GAP Australasian-Dentist-May June 2019

Category AustrAlAsiAn Dentist 107 Dr Toni Surace the Managing Director of Momentum Management and Co-Director of The Practice Entrepreneur Network (PeN). Momentum is the premier dental practice management consultancy and training firm, Momentum has been empowering dentists in Australia and New Zealand to reach their professional, personal and financial goals for over 16 years. On average, Momentum clients increase production by 30-40% and achieve a 579% return on investment from the Momentum Practice Management Program. If you would like to learn more about Momentum Management programs or about PeN, call 1300 519 000, and request a free 1-hour consultation with an experienced coach. the short answer is that both word- of-mouth and digital marketing are important. in an age in which we’re constantly bombarded with clever digital marketing, we often revert to interpersonal trust to help us make decisions. in other words, it’s still true that we’re more inclined to believe the recommendations of a trusted friend over glossy digital marketing. sometimes we use those recommendations to help us sort out the confusion caused by digital overload. For that reason, we still recommend asking your good patients to refer others. Most of the time, people who respect you and who desire high-quality dentistry will have family and friends who are also likely to respect you and desire high-quality dentistry. so have a system for asking for the referral and make sure that everyone in the team is involved. to find out more about how to do this, you can give us a call! Before implementing that, though, you need to ensure that your practice is giving sufficiently high-quality customer service. People aren’t going to refer to you if they’ve been a bit underwhelmed by the service they receive. And remember that patients can’t judge the quality of the dentistry; they can only judge the quality of their experience with you. Has your team been trained in excellent customer service, from the first phone call through to the choreography of each visit, through Best praCtI es q&a to rebooking and follow-up? in addition, as we’re talking about marketing, know your patient base. Who is your ideal patient, and what do they want from you? What sort of customer service is going to appeal to them? Consider, too, what types of digital marketing are going to appeal to them. When are they on Facebook, for example (e.g. scrolling through while waiting for the bus, or while watching television in the evening once the kids are in bed)? it’s possible that your tech-savvy Gen Y team is very familiar with Facebook as a platform, but if they’re not representative of your ideal patient, they don’t necessarily know how to market to them. i understand that there’s a lot to know. it’s useful to be able to straddle both “old-fashioned” customer service and generating referrals, and well-pitched digital marketing. if you want help with this, give us a call. u For further information on Momentum Management, visit www. momentummanagement.com.au or call 1300 510 000 for details on short courses, Momentum’s Management Program, coaching package, in-practice visits, or other ways in which Momentum can assist you. For further interest in PeN go to our website, www.thepennetwork.com If you would like advice on a situation impacting your practice or would like to make a comment about issues affecting the dental industry, you can direct them to Dr Toni Surace at toni@momentummanagement.com.au Please title your email subject as “Best Practices Q&A”.