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!!

March 2023 Dental Office Management, Leadership, and Team Building Ideas

March 2023 Dental Office Management, Leadership, and Team Building Ideas

Hello Friends,

The month of March will close out your first quarter of the year. I am happy to be sharing some dental practice management tips and ideas with you to be implemented during the month. All designed to help you end your first quarter strong!!

Are you looking for practice growth and marketing tips and ideas for March? You’ll find them here: Dental Marketing Ideas for March 2023

Here are your Dental Managment, Leadership, and Team Building Ideas for March 2023

This month is full of opportunities to show appreciation for your hard-working employees, for employees to show appreciation for their doctors, and for the team to just have more fun!

Employee Spirit Month – If you want to increase employee trust, creativity, teamwork, engagement, and productivity, then it’s time to have some fun, commend more, and improve communication! See more team-building tips and ideas HERE

Practice Owners, if you would like to learn how coaching can help you better lead your team, and create greatness based on high-performance expectations and principles – Schedule your complimentary no-obligation 30-minute coaching consultation today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

National Dentists Day: March 6th   – Spend today celebrating the awesome dentists’ in your life! Be sure to take a picture(s) of your dentist(s) to post on your social media pages and Google My Business listing with a message of appreciation.

Dental Assistants Recognition Week5th – 11th – This is the week to celebrate your hard-working and awesome assistants! Be sure to take a picture(s) of your assistant(s) to post on your social media pages with a message of appreciation. Invite your patients to leave a review on Google and or Facebook about their positive experiences with your assistant or assistants at your office.

Employee Appreciation IdeaStarbucks Day: 31st – Bring in Starbucks as a surprise treat for them.

Office Numbers, Systems, & Goals – Are you satisfied with how your numbers are trending? If not, now is the perfect time to review your goals, examine your systems, and make any necessary adjustments.

Appointments – What does your preappointment and reappointment percentages look like? Six months from March is September and for many, it can be a slower month. Your reappointment percentage in March will have a direct impact on what your schedule looks like in September.

Same-Day Schedule Changes – Holes in the schedule are not OK. Encourage your patients to keep their reservations and for the ones that absolutely must break their appt… unless they are a habitual offender of breaking appts, PLEASE reschedule them while you have them on the phone. Refrain from asking – do you want to reschedule? Would you like to schedule? Do you want to call back to reschedule? ETC. Assume that they want to and say: “I know this appointment is important to you so while I have you on the phone let’s go ahead and reserve a more convenient time. I have ___ or ___ which works better for you?

Daylight Saving Time Begins: 12th   (Turn Ahead 1 Hour)  @2:00 am)

Would you like to see an increase in production and office collections?  Would you like to decrease the amount of time and money being spent on chasing past-due patient and insurance balances?

Here are 3 quick tips for you:

  1. No surprises! – Present the patient’s treatment plan and estimated financial portion before treatment is started. If you accept and/or participate with their insurance, have up-to-date eligibility, a breakdown of benefits, and the insurance fee schedule on file for the patient and enter into your practice management software.
  2. Payment is due before or on the day of service – No billing the patient for co-pays or payment for services. (Hint: Collecting payment at the time of scheduling/reserving the appointment will reduce cancellations and no-shows.
  3. Daily, Weekly, and Monthly monitor your patient and insurance accounts receivable, collection, and credit reports.  (Carefully review write-offs, discounts, credits, charges, and payments.)

For additional tips and ideas visit here: Improve Dental Office Collections and Clean Up Unhealthy Accounts Receivable

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. Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month!

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

Dental Office Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas for January 2023

Dental Office Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas for January 2023

Hello Friends,

What are you doing this month to exceed your patients’ expectations, attract more new patients, have more fun at work, and build relationships within your community?

You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind. ~ Irish Proverb

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, or would like to learn what opportunities for improvement exist in your practice... please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Here are some practice growth & marketing ideas that you can easily implement in your office

January is National Hot Tea Month. Once again, I am sharing this idea because it is always appreciated by your patients and a little something extra that doesn’t cost a lot. (Remember, you want to exceed expectations, and doing these extra things on top of delivering excellent care and experiences is what gets your patients talking about you to others.)

Gift idea for your Patients: Give away packets of green tea that have a label on them saying “Our Patients are TEA-riffic!”

Service/Treatment Feature: Desensitizing Agents. Many people experience tooth sensitivity while drinking hot beverages. This is a good idea to offer treatments to help reduce or eliminate that sensitivity.

Educational IdeaI’m Not Going to Take It Anymore Day: Jan. 7th – Help your patients to see that they don’t have to take their Crowded Teeth, Yellow Teeth, Bad Breath, Sensitive Teeth, Loose Dentures, Snoring, or Headaches, anymore!  You can help them!

Referring Doctors or Local Business Appreciation Gift Idea

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day: 30th- Deliver Stress Relief Kits (i.e.: Squares of bubble wrap and chocolates) to local “high stress” businesses/offices. Such as police stations, doctors’ offices, schools, any business that caters to kids (haha), etc.  – most people enjoy some bubble wrap popping. 

Social Media Content Ideas to Boost Engagement During the month of January

International Quality of Life Month

National Soup Month

Sugar Awareness Week: 15-21

Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day: 11th

National Bagel Day: 15th

National Cheese Lovers Day: 20th

Penguin Awareness Day: 20th

Dental Drill Appreciation Day: 26th

Do you like & appreciate the ideas, content, and photos 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!!!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and productive start to 2023!

Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Growth Tips & Ideas in your email each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address (to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com) and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog.

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty – Dental Coach

Before you go – 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!

Dental Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas September 2022

Dental Marketing and Practice Growth Ideas September 2022

Hello Friends,

For many dental offices, September can be a slower month. Even for some of the offices that start the month with a full schedule report that as the month progresses the schedule tends to fall apart. There could be many different reasons why this happens every September. Perhaps for some, it is because families are still adjusting to the back-to-school schedules and don’t want to bother adding a visit to the dentist to their already too-hectic days or it could be because you and your team expect September to be a slow month and that there isn’t anything you can do about it. Whatever the reason, it hurts to have holes in the schedule. Yet, I have some offices that tell me September is always a great month for the schedules and production. I want you all to have that experience – full, healthy, and productive schedules.

The marketing (growth) ideas that I am sharing with you for September will help you reactivate and reappoint patients, attract more new patients, build relationships within the community, as well as exceed your current patients’ expectations. With the ultimate goal of helping you to have more fun and less stress at work.

September 2022 Dental Marketing and Practice Growth Tips & Ideas

Theme: Fall in Love with a Beautiful & Healthy Smile

Focus: Preventive & Cosmetic Services

Giving-Away – Drawing for a Fall-Themed Gift Basket / Patients can enter the drawing by leaving a review on Google and/or Facebook, referring their friends & family, and for coming in for their appts in September.

For offices that offer Clear Aligners/ Invisalign: September is Self-Improvement Month – “If you’re an adult who has been putting off having your teeth straightened because you don’t want to endure the discomfort and the unsightly metal construction of traditional braces, we’re pleased to offer clear aligners – an “invisible” orthodontic alternative.”

Local Business Marketing (Relationship Building) Opportunity: 

September is National Honey Month: Give away little jars of honey with a label or tag that says, for example, “Thank you for Bee-ing an Awesome Neighbor!” or “Our Neighbors are Sweet as Honey!”

Here are a couple of examples… (From King Dental and Dr. Bruyere’s office)

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.

September is National Fruit & Veggie Month – You could do a quick Facebook live video and/or post content to your social media platforms all about Nutritious School Snack Options. Perhaps, you could even create a cute, simple hand-out for your patients with a list of nutritious snack options and surprisingly unhealthy snacks.

Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement during the month of September – what do your Facebook, Instagram, and Google pages look like? If you’re not keeping them up to date with fresh photos and content you’re missing out on some great opportunities to engage with your active patients, your inactive patients, and your potential patients in the community.

National Cheese Month  

Whole Grains Month

Random Acts of Kindness Day or Be Kind Day: 1 

World Coconut Day: 2 

Grandparent’s Day: 10 


International Chocolate Day: 13 

Autumn (Autumnal Equinox): 23

National Coffee Day: 29 

Family Health and Fitness Day USA: 30 

So there you have it, some fun practice growth ideas for the month of September. Please, be sure to stay in touch with me and keep me updated on any of the ideas that you use. If you have some thoughts on how to take these suggestions to the next level or just ways to improve on them I want to hear from you!

Here are some additional tips and ideas to help you enjoy full, healthy, and productive schedules. 12 Tips To Help You Fill Holes In Your Dental Schedules with Productive Appointments

If you appreciate and enjoy the complimentary ideas and content that I share each month  – I would LOVE for you to PLEASE take a quick minute to leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook. Simply click the following links:    GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!!

Are you receiving 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. This way, you won’t miss a single idea! Feel free to email me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will make sure you receive an invitation to follow my monthly ideas.

Wishing you all the healthiest and happiest September!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty – Dental Coach

Before you go, would you kindly do something for me? I would LOVE for you to PLEASE leave me a review/recommendation on Google or Facebook. Simply click the following links:    GOOGLE   and/or  FACEBOOK Thank you so much!!