Archive for category: Pedo Tips

Encourage online reviews. Customer reviews are becoming an increasingly important part of practice marketing. Research shows that more than 90% of consumers said they consulted online reviews before purchasing a product or service. Getting positive reviews on websites like Yelp, Angie’s List and Facebook is critical to attracting new patients to your practice. Encourage satisfied parents to go online and share their positive experiences they had at your office.

Additional Resource: Read a FREE excerpt from Dr. Levin’s book, “The Ultimate Survival Guide For Marketing Your Practice,” by clicking here.

Advice for the Pediatric Dentist – Prevent interruptions during case presentations. Stick to this rule except in the case of true emergencies. A well-planned case presentation gathers momentum and builds toward a positive response from patients. Any interruption will derail this process, so tell staff they can interrupt only for a true emergency.

Whitepaper Wednesday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “The 9 Areas of Expertise: Case Acceptance,” by clicking here.

Be adaptable – to patients, doctors and situations. Every patient is different, and every pediatric dentist will probably have his or her own way of doing things. Being flexible will allow you to change course with grace, get along with your fellow team members and supervising doctors, and provide superior customer service no matter what the day brings.

Additional Resource: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Building Patient Loyalty” by clicking here.

 

For Practice Owners – Valuation Factor: Fees. Parents may be pleased that your fees are relatively low, but a prospective buyer for your practice may see them as a liability. If a buyer simply raised the fees, that could have a sudden negative impact on production. You should analyze your fee structure regularly, not only for practice valuation but also to adjust revenue and profitability.

Management Monday: Download Dr. Levin’s FREE whitepaper, “The Practice Vision: A Powerful Tool for Growth,” by clicking here.

Raise your game. Continual improvement only takes place when there is some level of focus. Try to find three things that you will improve in your practice in the next 30 days. They can be little things or big things, but continual improvement is one of the major keys to long-term success..

Friday Freebie: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “3 Simple Steps To Reach The Next Level” by clicking here.

It’s how you say it that counts. With a few simple changes, anyone can improve communication. Start by paying attention to the words you use and how you say them—they have tremendous impact on parents and patients. When the pedo team communicates enthusiastically, they build parent trust, which leads to more word-of-mouth referrals.

Additional Resource: Read a FREE excerpt from Dr. Levin’s book, “What to Say, What Not to Say,” by clicking here.

Practice Valuation Factor: Accounts Receivable. Uncollected—perhaps uncollectible—money can undermine the value of your practice. The seller and buyer will need to negotiate who will be responsible for collecting the receivables, how the receipts will be allocated, whether there will be a discount if the buyer collects them, etc.

Whitepaper Wednesday: Check out Dr. Levin’s whitepaper, “The Successful New Dentist,” by clicking here.

Advice for the Marketing Coordinator – Market consistently. To ensure the best marketing results, consistency is critical. Use strategies on an ongoing basis throughout the year. Haphazard marketing invariably generates inconsistent results, which leads to fewer new patients, lower production and decreased profitability.

Additional Resource: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “Internal Marketing – The Key To More New Patients”   by clicking here.

Recognize when it’s time to move on. One of our very intelligent Tip of the Day subscribers wrote to us pointing out that there are patients that aren’t worth retaining. They are either too difficult, waste too much time, cost too much money, or create too much stress. We agree that there are indeed situations where everyone is better off when some patients “move on” rather than remain in the practice, especially if they create high levels of stress or cause the practice to lose money. In general, we suggest working diligently to get along well with all parents and patients, but there certainly will be those (hopefully) rare times where a certain patient or family is just not the right fit.

Management Monday: Download Dr. Levin’s FREE whitepaper, “What’s Holding You Back,” by clicking here.

Schedule a walk-through of your dental practice with the entire team. Start outside and take a look at all the physical aspects of the practice. We bet you will see things that you don’t normally notice. Some things may be worn, old, or out-of-date. It’s a good practice to redo the décor—at a reasonable expense—every five years. A fresh look means better clinical dentistry in the mind of a patient.

Friday Freebie: Watch Dr. Levin’s video, “The Value of Practice Analysis” by clicking here.