I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: dental practice growth strategies are a process of trial and error. There are going to be plenty of setbacks, accomplishments, and everything in between. No matter what, you won’t be achieving success overnight. If you want to achieve your vision, you’ll need to start buckling down for the long haul and implementing effective dental practice management tips.
Growth is never linear, but there are measures you can take to ensure that you stay on an upward trajectory overall. You won’t ever avoid running into pitfalls but, by taking the right action and utilizing effective dental marketing techniques, you can set yourself up to overcome any obstacle that comes your way. That’s why, for this week’s blog post, I want to talk about four dental practice growth strategies you need to implement in order to put yourself on an upward spiral of consistently growing your practice.
1. Identify and pursue the right opportunities.
Identifying dental practice opportunities is crucial for growth. Growth will come from recognizing the right opportunities and chasing after them. And, once you start chasing them, more opportunities will open up. From there, you’ll have the ability to discern what opportunities are worth your time and money and which ones aren’t.
Identifying dental practice opportunities is kind of like sifting for gold. There are the big nuggets—effective dental marketing techniques, paying staff, overhead, etc.—that you’ll need to break down in order to get the gold. And—like panning for gold—success will take time, effort, expertise, and a keen eye. There will also be some nuggets that are as good as coal and aren’t worth your time and attention.
Too many practice owners do what I call the “shotgun” approach where they have too wide of an aim. When they fall short, they get frustrated and blame everything but themselves. Oftentimes, the issue is that they’ve set the wrong goals and haven’t implemented proper dental practice management tips.
The wrong goals have scopes that are way too large, general, and simply unattainable. You can’t just throw elbow grease at your practice, set a bunch of loose objectives, and expect things to turn out okay. You need to think critically and prepare properly by narrowing your focus and setting “SMART” goals. This is a commonly-used acronym, but it speaks the truth. For those of you who don’t know it, SMART stands for “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.”
Setting your goals using the SMART framework will be the first step to setting the right goals and creating effective dental practice growth strategies. You’ll provide yourself with a much more “auspicious” outlook if you get proactive about pursuing those goals, too—you just can’t take a passive approach.
2. Build the right mindset.
Again, growth is never linear. When owning a dental practice, you’re going to have problems that’ll appear in the form of patient acquisition, case acceptance, and so on. Your morale can tank quite a bit, but you need to be in it for the long game. Every dental practice owner is going to run into bumps in the road. That’s what comes with entrepreneurial life. However, if you can’t handle that, and you don’t have the right mentality, even the best dental practice management tips won’t save you.
Dentistry is a profession that requires many skills. While some of us may wield some spectacular skills in the clinical setting, some of those skills—such as leadership and implementing effective dental marketing techniques—are not always in the natural wheelhouse of an individual. This can lead to challenges and obstacles that may seem insurmountable. The most important thing to do is to take a step back, evaluate what’s going on, and figure out what you can do to get back on track.
It’s important to stay focused on your goals and hone in on the reason you started your own business in the first place. Or, as I like to call it, remembering your “why.” If you don’t have a clear vision and a reason for pursuing that vision, you’re bound to start going in the wrong direction—and that’s a recipe for disaster, no matter how many dental practice growth strategies you implement.
3. Staff the right team.
A dental practice is not a one-man show. It takes a lot of effort, coordination and teamwork to make it work. Like it or not, the backbone of the business is your staff. Building a successful dental team is essential for your practice’s growth.
It’s important to hire people who are talented and have the right skill set for the position they are applying for. But it’s also important to hire people who are good team players. The last thing you want is having a weak link in your group that can make it harder for everyone else to do their job well. That, or somebody toxic who puts others down and creates an environment no one on the team looks forward to coming into.
Building a successful dental team requires careful consideration and ongoing management. Implementing effective dental practice management tips can help you create a harmonious and productive work environment. Your team will be crucial in identifying dental practice opportunities and executing your dental practice growth strategies.
4. Fund the right marketing efforts.
We can be the best dentists in the world, but it’ll mean nothing if we can’t get patients to sit in our chairs—your patients won’t know what you can do for them if you don’t tell them. And that’s why marketing is so important; it increases awareness of your practice and showcases the value you’re offering.
The truth is, you just can’t cross your fingers and hope for patients to stroll through your doors. But it can be challenging to find the time to market your business and make sure that you are reaching the right people. We weren’t taught much about effective dental marketing techniques in dental school, after all.
That said, there are so many effective dental marketing techniques you can employ. You could put a billboard around town. You could sponsor a local event, like a 5K, or endorse your local highschool sports team. You could turn to direct mailing strategies. Personally, I believe one of the best effective dental marketing techniques for a dental practice to get new patients is by having a strong online presence. That may mean having reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers on your website. Maybe it means doing fun, educational Facebook live videos once a week. It’s up to you to get creative and find the dental practice growth strategies that work best for you!
No matter what, you can’t market without a budget. It’s going to cost you money, there’s no doubt about it. You don’t want marketing to be an expense that isn’t worthwhile, meaning your marketing efforts should bring in enough new patients to give you a return on your investment. If you’re pouring money into ineffective marketing efforts, then it’s time to make a pivot and explore new dental practice growth strategies and effective dental marketing techniques.
It won’t always feel like you’re doing things “right.”
When you own your own business, there will always be obstacles and difficulties that you will need to overcome. It is important to stay humble and persevere through these challenges because the end result is worth it in the end. Continuously identifying dental practice opportunities and refining your dental practice management tips will help you navigate these challenges.
I run a community full of dental professionals just like you. So, join the Nifty Thrifty Dentists Facebook group and reach out! People from all across the globe will be happy to share their dental practice management tips, effective dental marketing techniques, and strategies for building a successful dental team. They can also provide insights on identifying dental practice opportunities and implementing successful dental practice growth strategies.