So I know you’re reading the title and thinking “yeah I know we improve lives already!” but do you? Does your practice show that? If there is a type of service or some sort of product that enhances or upgrades a person’s lifestyle, then they are going to want the best. However, when it comes to something useful but very practical, we tend to want the cheapest.
Look at the bigger picture here:
We normally tend to buy the bigger TV with all the HD gizmos and upgrades. However, we buy a cheap TV stand or a fifty dollar DVD player instead of a two hundred dollar DVD player because, well, they both simply do the same job! Most men don’t buy their undershirts at Macy’s or Nordstrom they go get the package deal at Wal Mart or Target! Why? Because no one sees the undershirt and they all pretty much do the same job, it’s mostly a necessity like socks, but really nothing more to the majority of people.
Until someone changes that…
Well guess what? Most people in your local community see you, your dentistry, as something practical, only a necessity. Unfortunately most people in your community or neighborhood understand that they need you for “maintenance” but really nothing more. So what do most people do? They tend to look for the best deals, the cheapest dentistry or the best bang for their buck. They just want their pain taken away the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way possible and never have to deal with you for a long time!
Until someones changes that…
FIGURE OUT WHO YOU ARE AND GO FROM THERE
You need to change that mindset in your local community and the first step you need to take is to know what type of dentistry you are. Do you just fix cavities or straighten teeth or do you take pain away and create a smile that’s comforting for the patient?
If you’re a general dentist do you let your patients and local community know you do cleanings, root canal for a certain “low” price, and fillings?
If you’re a cosmetic dentist do your patients and local community know you do veneers, fix chipped teeth, “free lifetime whitenings” as long as they are regular with their visits or “whitenings as low as___”?
If you’re a orthodontist does the local community know you put metal braces on kids or adults for a certain price and you have the best orthodontist in town?
Well, cool story bro… These are features not benefits and letting the community know this will just have most of them looking like they still need convincing or more.
THEY WANT TO HEAR BENEFITS NOT FEATURES
List the benefits. No one cares if you have the latest Kodak blah blah blah, only the dentist down the street cares. Your potential patients only want to hear ways to enhance their lives and you need to either tell them or create that awareness in them.
Let me give you three examples:
• General Dentist: Whether you’re enjoying your first date at your favorite restaurant eating yummy dessert pain-free or talking to your date without having to worry if you carried any mints with you. We’ve got you covered; sincerely, your wingman.
• Cosmetic Dentist: Are you an avid coffee drinker or smoker [insert photo of yellow teeth]. Yup, we can all tell. We’ll get those messy stains right off and have you ready for the weekend.
• Orthodontist: EASY! [Have a picture of three different girls all smiling and one of the three has really crooked teeth. Make sure they all have slightly different eyebrows, make sure they all have some sort of lipstick or lip gloss on, and they all have some sort of eyeliner on *but not drastic eyeliner*, have one girl with shorter hair, and another with highlights or something and ask] Can you spot the difference?
Now these are not all slogans or phrases to pitch to your clients. These are examples of what happens when you list benefits and know what type of dentistry you are. You understand how you can market your services and how you enhance your potential patient’s lifestyle.
LET ME EXPLAIN
The first one is general dentist. Notice you didn’t say “hey we fix cavities, do cleanings, blah blah blah”. We are creating an image in the client’s head or maybe a scenario that has happened before. They may have hurtful cavities or major sensitivity. We are letting the patient know we aren’t just your local dentist, we are your friend, we care, we are your wingman/woman *wink face*
The next one is cosmetic dentistry. Here we let the picture do some speaking and then we ask a simple question and give a straight answer. We let the client or whoever is looking and reading this know that “hey, we all think you need a teeth whitening”. Now you have every coffee drinker and smoker checking the mirror and seeing if their teeth are too yellow. You are letting them also know you can get them ready for their big thing this weekend or letting them know you can get their teeth pearly white as soon as this weekend!
The third one was orthodontist. In the example above, we are letting the picture do most of the talking. Although most women spend so much time and money on their make-up and hair, what do most people notice, the smile. Therefore, when people say “yeah the difference is one lady has crooked teeth” point out that there are mostly other differences but what do most people mainly notice first or only notice? You already know *wink face with a slight smirk*
So figure out what type of dentist you are and then push ways you can enhance your patients and your local community’s lives; because remember people spend on ways to enhance their lifestyle but hate spending on the necessities or the maintenance, so the majority WILL spend the least amount possible if they see you as something utilitarian.
You didn’t join this field to become practical, you joined it to be phenomenal. Show it in every aspect.
Find more information at: The Dental Marketer