Reshaping a Practice

Reshaping a Practice

By James Roberts - Dental Entrepreneur (The Business Magazine for the Dental Profession)

St. Paul, Minnesota - Dr. Frank Milnar had been in practice since 1977 and was experiencing problems which many dentists encounter: lack of growth, a need to educate his patients, and most importantly, boredom. By joining the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry he quickly became rejuvenated. He was now ready to practice high-tech, cosmetic dentistry.

Dr. Frank Milnar opened his practice in 1977 in the heart of St. Paul, and by 1992 was becoming restless with his successful, but stagnant, operation. "I had a successful practice," recalls Milnar, "but I always felt there was something missing. I just wasn't as satisfied as I thought I could be. I felt we still had a relatively small menu to offer our patients."

Milnar was going through what many dentists experience. "I found myself in a rut and decided that if I was going to be successful in this business I would have to re-invent myself," says Milnar. At the urging of a close friend, Milnar decided in 1992 to look into the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

"I remember attending a national meeting for the Academy in '92 and being surrounded by upbeat, positive people versus the common communication of the local dentists," says Milnar. "That's when I decided to join the Academy."

"The Academy provided the vehicle I needed for my re-education. It not only made me aware of cutting edge materials and techniques, but also enabled me to learn from the masters."

When you join the Academy there are certain criteria which must be met. "You are required to perform five clinical applications such as direct composite bonding, porcelain veneering and complex bonding demonstrating closure of spaces," Milnar says. "Plus you must show research in each of the areas."

Milnar estimates it took him more than two years to complete the requirements. "There are thousands of hours of 'chair time'," says Milnar. "Not to mention the retraining fees."

But Milnar feels the time involved and the money spent was well worth the investment.

"By joining the organization, it gave me a vehicle to jump-start my practice, and myself," Milnar says. "I was re-educated at a time that was critical to both my practice and myself."

But Milnar found himself facing another problem. Six months after finishing the Academy's applications, patients were still unaware of the new services he was offering. How was he going to educate his patients, and prospective patients, regarding his diversified practice?

"I was now on the cutting edge, but no one knew it," Milnar says.

Enter Curtis Marketing Group.

"The same friend who directed me to the Academy also introduced me to the marketing team of Curtis Marketing Group," recalls Milnar.

Mark Curtis has been advising medical practitioners for more than a decade. "When I invited Mark Curtis to come in and take a look at my practice, I don't think I was actually prepared for the scope of his expertise."

"It's been in the past ten years or so that those in the medical field realized that they had to market themselves similar to any other business that hopes to survive," Curtis says. "Very rarely is exposure by word-of-mouth alone adequate."

"The first things they did were physical," says Milnar. "They re-did everything from my logo and stationery to my outdoor signs and décor."

The consulting team developed a marketing strategy geared toward re-educating Milnar's existing patients as well as doing mass mailings to prospective patients.

"They encouraged me to send a periodic post card which updates all my patients as to what I'm doing, the awards I've won, conferences I've attended, and even routine things like if we purchase a new computer system," Milnar says.

"One reason we strongly recommended Dr. Milnar to invest in the postcards was patient education," says Curtis. "When you see a patient an average of twice a year in the office you can't be truly successful educating them to new treatments available. It must be a continuous process."

"It has amazed me the kind of interest the postcard alone has generated," say Milnar. "And, through that interest I'm seeing many more referrals."

One of the more innovative marketing strategies Milnar has tapped is the Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, an upscale publication in the twin cities.

"It's target audience is the more affluent," says Milnar. "Just the market I'm attempting to reach with cosmetic dentistry."

Milnar appears in a full-page ad that Curtis Marketing Group runs in every issue. Once a year the ad features one of the Milnar's patients. "I'll describe the procedure and my technique plus discuss my basic philosophy on dentistry," says Milnar. "I've been doing this for about two years and have heard nothing but great comments."

Milnar also gets 3,000 reprints of these ads and sends them out, too. "Each time an article appears my referrals double from the period before."

"It's all education. I had to be willing to re-educate myself and change and invest in technology. Then I had to become aware of the need to educate my public so they know exactly how it will benefit them."

- Dental Entrepreneur 1997

TESTIMONIAL
Dear prospective clients,

Mark Curtis is a founding and current member of the North Central Region of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. As the current president of that organization, I have worked closely with Mark and his organization. An integral part of the success of our annual conferences comes from the marketing expertise Curtis Marketing Group has provided.

As a private practice dentist and an accredited dentist in the AACD, I have also pushed myself to be the best at what I do. My understanding of cosmetic dentistry and skills have come from intense work in this area. Mark and his group bring that same kind of drive and expertise to the marketing of dentistry.

As far as I’m concerned the money I’ve spent on marketing is the best money I’ve ever spent. Curtis Marketing Group is a valuable investment. Everything I’ve invested I’ve gotten back many-fold. Plus I’ve been able to add more upscale clientele to my practice. Although I can’t specifically measure what every marketing step has achieved for me, I can measure who is coming through my door. I have to be willing to continually re-educate myself and change my practice. And, I must be aware of the need to educate my public so they know exactly how I can benefit them.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Milnar, DDS