internal TV screens, Referral Cards, Newsletters.
“We are often told by patients that their friends and family are having trouble accessing dental care. We do always try and make room for the friends and family of our patients. Please pass on this information if you have a friend or family member affected by the current shortage of dentists.”
Your practice, like most practices, will have an average churn of patients of around 5%. That’s patients who leave, pass away, their circumstances change and so on, and for a business to thrive there is always a reliance on new customers.
Even if you feel inundated at present by patients, the 5% churn will be happening in the background. Are you and your team versed in the above wording?
My question to every practice is this – What is your New Season communication?
Time to clean up the leaves and freshen up your communication? After all, the number one source of new patients has always been your existing patients.
A New Broom
As with Patient Dispersion a topic I have mentioned several times is that of Value Proposition.
If you do not communicate the value of what you do, then the only area a patient can judge you on is price.
There are many more independent practices in the country than four years ago. Many more have transitioned and restructured their practice to the independent marketplace. How have you changed and adapted during these past few years?
In my book the simplest way of conveying Value is through photography. The Before…The During…The After for each treatment
Patients cannot see inside their mouth like you can. They simply cannot imagine the skill and type of work you are doing. So, when they see these three images they are often fascinated by how you can recreate their tooth.
What a truly special way to communicate value so that the patient doesn’t question price in your practice. It is easier on the whole team to have happy patients understanding value than simply questioning price at the reception desk.
Is now the time to change the broom, and implement a new approach for each patient in all of the surgeries within your practice? Either way, the lazy river of summer, annual leave and that bit more relaxed vibe has sadly changed with the season. So, perhaps it’s time to sweep the leaves and freshen up the communication and the value proposition?
Seasons change and so must business…
