So, I have to tell you a story…
This week, a friend of mine (a non-dental professional business acquaintance), who appreciates health and keeps his teeth clean, had one of my amazing world class dentists gave him a brilliant smile he deserved.
The point is, he told me about a screwy marketing gimmick stunt that some other dentist tried to play on them this week. Not any of my dentists of course, they are far too smart for cookie-cutter bs and turning over the reigns of their livelihood to some know-nothing do-the-same-for-everybody-else scammer.
So, he sent me the message received; it said something like…
“Thank you for your recent visit. We appreciate your feedback. If you would please fill out this survey.”
Now here’s the thing: he hasn’t been to this particular dentist for YEARS, I’d say at least 3 or 4. As I stated, this is not the dentist who did his smile makeover.
Okay, before I give you the lesson in all of this, here is what the office never did…
1. Never sent any letter or postcard
2. Never called and said we miss you
3. Never tried to reschedule a hygiene visit
4. Never cared enough to even acknowledge that he left them
5. Never did anything to build a relationship
All they took the effort to do was send out some stupid automated text message spam blast to every one of their patients asking for a survey.
Oh, I told him to send feedback alright; but that whatever he did, do not mention my name or offer any of my books about being a responsible business-owning-dentist because I just don’t have energy for lazy people who don’t take patient relationships seriously.
Yes, I’m being harsh because he and you ought to know better. But, the real important point here is this…
The doctor in question probably has no idea this message even went out. He probably has no idea that he just ruined his reputation and made himself look like a fool by taking years (probably decades), of patient phone numbers and spam blasted them with a survey text as if the patient is still active and was in last week.
I’m telling you, he has no clue. Why? Because he is using some doc-in-a-box marketing solution software that does nothing to make it genuine and sincere in their approach to his patient base.
For that matter, my friend could have gone and got his teeth cleaned at 10 different offices over the past 5 years all who use the same system; and he would have got 10 messages of identical wording.
Simply because the company sending this stuff out is making money off of every text message blast like this. Not only is this practice losing credibility with their patients – they are paying to do so. It would have be better to just do nothing, than do this.
Sure, reminders about appointments, confirmations and messages that are done right, timely, in sequence with real events all have their place; but what they do not do is replace all human logic and effort.
If humans are still required to perform the dentistry and if patients are still humans, then the engagement of real genuine relationships and your overriding reputation can’t be outsourced to some computer technology software by a big dumb company.
And the irony of this big faux pas: if the practice would have treated my friend like an A Patient, given him the attention he deserved and built a real long-lasting relationship – then that practice could have had the opportunity of providing the life-changing smile.
Patients want to be loyal, you just have to give them a reason to be. Why wouldn’t my friend look elsewhere for the biggest dentistry of his life? Look how this practice treated him for the past 5 years; literally like any other person whose phone number they had in their database.
Of course, I am not here to complain and bring you problems, absolutely not. I am always here bringing solutions and prosperous opportunities for you to differentiate yourself and to honor your efforts (and your patients) through real, tangible business growth strategies.
In case you missed it, I conducted an entire intense training around these exact challenges plaguing practices today. I’m allowing my readers of this Weekly Report to have access to the live webinar training. So you can get the truth about what drives patient relationships and honors the practice reputation that sets you apart. Now, you don’t have to be dependent on these scammer companies corrupting and undermining the real value of your patient base.
Check this out and get to work. Its rapid fire and full of incredible value with some special guests that give you really top secret information about how to master the digital arena and drive consistent new patient growth without selling out and being just like everybody else…
