How to Develop (In)Credible Marketing For Your Practice By: Carol Murphy, Executive Editor & Rodger Kurthy, DMD

On Sunday, July 13, 2003, The Orange County Register, one of Southern California's largest newspapers, ran a lengthy article on the Biolase Waterlase laser, featuring Dr. Rodger 'Rod' Kurthy as the expert. Did that kind of exposure help Kurthy establish awareness and credibility within his community? You bet it did! If he would have purchased that much space for advertising it would have cost over $10,000, but this impressive article didn't cost Dr. Kurthy anything.

This isn't the first time Dr. Kurthy has received incredible free exposure. In fact, during his 25-year career, he has developed some very practical ways to effectively market his dental practice. Kurthy was asked about his incredible marketing techniques so often, he finally compiled his ideas into a book earlier this year.

If you've been on the message boards at DentalTown or were lucky enough to attend the first DentalTown Gathering last February in Vegas, you know most Townies are very interested in everything this charismatic person has to say about many topics. After seeing the Townie's response to Rod's 'free' exposure, DentalTown decided to ask this seasoned veteran to share some of the basic marketing techniques he uses to market his practice so effectively. What follows are some of Rod's guidelines for establishing successful marketing in your practice.

Newspaper Publicity Local newspapers are a great source for "free" advertising. Smaller newspapers are always looking for stories about local business. You must be proactive and position yourself as a resource, or expert on the subject of dentistry. Over 2 years ago, I began faxing press releases–story ideas–to all my local newspapers. Over the past two years, I've probably faxed them about 7 or 8, but only when I had really good stuff to announce. So, by providing them with my 'dental knowledge' my name not only became familiar, but I also established credibility. So now, when they need an 'expert', I'm often the guy they call. It's just that simple. Marketing without coupons I've never been satisfied with status quo. I believe you're either going up or going down. There are many ways to grow a practice. You can concentrate on increasing patient volume or productivity within your patient base or a combination of both. Either way, "good" marketing will work and help you skyrocket your practice. My marketing systems have evolved over the past 24 years. When I first started my

The photo that appeared with Dr. Kurthy’s article in The Orange County Register

practice, I was told by several ad "experts" that marketing a dental practice was no different than marketing a hardware store. I never believed that but seeing as they were suppose to be the 'experts', I followed their advice. They advised sending out discount coupons and reduced-fee incentives to get new patients 'in the door.' I started sending out discounts and coupons. Holy moly!! Nothing but failures! After several disasters, I began trusting my own instincts and gradually changed the way I marketed to my patients.

What really works
Instead of a focus on coupons or "offers," I developed emotional gut-grabbing benefits for patients. I realized if you provide patients with benefits that truly excite them, offering discounts or coupons actually contradicts this message. People would call and ask, "If Dr. Kurthy is so great, why does he need to give discounts? Once I eliminated the "offers" and focused on unique, emotional benefits, I immediately TRIPLED my marketing responses, and seldom got 'bargain hunter' new patients. YAHOOOO!! The people who became my patients really wanted the best and were ready and willing to PAY for it!!

Now, I'm not implying you should never use coupons because it really depends on where you practice. If you need to market, always use exciting, emotional benefits as your 'hook'. If you really need to use 'offers', just be sure the offer is only an INCENTIVE to call, not the ONLY reason.

I've been asked many times, 'what kind' of info to give patients, so I finally wrote it all down in my book, The No-Coupon 'Marketable' Dentist. I have listed over 30 emotional 'gut-grabbing' benefits–ideas that will make you IRRESISTIBLE. Along with word-for-word examples of what to say, I also explain how to clinically implement these things into the practice. Some of the topics include: sports trauma prevention; sensitive teeth and bad breath. These are the types of things REAL people are concerned about and willing to spend their discretionary dollars to combat.

Remember, you're always marketing to 'Mom' in every family. She's the decision-maker when it comes to making healthcare decisions. But to CONVINCE moms, you absolutely MUST establish credibility. Nothing establishes credi- bility like third-party media endorsement. To get published in the newspaper is easy. The same is true with radio or television. Even if it costs a few hundred bucks to be interviewed by the local cable channel, you still use this television, radio, newspaper or magazine exposure to establish credibility/believability in your marketing mailer by simply referring to your media exposure–and you can use this year after year. YEAH!! NOW we're talkin'!

Direct Mail
I'm a big fan of direct mail because it can do amazing things for your practice. If you're in an area with lots of kids who play sports, you could send a brochure mailer that reads "You may have seen Dr. Jones interviewed on television about preventing trauma to teeth. He's concerned about kids' teeth, especially now that it's soccer season." Combine this with 5-7 other emotional topics, add the media credibility/believability, and get ready for loads of excellent new patients!

Once parents bring their athletes in to find out how they can prevent future trauma to their teeth, I make the mouthguards for free. You KNOW how moms agonize over the possibility of injury to their kids! When you show such concern, and even provide professional protection at no charge, believe me, you have a family of patients for life–not to mention they tell everyone they know about the experience. Once again, you CAN'T buy advertising more effective!

The value of new patients
The real goal of most dental practices is to grow and have new and existing patients who accept the full, recommended treatment plan, right? So, once you have those great new patients, make sure you treat them like gold. Be very sure you make it as easy as possible for them to accept your recommended treatment plan. One of the most vital keys to acceptance is to offer your patients a wide variety of payment options, including patient financing through a third-party financing company. It's a no-brainer way to help more patients get treatment by letting them pay over time with low monthly payments–and you don't have to take any financial risk. Believe me, it's a win-win! I keep it very simple and use CareCredit’s patient finance program. In fact, I've been using CareCredit for over ten years. I LOVE win-win scenarios. The point is, no matter how many new patients walk through your front door, if you don’t keep them and make it easy for them to afford treatment, you're sunk.

You won’t believe what a difference a slight change in your marketing will make till you try it. By focusing on your patient’s perceived needs and offering financial assistance, you’ll be able to keep them for a very long time.

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Rodger 'Rod' Kurthy, DMD's very popular marketing book, "The No-Coupon 'Marketable' Dentist" has narratives you can use right away.

Take the guesswork out of your marketing forever.To order his book, you can call Rod directly at: 949-588-1600 or log onto www.NewPatientsInc.com