Established or New Dental Patients – Which is more important for practice growth?

Established or New Dental Patients – Which is more important for practice growth?

Hello Friends,

So which is more important to your practice growth – obtaining new patients or retaining established patients?

The short answer, both are very important to successfully grow your dental practice.

Yes, new patients are very important, in fact, we should have a monthly new patient goal that we are working toward each month. Offices love new patients. I hear doctors and teams all the time saying “We need more new patients!” They believe that is the answer to all of their scheduling, production, and collection woes. But is that good enough to grow your practice, just ensuring that you’re getting fresh new patients each month?

Well, if you want to spend lots of money and ultimately work harder instead of smarter, then yes. But, I think it’s safe to say, that isn’t your intention or end goal.

And yet, that is exactly what I am seeing many doctors doing in their practice. They are investing time and money to bring in new patients but are not giving the same attention to retaining those new patients. Like they are just spinning their wheels and will eventually just burn out.

Oftentimes, I will see healthy new patient numbers each month, and yet, the office isn’t growing at all and their production is weak. Why is that? When I examine the data, I learn that far too many of their new patients are one-timers. They left the office without scheduling a future appointment. Why is this a bummer situation? Calling, emailing, texting, and snail-mailing our patients to get them to reappoint can be a drag. It’s tough to reach patients once they leave. It’s possible of course, but it takes money, time, and energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately, we don’t always see those attempts being made to reach out to those unscheduled new patients. No one really knows what happens to the patient after their first visit. Or they make minimal attempts to reach out to the patients before giving up after a couple of months.

What does your new patient experience look like from the initial call, and first visit, to how you stay in touch with them after they leave?

Do you know what your new patient retention numbers look like?

So if the most expensive patients to acquire are your new patients, the easiest and best patients to fill your schedules are those who have come to you before.  But, you may be thinking… that takes time and money to reappoint established patients too. That’s true but you have a huge advantage when reaching out to established patients of record; It’s the power of pre-existing relationships.  (Oh, by the way, on average, it can cost up to six times more to gain a new patient than it does to retain an existing patient.)

What does retaining, reactivating, and reappointing established patients mean for you and the patient?

  • We are creatures of habit.  It’s easier to do something we are already doing than to do something different.
  • Established relationship. (They already know, like, and trust you. You just need to focus on strengthening that relationship)
  • No marketing costs – you’ve already paid the initial investment in getting the patient.

What are you doing to keep track of your established patients? What are you doing to ensure your established patients don’t slip through the cracks?

What are you doing to keep your new and established patients loyal to your practice?

Loyal patients, isn’t that what we want? Patients that return year after year, accept your treatment recommendations and refer their friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. They are loyal to your dental practice because they like and trust you. You’ve earned the privilege to serve them not just for a moment but for life.

Is it really a privilege to serve them? Absolutely! Any office that struggles with getting and keeping new patients, struggles with getting patients to accept their treatment recommendations, struggles with the hygiene department’s continuing care reports and Swiss cheese-like appointment schedules, struggles to keep up with all the record transfer requests from patients for their new dental office, will learn (hopefully quickly) that having loyal patients in your practice is an earned privilege. The best part with loyal patients is the aforementioned struggles are greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.

Of course, this takes some work – implementing and following closely, effective office systems/protocols are critical to you successfully retaining your patients and reaching/exceeding your practice goals.

Practice Owners, if you would like to grow and improve your dental practice and have wondered what it might be like to work with me and what coaching is all about… please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

P.S. If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share or if they’ve been of help to you and your practice –  I would truly appreciate it if you would please take a second and leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you!!

Tips for Sprucing Up the Dental Office Break Room

Tips for Sprucing Up the Dental Office Break Room

Hello Friends,

Take a good look at your employee break room (or space). Is it past due for a good cleaning, decluttering, painting, and/or organizing?  Might not seem like an important space to give attention to but it is! Why? Because you and your employees deserve to take a break (& eat) in a nice, relaxing, and clean space.  

Tips and Ideas to Spruce up the Lunch/Break Room/Lounge

Declutter & Organize the countertops, table, shelves, cabinets, and drawers.

Décor – add some nice pictures to the walls and freshen up the paint

Add some Extras – condiments, snacks, drinks, dishes/silverware, storage containers,

Charging stations for electronic devices, etc.

Bookshelf – add a bookshelf and some books to read during the breaks.

Baskets & Hooks – If this area also stores employees’ clothes, jackets, shoes, and purses/bags be sure to have labeled baskets to store personal items and hooks to hang coats.

Messaging Center – Hang a whiteboard or corkboard to share team news/messages, office happenings, team meeting dates and agenda, employee work anniversaries, etc.

TV Monitor & Computer – Install a large TV monitor for team meetings and continuing education courses. (A webcam/microphone is helpful too.)

Cleanliness Reminders for the team – Be kind & thoughtful – do your own dishes, wipe up spills/crumbs, refill the paper towel dispenser, don’t leave expired food in the fridge, and wipe down the microwave, or toaster oven after each use.

Beverage Containers – Rather than having unsightly, random water bottles, coffee mugs, and carry-out drink containers around the office – invest in some nice water bottles and coffee mugs imprinted with your office name for the team to use at the office.

Practice Owners – I would love the opportunity to work along with you and your team to help you set and exceed your practice goals. If you would like to schedule a no-obligation, complimentary consultation to learn how our coaching program works, please email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Need a little inspiration? Check out my dental office design Pinterest Board

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Would you please do something for me? If you enjoy the ideas that I share or if they’ve been of help to you and your practice –  I would love and truly appreciate it if you would please take a second and leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you!!!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on  FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedIn, and Pinterest

October National Orthodontic Health Month Ideas

October National Orthodontic Health Month Ideas

Hello Friends,

October is National Orthodontic Health Month – Here are a few tips and ideas to help you and your team celebrate National Orthodontic Health Month

Employee Appreciation – Celebrate your orthodontists and orthodontic dental assistants all month long!

When people feel valued, appreciated, heard, supported, acknowledged, and included, they are motivated to bring their best selves forward. ~ Betsy Myers

Practice Growth & Marketing Ideas ~

Theme:  Orthodontic Health Month!  Healthy & Beautiful Smiles!

  • Benefits of Orthodontic Treatment – Well-aligned teeth help to prevent conditions like tooth loss, decay, gum disease, and even jaw issues. Orthodontists create healthy, beautiful smiles!
  • Dental Hygiene with Braces – Share posts, pictures, and videos on your social media platforms and your Google My Business listing all about how to care for your teeth with braces, how to care for your clear aligners, and how to care for your retainers. (October is also National Dental Hygiene month -see more ideas for that HERE)
  • Brace Friendly Candy – Share on your social media platforms what candy to avoid and what snacks/treats are brace friendly.
  • Reviews / Testimonials – Encourage patients to leave a review/testimonial on Google, Facebook, etc.
  • Clear Aligners – Use this as an opportunity to promote clear aligners. This time of year people want to get their smiles camera-ready for their end-of-year parties.
  • Before & Afters – All month-long feature before and after ortho photos on your social media pages.
  • Q & A Video Sessions– Use your social media platforms to post short videos of the doctors and/or team members answering frequently asked questions.
  • Special Pricing – During the month of October offer special pricing or some kind of BOGO offer that will encourage them to tell their friends about you 

Looking for more dental marketing ideas for October? Check these out: Dental Office Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas for October 2022

Community Involvement ~

Candy Buy Back

Ideas:

  •   Collect candy in the office. Open to the Public

Or you can do this,

  • Team up with a local school or schools and set up collection bins in each classroom where the kids can bring in their candy and the classroom with the most candy wins a gift card or get a local pizzeria to donate pizza for a classroom pizza party for the winning classroom.

Gift Ideas for Referring Dentists and their Teams ~

October is Apple Month – Deliver some apple treats to the offices. Such as:

  • Basket Of Apples w/ Caramel Sauce
  • Apple Cider & Donuts
  • Apple Pie

Do you like the ideas that I share each month? If you do, would you kindly leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook, please? Simply click the following links:   GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much! – Looking forward to hearing from you!

Practice Management Ideas ~

Unscheduled Treatment Reminders – Reach out to everyone that came in for a consultation but has yet to schedule to get started on their orthodontic treatment. Stay in touch with them via telephone, email, text, and your social media platforms.

FSA/HSA Reminders – Share reminders on your website and social media pages that orthodontic treatment is an allowable expense for FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and HSA (Health Savings Account) accounts. Don’t let it go to waste by not using it before the year ends. Use it or Lose it.

Doctors, if you would like to grow and improve your orthodontic practice and have wondered what it might be like to work with me and what coaching is all about… please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Wishing you all a productive, happy, and healthy month of October

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on  FacebookInstagramLinkedIn, and Pinterest

 Would you kindly leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook, please? Simply click the following links:   GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!

October 2021 Dental Office Management and Leadership Tips and Ideas

October 2021 Dental Office Management and Leadership Tips and Ideas

Hello Friends,

October 2021 is filled with practice management and leadership opportunities to help make it your best October ever. The tips and ideas that I am sharing with you when implemented will also help you end this crazy year productive, happy, and strong.

Dental Office Management and Leadership Tips and Ideas for October 2021

Note: If you’re looking for marketing tips and ideas for October – check these out…

October 2021 Marketing (Growth) Ideas

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Ideas

Orthodontic Health Month Ideas

National Dental Hygiene Month Ideas

Practice Management Tips & Ideas

Insurance Use it or Lose it Reminders – Did you get your end-of-year insurance/HSA/FSA dental benefit use it or lose it reminder letters/emails/texts/calls out?  If you need a sample letter template just email me a request for one at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Dental Office Insurance Renewal Reminders Betty Hayden Consulting

In-Office Savings Plan – If you offer an in-house savings plan this is a good time of year to let your uninsured patients know about it.

Office Numbers (key practice indicators) – Knowing your practice numbers and doing something with what you know about those numbers is key to growing and improving your practice. Numbers tell a story. Numbers tell you if your practice is healthy or unhealthy. Get a baseline of where you’re at to set goals for where you want to go. If your numbers reveal unhealthiness be quick to act and get help to restore your practice to health and happiness.

Doctors, if you would like to grow and improve your dental practice and have wondered what it might be like to work with me and what coaching is all about… please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Leadership Tips & Ideas

Employee Appreciation – 

Team Building – Improve your Office Day: October 4th

Discuss with your team strategies and goals to improve the office and ways to work smarter instead of harder. This will result in better patient experiences, improved team communication, less stressful workdays, and enjoying more fun as a team.  Consider offering a prize for the best “improve the office” idea.

You Matter to Me Day: October 7th

No employee will ever complain about being over-recognized and appreciated. Let your employees know just how much they matter to you. Employee appreciation is directly linked with job satisfaction, productivity, happiness at work, and overall team morale. Make sure they feel appreciated and valued!

Employer Appreciation

Boss’s Day: October 15th – Plan now to make this a special day for your boss(es).  (Usually, it is on the 16th but moved to the 15th because it fell on a weekend day.)  Be sure to share a photo of your “boss” on your social media pages.

You and your thoughts matter to me. If you enjoy the dental leadership, management, and marketing tips and ideas that I share each month –  I would love and truly appreciate for you to please take a second and share a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK – Thank you very much!!!

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address (bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

P.S. Please stop by and follow me on  FacebookInstagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest