“Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day. ”    ~ Michael Josephson

Hello Friends,

December is a great time to make your to-do list for any wanted and needed improvements to your office and to set your production, collection and new patient goals for the new year. Do include your team in this plan, ask them what their ideas are to make 2016 a more productive and happier year for all.

Have you been following my Improve Your Office posts? If not, check them out here: Improve Your Office

Do not delay, put down on paper all of your thoughts and plans to make 2016 a better year for you and your practice.

I would like to help, here are some dental practice management and marketing ideas for January.

Practice Management Ideas ~

Let’s start with your existing patients active and inactive…

Hygiene Continuing Care & Incomplete Treatment:

Insurance Maximums: Many of your patients dental insurance maximums renew on January 1. Phone your patients with a friendly reminder of their renewed benefits and make a reservation for them to come in for their hygiene visit or incomplete treatment with the doctor.

Inactive Patients: It doesn’t help anyone to have a file cabinet or computer full of inactive patients – Get them on the schedule. January is a great time to send We Miss You Reactivation Letters to your patients. For a sample letter visit this post: Reactivation Letter

Hygiene Patients: Are you pre-appointing hygiene visits? If not, January is a good time to make this a goal for the office. While you have the hygiene patient in office, schedule their next 3, 4 or 6 month visit. Avoid saying “would you like to schedule your next appointment?” Many will say no. Instead, say this: “Let’s go ahead and schedule your next visit.” Assume they want to schedule their next visit. By the way, your entire team needs to be on board with pre-appointing your patients. It can be done! 🙂

Thank God It’s Monday” Day: 4th – Are Mondays typically bad days in your office? Starting in January, change that pattern. These ideas may help you start liking Mondays: How To Love Monday

Next, we have few internal and external marketing ideas, some are educational and some are just for fun. Both are presented to exceed your patients expectations, help to create value for better dental health and get them talking about you to their friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors.

Marketing Ideas ~

I’m Not Going To Take It Anymore Day: 7th – This is a wonderful educational and marketing opportunity:
I’m not going to take my…”Crowded Teeth”,“Yellow Teeth”,“Bad Breath”,“Sensitive Teeth”,“Snoring”,“Headaches”, anymore! – Show your patients how you can help.

Jan 11 – Cigarettes are hazardous to your health day.
Promote the Smoking Cessation Programs your office offers. Keep track of your patients that are trying to give up cigarettes and be sure to celebrate your successful “quitters”!

Just for Fun Ideas:

National Soup Month and Soup Swap Day – January 16th.
Try this:
– Team Building Opportunity: Each team member brings in a slow cooker of soup. Enjoy a nice lunch together.
– Swap soup recipes on your social media sites or in the office.
– Delicious idea for Winter: “Warm-Up Wednesday’s” Set up a slow cooker with soup or chili every Wednesday for your patients to enjoy. (Have recipe cards ready to share) Your patients will love the free food.

January 29th – National Puzzle Day – You can purchase puzzles at your local dollar store and give away to your patients as unexpected gifts. Tie a ribbon around the boxes and attach your business card or office information to it. Even if your patient doesn’t want the puzzle, they can give it away as a gift on your behalf to their friend, family member, co-worker or neighbor.

This one is my favorite idea for January…

National Hot Tea Month –

Educational & Service Opportunity:

Drinking teas such as green tea can be very good for one’s dental health.

Does Tooth Sensitivity hold some of your patient’s back from enjoying their favorite hot beverage? Show them how you can help relieve/eliminate tooth sensitivity. This will give a nice boost to your production too!

If you are interested in having me help your office create a custom “National Hot Tea Month” (or different themed) campaign that includes ideas for special offers, patient give-aways/drawings, community involvement, cross marketing with local businesses and recare/incomplete treatment scripting, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier’…”     ~ Alfred Tennyson

So there you have it, a few dental marketing ideas for January. Please be sure to comment below with any other ideas or reminders you have for the month of January. I LOVE hearing from you!

If you have not yet subscribed to receive my Free Dental Marketing Ideas each month, please do so today.

Stay warm out there!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Why not go ahead and put down in writing all of your marketing and practice management plans for the entire first quarter? For sure start planning for February’s Children’s Dental Health month. For some idea’s check out my Dental Marketing Ideas for February and March.