Dr. Afifi is the owner of Anoosh Afifi M.S., D.D.S. Comprehensive Dentistry, in Seattle, Washington. He has been operating his fee for service practice in more than 30 years. Seattle is quite a competitive market, so when I see someone succeeding in attracting new patients to a fee for service practice in an area like this, my interest is obviously piqued. So let's jump right into the interview
Dr. Afifi, tell me a little bit about yourself.
I completed my dental education at Northwestern University in 1985 and have enjoyed practicing dentistry ever since. I live in Seattle, Washington, and that is where my practice is located as well. I am a very active person. I enjoy playing soccer, riding bikes, entertaining guests and cooking for them and watching movies on the big screen.
So Dr. Afifi, I have had the opportunity to work with a few practices in the Seattle area, and it appears to be quite competitive. Is that your experience as well?
I have been practicing in Seattle for more than 30 years. I have seen it evolve into quite a competitive market. If you are asking me whether or not Seattle is competitive now, my answer would definitely be yes, but it hasn't always been that way.
In more than 30 years of practice, I assume that you have seen a good number of changes, right?
Absolutely!
What are some of the most notable changes that you have seen over that time frame?
The evolution of marketing is probably one of the biggest changes that I have seen over the years. In my early years of practice ownership, marketing was taboo. If you were marketing your practice, you were shunned by many other dentists in the community. Then it became ok to market your practice, and marketing was mostly print marketing like phone books and mailers. Now you are unusual if you are not marketing heavily, and marketing is primarily done online anymore. This has been an interesting trend to try to keep up with. You always want to be an early adapter to get the major advantages.
Another change and this almost goes without saying, has been the evolution of digital dentistry. Practices have gone from everything paper to completely paperless over the past 30 years. If you haven't stayed up with technology, you are probably being left behind.
As far as bringing in new patients go, what has been the most successful for your office?
Internal referrals have been the most consistent avenue for new patients. This might be a little different than many other dentists, but our second most consistent way of attracting new patients has been 1-800 dentist.
This is the first time in nearly 50 interviews that I have had someone mention 1-800 dentist. Can you give us more information on that?
I have used 1-800 dentist nearly 25 years. It was consistently providing 10-15 new patients per month up until roughly five years. I think their business model has changed a bit since then, so that number has gone down a little bit.
Internal referrals... since those are obviously the most consistent factor for you, can you tell us how you do those?
We spend a good deal of extra time taking exceptional care of our patients. We have a little advantage here since we don't have to work for insurance rates. We go to great lengths to make sure that our patients feel pampered, and they send in their friends and family.
Are you asking for these referrals?
Yes, occasionally we will mention it when someone seems extremely impressed, but they are typically unsolicited.
I have one more question before I let you go. I like to ask this of everyone, but especially those who have years of experience like yourself. What advice would you give someone who is just starting out?
Get involved with the dental community and use that wealth of knowledge to help you find the best options!
Straightforward and simple! Thanks, Dr. Afifi, I appreciate your time!