Marketing Lessons from 115 Dentist Appointments
Dental insurance usually covers two cleanings a year. I was that person that paid out of pocket for two extra cleanings per year because I wanted to maintain my teeth as best I could. How I ended up here, I don’t know, but I’m learning.
In 2016, I started to experience some pain while chewing on my left lower side. I went to the dentist and had it evaluated and over the next six months I experienced multiple issues all on the left side of my mouth. I seemed to be at the dentist every week.
Because it was such a big part of my life during those six months, I looked back at my calendar and realized I had had quite a number of dentist appointments in a short amount of time with no end in sight. So, I started counting. I’ve lost count of how many actually dentists I’ve seen but I do know I’m at 115 appointments in six years.
Lesson #1: Take advantage of newer technology
Lesson #2: Listen to the experts
Lesson #3: Protect your assets
Lesson #1: Take advantage of newer technology
No one wants to spend more time at the dentist than they have to, so make your dental visits as efficient and high-quality as possible. Sometimes, a new crown procedure would take up to five visits — not very efficient. But because my new dentist has invested in technology and provides a “make it while you wait” service, when I have a crown appointment, it’s literally that — one appointment. This is incredibly efficient and provides for a more accurate fit, reducing the possibly of having to come back for yet more visits.
When marketing your product or services, you don’t want to use technology for the sake of using technology. But we all know how many items are on our to-do lists and anything that can help you become more efficient, the better. Examples are social media publishing tools (schedule your posts and go about your business), Gmail add-ons (lead generation management capabilities to reduce time managing and shuffling emails), and a calendar tool (reduce back and forth trying to find the right time to meet with someone). Many of these tools are free and helpful for any small or medium business. These tools are not necessarily new but are almost mandatory, with new tools becoming available every day.
Lesson #2: Listen to the experts
When I first started having dental issues back in 2016, a few dentists told me that I was clenching or grinding my teeth. I refused to believe that! Not me! Not putting faith in my healthcare provider was out of character for me because I always follow their guidance. In this case, however, I chose not to wear a mouthguard. I regret not following the dentists’ instructions still to this day.
If you’re looking to scale your business and you have limited amount of marketing expertise or time on your hands, it makes good business sense to choose someone you trust, someone who you will not hesitate to listen to when they recommend, guide, or lead you in your efforts. Trust them to help you, the consultants I know have their clients’ best interests at heart.
For example, you might think you need Facebook advertising but only want to spend $200 a month. The marketing expert does the research and reveals that for your business it will take $1500 a month to get the results you’re looking for. You ask to move forward anyway with just $200 a month. Results are poor, time and money wasted, and trust erodes. Follow the advice of the expert — Facebook will be there when you have a bigger budget or when you have lower expectations on what you want to achieve.
Lesson #3: Protect your assets
Six years of dental work is a costly venture, not just financially but in time spent at appointments and time lost working on your business. The maintenance you perform in between visits reduces issues in the future. Protecting your pearly whites means constant maintenance and regular checkups.
Wear.The.Damn.Mouthguard.
As a business, you have multiple assets. They could be internal or customer-facing. All that content you’ve created is an asset. You may have proprietary data, products, or services. To protect this intellectual property you should nurture it, grow it, maintain it. Your website is one of your biggest assets. Do regular checkups on your assets to ensure they are up to date, and then refine, reuse. Train your teams to protect and maintain these assets so they can continue to work for you. Take advantage of what you’ve built, saving time and money.
Summary
This is all I’ve got. Next week, I will have my 116th appointment. I’m practicing patience and acceptance at this time.
Do you have any dental horror stories or marketing lessons to share? Drop me a line here.
