1. The Dental Practice: Business Foundations
Marketing Dental Services
Dr. Dave Willis
Dental Simulations

2. Marketing Definition
Marketing is a managerial process which focuses a practice's activities on the benefits sought by a target group of clients, thereby satisfying their needs and desires more effectively.

3. Benefits of Dentistry Relief of pain Gain a pretty smile
Prevent inconvenience & pain
Improve function
Maintain health

4. Marketing Definition
Generating and retaining patients in the practice (at a profit).

5. Patient Generation Patient Referrals Professional Office Hours
Credit Policy
Insurance Plan Participation
Advertising
Fee Charged
Services Offered

6. Why Dentists Market Gain Patients Increased Competition
Third Party Contracts
Consumerism
Changing Technologies

7. Ethics of Professional Advertising
Information presentation
Not false or misleading (no “puffery”)
Specialty announcements
What is customary for the area
What is legal in the state (Dental Practice Act)
“Tasteful” vs “Unprofessional”

8. Types of Dental Marketing
Internal
External
Existing patients
Current patients of record
Traditional “Professional”
Existing office resources
Less costly
New patients
Target group
Non “traditional” methods
External resources
Media
More costly

9. Internal Marketing Branding Performance Facility Communication
Verbal
Nonverbal
Written
Recall / Recare / Periodic maintenance
Health information

10. External Marketing Public relations Professional relations Signage
Insurance plan participation
Web sites
Mailings
Yellow pages
Media

11. Tracking Effectiveness
Ask patient how they found your office
Track amount of dentistry (# of patients) by source
Compare cost to generate a patient to the amount of work done

12. Financial Implications of Marketing
Marketing is a necessary business function
The value of a new patient
Repetition

13. The Dental Practice: Business Foundations
Marketing Dental Services
Dr. Dave Willis
Dental Simulations