Even if you think you make your money by putting on porcelain veneers or by performing knee surgeries, you actually do 4 things:
The profession on your business card
Marketing
More than one promising career has not developed well because of lack of marketing. Whatever you do, always think in this direction, otherwise your chances of success are slim.
Very often, when our colleagues think of how they can increase the numbers of patients/clients, they approach marketing agencies/PR professionals and ask them to tackle this task. Such activities are usually sporadic and we recognize them by the large number of billboards that advertise dental/medical services in creative (and not so creative) ways.
The problem is that the money invested does not lead to immediate and quick results. Consumer attitudes and behavior remain unknown, and the functional state of the business plays a significant role. Put simply, what would happen if within two weeks 100 people contact you for check-ups and treatment?
The magic of marketing is in the fact that relatively simple and not very expensive, yet creative actions, can have great returns.
Finally, the contribution of marketing is much more than continually attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.
Customer service (patients)
Understand their needs and work to meet them, unless you are the one that sets the trend and creates the demand. The most common question we hear is: “Why is it so expensive?”. The answer can take pages to explain but let me just mention an aspect of the implants we use. This is the most recognizable brand of implants – it is like the Rolls-Royce in the world of cars. They were created in the 1950s in Sweden and for more than 70 years, Nobel Biocker has provided only cutting-edge technologies in dental implantology. You think that knowledge and security are expensive? But would you try ignorance and security instead?
Working with people
The people in your team, partners, suppliers, etc. The interest you have in them, the skill to convince and motivate them to work with you, are key to any success.
Give up the desire to micromanage everything!
Yes, I know, micromanagement is a weakness that all of us that have started and grown their own businesses have. We think we are capable of doing everything in the best possible way and that if we are constantly involved in a certain project, this will have a positive effect on the end result. Try to remember why you hired people with certain expertise. Give them the autonomy to use it. Your knowledge of the general problem will help you put the right people in the right places. Then provide them with resources and support and trust them to complete their tasks. Delegate even more than you would be ok with. Managers with a talent for delegation and a willingness to use it, accomplish more than those who immerse themselves in day-to-day details. By empowering people to decide, you will worry and control things yourself much less!
