how to get more dental new patients

Dental Tips and Ideas for the Month of August 2018
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Dental Tips and Ideas for the Month of August 2018

Hello Friends,

While we are still very much enjoying summer, as a mother of two school-aged children (and as of last week a brand new puppy!) I’m forced to start preparing for the Back-to-School season.

However, for your dental practice, this is a great time to educate the community on the importance of good dental health for their children as well as for the teachers.

Here are some ideas to help make the back-to-school season fun for the community and profitable for your dental office.

betty hayden consulting august dental marketing ideas

Dental Tips and Ideas for the month of August…

Theme:  Back-to-school with Healthy Smiles!

Target Audience: Teachers and school-aged children.

Focus: Preventive Dental Services.

What: Education, Promotion, and Special Offers

  • Send a press release to local papers and news stations with “Children’s Dental Health Tips for Parents,” such as healthy snack and beverage ideas, when to visit the dentist, what-to-do in a dental emergency, brushing and flossing tips, mouthguard information, sealants information, and more.
  • Facebook (live) videos sharing the aforementioned tip and ideas.
  • Share social media and blog posts with dental health tips for children.
  • Promote special offers just for teachers and students during August.
  • August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month – Send out a press release and promote social media posts that focus on kindergarten-aged children.

See more Dental ideas for teachers and schools here: Dental Marketing Ideas for your local School District

More tips and ideas for August …

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night: August 8th – I’m serious; it’s a real day in August! While you probably don’t want to visit your patient’s homes during the night, you can easily have a basket of zucchini at the office for your patients’ to take. Wrap some ribbon and a business card with a zucchini recipe on it for your patients to sneak onto their neighbors’ porch during the night.

patient appreciation gift idea zucchini

Dr. Bruyere & Team celebrating “Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night “

Another fun & easy give-away for your patients or referring doctors:

S’mores Day: 10th – Give away little S’mores making kits – “We need s’more patients like you!”  

we need smore patients like you

Just a few of the creative ways you can exceed your patients expectations with this sweet treat…

(See this Pinterest Board for S’more Ideas) 

August 1 -7 – Simplify Your Life Week: Simplify your life by crossing off “Schedule my all-important dental visit” from your To-Do-List by calling us today at…

~ Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement ~

National Fresh Breath (Halitosis)  Day: 6th

International Lefthander’s Day: 13th

Kiss and Make Up Day: 25th

National Matchmakers Day: 31st (ask for referrals)

What are you planning for August? Feel free to share your plans with me.

Did you enjoy these ideas that I shared with you? If yes, would you please kindly recommend me on Facebook? I would GREATLY appreciate it. Thank you!

Are you receiving my complimentary Dental Practice Management and Marketing Ideas via your email each month? If not, please follow today or send me (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) your email address and I will send you an invitation to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea. 

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

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Tips and Ideas for Effectively Answering The Dental Office Telephone
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Tips and Ideas for Effectively Answering The Dental Office Telephone

Hello Friends,

“You never get a second chance to make a great first impression.”

What kind of impression is your dental office team creating for you? Do you know how effective they are in answering the office telephone? Does it really matter? Absolutely!

All of your marketing efforts lead people to the phone first. Don’t waste your money by losing the potential patient or aggravating current patients due to poor telephone skills and habits. Your entire team (clinical & admin) should be trained on how to properly answer the phone and handle the call. Answering the phone is a privilege and a great opportunity!

Dental Office Training and Telephone Scripts

Here are a 10 helpful telephone tips & ideas:

  1. Smile before you pick up the phone.
  2. Answer the phone within the first couple of rings.
  3. Answer the phone with a thank you for calling, identify the office and give your name. (ex: Thank you for calling Dr.Smiles, this is Betty. I can help you.)
  4. Do NOT let the caller go to voice mail (or a busy signal!) during business hours (including lunch hours). People hate leaving messages. Oftentimes, they’ll hang up and call the next office on their list.
  5. Never, ever answer the phone with “hold please” or “can you hold?”! Take a quick second, find out who they are and what they need. People hate to be put on hold. If you are habitually needing to put callers on hold, you need more people answering the phones.
  6. For the few times when you do need to put a caller on hold – please, consider having a great message on hold service. Here’s why: Should I Use A Message On Hold Service?
  7. Get the caller’s name and use it often.
  8. Find out how they heard about your office (document the referral source!).
  9. “What type of insurance do you have?” shouldn’t be the first thing you ask. In fact, let the caller bring that part up. Your goal is to build a relationship with the caller, to get to know them and their expectations.
  10. Offer an appointment. Sounds obvious right? You might be surprised to know how many offices I have called as a “shopper” and was never offered an appointment.

Set aside some time to meet together as a team – everyone in the office should be trained on how to not only answer the phones but they should know how to handle the calls. At the very least, professionally & courteously direct the caller to someone who can help. Role play will help all to feel more comfortable handling different types of calls.

As a team, create your Telephone Principles (Scripts) which are your goals & expectations for each call.

Know how to respond to the following callers:

  • Shopper Callers – Great opportunity! Typically, the shopper caller has a need and is ready to “buy”, that’s why they are “shopping”.  Don’t blow it by refusing to quote fees over the phone.
  • Insurance Questions – Have a great response to: “Do you take —-ins?
  • Wrong Numbers – offer an appointment anyway.
  • Sales Calls – Be kind, they’re just doing their job. Maybe they need an appointment. Plus, you don’t know who they know. It’s simple – always be kind.
  • Organizations or local businesses requesting donations – Empower your team to fulfill their request. At the very least, offer them an appointment.

The telephone ringing should never be viewed as an interruption to your already too busy day. Certainly, handling the phones is a big responsibility but it’s an even bigger privilege. Don’t miss out on any opportunities to set your office apart from the others by always exceeding the caller’s expectations.

If you have questions about how to successfully handle telephone calls or need help training your team, don’t wait, ask for help. I’m ready to help you. Email:bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Be sure to take a second and subscribe to receive in your email inbox each month, my FREE dental marketing and practice management tip & ideas. 

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

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January Dental Marketing Tips and Ideas
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January Dental Marketing Tips and Ideas

Hello Friends, 

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” – Melody Beattie

What are your dental marketing goals for 2018? What are your plans to exceed your current patients’ expectations and engage with your potential patients in the community?

(Note: For Practice management Ideas for January Visit Here: )

Here are some Dental Marketing Tips and Ideas to get you started:

Dental Marketing Ideas for January from Betty Hayden Consulting

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.

Sugar Awareness Week: 15-19th – This week share blog and social media posts all about sugar and dental health.

External Marketing to Local Businesses: Send a coffee truck to local businesses/schools – What a great surprise and welcome treat for many local businesses. Be sure to take pictures that can be shared on your social media sites. 

January is National Hot Tea Month –

Educational & Treatment Opportunity:

Drinking teas such as green tea can be very good for one’s dental health. Does Tooth Sensitivity hold some of your patients 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 hygiene continuing care /incomplete treatment scripting, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement:

Drinking Straw Day: 3rd

Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day: 11th

Dress Up Your Pet Day: 14th

National Cheese Lovers Day: 20th

Dental Drill Appreciation Day: 26th

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day: 29th

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.

If you are not yet following my Free Dental Marketing Ideas each month, please do so today.

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Please follow and like us: