Glenn,

Since I have 11 months into laser use I am just beginning to add new potential uses which will fall to the bottom line. I want to say that I am following someones advise to strongly market the laser. This has been very positive and our new patient calls have possibly doubled our new patient exams. So we are developing income more indirectly. I have started charging for the tissue work which I was giving away. At the same time that service is more predicable and conficent in my hands so it is time to charge.

Your leadership and the other veterans posting have moved me light years ahead of where I would have been. Thanks.

Pat

Recently placed a small ad (4×5″) in weekly advertiser with a distribution of 11,000 (my practice is in a town of 2200). Everyday we get calls from new patients requesting to transfer to us or to just begin coming to the dentist. Tuesday I almost fell over when my receptionist said she had received calls from and scheduled 14 new patients just that day. Great problem to have !
Those of you who have had your lasers longer (August for me), how have the surrounding dentists reacted to the lasers and patient transfers?

Ron – how about an update. Have you continued advertising in the local paper, and have new patients kept up? We met last night with our local newspaper and will start placing ads after the new year starts. Any tips?

Thanks

Janet

Janet,

We discussed marketing at our staff meeting yesterday and concluded from our tracking that in our case we are receiving new patients from several directions including direct advertizing as Ron is doing, the phone book, word of mouth from satisfied patients, articles about our practice in the paper etc. We concluded that we are mostly trying to keep our name in the top two or three in peoples minds so when they are ready the may well think of us. This week a lady called who found us in the phone book. She had seen a piece some time ago on TV but could not recall our name until she looked in the phone book. So far with the newspaper ads I can easily say they pay for themselves in immediate response but we have not had Rons new patient numbers. Also we are not looking for new patients as such but people with certain demographic including the ability to pay for comprehensive care. I would be hapy with two or three of those a month.

Pat

Rod – doing great! Thanks again.

We are composing our first newspaper ads. We get to be in the monthly “health section”. The doctors who advertise in it get to take turns writing a “column” for the section. The sales rep was so excited about the laser (she cannot take local herself) that she is going to try to bump up my turn. Then I’ll be able to use the line “you may have seen Dr. Century’s article on lasers…..” in the direct mailings.

Do you have any recommendations on companies who do targeted mailing lists? Or do I need to find a local?

Merry Christmas!

Janet

Janet,

Try Direct List Technology in Anaheim, California. Ask for Catherine Lovell.

Ron,

The videos are done and ready to mail. The packets of info are done. The book is being printed right now, and I hope it will be delivered to me before New Years.

In the mean time, I’ll email you the entire manuscript. Hopefully you’ll receive your book VERY soon in the mail.

MERRY Christmas!! I love this season!

Rod

Pat,

Consider this — postage is usually the single most expensive cost of direct mail marketing. By mailing to FULL carrier routes, and especially if you have a CASS certificate, you get your lowest mailing rate — right around &#360.12 per.

Here’s what I do. I go to my list broker once every two years. We do the demographics while I’m there. We sit down at the computer and bring up a map of my area. My wife (who is my business manager) lays out the border of where we will ‘consider’ marketing to. In other words, she’s learned how far people will actually drive. So once we have established this border, then we bring up the demographics of the carrier routes.

We see the average family income of each carrier route. Then we establish a lower limit, and select all carrier routes that average this and above.

So now we have targeted our list, and we know we’ll get the lowest postage rate.

Then each time I mail, we have our list broker update things for us so that we don’t miss any new building areas.

Make sure you have your OWN bulk rate permit. It only costs &#36125 per year. If you use someone else’s bulk rate permit, it’s an open invitation to be scammed.

The sad fact is that many mailing houses will tell you, “Oh, don’t bother getting your own permit — we’re such nice guys, that we’ll let you use ours.” Big mistake!! Many, if not most, of them will really screw you.

For example, you end up paying them to fold, label, sort, bundle, and postage for 20,000 pieces. But what REALLY happens is that they throw 10,000 of your pieces in the trash. They fold, label, sort, bundle, and postage for only 10,000 pieces.

They either then don’t give you a post office postage receipt, or they give you a forged one, OR, they combine your mailing with someone elses, so it looks like you mailed 20,000 pieces, or they combine yours with several others, so you really can’t tell squat.

BUT, if you have your OWN permit, then YOU pay the post office directly, and it goes only on YOUR account for YOUR mailers. This way you KNOW they delivered 20,000 of YOUR mailers, and you don’t get screwed.

Rod