Page 85 - The Dental Entrepreneur

The Dental Entrepreneur

that is back lit and can be seen 24/7. Size wise, as large as code allows. If you have a great
ADT (average daily traffic count), your name and or logo will slowly be impressed on regular
commuters over time. Do not miss this opportunity.

The Basics

Internal Marketing

These are marketing strategies that are implemented within the office and mostly relate to
common sense customer service activities. These activities reinforce current patient retention
and also help generate word of mouth referral, by far the most effective form of obtaining a
quality long term patient. Contrary to what you may think because of my passion for the
Internet, I put GIANT value on internal systems

External Marketing

These are efforts to attract new patients that are usually undertaken outside of the office. They
might include all Internet associated marketing and direct mail. Other more expensive media
will include radio, television and some print publications. Internal marketing efforts are
generally less expensive and more effective longer term than large external marketing
projects. Your current expenditures and effort today should be Internal 30% and External 70%
by dollar allocation. Your external is mainly internet with some direct mailings. Even though the
Internet is king, the problem is, the space is fairly narrow as far as getting to be a searchable
result under any meaningful term.

A very common marketing mistake that should be avoided at all costs - No external
marketing efforts should be undertaken until all internal systems are in place.

There is absolutely nothing more ridiculous than running a promotion that produces results and
have patients call or come to an office which is simply not ready to accept them. Imagine
someone answering a phone that has no concept of a mailer or newsletter that just went out
with some type of incentive. To top it off when this new patient arrives, your one chance to
impress them with your customer service is blown because people have not been properly
trained. This happens every day! They drive off a new customer that you spent thousands of
dollars attracting by sheer ignorance.

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