Jodena Consulting offers advice on making patients feel special.
It seems that all you hear and read about these days is the need to attract more new patients. And as a management consultant, I am advising every client on strategies to be successful in this important endeavor. But I fear that in the pursuit of the new patient, we may tend to forget about – or certainly take for granted – our long standing patients of record. I recently read an interesting study that analyzed the data as to when a patient decided to leave a dental practice. You might have thought it would be early on in the relationship. A patient decides that the staff, doctor, practice philosophy – whatever – doesn’t meet or match their expectatio

Jodena Consulting offers another Internal Marketing Tip
A dental practice is populated with patients who respect and admire and trust you. Of course – otherwise they wouldn’t be there! So why don’t they refer more friends, family or co-workers to the practice? Probably because they think you are so busy that you don’t want or couldn’t accept any more new patients. I suggest it is time to educate your patient base and start asking for referrals. But dentists and staff are reluctant to ask for referrals because they think it is either demeaning or un-professional. My assessment is that if you don’t ask, you are missing a golden opportunity. So when is it OK to ask and how do you ask? Very simple –

Internal Marketing Tips from Jodena Consulting
The typical busy dental practice is a virtual hub of activity with hundreds of patient conversations taking place daily. Most of these conversations are out of earshot of the dentist. They occur at the front desk or in the hygiene room, or even in the doctor treatment room with a dental assistant when the doctor may be out of the room. In the course of those conversations, a lot of important information is exchanged. Deaths or illnesses in a family, jobs lost or landed, kids getting into college, awards won, milestones achieved. I suggest that we need to put this information to good use by sharing it with the doctor. One of the staff is appointed to be the chairperson of wh

Internal Marketing – Get more new patients with minimum investment
So often these days, dentists are inundated with advice on how to market their practice to attract more new patients. Direct mail, radio or TV spots, pay per click programs on Google and now Facebook – everyone has something to sell you. And while I have clients using all of these external marketing mediums successfully, there is no question that the costs are significant. Hopefully the return on investment for any of these strategies makes them affordable. But in this difficult economy, many dentists are nervous about obligating themselves to big on going expenses for advertising. Let’s not overlook the value of internal marketing to our existing patient base. As long

Great Telephone Technique – Part 2
When a patient calls your office, they have very high expectations that you will be able to help them. Help them to resolve an issue, or help them with answers to questions. And in this microwave society in which we live, they want the answer quickly. My recommendation is to try – at all costs – not to say “no” or “I don’t know” to a patient. Instead remember these nine words – “the best way that I can help you is…” The best way that I can help you is to check with our insurance coordinator and get back to you promptly. The best way that I can help you is to speak with the doctor and return your call later today. Another pet peeve – and I am certain