"There is one cosmetic dentist in town who markets a lot, but he's not a very good clinician. I don't want to be compared to him."

"I think marketing too much will damage my image."

"I would rather increase referrals."

There are many reasons not to create a significant public presence. But are they good reasons or just traditional reasons?

First, there is bad marketing and there is good marketing. Second, there is yesterday's patient and today's patient. You need to incorporate a strategy that is suitable to the type of patient you want to attract. The right "aggressive" public campaign can sever your relationship with the conformist past and propel your practice into a leadership future.

If done correctly, "a lot of marketing" can do exactly what you need: build your image, enhance expertise and credibility and increase referrals. Additionally, it can enlarge the circle of those willing to accept advanced (esthetic) dentistry as more than a frivolous addition to their oral health. The doctor as the seller of dentistry is the current dental marketing paradigm. This type of selling has been seriously challenged by the advent of many advanced services, which can be perceived as unnecessary. Therefore, what is not covered by insurance should be justified before their first visit. Otherwise, the learning curve is centered on the relatively short and often complex case presentation interaction.

In this new paradigm the clinician/seller very often becomes the seller/clinician. This role reversal frequently causes a dilemma: How do you sell the latest thing when the traditional thing is still perceived to get the job done? Dentists are then setting themselves up: become a better one-on-one seller or lose business. Therefore, great clinicians with poor selling skills lose business. A savvy Patient Coordinator can help in this area, but without a "pre-enlightened" public, sticker shock can still be a problem.

The low-quality cosmetic dentist with "lots of marketing" will win out in an environment where the good clinicians hide out. Marketing is a broad catalyst. It informs people at various times when they are receptive to new ideas and can contemplate these value-laden concepts on their own time. Getting 20 referrals a month is good, but what if those 20 were better informed, more prepared to move ahead, thoroughly understood the value of your care and had their checkbooks ready? And, over the year, referrals grew to 30 a month, but you screened down to 10 because each case averaged $20,000. This is exactly what effective marketing can do.

However, most high-quality cosmetic/restorative practices rely on standard, I-got-a-great-dentist referral marketing. The next level might do an ad in one proactive publication or a large ad in the Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages advertising dentist gets less and less high-level patients each year and the other dentist gets a few high-value patients the first year and then sees a drop off later on. The drop off occurs because no single marketing vehicle touches all possible prospects and every source has its saturation point. Often, the consumer will only place "trust" in your service when they see it marketed in various sources. The Yellow Pages is a last-resort reference book for dentistry not a first tier choice for affluent, discriminating consumers wanting something new and better.

Referrals are still a very powerful marketing tool. However, complex (expensive) therapies do not lend themselves to an easy sell. Lets say one in ten of your patients sell your dentistry well. Imagine if that doubled!

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself:

• Do your patients know about your Web site?
• Do your patients know what your Web site can offer other patients (their referrals)?
• Do they all know what CE you have taken in the last six months?
• Do they know how many great cases you have under your belt?
• Can they name the top 5 reasons why you are the best?
• Do they understand the value of advanced dentistry as much as you do?
• How many will know this and be comfortable discussing it when they see you only twice a year?
• If they knew all this about you like the back of their hand, would any of them still be waiting to move ahead on their own dentistry?

If they do not understand you like this, then you are left with a very anemic group of referrers.

What you need to do is make everyone aware of your value, expertise and image. Weighing down your patients with this responsibility (alone) is bound to falter in an environment where whitening ads abound (over-the-counter or half-off dentist bleaching) and where every dentist is doing some type of haphazard marketing. When both the public and your patients know more, you will have a lock on leadership.

The ultimate marketing validation is when your current patient (referral agent) brings up your name and the prospect, their friend, colleague or family member, has already been positively influenced by your advertising. If you are not marketing, issues like quality and long-term value will be difficult to sell in-house. Both the dentist that shoots low in their marketing (tired, cheap, bland or gaudy) and/or the dentist that produces average dentistry will erode your ability to make a high-value statement.

By designing a quality, professional campaign with an effective, image-enhanced message integrated cohesively - internally and externally - you can aggressively approach the market in a way that increases value in your services. Market in all the sources you can to maintain your goals. Your budget and choice of sources depends on the realities of your market and the type of patient you wish to attract. What would your budget be if you could have a gain of two $15,000 cases each month?

Elements of an Aggressive Approach

• At least three external sources: Web Cards, Email, Newspaper, Magazine, Internet, News Releases, Specialty Publication, Radio, Television
• Enlightenment: Web site, Brochure, Presentation Folder
• Patient Referral: Web Referral Cards, Direct Mail, Email Newsletter
• Internal: Reception Area DVD, Web Site Posters, Before/After Posters

You need to be aggressive or "the guy that does all those ads but is not very good" will affect the perception of value. What you do NOT want to let happen is for another dentist to define you or your profession. Remember, even the competition is educating YOUR patients. If they continue to confuse the public and your patients, your marketing challenge will become even more complex.

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