Dentaltown June 2019 - 76

about becoming more efficient. How long
does it take to seat a crown? Are you using
an electric handpiece to optimize your
performance and speed? Are you familiar
with the procedures and materials to increase
your efficiency and prevent failures? There
are systems to add that will allow you to
perform more efficiently, which will in turn
reduce chair time and overhead.
Are you unsure how long procedures
should take? Ask other dentists. There are
tons of chat boards, social media groups
and online learning platforms to use as a
resource for this. Dentaltown's message board
is an excellent source for this, as well as the
magazine. Are you aware you can
perform searches for magazine
articles and message boards for
the topic you desire?

Marketing
plan

*
*

76

JUNE 2019 // dentaltown.com

Whether you
wa nt to h ave a
niche practice or the best general
practice around, it requires an
effective marketing plan. Gone
are the days to hang up your
shingle, or having a website
alone, and expect to have a full
schedule. You now require an
efficient marketing plan that
involves both internal and
external marketing.
If you want a niche practice,
do the walls and area of your
practice speak its language?
* Do photo albums, pictures
or articles on the walls let the
patient know that your office is
the go-to for that particular service?
Do you have patient testimonials, or
videos of them sharing their stories?
Does your website have the same
stock photos as other dentists, or is it
filled with your actual cases?
Having a social media presence cannot

and should not be overlooked. There are
companies that specialize in running these
venues for you at reasonable rates; better yet,
one or two of your employees must have a
great handle on Facebook or Instagram. Give
them a bonus to be the media representative
of your office. Post recently completed
cases, new patient experiences, a child's
fi rst visit, etc. Even print media, such as
magazines dedicated to your practice, can
be very effective.
When I speak with many individual
practice owners, the most common plan is
not having a plan at all. According to experts,
the average small business comparable to a
dental practice should spend a minimum
of 4% of gross revenue on marketing, with
many experts recommending a spend of
7-8% on gross revenue. How does this
compare to what you are currently spending?
It's true that there is no cookie-cutter
process that builds a highly successful
practice, but one also can't stand still and
hope that a practice magically becomes
more profitable. Decide what you'd like
your practice to be and create an action
plan to achieve it. With these simple steps
and guidelines, your practice should be
able to continue to grow and increase your
profitability year after year. ■

Discover more
about practice
success and
earn CE credit
In his course Keys to Your
Success, Dr. John Nosti
shares concepts that have
helped him practice with less
than 50 percent overhead.
To learn more and earn
1.5 credits of CE, head to
dentaltown.com/nosti-keys.
http://www.dentaltown.com/nosti-keys http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown June 2019

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