Remember These Three Letters

Three little letters that can change your focus and get you better results in growing your practice.

I have 3 letters that I’m going to give you today that are going to make a big difference on what you focus on and therefore the results you get out of your practice. Those letters are: R, F, and M.

The first letter R is for recency. Recency is important when it comes to your existing patients, and your goal is to shorten the time frame of when they come back in.   Look at reactivation for example, if you are looking at your past due patients and you haven’t seen them in 3 years, odds are they have moved on and you should, too. But if you look at patients who are only 7 or 8 months past due, you have a much more likely chance of getting them back in for re-care. You are still on their mind and they still remember you so shift your focus to them, and work towards cutting down on the time between their visits to avoid passing the 6 month mark.

The second letter F is for frequency. Frequency is just as important. Now, want you to always practice ethics when it comes to your business and never be manipulative (and actually in life too!) but I find that we’re so busy and focused on our routine that things get missed sometimes. But what things can you do a build frequency with your patients that will protect not only their investment with you, but their overall oral health. Patients want to protect the investment they have already made on their oral health, so what procedures can be done to protect them from having trouble down the road?

Click on the video image below to watch.

And the last letter is M – which is for the ever-important Money. Who is spending the most money with you? I’m not talking about your trouble patients, who come in maybe once a year and aren’t accepting any additional necessary care.   But rather your star patients, who come in on schedule, accept care, are pleasant to be around, pay their bills on time, and refer you to friends.

Look at your most recent and frequent patients, they are where most of your referral opportunities come from. If you are seeing them on a regular, consistent basis they are most likely to tell friends and family about you. In my practice we called then our unpaid sales force because they brought in most of our ‘next best patients’.

When you are thinking of getting more patients and keeping more patients in your dental practice, I want you to remind yourself of R F M: Recency, Frequency, and Money. If you keep those letters in your mind when coming up with re-care systems it will help take you a long way.

In this video, you’ll learn about:

  • Three letters that make a big difference in your practice
  • The importance of recency and frequency in patients’ visits
  • Patients to focus on first
Please take a few minutes and watch the video above– do it for you and for your practice.

First Most Important Step

The secret sauce to growing your business, and the first step probably isn’t what you think.

I’m going to give you the ‘secret sauce’ to rapid, positive growth for your practice this week. And it isn’t getting more patients, getting patients to come back, or filling up your hygiene schedule. It’s stretching yourself personally.

Now, it probably isn’t the type of growth that comes to mind first or the kind you are focusing on right now. It’s the step that you need to take before you can even start to work on growing your business…

Before you can grow professionally, you have to grow personally.

It’s hard to evolve in your business if you aren’t also evolving and advancing yourself from the inside out.

Click on the video image below to watch.

Whenever someone wants to come work with us I do a GAP analysis on the practice first to see where he or she is and where they want to be. If their perspective is about their problems being someone else’s fault and responsibility, it holds them back in the process. If you are honest with yourself that growth starts with you, and no one else, you will go a lot further. Because there is no professional growth, without personal growth. They go hand in hand.

This really shows with my private clients. The ones that are open and receptive to internal growth will show the biggest growth in their business and their wallet. It is a proportional relationship. And I’m not saying they change who they are as a person, but they shift their priorities and focuses on the right stuff at the right time.

Now, I know change can be scary but I have to tell you it isn’t difficult, overwhelming, or painful. Everyone I have helped with this process is always happier, in their business and life. Plus, they are making more money, so really it’s a win-win.

In this video, you’ll learn about:

  • The type of growth you should be focusing on
  • There is a step before professional growth
  • How to be happier (professionally and personally)
Please take a few minutes and watch the video above– do it for you and for your practice.

Blocking Your Schedule

Optimizing your schedule to get you more money and less stress.

How does decreasing your stress, being more productive, and making more money all at the same time sound to you?

I think most business owners would want more of each of those things.  Which is why I really wanted to share this week’s topic with you.  It involves something that you deal with very day, but I want to help you handle it better – your schedule.

While everyone deals with some type of schedule every day (like patients!), many people don’t work on blocking it for productivity for the rest of their day.  Meaning, all-important tasks that get you closer to your goal has a reserved time in the schedule to make sure it happens.

Click on the video image below to watch.

If a new patient is trying to schedule an appointment but you are booked out for 3 weeks, they most likely aren’t going to wait.  But you if leave that time open exclusively for new patients each week, this issue will be avoided and you won’t risk losing your next best patient.

Schedule blocking applies to all departments in your dental practice.  Leave time blocked off in hygiene for non-surgical perio treatments so you can capitalize on those high production procedures.  That way when the opportunity comes up and a patient is ready to accept treatment, you are there to provide it for them.  You avoid the ‘kiss of death’ when you tell them they need this very important procedure but you aren’t open for 3 or 4 weeks.

If a few days before a block isn’t filled, you open it up to other procedures to make sure there is no down chair time. Nothing is wasted here.

If you keep those blocks open for your big nugget procedures each day, that will help avoid the roller-coaster months and get you closer to your goals.  Your days will become more stable because you are allotting time for all of your biggest ticket items.

In this video, you’ll learn about:

  • How to avoid the kiss of death
  • To stop the roller-coaster months
  • The importance of blocking your schedule
Please take a few minutes and watch the video above– do it for you and for your practice.
 
Are you a dentist who wants to get all the patients you need, maybe we should talk?
I invite you to contact me right now at Results@GingerBratzel.com to schedule a complimentary ‘get acquainted meeting’ over the phone with me to see what opportunities are available right now in your practice to make patient attraction and practice growth a priority.
If you want more patients, you need to send me that email!
 
I wish you nothing but success,
Ginger
 


Want to use this article on your website or your own newsletter? No problem! But here is what you MUST include:

Ginger Bratzel, DDS, The Dental Patient Attraction Expert, is the founder of the New Patient Attraction Automation System®, the proven program the shows you through a precise, step-by-step process, how to get all the patients you need…your IDEAL patients. Get your FREE Audio CD by mail and receive a weekly access to marketing tips and mindset articles to grow your practice and increase your income, visit www.GingerBratzel.com.

Sharing Your Name With The World

Put your dental practice name in every hand walking down the street.

 

For many dental practices, promotional items are a part of their marketing arsenal in brand building. These can be valuable additions so I wanted to share some tips with you to get more out of them, make them affordable to use, and give you my recommended resource to simplify the process.

Here’s an interview I did with Second Story Promotions, who offers something really great and unique so I wanted to share it with you. You’ll see how they have positioned themselves to ‘build your brand.”

Second Story Promotions is based out of Cedar Rapids, IA but sell their products nationwide. Their company motto is the second thing that grabbed my attention, it’s “If We Brand It, They Will Come.”

They have a lot of promotional branding items that is perfect for dental offices and I wanted to let you in on it, so I decided to do something a little different. In true Ginger fashion, I put them on the spot right there and interviewed Jake, aka ‘Builder Bob’.

Click on the video image below to watch.

Jake goes over their 3 top selling personalized promotional products for dental offices: lip balm, which you use on the patient before a procedure and give to them to keep, refillable hand sanitizer, that’s the shape and size of a Sharpie, and my personal favorite a hot and cold tumbler.
 
 
These are all great items that your patients would use daily, and isn’t like a business card that will get lost in their car or bottom of their purse. If you asked any woman on the street at any given time she probably has at least 2 (if all not) of those items with her at any given time. And now they are carrying it proudly displaying your dental office name.
 
 
I always want fellow dentists to be advancing and promoting how great they are, so that is why I wanted to share this company with you. If you aren’t doing any type of product branding then I really suggest it, it’s a great low entry cost for you and these items are very cost efficient to give to your patients as well. Visit their website or give them a call and let them know Dr. Ginger sent you!
 
 
 

In this video, you’ll learn about:

  • Where to use promotional items
  • Keeping a constant brand in all your marketing
  • How to simplify the process
Please take a few minutes and watch the video above– do it for you and for your practice.
 

Branding Like Coca Cola…is that a good idea?

You don’t need to have a museum in your name to make your patients remember you

When most people think of marketing, they think of fancy logos and commercial ads. While part of that is true especially when we are discussing branding, it isn’t feasible for the average dental practice to follow this path.

I wanted to switch things up a little so instead of shooting in the studio, I am live from Atlanta in this week’s video assignment.

I am standing in front of the World Of Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia and if you know anything about me personally you probably know I am an avid Coke fan and collector. It goes all the way back to my childhood and feels like home to me. I really enjoyed walking about the museum and taking in Coke products from all over the world. While walking through the museum, I even saw a few collectible pieces from my own collection.

The Coca Cola brand is one of the biggest brands in the world, their products are sold all over the globe. And with my ‘marketing hat’ always on, I was thinking how this massive brand can compare to dentists and their practices as I toured their museum.

 

Click on the video image below to watch.

When dentists look at branding like Coke and compare themselves to the notoriety they have been able to accomplish, you might feel you have to establish this big brand, too. Thinking you need to make yourself this omnipresent force and I’ll tell you now it’s like fighting a losing battle. Don’t try to compete with those big name guys because you can’t. Direct response marketing gives you the biggest bang for your investment.

It’s almost like comparing apples to oranges. You’re playing a different game. You are better at establishing rapport with your patients, and establishing what you can do for them.

It’s more about what you can do to change lives, not just being a massive brand. Instead of focusing on having a museum with your name on it you should ask yourself what you can do for your patients’ needs. Then, promote those strengths to them; make that what you are known for. So that when they see you, they automatically know you’re the guy or gal that can solve their problems.

 

In this video, you’ll learn about:

  • Branding isn’t for everyone
  • Direct response marketing for dentists by focusing on your patients’ needs and wants
  • Promoting your strengths is the most important part
Please take a few minutes and watch the video above– do it for you and for your practice.

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