“Beyond The Chair” (Part 2 of 3): “Why Corporate Dentistry Doesn’t View The Solo Dentist As A Threat In Their Market Place” (You should know what they’re saying about you!)

Welcome to Week 2 of our new series, “Beyond The Chair”. We discuss issues facing the solo practice owner, and how to stay competitive in your market. Our discussion this week focuses on how to beat your competition and Corporate Dentistry at its own game and remain competitive in your market.

This week, here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Corporate Dentistry’s #1 Biggest Weakness and how to exploit it starting today!
  • The one thing you absolutely can’t afford to ignore when it comes to marketing your practice
  • Why “word-of-mouth” referrals no longer work by themselves; ignore this and you’ll get left in the dust
  • Cutting through the clutter of marketing hype — the bare bones, absolutely essential, do-this-or-else list of action items that you can implement today
  • How to get your free copy of our proprietary Google Cheat Sheet that explains how to start getting five-star patient reviews immediately

Click “PLAY BUTTON” (And Turn On Those Speakers! 👇😀) Below To Watch The Video OR Read The Transcription Below (if you prefer to read): If you’re having trouble viewing this video Click Here


Learn How To Get A Custom Marketing Plan To Beat Your Town’s Competition By Clicking The Link Here: https://lsfd1.wpenginepowered.com/action-plan


Transcription of Part 2:

Benjamin: With all of our marketing and with all of the docs that I talk to who are clients, a big part of what they appreciate about what we do is that we really go through the changes that Google implements on a regular basis. I mean it’s what, several hundred changes per year in the algorithm, if not thousands?

Graig: It’s nine hundred and I think like eighty something.

Benjamin: Yeah, and this isn’t just tooting our own horn this is that you have a lot you have to contend with when it comes to sort of riding that wave and being able to stay on top of it. I think that’s a real advantage of being able to navigate those waters quickly.

Graig: I think one of the things that the reason that that’s important is because, well let’s not pull any punches here. I mean, corporate dentistry’s main job is to break you in half. They’re not in the market place to go buy you coffee and bring you bagels and cream cheese. I mean their job is to take market share and be responsible to their shareholders and at the end of the day that means that they essentially have to gobble up the patients that are coming to you. That allows them to gain market share. Their job is to become a massive, massive pain in your butt.

We see it. We get notes at the office all the time; guys who can’t retire when they want to. New patient numbers not what they used to be, all those things where you sort of get those notes and it’s almost too late in some instances but in most of those cases, a couple corporate practices came to town spent a few hundred grand on marketing radio, T.V., billboards, Internet, direct mail and then all of a sudden it’s just over. And that’s you know that’s why we’re making this is so we can help the good guys win the good fight. And we’re committed to that.

Benjamin: So, let’s talk about what you should focus on in your practice as far as marketing. Because we, in our business, focus very specifically on one thing and that is getting Google reviews for our doctors. So talk a little bit more about that, why is that so important?

Graig: Well, to your point is there is so much marketing out there. The way that the world works right now is with the advent of local search, the internet and being able to access information in an instant from a phone which is essentially a computer now is really like the foundation of when you’re building a house, right? That is where every practice should start.

Every business should really start with “let’s get our online presence set up”…and, I’m not talking about your website. Your website is in this day and age a glorified brochure, right? And in some instances, in some markets, you don’t even need one.

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So, I’m talking about everything off of that site right – You Tube, Google reviews, Facebook, blogs, directory sites, those third-party sites. That serves as your foundation for all of your other marketing. Because without it, the other marketing won’t get the response that you need. So if you’re running a newsletter, internal referral campaigns, direct mail -whatever you’re doing. In order to get the most out of that stuff you need to have that Google house in order. Because right now, Google is the largest, most trusted medium on the planet. It’s bigger than any T.V. station and any newspaper, any magazine.

So, you must start there and, back to our corporate dentistry point, is that’s the one thing corporate industry has done correctly. They’re not afraid to plunk down ten, fifteen thousand dollars and get their online presence looking absolutely perfect. Where the local dentist — he’s probably neglected that. Hasn’t wanted to invest in it or maybe is just a little bit behind the times which is okay but it serves as a quick wakeup call and they spend their money on that. So you know that’s how I look at all marketing is before you spend one more dime on anything else, that Google House has to be absolutely ready to go. A lot of companies out there that do that work. We offer services as well but [regardless], it’s actually imperative that’s the first thing you do.

Benjamin: Okay, so if you were to try and do this yourself, where would you start?

Graig: Well, I think the first thing is that your point about the Google reviews — I think that’s the easiest way. We have our Google Review Cheat System; you can download it for free. You can go to www.LocalSearchForDentists.com and download that. We give you 13 ways to ask for reviews, and there’s a lot of free content on there. So, feel free to check that out. But I think that’s the simplest, quickest way to get some momentum is start to ask your really, really, really good patients to review you on Google. That is something that you can start doing you know after you’re done watching is ask those patients that you know that they’d like you to review you.

And obviously, there’s a right or wrong way to ask because you don’t want bad reviews…but that’s the quickest way to get some momentum because if you’re in a market place that’s even the least bit competitive. The best dentist in that in that city or in that town in terms of reputation in terms of appearance is usually the person who has the most five-star Google reviews. And we always say in our operations meetings that you can have all the page-one rankings in the world, you could spend as much on marketing as you want, you could even spend a million dollars this month in marketing. But if you don’t have those five-star reviews in order looking at the choice, they’re less likely to chose you versus someone else. Our research says that and we know the numbers on them.

Benjamin: So there’s a reason behind this. We’re talking about a function, but let’s talk about the psychology behind it. So, when somebody — let’s say Joe and Sally — just move to your town. Joe and Sally are looking for a new dentist. What’s going on in their head when they go onto Google and they search for local dentist?

Graig: Well, let’s back up a little bit on that question because that’s a good one. It actually starts before that. So, in my neighborhood for example, we have apps where we can communicate with other neighbors, right? Technology is just insane, right now. And it’s very common for someone to post on our message board, “Hey, we just came to the neighborhood; anyone in the neighborhood have a local dentist that they recommend – I have a family of four,” blah, blah, blah.

Well, most people, and I think this is sort of the problem right now on why corporate dentistry views other sole dentists as not really good competition, is because they’re just only doing word-of-mouth referrals.

And what’s happening is, yes — that is a word-of-mouth referral. But what the stats tell us and the research tells us and Google tells us is that the majority of the people in the 90th percentile are taking that family/friend referral and they’re going right to the Internet to figure out whether you’re trustworthy, take care of your people and so on and so forth…and THEN they’re calling you.

So, it’s almost like a big circle. Whereas before the Internet, your neighbor gave you the name of a  dentist that you just called up and made an appointment. Well now, we can really evaluate that [consumers] really look deep, and you have literally about 30 seconds to show your best and brightest moment online.

That’s why I talk about that foundation is so important and the whole idea of not understanding that word-of-mouth is the not only thing is very important.  So yeah…it all starts with that — that Internet presence; even if it’s referral-based, because they’re Googling you after your neighbor gives a referral or whatever the case may be.


Learn How To Get A Custom Marketing Plant To Beat Your Town’s Competition By Clicking The Link Below: https://lsfd1.wpenginepowered.com/action-plan


I want to help you put an action plan together to get your practice moving in the right direction. Do NOT be a stick in the mud, who refuses to change. This year can be that year for change. Let’s do it!

One word of WARNING: This action plan will disappear with out notice! So don’t delay.

Check it out by clicking the link below:
https://lsfd1.wpenginepowered.com/action-plan

Be Bold And Make Things Happen!
Graig Presti, MBA
CEO Local Search For Dentists® A 4X Inc 500/5000 Approved Dental Marketing Agency

PS- Life does get in the way but THIS is the simplest way to keep patients on track, reactivating patients and SPARKING that REFERRAL fire all in one fell swoop with almost ZERO effort what so ever….

Check it out by clicking the link below:
https://lsfd1.wpenginepowered.com/action-plan

One of my private clients (who will remain nameless) is already breaking his competition in half ….buying practices, just killing doctors who won’t change.

So, if you’re struggling with making heads or tails of what to do that can specifically help you grow your practice then this action plan is a “glove fit for you”.

Check it out by clicking the link below:
https://lsfd1.wpenginepowered.com/action-plan