Be Careful Where You "Niche" Yourself ...

Finding a dental practice *niche* that is not readily served or marketed by competitors can help a practice grow and profit. It can lead to quality word of mouth, patient loyalty and personal satisfaction.

"But dentists are basically the same, most of us do the same things, provide the same services. Plus, we can't call ourselves specialists. So there's no way we can really create a special marketing niche," you might be thinking to yourself.

Not so.

What's the difference between Extra Strength Excedrin and Migraine Excedrin? Nothing. Each contain 250 mg. of acetaminophen, 250 mg. of aspirin and 65 mg. of caffeine. Yet they are marketed differently to different niches. And they're both profitable.

What's the difference between Benedryl antihistamine and Nytol sleeping aid? Not a thing ... except for the consumer niches they fill.

While dentists (and their practices) may look the same, feel the same, smell the same, and offer the same services, there are legitimate distinctions that can be made to make you stand out above all others ... at least to specific segments of your market.

If you understand product/service positioning (one of the better books on the subject is Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, by Al Ries and Jack Trout), you'll be able to quickly appreciate that a viable dental niche is simply identifying some aspect of the dental market to which you can lay claim and be readily identified with as THE expert. It's a unique position which, if promoted, will stand out in the prospect's mind.

What are some feasible dental practice niches? You could niche yourself as the practice especially for seniors or executives or dental phobics or the upscale market, etc.. You could turn your practice into a dental spa, a holistic practice, a new age experience, or a special needs practice, to name just a few.

Depending upon the demographics of your area, all could be viable.

But, do your research before committing to a niche. If you love working with seniors and decide to go focus your practice on that market niche, be sure there are enough seniors in your marketing area who can afford your services and produce the kind of income you're after.

If you don't, you could niche yourself into a small corner.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson