Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

Transaction patients. •Interested in price alone •They believe all dentists are the same •They love Groupon or other dis count offers •They show no loyalty, you keep the practice open for them on Saturday and by Tuesday they have found someone else •They want the best deal you can give them and are never afraid to ask •Ask for referrals and they want to know what’s in it for them •You make very little profit On the other hand... Relationship patients •Seek trust and confidence •They want to use friendly com panies with familiar people and reliable products •They are lifetime patients. •They will pay more and they know it •They find it emotionally tiring to shop around •Ask for referrals and they are flattered and pleased to help •They are profitable over the long term Exclusivity does not mean unavailability, in fact quite the opposite. Your business depends upon you being able to give the support and service to your pa- tients that you would expect to receive yourself. Nor does it mean that you have to be the only visible name and face of the business. Your qualities as a leader will be tried and tested so you have to abso- lutely sure in what you are trying to achieve. Your team and their training becomes even more im- portant so that everyone is aware of the standards that you set for yourself and expect from them. Your systems must be able to cope with everything that is thrown at them. When those patients with whom you have worked so hard to build a relationship are ready to com- mit to the treatments that have been discussed, you and the team are ready. Your marketing must reflect your desire to attract relation- ship patients. Your website should have testimonials either in video format or at some length, not just sound bites. Your Internet activity should exhibit the fact that you are in this for the long haul. There is of course an excep- tion to this. If you are the sort of person who shops around for the cheapest deal you can get, who objects to paying other profession- als what they are worth and who haggles over payments then you are very unlikely to attract rela- tionship patients. Instead you’ll spend your time saying “What’s the matter with them? Why won’t they commit?” not to mention spending a fortune trying to attract more and more transaction patients who will leave you at the first marketing email for cut price whitening from the people down the road. People aren’t stupid; they will know that you’re after the profit today and aren’t interested in their long term needs and wants. It’s unfortunate that the tradition- al NHS approach with its empha- sis in making the patient “dentally fit”, what ever that really means, coupled with the removal of regis- trationin2006,doesnothingtoen- courage a long term relationship. So what’s the name for you and your business? DT About the author Alun Rees trained at Newcastle Uni- versity and started his career as an oral surgery resi- dent, before work- ing as an associate in a range of differ- ent practices. With this solid founda- tion, Alun went on to launch two prac- tices in the space of just 15 months, a challenge in the toughest economic conditions. After years of hard work Alun finally sold his award-winning business in 2005. Alun’s background and experience give him a strong un- derstanding of what others go through to build a successful practice. He has seen many different approaches and learned his own lessons in the real world. Alun now runs Dental Business Partners to offer specific and special- ised support for dentists, by dentists. He has served as a media representa- tive for both the BDA and BDHF and is an authority consulted by the me- dia and has featured on BBC2, Sky TV and various radio stations. Raised in South Wales, Alun has family roots in West Cork where he spends as much time as work allows. In other spare moments he has run three London marathons and lists rugby, real ale and music as relaxation. www.dental- businesspartners.co.ukalun@dental- businesspartners.co.uk For more information email Alun at alunrees@mac.com, or alternatively call 07778 148583 or 01242 511927 11OpinionOctober 29 - November 4, 2012United Kingdom Edition Special Launch Offer Buy any 3 Synea Fusion Handpieces get a 4th FREE W&H (UK) Ltd, 6 Stroud Wood Business Centre, Park Street, St Albans, AL2 2NJ Tel: +44 (0) 1727 874990 Fax: +44 (0) 1727 874628 Email: office.uk@wh.com www.wh.com Information is correct at time of publication and relates to W&H products and services availble in the UK and Ireland. Prices are quoted in £ sterling and are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate. Offers valid from 1st October to 31st December 2012, excluding BDTA Dental Showcase. 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