When we step into the operatory, lower our loupes, and pick up a handpiece, we become focused clinicians. During a typical week, we treat dozens of patients and analyze margins and line angles. It takes a toll. At the end of the week, our neck hurts, and we need a change of scenery. With the amplified demands of the past year, we only have so much fuel to burn.<\/p>\n
At the same time, getting stuck in our clinical gown can smother more than our core temperature. If our creativity and perspective get trapped as business owners, we may provide less clinical care. Or we may just end up doing less of the care we love to do. Frustration grows as we see no-show rates at 15% and the unscheduled treatment report climbing into the high six-figures.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a recipe for burnout.<\/p>\n
The antidote means returning to a tried-and-true piece of wisdom: spend time working on <\/em>your practice, not just in <\/em>your practice. Sometimes we don\u2019t know where to focus or what that even means. Turning to efforts that define, communicate, and strengthen our brand may be the most effective place to start.<\/p>\n Ann Miltenburg, founder of The Brandling <\/em>, states, \u201cBranding is the act of directing how people think and feel about you.\u201d It\u2019s not a logo, slogan, or ad campaign, although each of those carry our brand message. It\u2019s a complex blend of everything we do, say, and publish, and it dramatically affects what we ultimately spend our days doing in our operatories.<\/p>\n Consider these five ways branding deserves our attention, and how we can weave each aspect into our story:<\/p>\n Contrary to popular opinion, consumers don\u2019t spend a lot of time browsing dental practice websites on the weekend. But if they\u2019re looking for a new dentist, what do they find when they jump on yours? Images and words create a story that reflect the personality of your brand. Your unique practice personality bounces off everything you put out, and different techniques may appeal to different generations more than others.<\/p>\n Exercise: <\/strong>Ask three friends from three different generations to review your website and provide an honest description of your practice based on what they see. Consider people from outside your community who aren\u2019t patients, and ask them to tell you their perceptions based on what they see online.<\/p>\n Dentistry gives employees a reason to be part of something bigger than a paycheck. And when they hear patients say, \u201cThis is the most amazing practice I\u2019ve ever been to,\u201d they respond with purpose and enhanced dedication. After all, employees are our first customers. But have we created brands that give our teams pride? When we do, they serve at a higher level than someone watching the clock. Patients notice the difference and strengthen our brand with referrals and reviews.<\/p>\n Exercise: <\/strong>Dedicate a staff meeting to a transparent conversation about your mission and values. Ask each employee to share what makes them proud to serve your patients in the practice. Ask them what tools they need to serve better. Use the feedback to discuss your vision and bring new tools into place that help your team. This helps everyone own a piece of the brand and row in the same direction.<\/p>\n You may live in a community where you\u2019re the only dentist in town. But it\u2019s more likely patients enjoy multiple choices within a mile or two. With 190,000 dentists in the U.S. and more dentists expected per capita through 2037 <\/a>, blending into the scene isn\u2019t the best strategy. Plus, Millennials will soon replace Baby Boomers as the largest demographic, and they\u2019re spending 211 minutes a day <\/a>on their mobile devices. Your brand can\u2019t afford to get lost in the noise.<\/p>\n Exercise: Do a Google search on your phone with \u201cFind a dentist near me\u201d and see who comes up. If you\u2019re not at the top <\/a>of Google Maps, you\u2019re missing out. And getting there isn\u2019t as tough as it seems when you have the support of digital advertisement experts <\/a>. Wherever you are, see if your reviews support the image of a strong brand. Legwork Reviews <\/a>can help with that, too.<\/p>\n We seat crowns and deliver implant-supported dentures, but we\u2019re really in the relationship business. We rely on patients entering our practice, staying with us for years, and sending referrals along the way. The average practice loses 17% of its patient base <\/a>every year. We can\u2019t stop people from moving, passing away, or losing their jobs, but we can shore up loyalty and deepen trust. Gen X patients express the strongest brand loyalty, and they\u2019re most likely to send us their children and their parents. What are we doing to give patients every reason to love our brand?<\/p>\n Exercise: <\/strong>There\u2019s not a perfect formula to measure loyalty, but we have a few tools to help us out. It starts with delivering on the promises we make, and we need insights to do so. Legwork Comfort <\/a>cements trust by gathering pre-appointment insights to each patient\u2019s preference. Then we need to measure how well we\u2019ve come through. Use a single-question survey to ask patients how likely they are to refer family or friends. Legwork NPS <\/a>gives you an automated solution on-par with the biggest companies in the world.<\/p>\n We serve our patients for all the right reasons, but we won\u2019t be here to take care of them if we\u2019re not profitable and healthy. As dentists, we get into trouble when we overlook overhead costs and our ROI on technology purchases. As the cost of a box of gloves jumped from $5 to $15 or more and patient volumes struggled to get past 80% again in 2020, we\u2019re acutely aware that cash flow is king. Is our brand driving a healthy, viable business that will be there to take care of the next generation?<\/p>\n Exercise: <\/strong>We need to keep our eyes on KPI\u2019s to regularly check the pulse of our practices. But ultimately, the way to drive cash flow is to move patients from diagnosis to treatment. Our unscheduled treatment reports suggest we don\u2019t do that as well as we think. Run one in your PMS and see what you think. Legwork Treatment Opportunities <\/a>helps us uncover treatment that walked out the door unfinished. Then, it provides branded content that educates and calls patients to act while communicating the look and feel of our practice. This process is critical to fiscal soundness.<\/p>\n Our profession isn\u2019t getting easier, but we don\u2019t want to make it harder on ourselves than it needs to be. Our brand is our story, so let\u2019s make it vibrant.<\/p>\n Patients have been through a lot this past year, and they want that more than ever.<\/p>\n Millennials demand authenticity, Gen Xers want to give their loyalty, and Baby Boomers look for brands that add to the quality of their lives. Regardless of the demographic we\u2019re aiming to serve, a strong, proactive approach will give us a brand worth talking about. Learn how you can leverage a strong brand to market your practice by following the steps in Come Up Smiling: The Legwork Guide to Your Online Brand <\/a>.<\/p>\nIsn\u2019t a Brand a Logo and Tagline?<\/h3>\n
Branding Brings Personality to Our Practice<\/h3>\n
Branding Gives Direction to Our Teams<\/h3>\n
Branding Helps Us Stand Out<\/h3>\n
Branding Builds Trust and Loyalty<\/h3>\n
Branding Increases Profitability<\/h3>\n
Keep Your Brand Alive and Become Everyone\u2019s Favorite Story<\/h3>\n