What's My Name? ...

Be sure to treat your patients name with care, dignity and respect. Remember it. Use it liberally when talking with him or her.

And get it spelled correctly when you send direct mail.

There is nothing more personal, sweet sounding and meaningful to a person than his or her name. Thus, when you send out a mailing based upon your house list it's important that you get the spelling correct ... regardless of whether you're sending out a one-to-one personal letter or a one-to-many personalized mass letter.

When I receive a mailing from a company I've dealt with in the past and they misspell my name -- particularly when I know that they have the correct spelling somewhere on file -- it makes me question their attention to detail and it begins to erode my opinion of them.

That happened recently when a company I've dealt with for years sent me a mailing addressed to Ms. Gaylan Stilson. Because the mailing wasn't a mass promotional piece where the company rented outside lists (and the misspelling could be explained away as the result of another company having me listed that way), it was clear it was generated in-house.

Will it cause me to stop doing business with them? No ... at least not yet. However, when you combine it with recent drops in customer service levels, it adds to my growing concern and disillusionment. And, I'm inching closer to making a switch.

So, make sure your patient names are spelled correctly in all of the databases you use.

Occasionally, an incorrect spelling may slip by. Hopefully, when that happens, the patient will bring the mistake to your attention so you can correct it immediately. Then re-check it in every database.

The opinion eroding factor builds exponentially with each additional mailing in which the name is misspelled.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

"I Don't Like Him ..." said the patient

I talked recently with a very experienced, caring and personable dental chairside assistant (Val) about the difference between skilled and not-so-skilled dentists and the importance of their personalities and ability to *bond* with patients. She shared this story with me ...

Early in her career, she worked with an extremely skilled dentist whose work was impeccable ... "unbelievably talented" was her description of his technical ability. Unfortunately his communication and relationship-building skills were as inferior as his dental skills were superior. "The personality of a wet noodle," was how one of his patients described him.

Val recalled a particular case in which an older woman needed significant dental work done ... thousands of dollars worth. After the dentist explained what needed to be done -- and the cost -- this woman came to Val and said she was going to have the work done but was going to find another dentist to do it.

"Why would you go to another dentist," Val asked, "when Dr. Xxxxxx is as skilled as any dentist in the country?"

"Because I don't like him," the woman responded.

This dentist's practice provided him with a living, but it did not flourish.

The next dentist Val worked for was just the opposite ... great personality, questionable dental skills. His practice flourished because his patients just loved him. Val ended up leaving his practice after just a few months because she felt the patients weren't getting the best care possible.

Moral of the story: In dentistry, personality usually trumps skill.

Of course, it's never to late to try to improve your communication skills, your warmth, your smile, and your ability to interact with patients comfortably and caringly.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Should you mail a brochure ... solo?

It's not uncommon for dentists to use their practice brochure as a mailing piece. There's nothing wrong with that UNLESS you mail it solo ... alone ... all by itself.

In over 20 years of direct response experience, I'm not aware of a single test where a brochure-0nly mailing beat a letter-only (or a letter plus brochure) mailing. So, if you're going to make an envelope mailing, opt to include a professionally created letter (or letter and brochure) and not a brochure-only.

Why would a letter outpull a brochure?

Because a letter looks and feels more personal ... it's perceived as a warmer, me-to-you communication. And when written appropriately, it can evoke a reader's emotions ... a good thing when you're trying to entice a response.

Conversely, a brochure is perceived as more cold and impersonal.

What if you want to use the brochure as a self-mailer (no envelope)? Ideally you'd use one or two of the brochure panels to graphically create a letter look-alike ... using sales letter copy. It's unlikely to be AS effective as a stand-alone letter and brochure but it will likely draw more response than the brochure copy alone.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Learn The Basics Of Direct Mail

The USPS web site offers a good introduction to direct mail. It covers some of the benefits of direct mail, provides a few tools and resources, offers advice on creating a direct mail campaign, explores different design ideas, takes you through the mailing process, plus more.

While I don't agree with all of the creative/design information presented, it's a good start if you've never used direct mail as a marketing tool ... or if you're curious as to the process from beginning to end.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

A Direct Mail No-No ...

If you use envelope mailings in your marketing efforts, they should always include a personal-sounding letter or note ... even if the letter or note is a mass produced "Dear Friend" type missive.

Why?

Because after opening the envelope the recipient looks first for a letter. If there is one, the recipient will scan the first page from top to bottom looking for highlighted (important) copy. He will do that for each page of the letter. Then he'll check out who signed the letter and he'll read the postscript before moving back to the beginning of the letter (if you've sparked his interest). It is only then that he moves on to other enclosures.

Because a letter is usually perceived as one-on-one, me-to-you communication (even when mass produced), it gives you an opportunity to make a connection with the reader than your brochure or other enclosure doesn't. And that increases your chances of getting a response.

There have been numerous tests that show letters increase response. I'm not aware of one where it decreased response.

What if a prospect simply requests a practice brochure? Isn't it okay to send out just the brochure?

Not if you want to maximize your opportunity
to turn that prospect into a patient.

The brochure should, at a minimum, be accompanied by a thank-you-for-requesting-our-brochure letter. And if you really really want to maximize your opportunity, you would include that standard thank you letter (that spells out some of the important benefits of using your practice) AND a short, personal, handwritten note. That note might simply say ...

Hi, {Name} ... Thanks for requesting our brochure.
If it doesn't answer all of your questions, please
don't hesitate to call. I look forward to meeting you.

{Your Name}

It pays to include a letter.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Knowing What Turns Patients Off Can Be As Important As Knowing What Turns Them On ...

In fact, it's probably more important. When you know what it is about your practice, staff, procedures, fees, etc. that occasionally turns patients off ... you can correct it. If you know their objections, it gives you a shot at overcoming them.

It pays to listen to patient complaints. In fact, it pays to solicit patient complaints. Not only because studies clearly show that handling complaints quickly and satisfactorily will keep patients happy and coming back, but also because it will help you quickly correct real and perceived problems. And those corrections will not only make your prospects and patients happy ... but they will also make you happy when you look at your bottom line.

How should you solicit patient complaints?

Surveys ... If you give patients the option to submit anonymously, they're more likely to be honest with their assessment of your practice and with the complaints.

In-office complaint box ... Have a complaint box readily available in the waiting room (close to the door), with complaint forms that offers the option of submitting anonymously.

Eyeball-to-eyeball ... When you're meeting with -- or working on -- your patients, remind them that you want and will appreciate hearing from them when there's something bothering them about you, your staff and your practice.

When you welcome complaints amd resolve them quickly, and your practice will benefit.

Think Inside Out, Not Outside In

Dentists often view marketing from an outside-in perspective ... you place an ad, send a letter, run a radio spot, mail off a press release, or a patient refers a friend ... and from that outside activity you draw in new patients.

While the outside-in approach is important and helps a practice grow, it's not where your dental marketing should start. Instead, think inside-out.

Dental marketing should start with you and your staff and how you interact with prospects and patients.

It's a nice fantasy to believe that people choose you as their dentist because of your skill and education. We've always been told that if we do something better than someone else we will be rewarded for it. But that really only applies if people are able to readily recognize and understand what *better* is.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people can't begin to recognize a great dentist from a not-so-good one. To most people a crown is a crown ... regardless of which dentist and lab are responsible for it.

Thus, in people's minds, most dentists are pretty much lumped together ... all capable of providing the dental services needed or wanted without any real difference in quality. So, they choose their dentist primarily on how they like him or her and the staff.

If your practice is not patient-focused, patient-oriented, relationship-centered, that's where you need to start the marketing process.

For more, see: Dental Marketing -- Think Inside Out, Not Outside In

Prompt More Patient Referrals ...

The quickest, easiest, most efficient way to get more referrals is to ask for them.

"But, that makes me look like I'm begging for business" you may be thinking to yourself. " And that's not the image I want to portray." It won't if you approach it correctly. In fact, instead of perceiving your request as begging ... your patients will likely see it as a compliment.

How do you accomplish that?**

• First, instead of asking all of your patients to refer someone, you approach only your best patients.
  
  
• Second, you sincerely thank them for their business and express how much you appreciate, and enjoy working with, them.
  
  
• Third, inform them that you would like to add more patients to your practice who are just like them.
  
  
• Fourth, explain that patients tend to refer other patients who are, in fact, quite similar to themselves. (That's generally true.)
  
  
• Finally, ask them.

The way you word your request is important in both patient perception and success.

** If you're looking to add more quality patient referrals to your practice contact me to request more information regarding my Patient Referral Program.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Use Caution When Using Two Colors In Your Promotional Material

If you choose to use two-color (or more) printing for your ad or other marketing material, be sure to use the second color only to highlight a few key points.

Reason: A second color, particularly a bright color like red, attracts the eye like a magnet. Thus, it give you an opportunity to attract a reader to the key selling points (benefits) in your ad. But when you overuse color and try to make too much stand out, you dilute it's value. In fact, I've seen ads where so much of the second color was used that the black stood out as different. The result, the reader's eye was attracted to the less important copy printed in black.

Here's a rule-of-thumb regarding attention-grabbing devices (of which color is one):

The more *things* you try to make look important,
the less important each will be perceived.

So, be selective with what you choose to highlight.

Also as a general rule ... two color ads will increase readership and response when compared to a single color ad, BUT, not usually by enough to justify the extra cost. However, there are other attention-grabbing devices you can use with a single color ad. For example ... bolding, italics, CAPS (BUT USE SPARINGLY BECAUSE ALL CAPS ARE DIFFICULT TO READ), underlining, font type (use with caution because misuse of fonts can be very distracting, which is never a good thing),

Font Size,

white space, centering,

------Tabbing, etc.

White space around copy can really make it stand out. And, of course, you can combine one or more of the attention-grabbing devices ... as I've done above. But, as you can see, when you combine too many it's very distracting. And again, distractions are not a good thing.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

The Importance Of Clear Communication

It is absolutely imperative that your ad copy be crystal clear to your prospect.

You simply can’t afford to have a prospect questioning what you meant ... or misunderstanding your intent. If prospects don’t precisely understand your copy — and understand it on first reading — the outcome is likely not to be to your liking.

Let me reinforce the importance of clear communication via a quick, little story ...

A hapless hobo comes to the front door of a neat looking country home and raps gently on the door.

Soon, the well-dressed owner of the home -- a dentist -- answers, "Yes, what is it ?"

The hobo begs, "Please, sir, could you give me something to eat? I haven't had a good meal in several days."

The dentist sternly says, "I have made a fortune in my lifetime by providing quality services for people. I've never given anything away for nothing."

"However, if you go around to the back of the house you will see a gallon of gray paint and a clean paint brush. If you will paint my porch back there, I will give you a good meal."

So the hobo gladly agrees and quickly goes around back. Soon afterwards, he again knocks on the door.

The dentist smiles, "Finished already? Good. Come on in. Sit down. Enjoy your meal."

After the hobo finishes a grand meal he turns to the dentist and says, "Thank you very much, sir... By the way, there's something that I think you should know. That's not a Porsche you've got back there. It's a BMW."

As this story points out, sometimes seemingly clear communication ... really isn’t.

Before you ship that ad off to the newspaper (or the direct mail package/brochure to your printer), re-read your copy. Then, have other people read it. Watch them. Do you find them re-reading portions? Do they look confused? When finished, ask them questions to make sure they got out of it precisely what you intended.

Look for every possible instance of potential reader misunderstanding in your copy. Then, correct it. If you don't, you'll be wasting much of your advertising dollar.

Of course, communicating with your staff (and communication between members of your staff) requires the same attention to clear communication details. Miscommunication can create all sorts of unnecessary problems and grief within the practice.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Prospective Patients: Quality vs. Quantity

When asked what they would like their advertising to accomplish, most dentists say, "bring in lots of new patients."

But that's not precisely what they mean. The problem with "lots of prospects" (quantity) is that many of them may not be "good" prospects (quality).

How does one distinguish between a good prospect versus a not-so-good one in this context?

A good (quality) prospect is someone who ...

... has a self-identifiable dental problem, and,
... is looking for a solution to that problem, and,
... has the money to pay for the solution to the problem.

A not-so-good prospect is someone who ...

... doesn't have the money to afford quality dental care, and/or,
... is only looking for the cheap solution, and/or,
... is only looking for information.

This obviously doesn't tell the entire story of who are, and are not, good prospects and patients. But for the purpose of creating successful dental response advertising, the above definition will work just fine.

The question is, how can you create your advertising so that mostly quality patients respond?

Here's a general rule of thumb: The more generalized your message and the more you feature (or infer) low-price, the higher the number of prospects who will likely respond ... and the lower the overall quality of those prospects. (Of course, if your practice is geared towards lower income patients, this approach makes sense.)

Conversely, the more specific your ad message, without the inference or perception of bargain-basement pricing ... the fewer the responses, but the higher the quality of prospect.

Full article: New Patient Quality vs. Quantity

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

It Pays To Get Your Patients To Complain ...

... then quickly and satisfactorily recify that complaint.

Here's what one research study found with regard to people who spend money on big ticket items but are, for some reason, unhappy. This would apply to virtually every dental procedure ...

* Only about 9% of the people who are unhappy will remain loyal to your practice ... if they don't complain.

* If they complain but don't get the problem resolved to their satisfaction, only 19% remain loyal.

* If they complain and you ultimately solve the problem to their satisfaction, 54% will stick with you.

* Solve their problem to their satisfaction quickly, however, and happy days are here again with the loyalty factor jumping to 84%.

Re-check those numbers. Pretty discouraging ... or encouraging ... depending on how you look at them, aren't they?

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

New Patients Require Extra Attention

This is true particularly if these new patients come from external marketing.

Why would they need special attention?

Here are a few reasons ...

1. New patients do not have an established relationship with you or your staff yet ... and a good relationship is what usually bonds a patient to a dentist (and staff).

2. New patients often sport a shoppers mentality the first few times they visit your office. They're deciding whether you are worth their investment of time, money and trust.

Most of your new patients have likely left another dentist to give you a try (often enticed by marketing). So, you know up front that these people will not be blindly loyal to you ... and that they will not hesitate to leave if not happy.

3. New patients are looking for you to deliver on your marketing promises. If you promise a caring, friendly staff ... they'll be looking for and expecting that. If you promise (or infer) low pricing ... they'll be measuring your price against what they perceive to be low. If you promise on-time appointments, they'll be checking their watches in the waiting room.

You must deliver on what you promise in your marketing material or new patients will vanish as quickly as they appear.

So, what kind of special attention should you show your new patients?

Here's the full article ...

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

What Are You Really Selling?

Dental services? Your expertise? Solutions to dental problems?

Yes, BUT ...

While it's true that you are selling those things, once a prospect walks through the door of your practice those things actually become secondary in importance to your prospects and patients. What they are looking for and, therefore, what you should be selling is ....

A RELATIONSHIP -- Prospects/patients are looking for a dentist and staff they can feel comfortable with, a dentist and staff that makes them feel important, a dentist and staff that they can talk to, a dentist and staff they like.

Few patients can accurately judge your skill level, or fully appreciate the quality of your work. But all can judge whether they really like you or not ... and that's exactly what they do.

SATISFACTION -- Once the person becomes a patient, then satisfaction becomes critical. Patients must believe they are getting good value for their dollars ... or they'll ultimately bolt, even if they like you (although it will take them longer to do it).

Good value, as perceived by patients, is not limited to just the belief that the quality of your work must equal or exceed what they are paying. It also includes whether they have to wait for appointments ... how well you can translate their problem into a language they can understand ... whether you hurt them ... whether you treat them with respect and dignity when they have a complaint ... and how you handle complaints ... etc.

If your patients like you and your staff and they are satisfied ... they'll likely be with you for a long, long time. Just as important, they are more likely to recommend you to their friends.

Remember, you are really selling a relationship and satisfaction.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Surveys Are Potent Marketing Tools

When created and used correctly, surveys can help convince your patients that they really are important to you ... that you respect their opinions ... that you are always looking to improve your practice along with their experience and comfort ... and that you listen to them.

Those are many of the ingredients needed to
develop a long-term, loyal patient.

And just as important is the fact that you can easily generate valuable testitonials via surveys ... testimonials that you can effectively use in your marketing to attract even more patients.

If you're not using patient surveys, you should consider it.

[Please feel free to contact me if you would like information on how I might help you generate valuable testimonials through patient surveys.]

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Nix The Negative

It's virtually always more response-effective to build your marketing message around positive benefit appeals than to focus primarily on the negative ... fear.

For example, the ad headline ... "Untreated Gum Disease Can Kill You!" ... is a negative approach, using fear to try to persuade prospects to take action. It very often causes mental discomfort for the reader which may cause him to avoid thinking about it. Or s/he might remember the "Kill You" part of the headline in association with your name and forget the "Gum Disease" part.

The headline ... "Eliminate Your Gum Disease ... Feel Better, Live Longer." ... is a positive benefits approach to the same problem.

If you're disappointed with the response to your ads, direct mail, radio spots, etc., analyze carefully to see if you're using a more negative, rather than positive, message. If so, try the positive approach.

Does positive always outpull negative? Not always ... but typically it does (probably 9 out of ten times).

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Cheese Is Just Cheese ... Right?

Perception is reality ... even when it comes to cheese.

You may have heard the story about the man who was dining in an exclusive Italian restaurant in New York City. This man went out of his way to convey to the owner of the restaurant that ...

Your veal parmigiana is better
than the one I had in Italy last week!

To which the restaurant owner replied ...

Of course it is. You see, they use
domestic cheese and ours is imported."

Same cheese. Different perception.

It pays to remember that a person's perception is his reality. If a patient perceives you to be unfriendly ... or often late for appointments ... it won't matter if you have a 99.9% on-time rate or that virtually everyone else thinks your a friendly sweetheart of a person. To that person you aren't friendly and you're often late, and that's exactly what he'll convey to others.

That's why it's so important for you and your staff to be on top of your game consistently --- day after day after day --- so that you can minimize those misperceptions.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

Envelope Teaser Copy ... Not An Afterthought

Remember this ...

When you use envelope teaser copy, you are advertising the fact that there's advertising inside the envelope. So, you'd better be sure that the teaser copy says precisely what you want it to say and that it makes the reader WANT to open the envelope to get to the information inside.

If the teaser doesn't in some way compel the reader to look inside, he won't. In that case you would have been better off not using any teaser.

What kind of teaser copy works best? One that directly or indirectly promises a powerful benefit(s) to the recipient is always a good, safe choice. Example ...

Are you fed up with your dentures?

If so, here's a solution you'll appreciate (see inside) ...

Teaser copy should always be treated as a major creative copy component, not an afterthought. You should spend as much time on it as you would the headline of an ad.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

There's A Fine Line Between *Disguise* and *Deceit*

When you play the *disguise* game with your direct mail, you risk crossing the line into *deceit* territory. And it's a fine line.

Recognizing the difference is often a real problem.

Why?

Because you're playing on the recipient's home field ... and he's doing the officiating. And if he perceives it to be deceitful, then you get penalized and sent to the penalty box (the wastebasket) ... even if instant replay clearly shows that your intent was not truly deceitful.

It's true that I'm playing semantics. Let's face it, to disguise is to deceive. One disguises in order to hide ... to conceal ... to deceive.

Please
Remember
This ...

In marketing, what's real in our prospect's mind is what's real. Even if, in reality, it isn't. And in the mind of most prospects, there's a difference between *disguise* and *deceit.* A little *disguise* is usually acceptable. A little *deceit* isn't.

So, if you're thinking about concealing the true contents of your direct mail by dressing up the envelope in an IRS look-alike costume or a phony-check-inside mask, or any other disguise ... remember that it might be perceived by some as just a disguise, but by others as deceitful (even if you intended it "just as a disguise").

Think about it.

And then decide that disguise in any form is not only risky ... it's also dishonest.

My recommendation: Don't disguise or deceive. Always be truthful when creating your marketing/advertising ... just be sure to make that truth sing a happy and benefit-filled song.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson

How Many Opportunities Are You Missing At Lunch?

At lunchtime, do you have an answering machine handle phone calls?

"Hi, this is Dr. We-don't-answer-the-phone-at-lunchtime's office. I'm sorry but we are all at lunch until 1:00 PM. Your call is very important to us though, so please call back after 1:00."

When I make a business call and get an answering machine with the above-type message, I'm not happy. Nor do I believe that the business really thinks that my call is very important ... otherwise someone would be assigned to answer the phone. And after I get that message, there's a good chance that I'll move on and try a competitor.

Many people have to make their calls before work, during lunch hour, or after work. If you open at 8:00, lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 and close your doors at 4:00, you don't leave much time for working people to call. You're really restricting your opportunities with these people.

And what happens when you're running an advertisement and the person reading the ad is persuaded by your words to call to set up an appointment ... at lunchtime. You've spent money to attract this person and what do you give him when he calls during lunch ... an answering machine saying that we can't talk to you now, we're eating. All of us.

It's the wrong message to send potential new patients.

Figure out an amicable schedule among staff members so that someone is answering the phone during lunch.

Copyright 2007 by Galen Stilson