The One Technique to Use With Lots of Dental Competition
Competing with other dentists? This one technique alone can make the difference whether you are treated as a commodity (people will call and ask "how much" right off the bat) or the dentist that everyone knows to go to.
Before we talk about the technique, let's examine some human psychology. Human beings have two guiding, innate survival skills:
1. We notice patterns:
Our physiology is trained to lump together similar objects and things. And we always compare new things to things filed away in our memories to see if their is any patterns. Discovering patterns gives people the ability to make sense out of a chaotic world and to establish some form of predictability.
But if we are exposed over and over again to the same things, our pattern recognitiion system ignores it. Our nerves deaden to that input. We either ignore it or dismiss it.
2. We notice differences
Differences on the other hand, excite our nervous system. If we are walking in a forest, what's a more important survival skill, watching the trees or watching what moves in between them.
So when everything is the same, differences are new and exciting input to our nervous system.
Differences gets attention. Without attention, you cannot get your marketing message across. You could be the best Dentist in the world, a miracle worker, and no one will know.
In addition, mild differences get our attention, but large differences scare us.
How can you use this information to overcome the competition? By using this one technique:
1. Notice what all the other Dentist's are doing and saying to their patients/prospects. Examine their ads, marketing, front desk etc.
2. Notice what patients actually want/need by asking them.
3. Combine 1 and 2: Zig when the others zag and put in what your patients want. You don't want to incorporate differences that patients DON'T WANT.
Bad example, all your competition wear scrubs and you wear a clown suit. That is a BAD difference. Remember you want a mild difference not dramatic one.
Good Examples: if all the dentist's ads are in color, use black and white. If all the dentist's use a laundry list of services, pick one only and promote it. If all the dentists have boring waiting rooms, jazz yours up and make people feel at home and relaxed.
You can apply differences to any aspect of your office: 1) marketing message 2) patient experience 3) staff management etc. etc.
This is how you can create a unique selling proposition: USP.
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