Jay Geier is a speaker, consultant and the president and founder of the Scheduling Institute. He helps his clients reach new levels of success and create a lifestyle they dream of using their practice as the vehicle. He has a unique ability for getting results in a practice by leveraging its current resources with a primary focus on getting the staff to take more ownership, more responsibility and teaching them how to produce results. For more information on the Scheduling Institute programs, call (877) 215-8225 or e-mail info@schedulinginstitute.com.

Jay Geier

	As a private-practice owner, you may not think you can learn much from the companies on Fortune’s 2015 

 big. In fact, to even get into the running, you have to be one of the 1,000 largest U.S. companies (based on revenue), or have revenues of at least $10 billion if you’re a non-U.S. company.

	So how can anything done by these super-sized, wildly successful, profitable companies possibly be relevant to a small or mid-sized dental practice in Smallville, USA?

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	Actually-with very few exceptions-these companies rank at the very top of the list in their respective industries because of their emphasis on training their people.

	There’s no doubt that we consumers find comfort in consistency. And that is exactly what training does. If implemented correctly, training provides a consistent, tested guideline for employees to follow to guarantee results. The results you get as a private-practice dentist are increased new patients, satisfied existing patients and potential for significant growth in your productivity and collections.

	Let’s take a look at a few specific examples from the leaders of big business and how they apply to growing your practice.

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Continue to the next page to see what you can learn from Apple...

	What you can learn from Apple (ranked first for eight years in a row!): Redefine the experience

	The Apple Store has completely redefined the customer experience. As soon as they walk in the door, every customer is greeted by an employee who is friendly, passionate and committed to customer service. Each Apple team member is trained on how to handle the technical questions of a highly agitated customer. They also know that how a person feels when they end a transaction significantly impacts how they perceive the brand, the likelihood they’ll become a repeat customer, and whether they’re likely to recommend the brand to others.

Related reading: The biggest mistakes dentists make: Not providing adequate team training

	This couldn’t ring more true for a patient’s experience in your office. Happy and knowledgeable employees trained to present an experience like no other dental office, will not only get your patient to come back, it will motivate them to positively review your practice and send all of their friends your way!

	Just like Apple reminds its employees that they “enriching lives” not just selling electronics, you need to remind your employees that they are making a difference in the smiles – and lives – of their patients. And enriching lives builds loyalty.

Continue to the next page to see what you can learn from Starbucks...

	What you can learn from Starbucks (ranked fifth): The partnership approach

	Starbucks has adopted a “partnership approach” based on the business model that says: “Treat employees like partners, and they act like partners.” From the perspective of Starbucks leaders, the strong loyalty connection the brand enjoys with its customers is linked directly to the way in which those leaders connect with and develop their team members.

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	Do you treat your employees like partners? Do they understand your vision for the practice, your interest in growing your new patient numbers, productivity and collections?  Are they engaged? Are they incentivized to help you set and reach your goals? Not sure? Ok, how bout this: Do they don’t love new patients – like enough to jump over the desk to answer the phone, or transfer a line to their cell phone after hours just so they don’t miss an opportunity to schedule them? If they don’t love new patients and what they do for a practice, then they aren’t feeling like partners.

	Starbucks leaders invest in their “partners” and, in turn, their customers (read: your patients!). They deploy training and development to drive partner engagement. That increased engagement leads to increased customer visit frequency, wider product penetration, greater customer retention, consistent product sell-through and employee pride and knowledge. Essentially, they create raving fans!

Continue to the next page to see what you can learn from Disney...

	What you can learn from Disney (ranked sixth): Quality is key

	The Walt Disney Company consistently exceeds guest expectations through an exceptional passion for detail, as documented in the book, 

. At the Disney Institute, they teach other business leaders this same “eye for detail” as a strategy to differentiate their own businesses and brands.

	If you’ve ever been to a Disney resort, you too have been impressed by their ability to think of everything for their guests. They encourage leaders to “put yourself in the shoes of your customer,” and assess even little things that could be changed to impact the customer in a unique, positive way.

	Now look at your office through the eyes of Walt Disney. Obviously you don’t need to add mouse ears to anything. But you do need to walk through your office as if you were a new patient. Use the restroom, sit in the waiting room and thumb through magazines, get yourself a beverage, sit in the operatory chair and look at the ceiling and the equipment. What has been your attention to detail?

Related reading: The biggest mistakes dentists make: Neglecting leadership training

	Because of the Institute’s training, everyone knows his or her role in carrying out the Disney Philosophy and doing business the Disney Way. It admittedly involves a huge invest­ment of time, training and money that not many others are willing to make. But Disney knows that quality experiences create loyal customers... Every single time.

	We have worked with more than 10,000 dental offices of all sizes and in all towns and the same is true for all: Your ability to earn raving fan patients will give you a strategic advantage in your marketplace. Even more so than in the retail sector, you have a tremendous opportunity to create patients for life

 Just like so many Apple customers wouldn’t consider buying non-Apple products, you don’t want your patients to even think about going elsewhere! You want them to be ecstatic about the experience they get at your office every single time!

	Are you ready to see what kind of experience your new patients get when they pick up the phone to make an appointment? Visit 

 to take our 5 Star Challenge! We will conduct a mystery call on your office and let you know how your office rates against the competition.

Articles

As a private-practice owner, you may not think you can learn much from the companies on Fortune’s 2015 World’s Most Admired Companies list. After all, they’re big – really big. So how can anything done by these super-sized, wildly successful, profitable companies possibly be relevant to a small or mid-sized dental practice in Smallville, USA?

3 things dentists can learn from big (non-dental) corporations

	What’s the first thing a potential new patient does when they want to make an appointment at your practice? It’s not a trick question they pick up the phone and call, right? Knowing that, I bet that every single marketing piece that leaves your office has your phone number on it, doesn’t it? I hope so!

	Let’s face it, even with the ease of the internet, new patients want to speak with a live person. They want to know what to expect, what insurance you accept, how long it will take, etc. So they pick up the phone and call.

	In fact, nearly every single person who walks into your practice calls first. Do you realize what that means? Your telephones are literally the direct portal to your practice, and whoever is answering them is the very first, most important interaction that your practice has with your potential patients.

	Does that realization strike fear in your heart or do you feel pretty good about “Debbie” answering the phones at the front desk? Have you ever listened to her? Or do you feel that “Geez, she’s been with me forever, she must be doing the right thing?” Well, if you’ve never called your office as a potential new patient, you just don’t know.

	Trust me. I have been working with dentists for decades now and I 

 know that every one of them had turned their backs on their front desk staff before we met. Every one of them was losing potential new patients and everyone had NO IDEA how many potential new patients were being lost.

	I can promise this: If you have not been paying attention to your front desk, you, too, are losing many new patients a month.

	To prove my point, we conducted a study with over 400 anonymous calls to practices and-of those 400 calls-only 10 percent of team members asked for the patient’s name before they hung up the phone (and most didn’t even get the last name!) Only 3 percent of the team members we heard actually knew how to close on appointments! But here’s the most shocking part 34 percent of the calls we conducted filtered through to the answering machine. This means that at about one of every three practices we called ... we weren’t even able to reach a human being!	 

	Consider this: If you use your marketing to generate phone calls and 34 percent of the time no one even answers the phone, would you say that makes a difference in your stats? Your new patients? Your production? Your annual collections? Of course!

	If one patient is worth (on average) $1,500 to $3,000 to your practice in a lifetime, and your team is losing five to seven new patients per week, then you’re easily losing $7,500 per week (or $390,000 per year). Just take a minute to think about what you could do with all that extra money if you were scheduling instead of losing all those new patients.

	Fortunately, there’s an easy-to-fix problem. It’s so simple, it’s child’s play: Answer the phone! Yes, analyze your phones and if they aren’t being answered 100 percent of the time-FIX THAT.

	When I was the marketing director at a large chiropractor’s office a few years ago, I determined that there were about 47 hours during the week that people expected our office to be open. I quickly learned that with lunch breaks and half days, we were only answering the phone for 20 of those 47 hours! 20! To remedy that, I had phone lines forwarded to a cell phone during “off” hours and asked my secretary to answer the phone during those times. I sat down, trained her and then incentivized her $5 for every new patient she scheduled. From that point, she scheduled no less than 50 new patients every month. So every month she earned at least $250 more and the company gained 50 new patients (you do the math on that)!

	It’s so simple, there’s got to be a catch, right? Well, sort of. If you reread that last paragraph, you will notice that I took the time to train my secretary to answer the phone correctly. After all, she will be much more successful at scheduling new patients if she knows the right way to do it. And the more success she has, the more money she and the practice will get!

	You, too, can make this simple change to increase your new patient numbers. But be forewarned: If your staff is not properly trained to turn those calls into scheduled patients, your quick success will be short-lived. Think they’re good to go and don’t need training? Find out by going to www.5starchallenge.com and take the 5-star challenge. We will conduct a mystery call to your office and provide you with the results you’ve been ignoring for so long.

Let’s face it, even with the ease of the internet, new patients want to speak with a live person. They want to know what to expect, what insurance you accept, how long it will take, etc. So they pick up the phone and call.

One ridiculously easy solution to increase new patients

	Everyone is born with a “thing”-that one special interest that borders on an obsession. For me, that thing is marketing.

For decades, I’ve eaten, breathed, and dreamed marketing. I’ve experienced great success with my “obsession,” but I’ve also made some big mistakes throughout the years. Fortunately, my biggest mistakes were also my biggest learning opportunities! Every single mistake led me to a valuable lesson, and I’m a better marketer because of them.

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	That's why I’d like to share with you seven of the most common mistakes you should avoid while marketing your practice. And while the seven deadly sins of marketing likely won’t be your physical undoing, they very well could lead to your practice’s demise if you’re not careful. 

	Continue to the next page to see the first deadly sin...

	Laziness is one of the biggest marketing pitfalls for dental practices. When you’re lazy, you begin to make inaccurate assumptions. In the case of marketing, you need to know your numbers, so grab a calculator. Together, we will determine a) the value of a new patient in your practice, b) the acquisition cost per new patient and c) how this affects your marketing budget.

	In case you’ve never been exposed to these formulas before, it’s OK. But pay attention: This is math you need to know in order to be a successful marketer.

	First, find your practice's average revenue per new patient, or what each new patient is worth-on average-to your practice. To do this, divide your annual collections by the number of annual new patients your practice acquires. This will give you the average revenue per new patient.

	For example, $850,000 divided by 250 equals $3,400.

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	Next, calculate your acquisition cost per new patient using the formula given below. This is the amount of marketing money it took you-on average-to get ONE new patient. Your monthly marketing budget divided by monthly number of new patients equals the acquisition cost per new patient.

	For example, $2,000 divided by 21 equals $95.24

	Now that you know the math behind your new patients, you’re probably starting to realize that new patients are a smart investment with an enormous return!

	Tracking your marketing stats is another important area where doctors tend to get sloth-like - don’t fudge your numbers! Inaccurate data can be more harmful to your marketing efforts than not having any data. If you aren’t numbers minded or “can’t be bothered” with tracking your results, I would suggest removing that burden on you and investing in a data capturing tool to accurately track your marketing successes. We use and recommend Call Tracker technology to our clients (www.calltrackeronline.com). If you choose to do it yourself, that’s fine. Just be sure you do it with intention and accuracy.

	More is not always better, especially when it comes to paying for marketing. So don’t assume that the most expensive marketing tactics will return the biggest results. Most marketing consultants are paid by the job or project itself, not the results you get from it!

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	And speaking of results… be sure that you are measuring the right result – new patient numbers. Yes, it’s great if your advertisement brings in a huge number of calls, but if your staff isn’t properly trained to answer those calls and turn them into scheduled patients, you are wasting your time and money!

	Don’t think competitively: Be creative! Rather than just trying to “keep up” with the competition, focus your efforts on what you can do differently and think way outside the box. You will never become the best of the best until you stop caring what other people think about your marketing. Sure, they probably judge you... So what?

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	My team and I send out a lot of marketing pieces advertising events, seminars, products and trainings, and we get judged by hundreds of thousands of dentists and consulting companies worldwide. But honestly, we would rather do the right thing. We know what’s best for our clients, and what will help them to take their practices to the next level. That is our main priority. Your main priority is providing your patients with the services they need!

	Lust is just the intense psychological desire for something.. And for the most part-when it comes to marketing your practice-this kind of passion is a great thing! Just be careful to draw the line and never allow your emotions to cloud your judgment. You shouldn’t get so attached to a marketing piece, for instance, that you can't see when it is a complete failure.

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	So, if you've created a piece that is not generating very many calls (and you would know this by careful tracking), you need to cut your losses. Move on. Keep tweaking, correcting and researching in order to find the best possible angle.

	During the marketing sin of gluttony I mentioned the risk of your front-desk staff not turning marketing calls into scheduled patients (and wasting all of those marketing dollars!). Let’s say that is happening in your practice and you realize your team isn't scheduling a high percentage of the new patients that call in. Your first reaction might be to get angry with your team; after all, they’re the ones answering your phones, right?

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	No! Fight that instinct. Blaming your team won’t fix the problem, and the truth is, it isn’t their fault. It’s your fault. You should be investing in their training. You should be making sure they are prepared to handle every phone conversation and schedule every potential patient. So, swallow that anger. If you aren’t investing in training your team, you aren’t giving them the resources they need to succeed.

	Your pride (or ego) is one of the most dangerous obstacles in the path of your success. You are probably an incredible clinician, but don’t be so prideful that you refuse to accept help in areas that you don’t know anything about.

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	After all, dental schools are designed to teach you about the clinical side of dentistry, not the business side. And despite efforts to address that deficit, it’s likely you didn’t graduate with the tools necessary to successfully run a business, make wise investments and market your services. Accepting that you don’t know what you don’t know and being willing to learn from an expert who does, will help prevent Pride from creeping into your practice and doing significant damage.

	Quality is always better than quantity, especially when it comes to marketing. If you produce mediocre marketing pieces for a minimal investment, I can guarantee you will get mediocre results. But if you want a lot of top-notch clients interested in high-margin services, you are going to need to part with some money. Don’t be greedy! You’re the primary investor in your practice, and you need to make a marketing investment in attracting new patients.

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	Keep these simple marketing rules in mind when creating your pieces in order to ensure quality:

		Create an understandable offer. Don’t overcomplicate what you’re trying tell your audience. Be extremely clear about the benefit they’ll receive.

		State the known value. If you’re giving away a car or an iPad, they have a “known” value,” but if you are talking about a dental service, product or other item, make sure you make the value known!

		Include a premium or discount. This is key - it’s what could push your audience to take action. Whether it’s “first exam at no charge” or “50 percent off for the first seven to respond” - either option is fine to use in marketing offers. Test both to see which works best for you.

		Include the reason for the offer. Your readers want to know why you’re offering what you’re offering. It provides peace of mind and acceptance.

		Make the offer time dated. Some people put things off because they have to think about it, research more, etc. So give them a concrete deadline to take action! For example, “This week only!” or “Offer expires on December 31st!”

		Have a strong call to action. I’ve seen some great offers with no call to action! You have to tell your audience how to respond. For example, “Call this number” or “Respond by fax today.”

The author shares seven of the most common mistakes you should avoid while marketing your practice. While these seven deadly sins of marketing likely won’t be your physical undoing, they very well could lead to your practice’s demise if you’re not careful.

The 7 deadly sins of dental practice marketing

	Almost every dentist wants more new patients, but what I’ve discovered is that most employees working in dental offices are actually turning new patients away.

	Not intentionally, of course, but solely by what they are (or are not) saying on the initial phone call made into the practice. And while the need for new patients is widely acknowledged, a recent study we conducted showed that 94 percent of dentists are completely unaware of how to repair the money-sucking error that is draining their practice!

SPONSORED: Download the secret new patient guide

	Marketing experts, sales reps, and advertising gurus all sell you more ads, ask for more money, but aren’t delivering more new patients. Because the problem isn’t your marketing … it’s the staff that is answering the phone calls that your marketing pieces generate. That is where the real problem lies. It’s a problem preventing you from growing your practice, getting more new patients, and getting the most bang for your marketing buck! In fact, it’s sending those marketing dollars right down the toilet!

	We conducted 12,617 test calls to four different countries (the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom). All calls were conducted on weekdays only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time. A diverse selection of practices participated in the study - single-location practices, multi-location practices, single-doctor practices and multi-doctor practices located in small towns and big cities.

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	What we have found is that while you may be getting phone calls from your marketing, they are not translating to patient appointments. 

	35 percent of the calls conducted during normal business hours went to voicemail. The number one rule when you have a business (especially one that is investing in marketing) is to answer the phone when it rings! Money is being wasted on marketing that encourages your potential new patients to call, but your staff isn’t answering the phone. That is thousands of dollars flushed down the drain.

	2. Stumbling, bumbling, obviously fearful answers

	Staff members were often very uncomfortable on the phones, struggling to answer questions and unsure of how to respond to the most basic inquiries by the callers. The staff members would hem, haw and often times put callers on hold for several minutes, failing to treat the potential new patient with the respect and care they deserve.

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	The staff person spewing out unasked for and confusing information, such as how insurance works and doesn’t work, how long appointments take, pricing details, confusing information that isn’t relevant to the new patient, etc. Often we discovered staff members diagnosing, advising or prescribing to the callers, which invites significant legal danger for the practice.

	4. Total failure to capture information for follow-up

	If basic contact information isn’t captured, there is no option for follow-up by email or phone. This is the fundamental phone handling principle, yet it was overlooked on 12,176 of the test calls in our study.

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	Even when the caller made very clear indications of intent to buy or book an appointment, staff members would miss the signal, talk over the caller, drive the patients away and never book the appointment … without ever realizing just how much damage they were doing.

	6. Never closing the calls on an appointment

	The simplest, most basic, most elementary scheduling questions aren’t asked, and therefore appointments go unbooked. Staff members treat the calls like “tasks” that have to be completed, not like opportunities for new patients, more revenue, more production, more referrals, etc.

	I’ve been analyzing practices for more than 25 years (tens of thousands of doctors and team members around the world) and have received numerous awards for my practice growth coaching and training programs. What that means is that I have the largest working lab in the dental industry in which to study what works and what doesn’t when it comes to growing practices.

	So here’s a vital piece of information that I’ve learned from my decades of research: There are only three ways to grow your practice. Period. You have to:

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	Once you know how to work on improving numbers two and three, you must refocus on number one! The only way to begin that process is to properly analyze how your staff is answering the phones. 97 percent of the practices we work with every day had never bothered to “test” their office prior to working with us.

	Have you tested yours? Would you even know how? We can help. By going to 

, you can request an analysis through a test call. You will receive a recording of the call and a rating that shows you exactly how your call “stacked up” against the 12,000+ practices in this study.

	This is the only way to truly know what’s going on with your new patient calls and discover if there is room for improvement. I guarantee you’ll be surprised by what you learn. And, once you begin taking steps toward improvement, you can start keeping your profits in your practice and out of the toilet!

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Once you begin taking steps toward improvement within your dental practice, you can start keeping your profits in your practice and out of the toilet. Here are six ways to do that.