The Morning Meeting- A Marketing Opportunity
When we evaluate marketing strategies for new patients, we all understand the value of planning with good information. If I could give you a biography and dental history of all your potential patients and guarantee some face time with them, would you consider that to be valuable?
Of course you would.
Yet when the exact same opportunity comes up for existing patients, it’s often ignored.
How You Should Be Using Your Morning Meetings
Some offices find it challenging to hold morning meetings. They necessitate that everyone show up early and prepared, and perhaps people find them ineffective or don’t see the value in them.
The morning meeting is an opportunity to develop your marketing plan for the day. You already know the dental history of everyone coming in, and if you develop good relationships with patients, you should know about major milestones. Focus on your best patients, the ones you would clone if you could.
What types of things should you be looking for?
- Patients who send referrals. If they’ve done it once, they’ll do it again.
- Practice milestones. (Five years with your practice, getting braces off, and so on.)
- Life milestones. Anniversaries, birthdays, babies, and weddings are all great opportunities to connect with your patients.
How do you market to patients you’re already treating? Acknowledge them as people, and satisfied patients become loyal patients.
While sometimes the fruits can be hard to measure, there are few other marketing strategies that are both so easy and have such a high return on investment. A simple acknowledgement that you were not only thinking about the patient but also paid attention to what’s going on in their life can help you to form strong bonds with your patients.
We had a patient who planned to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a cruise. I made sure to note who they had booked the cruise with, and our practice arranged to have some flowers, a card, and chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for them in their cabin on the ship. A phone call and some strawberries could keep a patient with you for life!
Looking for some ideas? Here are just a few ideas you can use:
- Gift card to a coffee shop—Amazon is also a good choice.
- Cupcake with a candle in it—throw in a balloon for a little birthday flair.
- Baby kits for new or expecting parents—you can get these inexpensively and pre-made to keep around the office.
- News clippings of patients—if a patient makes the news, congratulate them with a card and a laminated copy of the story.
Exceeding Expectations
Add value to your morning meetings by taking note of who you’re going to see that day. Prepare a plan for each patient you’d like to focus on, designating the assignment to the appropriate team member.
Successful dentists don’t only focus on being the best dentist. The truth is, your patients expect you to be highly-trained, competent, and to perform well. They begin with the assumption that you’ll do good dentistry, so it’s difficult to blow their minds by doing a really bang-up job on their teeth.
However, they don’t expect you to remember details about their lives, achievements, or milestones. When you show them that they are more than patient #2243, acknowledging them as a person and a valuable part of your practice, they will be pleased and surprised that you went the extra mile.