| > | | | | 2. You have to add square footage to the practice, |
| 'P' stands for Plenty. Plenty of patients. Not "just | | | | change buildings, or add a second building. |
| enough" patients. We're talking about having a few | | | | 3. You have no holes in the schedule book for new |
| too many, to keep you in constant motion. That's | | | | patients |
| goal, and here is why... | | | | 4. You are booked solid for weeks (except planned |
| From 1994 to 1998 I spent my time as a Combat | | | | breaks and emergencies) |
| Engineer in the Marine Corps. In the Marines, combat | | | | 5. Other dentists are constantly bugging you to find |
| engineers get to play with all the fun stuff...explosives | | | | out your secrets to a booming practice. |
| - C4, TNT, Dynamite, and any other type of | | | | 6. Your practice makes too much money |
| substance that would go BOOM. | | | | 7. You make too much money. |
| The reason I tell you this is because, as a Combat | | | | Yikes! All those horrible problems. What would anyone |
| Engineer we had a saying. P equals plenty. In | | | | ever do if they had too many patients? |
| reality, P actually equaled pounds of explosives to be | | | | Well, the simple answer is: schedule them out further. |
| used for any specific mission. Taking down trees, | | | | One week, two weeks, three weeks. I have a client |
| creating large trenches, or dropping a bridge, all had | | | | right now that is 2 months out on the schedule, and |
| their separate equations, and all gave us P. | | | | new patients don’t mind booking him. See, |
| But in our world, there could be no fudge | | | | having a good long line of patients waiting to see you |
| factor. We could not risk having enough | | | | is a good thing. |
| explosives to do the job, so our equations were built | | | | Let’s face it, a good restaurant without a line |
| in such a way that would allow for an extra pound or | | | | really isn’t that great. |
| two to assure the tree fell, the hole was deep | | | | The most sought after establishments actually use |
| enough, or the bridge was destroyed. | | | | this to their advantage. By having an overflow of |
| In any business, the same should apply to customer | | | | customers, it makes the business look established, |
| acquisition. Anything you do should always have a | | | | and, more importantly, not desperate. If |
| built in factor of excess that will provide you with | | | | you’re good enough to have a waiting list, |
| just a bit more business than you can handle. | | | | that’s a value builder in itself. |
| P should always equal plenty. | | | | If people want to see you, they will wait. Unless they |
| Let’s be honest, any time there is no patient | | | | are in pain (emergency appointments) they |
| in your chair, you aren’t making any money. | | | | won’t mind a month or so until they see you. |
| When the hygiene chair is empty, no income. And | | | | If patients call and don’t want to wait that |
| when no new patients are coming in, your future | | | | long, and they don’t see the value in your |
| production, and income are in jeopardy. | | | | practice, you can refer them to a friend across the |
| So why would you settle for just enough | | | | street. Both the patient and the other dentist will |
| marketing? | | | | appreciate the referral. It’s better to have a |
| Many dentists rely on one source of marketing to | | | | call come in with no openings, than to have openings |
| achieve their desired new patient flow. They have a | | | | with no calls coming in. |
| newsletter, or one postcard campaign, or a TV | | | | And talk about a lack of desperation. Patients are |
| commercial, but not all three. | | | | now desperate to see you, not the other way |
| One of our clients had a great television commercial | | | | around. What would you rather have, a patient that |
| as his only source of new patients. It was pulling | | | | puts up a fuss because your schedule is full, or one |
| good numbers (9-12 new patients) each month, and | | | | that is willing to wait a little while to see you? My |
| was the sole marketing strategy of the practice. | | | | suggestion, refer the fussy patient to someone with |
| The practice was good, full schedule, plenty of | | | | an empty schedule. |
| patients, until... The cable company moved all the | | | | You can uphold the quality of care you’ve |
| channels around. Now, instead of placement on a | | | | always provided, deal with patients who want to see |
| channel between two large networks, the commercial | | | | you, grow your practice to levels larger than |
| aired on a channel high up in the listings. Nobody even | | | | you’ve imagined, and build a brand as |
| clicked past it anymore, let alone viewed it. | | | | the most sought after dentist in the area. |
| With just enough marketing, that is the | | | | People think you are so busy because you are a |
| problem, you have no backup plan. Nothing to assure | | | | great dentist. That’s true...right? Their |
| your new patient flow, should your current new | | | | perception is your reality. |
| patient source dry up. | | | | In reality, I don’t believe there is such a thing |
| In other words, make sure, if your suspenders fall | | | | as too many patients. If there is, it is simply a short |
| off, your belt keeps your pants up. | | | | term problem with a built in set of solutions. This is |
| When you find a successful marketing strategy, keep | | | | not a problem that instantly sneaks up on you either. |
| doing it! But also, you should be testing other | | | | It is one that slowly arises over a month or two. |
| strategies so you can diversify your source of new | | | | You’ll have plenty of chances to take the |
| patients. Then, when one well dries up (and it will) | | | | appropriate steps. |
| you have another to drink from. | | | | If you can flood your practice like this, why |
| When I suggest this to some dentists, I get a simple | | | | wouldn’t you do it? Your marketing programs |
| nod of the head, but I know they won’t take | | | | have the capabilities, and all the tools are available to |
| action. Other dentists simply try one thing and give | | | | you. |
| up, and even give me the following line: If I find | | | | I have successful clients that do a patient newsletter, |
| something that works, I’ll have too many new | | | | and I have successful clients that do postcards, and |
| patients to handle. | | | | we have successful ones doing other things, but the |
| Don’t shake your head, you’ve | | | | most successful are those that are combining many |
| thought about it. What if one month you had double | | | | programs into one mega-marketing program. They |
| the amount of new patients you currently get, | | | | call and ask us how to add an associate, they call and |
| maybe even triple. More than you could ever imagine. | | | | tell us they are adding operatories in their building, |
| Does it scare you? | | | | they call and ask us where to find a new hygienist. |
| Are you afraid of having too many patients? | | | | The all-out marketing assault works. It not only |
| Too many new patients, is there even such a thing? | | | | provides you with plenty of new patients, but helps |
| I’ll tell you right now, I have a few clients that | | | | build a brand of stability and consistency in your |
| have run into that recently that are finding out what | | | | practice. If one strategy falls flat one month, you |
| a joy it is to have that problem. In fact, when you | | | | have the others to keep you going. In your |
| think about it, why would you settle for just | | | | marketing equation, P should always equal plenty, and |
| enough new patients to fill the current schedule? | | | | by plenty I mean 1 more patient than you can handle. |
| On that note, let’s take a look at what | | | | You should never have a hole in the schedule, never |
| happens when you have too many new patients: | | | | have an empty chair, and you should never be |
| 1. You have to hire an associate and more staff. | | | | waiting for the phone to ring. |