Dental Marketing – To Do’s

[Anonymous]

Dentists are not usually schooled in marketing; nor is

their team. Therefore, they fall prey to the latest scheme

that someone touts. Dentists often want to set it (e.g., put

up a website) and forget it. In our new economy with the

profit snatching invasion of PPO’s, with people losing their

jobs, with consumer spending down, there might be a tendency to shrink back on

marketing. Au Contraire. Here are 12 of the best marketing investments to attract

today’s dental consumers.

1. Update your website. Websites are dynamic tools

used to attract new patients. You may have spent

thousands to get it developed AND you may even be

paying an ongoing fee. However, few dentists keep

their website updated. In one practice, the dentist

was paying for the ability to update, (often included in

the monthly fee), and yet still had staff photos of

people who had been gone for over six months. It is

time to update if: 1) your website is generic, (all of

the photos are of models); 2) it looks like the other

dental websites; 3) it is heavy on text and short on

visuals; 4) it has old photos of staff long gone; or 5)

you have procedures and services available that are not mentioned on your website.

2. Empower the Search Engines (Google®

, Bing®

, Yahoo®

). Staff meeting exercise:

Ask each staff member to search the web using a search term they would use to

locate a new dentist in your city or area. Ask them to note your ranking in the nonpaid area of Google®

. If you are not in the top 5, you lose. Take the list of search

terms used by your team and send them to your webmaster and ask them to add

those search terms.

3. Add visuals, videos and personal photos to your

website. YouTube®

is the second most used search

engine. Therefore, make some short-less than one or two

minutes-home-grown videos: you, your office, your team, and your

philosophy; you with your patients, (especially those in your target market),

discussing their satisfaction. Put these on your website and on YouTube®

.

4. Use an offer to grab emails from searchers. What offer? Either a reduction on a

service, such as Power Bleaching for $100 off, Complimentary Six Month Smile®

or Cosmetic Smile, or implant analysis. Or, a “white paper” on a consumer interest

topic such as, “Five Things to Consider When Choosing a New Dentist.”

        

[Anonymous]

 Market to new home buyers and not to everybody 

in your area. New homeowners are stable, 

creditworthy, have above average income, and are 

ready to establish a new dentist for their family. The 

best time to reach them is immediately after they buy 

their home. I recommend you do this in-house. Send 

three letters, three months in a row with a different 

focus and a different offer in each. Always include 

something of value. 

6. Get out THERE into your community. Become active 

in a place of worship of your choice. This is good for 

your soul and good for your business. 

7. Track, Track, Track where your new patients come 

from. You need to see if at least half of your new 

patients are coming from referrals from your patients and staff. If not, you need to 

work on patient satisfaction. (Download the February 2012 eSSENTIALs on our 

Newsletters Page.) You also need to see if you are getting a return on any 

marketing money spent. If you are not getting patients from your website, think 

about a website makeover!!

8. Communicate with your patients via print or email 

newsletters at least four times per year. Send them 

something other than recall notices or statements. If 

you have not already asked, ask patients for their 

email addresses since e-newsletters are VERY cost 

effective. With Thanksgiving coming up, send a 

Thanksgiving letter thanking them for being a part of 

your patient family. Here are a few other ideas for 

those mailings:

o New services you now offer such as Six Months 

Smiles®

or sleep apnea treatment

o New staff or staff news, babies, marriages, new 

certifications, continuing education

o New information about dental products, dental services, dental conditions, 

nutrition. I got one recently from my massage 

therapist about the "YUCK" in soft drinks! 

9. Have a specific Thank You program for referrals that 

come from your patients AND your team. This is not 

new news, but it is often lost in busyness. Be sure 

you appreciate EVERY referral even if it is of a family 

member. 

10.Print the staff personal business cards. This will be 

money well spent. These cards help them have pride 

in their profession and your practice. Ask them to give 

them out to friends, family and where they do business such as their nail tech, 

massage therapist, hairdresser and kid’s teacher.

11.Put together a Business to Business promotion. Make 

up dental health baskets to distribute in your business 

area which include items that can be imprinted with 

your practice name and logo: 

o toothbrushes and floss

o sugarless gum, mints or lip balm

o pencils, pens or pads

o business card magnets

o card with an offer for a discount 

12.Send birthday cards to the over 65 age group and ecards to the under 12 group. 

     Use these top steps to ramp up your marketing.

        

[drmithila]

By Don Deems, DDS, FAGD
There is perhaps no greater frustration and expense to a dental practice than finding the right team member. With today’s dwindling dental workforce, finding qualified — even trained — individuals isn’t what it was even 10 years ago. In some areas of the U.S., doctors may only have one or two applicants to choose from for a position, as compared to 20 years ago when at least 10 times that number were available.

How can a dentist attract the right team members? What skills, systems, and programs must be in place to market, attract, interview, and eventually hire the right person? In this article, let’s explore all the facets of the process of hiring just the right person for your practice.

First things first!

Before we jump into the steps of hiring, let’s take a look at several important preparatory steps, the first and most important of which is about you. To incorporate any new team member into your practice, you must be committed to the following:

Rule No. 1: When you choose a team member to work with you, you MUST be 100% committed to their success. Anything less and nearly anyone will fail.

Rule No. 2: You must believe in your heart that the team member has the capacity to be a 10 at his or her position. Why would you hire someone knowing the best the team member will ever be is a 7? Quite frankly, you’ll set yourself up for failure.

Second, do you really need that new team member? Because team members’ salaries, benefits, and such are the single highest part of your overhead, think critically about whether those job duties might be completed in another way with your existing team. If it’s possible, look for ways to redistribute the workload. Talk with your team about absorbing the duties, and explore options for making it a win-win for all. You might find that you can save yourself a lot of time and money by just doing that.

For example, do you really need three chairside assistants? If your practice is focused on providing comprehensive, full-mouth dentistry and you have two assistants, you’re paying a lot of money to have the other assistant. Practices struggle to keep two assistants busy, focused, and productive. The “insurance” of having an extra assistant generally isn’t worth it and usually encourages absenteeism.

Consider using the Internet, computerization, or outside services to handle many of the clerical needs of the practice. Maybe you’ve been putting that off because you feel more comfortable doing things “the old way.” Many practices can easily use one front office staff member to handle the work flow without it being overly burdensome. Obviously, larger practices will need more than one front office staff member.

Finally, have you considered working with a hygiene assistant? Many practices find this a very productive way to care for their patients without the overhead of a second hygienist, or in situations when dental hygienists are in short supply.

Preinterview planning

The third most important step is getting crystal clear about the position you’re hiring for. Answer all of these questions before moving on:

Do you have a written job description in place for that position?
Do you have an office policy manual for the employee’s review?
Do you know the pay range you are willing to provide for that position?
Do you have the employee benefits and any bonus agreements in writing?
What are the most important attributes that the new employee must have, without fail?
What are the desired attributes you would like the employee to have?
What experience and specific skills must the person have for the position?
Will the position require any special licenses or permits?
Do you have a training schedule already in place for the new employee?
Have you scheduled time on your calendar weekly to meet with that new employee for feedback and training until the team member is up to speed?
Have you chosen the questions you will ask all applicants?
Have you assembled a group of two or more staff members to assist in the interviewing process?
Do you know what personality style will work best with your existing team?
Is everyone in agreement about exactly the person you’re looking for?
If all of these questions are answered and completed, you’re ready to move on.

Marketing for the position

Where have you found your best employees? Was it through an employment agency? Ad in the newspaper? The Internet?

It goes without saying that the best employees are usually the ones already working, unless you happen to find a dentally experienced person who’s just moved to the area or you are fortunate enough to attract an employee who didn’t find a good “fit” at their current office. Try these other avenues for looking for possible candidates before spending money on advertising for that new position:

Ask your team. Do they know someone who might fit the position you’re hiring for?

Ask other dental offices that you know have been hiring. Do they have any leads?

Go to local dental meetings and talk to your colleagues. Have they interviewed anyone lately that might work for the position you are trying to fill?

Contact local state associations, organizations, and dental schools; they may have several leads for you.

Go shopping — for employees, that is. Some doctors have had great success when they met a retail store associate who had the attributes they were looking for. Most retail stores don’t hire full-time employees, so if you run across someone you think might work, give them your card and ask them to interview. Remember, the best employees are probably already working, so you’ll have to find a way to pique their interest in your business.

Talk with other human resources specialists. If there is any “light” industry in your town, such as electronics or plastics, you’ll find these types of employees do well in a dental practice. Arrange to meet with the director of human resources and explain the position you have to offer. Don’t be surprised to find that they’ll think you provide a great opportunity. Often these directors tend to know someone who would fit well in your office.

In part 2 of this two-part article, I’ll explore the screening process, interviewing techniques, and the screening resources critical to ensuring that you’re hiring the best applicant available for your practice.

Dr. Deems is a professional personal and business coach to dentists and their teams and is a practicing dentist. Since 2005, he has been named to Dentistry Today’s Top Leaders in Continuing Education and is the author of several books, the most recent titled The Dentist’s Coach: Build a Vibrant Practice and the Life You Want. He can be reached at drdeems@drdondeems.com

        

[Drsumitra]

Dr. Deems is a professional personal and business coach to dentists and their teams and is a practicing dentist. Since 2005, he has been named to Dentistry Today’s Top Leaders in Continuing Education and is the author of several books, the most recent titled The Dentist’s Coach: Build a Vibrant Practice and the Life You Want. He can be reached at drdeems@drdondeems.com

  In part 1 of this series on hiring and interviewing techniques, I explored common mistakes, preinterview planning, and marketing for the new applicant.

Part 2 continues with the next critical steps in choosing the best applicant for your team. With proper planning and excellent communication, you’ll be ready to ask the right questions to find the answers you really need to know before offering the position to the applicant.

Initial screening

In many practices, the senior or supervising team member does the initial screening over the telephone. This screening saves the dentist time and allows team members to be involved in developing the team.

I suggest a screening form be developed that asks the basic questions that you’ll need to know before any more time is invested in the interviewing process. For example, you may want to know certifications, licenses, and such — important issues that are mandatory to know. During the five-minute conversation, have the team member take special note of the following

Questions asked by the interviewee
General demeanor of the interviewee — Was the person interested, upbeat, lethargic, demanding?
Thoroughness and thoughtfulness in answering questions
Any questions relating to pay
Off-the-cuff personality assessment
Professionalism
If the telephone screening is successful, the next step is to review the employee application. The application should be evaluated in the following areas:

Quality of content and thoroughness
Neatness in writing, if not typed
Accuracy in spelling and information
Length of stay at each prior position
Gaps or delays in work history (request additional information regarding this item)
Brevity of wording
Warmth of wording; be cautious about overuse of "I"
Reasons for leaving past employers
Specific description of past job duties; watch for generalities
Relativity of skills to your practice needs
Professional career orientation
Philosophy of life
Positive attitude
Past achievements
Future goals
Interviewing technique

There are many different styles and methods for interviewing. For purposes of simplification, I’m offering this model. In general, many doctors try to "do it all themselves" without the input and approval of team members, for a variety of reasons. I prefer a different model that will allow several looks and opportunities for discovery about the potential team member, along with adequate time for feedback.

I do understand that most dental practices are small businesses that need each and every employee there every day. When an employee is absent, work can be left undone, quality can be compromised, or both. The tendency is to hire quickly to "stop the hemorrhaging." I encourage you to slow down, proceed cautiously, and use prudent judgment before making an employment offer. Far too many doctors get in a rush, only to end up hiring someone without checking references, doing a background check, or any number of important steps, only to end up discovering problems later that cost them a tremendous amount of time and money.

And for those reasons, many doctors feel it is unnecessary to prepare for an interview, especially the experienced doctor who has interviewed many people throughout his or her career. Adequate preparation can, however, lay the foundation for a trusting relationship and can make the interviewee feel enthusiastic (versus apathetic) about joining your team. Planned, formal interviewing techniques shift the focus of the process from intuition to logic. The interviewing process is designed for both parties to develop openness, to treat the applicant as you would a guest in your own home.

The questions you will ask are designed to learn the applicant’s views about themselves and others, the values they hold, the extent of the specific skills levels as they relate to your practice needs, and their personal communication style as they potentially relate to your team.

Whether you are involving your team member or not in the interviewing process, make time to prepare for the interview by doing the following:

Review the purpose of your practice and the job description for that position.
Have a comfortable and professional place prepared to conduct the interview.
Plan and write down application-related questions.
Be aware that the applicant may be feeling apprehensive.
Be careful not to bias decisions through:
First impression
A single statement
Impressions of others
Body language
Colloquial phrases
Take notes of the applicant’s responses for review immediately after the interview.
For those doctors inclined to get maximum feedback from their team members about the candidates, I recommend the following:

Meet with the team members who will be involved in the next level screening and review the resumes with them.

Mutually decide which candidates should proceed to the next step of the interviewing process.

Contact the interviewees and schedule a time for a face-to-face interview with two team members. Make sure the interviewees understand that this is the preliminary interview.

Conduct a DiSC profile (www.inscapepublishing.com) or other personality inventory. If the position is for the business office, a simple clerical skills test, such as available through Wonderlic (www.wonderlic.com), is recommended. This portion of the interview can be handled by the office administrator or senior team member to allow other team members to resume duties. Today, many of these can be completed online.

Have the interviewees sign a release form so that you may contact their references and do a background check on them.

For the doctor who prefers not to have the additional feedback from the team member at this point, he or she will complete the interview.

The interview

During the interview conversation, listen carefully for the interviewee’s description of his or her behavior in each situation. If the applicant is feeling apprehensive, you or your team can develop rapport by doing the following:

Explain that you will taking notes for accuracy.
Use an "interview" form created for consistency.
Ask easy opening questions.
Be friendly.
Stay "legal."
Explain the purpose of the interview.
Demonstrate that you are well-prepared.
After about three minutes of building rapport, proceed with the interview. The interviewer should actively listen (give feedback) to each response and continue to exercise the "power of pause" and silence to allow the applicant sufficient time to respond. Avoid filling in the silence. If the answer is vague or uncertain, it should be clarified before continuing. It is important to allow the applicant to talk 80% of the time — while you are carefully listening! Conduct the interview in a way that encourages the applicant to describe the information you need.

Regardless of the choice for the first interview — team member or doctor — it is important to use the same interview questions for each applicant, preferably at least one question of the following types (for a list of more than100 additional questions, please email me directly):

Behavioral-based questions
Past behavior is normally a very good predictor of future behavior. Behaviorally based questions allow you to see how a person has handled things in the past, giving you insight into how they may handle ones in the future.

Tell me about a time you had a conflict with the doctor you were working for and how you handled it.
Tell me about the biggest mistake you’ve made on the job. How did you notice it, and what did you do about it?
Situational-based questions
These questions allow you to pose a typical situation that may occur in your office and then determine how a person may handle similar ones in the future.

You’ve answered the phone and the patient is irate over what the insurance has paid. How do you handle this situation?
At the end of the day, you notice one of your team members putting office supplies into her purse. What do you do?
Personal attribute questions
Questions of this type can give you insight into what is really important to the person, what drives them, and how they respond best to success, failure, and stress.

What things give you the most feelings of success and satisfaction? Frustration?
What have you been most successful at?
Professional attribute questions
Questions of this nature give you tremendous information about how the interviewees approach and handle their professional life and career. "Red flags" in this area will help you understand their focus, direction, and professional ambition.

Tell me about your job experiences.
What part of your last job did you find most satisfying? Least satisfying?
Personal development questions
Your biggest asset is your team member, so understanding the applicant’s motivation, level of development, and interest in future growth will help you decide if this person would be a worthy investment for your practice.

In what areas do you feel you need the most development?
In what areas will you need additional training if I hire you?
Working environment questions
It’s better to understand applicants’ expectations of a future employer now rather than later. People generally don’t change quickly or easily, and if this wouldn’t be a good fit for them and you, it’s best to try not to make it "work out."

Describe the best boss you ever had. Worst boss?
What do you feel is the most important part of a supervisor’s job?
Relationship with others questions
Most dental practices almost function as small families, yet they are businesses, too. The stress of working side by side with people all day is real, and if a person cannot be a team player where every single person’s performance and contribution is needed, you’ll already be starting behind the "8 ball."

What qualities do you admire in other people?
What irritates you about other people?
Future-oriented questions
Is this someone who is ambitious or complacent? Do you need to inject energy and enthusiasm into your practice? Are you looking to grow your practice? Pay attention to the following details:

What are your career aspirations?
What plans do you have for furthering your education?
"Working with us" questions
Excellent applicants do their homework before interviewing for a job. They are discriminating. How discriminating is the applicant?

What interested you to seek employment with us?
How would you describe a good employer?
Regardless of your choices for questions, make sure your questions follow your local, state, and federal guidelines for legal interviewing.

As you ask the questions, record the specific factual responses, factual information, and your general impressions of the applicant’s answers. Here are some examples:

"Avoided talking about her values."
"Spoke about her organizational skills."
"Self-critical of her shyness."
"Spoke about playing as a team member."
"Avoided answering the questions."
"Gave a specific example of a time when …"
Upon completion of the interview, the interviewer may wish to talk about him or herself and the other team members to help the applicant get a feel for the makeup of the practice. It’s also a show of openness to ask the applicant if he or she has any questions.

        

[Author]

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