Dental Tribune Untited Kingdom Edition

S ome words resonate when you first hear them. Ex- trinsically had that effect on me. I’d heard intrinsically before but not extrinsically. The Oxford English Dictionary defi- nition of extrinsic is: coming or operating from outside; not part of the essential nature of some- thing. I sometimes discover that dental practice marketing is conducted extrinsically. The practice owner brings in a mar- keting consultant, they work up an excellent marketing plan and it is enacted with very little, if any, involvement of the rest of the team. I’m not picking on dental practice principals. Similar ‘dis- connects’ happen in many other areas of businesses. How many times have you mentioned a widely (and expensively) adver- tised promotion to a sales assis- tant to be met with a blank look? Marketing consultants may ar- gue that the advertising mes- sage is not aimed at the social- economic groups into which a company’s sales assistants are grouped. True, but aren’t the staff an essential part of all mar- keting strategies? I think so. Returning to dental practic- es, I’ve come across instances of tooth whitening offers being advertised on a website with- out the reception staff knowing – making for an awkward con- versation when they get the first telephone enquiry. Oh, so this article is another roasting of that old chestnut good communica- tion? Er, no! Merely putting a ‘sticky’ on the receptionist’s computer say- ing ‘10% off Botox today’ does not count as involving your front of house (FoH) team. What does count is making them feel like and act as ambassadors for your practice. They speak with more poten- tial and actual patients than you do, they have longer conversa- tions, they answer questions and resolve queries, they handle the patients’ money and sort them out appointments at convenient times. Hey, they probably have more of a social life than you do and meet more potential pa- tients! Think of them as ambas- sadors and already your market- ing plan starts looking better. Before you even contact the dental marketing consultant, kick around some marketing ideas in a team meeting. Your front of house staff should be able to say where potential pa- tients learn about the practice and what questions they ask. This information could steer you towards advertising on Yell. com, social media, local news- papers or on the sides of buses. It could help you with your main marketing messages – Any- whereville’s friendliest dental practice; Children welcome at AN Other Practice; We open on Saturdays etc. You’ll want Why improving your practice is a mystery - part six Jacqui Goss explains how to integrate your marketing within your team March 5-11, 201220 United Kingdom EditionPractice Management L.I.F.E. Light Induced Fluorescence Evaluator, for the diagnosis and treatment of tooth decay For a limited time only, get the USB Dock Station (shown right) absolutely FREE when you purchase the SoproLife. SoproLife W e t o c r e a t e For further information: 01480 477307 info@acteongroup.co.uk | sales@acteongroup.co.uk | www.acteongroup.com A patented new fluorescence technology which allows you to ‘see the invisible’ – detection of occlusal or interproximal decay, even in its earliest stages, which is often missed by X-rays. The fluorescence images produced in treatment mode show a differentiation between healthy and diseased tissue, while images can be compared under white light in daylight mode. All images can be evaluated with magnification of 30x to 100x and work seamlessly with Sopro Imaging software. SOPROLIFE DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT 2012 Sopro Life Ad (Dental Tribune)_2012 Sopro Life Ad (Dental Tribune) 30/01/2012 17:15 Page 1