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The Art & Science of Generating New Patients ... Part 3 of 4 (Parts 1 & 2 appeared in May and July DE, respectively)
Your practice is a direct reflection of who you are, what you believe in, and what you can do for others. The way the public perceives your practice is your practice "brand." You create a practice brand, consciously or haphazardly, with everything you do.
You may have heard that a "brand is an implied promise," but successful branding is actually a strategically created expectation in the mind of the target audience. Your patients chose you for some reason - they expected something. And what they expected was a feeling.
How patients choose you
Some patients chose you because they live near your office, but they expected to feel that your location would be a convenient fit in their busy lives. Someone else may have chosen you because you go to his or her church and expected to feel that you are principle-centered. Another may have "heard you are gentle" and expected to feel comfort while being treated. And yet others may have chosen you because you are in their insurance network, and they expect to feel financially secure if they ever need dental work.
But how many people have chosen you for the quality of your work, the level of your expertise, or the value of the relationship you consciously create with each person? In other words, how many chose you because they expected to feel that they are in the hands of a masterful practitioner who truly cares about what is in their best interest?
If you intend to develop a fine relationship-based esthetic restorative practice and have those whom you...