Your Dental Practice Won’t Grow Until You Decide What You Are
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urbocharge word-of-mouth about your practice with one simple decision.
By Chuck McKay
Some dentists live in a community where patients have very few other dentists to choose from.
Practitioners in that situation can be dreadfully uninformed about business, and still use their dental license to create a comfortable living. They simply hang out a shingle, and are inundated with work.
Most dentists, however, find themselves in more competitive situations. They have to face the same regulatory and legal issues, capital investment decisions, and marketing challenges faced by every other small business.
The biggest marketing challenge is attracting new patients. Let’s look at how it’s done in other professions.
Have you ever purchased a wedding cake?
Did you shop at the bakery department of your local supermarket? Probably not. Most of us wouldn’t. We assume wedding cakes have specific requirements beyond the experiences and skills of the supermarket baker. Instead, we choose a wedding cake specialist.
The wedding cake baker automatically surrenders part of the market. She gives up the business she might have had in birthday cakes or in sheet cakes for retirement parties. But, by specializing, she transfers confidence to her customers that they’re making the right decision in hiring her. With customers convinced she understands their specific needs, and can deliver the cake they need, she’s able to charge more for her cakes. Which leads to an interesting conclusion.
Specialists make more money.
You’ve no doubt already seen this in action. Whether we’re discussing architecture, accounting, law, or health care, specialists can charge more. As an added benefit they also find more customers (or clients, or patients) lined up to purchase.
People remark about specialists because their specialization makes them better qualified to solve specific problems, and thus, remarkable.
Specialization leads to stronger word-of-mouth.
People will remark about your practice, too. But much like the baker who makes only wedding cakes, you must first decide what you are, and specifically how that makes you different.
Meet Jennifer and Alice.
Jennifer is new to the community. Alice is her neighbor. Jennifer has just asked Alice to recommend a dentist for her four-year-old. Alice is trying to think of one. Truthfully, not having any children of her own, she’s trying to remember what she’s heard, or read.
You might expect Alice to say, “I believe Dr. Hazelton is a patient man. He’d probably be good with kids.”
Unfortunately, that’s never going to happen. Alice isn’t going to look for the personal qualities that might predispose someone to a particular specialty, and then share her conclusions.
That requires too much risk on her part.
Yes, risk.
Credibility is what makes word-of-mouth powerful.
The person who passes along information jeopardizes her relationship each time she suggests a solution to someone’s problem. A poor recommendation causes a serious loss of stature for the person making that recommendation. And yet, people who like other people do try to help them.
Alice wants to help Jennifer.
Alice is going to search her memory for anyone known as a children’s dentist. Unless you’re known for pediatric dentistry she won’t think of your name.
It doesn’t matter that at your practice you do treat children, (along with their parents and grandparents). Unless you’ve made it easy for people like Alice to connect the dots, your name is never going to become top-of-mind. Figuring it out is just too much work for her. And too much risk.
But remembering what she’s heard someone else say isn’t as risky. “I’ve heard Dr. Edwards is a children’s dentist.”
You become easier to remember when you specialize.
What’s different about your practice that people can easily remember?
Are you…?
- A cosmetic practice?
- A painless practice?
- A high tech practice?
- A health-conscious practice?
- An expert practice?
- A patient-centered practice?
- A premium quality practice?
- A concierge practice?
- A pediatric practice?
- A socially-conscious practice?
Imagine being a patient of Dr. Pokrass.
Berkeley’s Dr. Fred Pokrass is known as the Transcendentist®. He calls his office “a wellness spa designed for your comfort.” All of his appointments include complimentary tea and spring water, color-therapy glasses, a 20-minute foot massage, a hot, organic cotton towel infused with the Transcendentist® scent.
Do you suspect his patients have any trouble explaining his practice to their neighbors? To relatives? To total strangers?
His clear and differentiated identity creates powerful word-of-mouth.
Two lessons worth noting.
- Any dentist could do what Dr. Pockrass does to personalize his practice.
- No one can really copy Dr. Pokrass.
His entire practice is a reflection of Dr. Pokrass’ values. His success is a function of the way those values resonate among his patients, and potential patients. People who feel that resonance are inclined to remember, and to talk about it. Especially since, in their experience, there’s no one else doing what Dr. Pokrass does.
Do you need to be as unique as the Transcendentist®? Perhaps not. But you’re not likely to be memorable until you’re different enough to stand out. You do need to specialize.
Whichever specialty you choose, make it something other dentists don’t offer. Then be sure to tell people what it is that you do.
Make it easy for them to express to each other which problems you solve, and exactly how you can help.
Make it easy for them to remember you.
Because truthfully, dentists who treat “everyone” are finding it harder to locate a community with a shortage of competitors.
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“Your Dental Practice Won’t Grow Until You Decide What You Are” Copyright © 2008 Chuck McKay and AdvanceMyPractice.com. All rights reserved.
Chuck McKay is a business consultant in the practice of health care. Questions about specializing within your dental practice, and effectively marketing that specialty, may be directed to ChuckMcKay@ChuckMcKayOnLine.com.