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The Dental Marketing X-Files with Xaña Winans
The Dental Marketing X-Files with Xaña Winans
Dental marketing can be filled with confusing, conflicting advice that leads to frustration. In The Dental Marketing X-Files with Xaña Winans, we'll reveal what works and why, and what you can ignore. In dental marketing, "the truth is out there."
Blog By:
Xana Winans
Xana Winans

Dentists, Roofers And Opportunity Cost

Dentists, Roofers And Opportunity Cost

11/7/2018 6:46:53 AM   |   Comments: 0   |   Views: 53
I know, that's a hell of a blog title, right? And you're probably wondering what roofers could possibly have to do with your dental marketing. Let me explain...

After noticing some buckling in the hardwood floor near the bedroom dormer, I realized we might have a leak (my immediate pain point). Considering that the house was built in 1989 and still has the original roof nearly 30 years later, it's not unlikely that this leak is the sign of a larger problem (a future opportunity). 

The Waiting Begins...
I searched online for roofers in my area, called four highly-ranked listings with good reviews and explained the situation, including that it might be an opportunity for a completely new roof. I left messages and then I waited for a call back. Crickets... So I took to Facebook to source personal recommendations and got four more roofers to call. Two rounds of calls and three weeks later, more crickets. After asking on Facebook yet again today, AND after publicly calling out the roofers who did not call me back, magically one of them messaged me literally seconds later claiming he had been on vacation (for 3 weeks???).



Dentists and Roofers
Now imagine you're a patient who hasn't been to the dentist in a while. You bite down on a hard pretzel and break a tooth. You have an immediate pain point (a leak in the roof), but odds are good that broken tooth is just the tip of the iceburg (the need for a whole new roof). So you go online and start calling and filling out website contact forms. You get voicemail because the team is taking lunch, or are told "we don't take your insurance", or never get a response to your email because no one has checked that email account in months.

You go to Facebook to beg for recommendations for a good dentist, because now that tooth is really hurting. You call the dentists that your friends raved about and the same thing happens...crickets. So you start telling people in a very public way that Dr. Smith didn't return your calls, and Dr. Jones never responded to your email, and the person who recommended you to that dentist is now embarrassed. Ouch.

An Everyday Occurance
I would like to tell you this is a far fetched scenario. I would like to tell you I've never seen this happen to dental practices. But I would be lying. Dentists invest tens of thousands of dollars in dental websites, dental postcards and Google Adwords all to make the phone ring, but waste an excessive amount of money by not being responsive to their leads. I get that the patient in front of you is more important than the ringing phone, but that does not preclude teams from immediately responding as soon as the patient leaves. Your dental marketing lead has just expressed that they have a pain point. They want reassurance that someone will take away the pain (both figuratively and literally). You need to jump on that opportunity before that patient calls someone else!

Right now, it might feel like you only lost one possible patient who needed an emergency exam. Big deal. What many practices fail to see is the larger case value that accompanies the emergency, the public damage to their reputation, and the loss of trust from the referring patient. That cost is much, much bigger than you realize.

Be Responsive
If you think this isn't happening in your office, I encourage you to spend a few dollars on dental call tracking. Listen to those calls and check the email forms. Did these people actually become patients? Or was an opportunity blown? What was your opportunity cost? You can't increase production if you never get a chance to see the patient in the first place.

For those of you wondering if I ever found a roofer, I just did. He was personally recommended and introduced via email, he called me quickly, and he listened to my problem. I have trust in him, and I know he will take away my pain point. Can your office say the same?

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