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January 2010 | Dental Products Report
web exclusive

Marketing, made easy

Your monthly tip from a practice building expert.

by Fred Joyal, CEO of 1-800-DENTIST

Fred Joyal is CEO of 1‑800-DENTIST and author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. He can be reached at goaskfred.com.

TIP #1: Make your front desk part of your marketing strategy.

Marketing begins as your front desk. The members of your reception staff are the voices new patients hear when calling your practice for the first time and the first and last faces they see when coming in for an appointment. Your front desk creates as big and as important an impression on your patients as you do.

Considering the key role they play, I highly recommend you include your front office staff in your goals for the practice by giving them the opportunity to receive marketing training. Everything from how quickly they answer the phone, to the manner in which they greet patients in the office, to their way of asking for payment tells your patients something about your office. On their own, these interactions may seem minor, but when viewed together as part of the overall experience, they add up quickly and powerfully. Marketing training can help your front desk better understand your patients, which of course allows your staff to serve them better.

There are several good options out there for front desk training. Jay Geier's Scheduling Institute and MercerTM both offer some excellent programs. We've also started Front Desk UniversityTM at 1-800-DENTIST, which we designed to help your front desk develop and strengthen loyalty in your new and existing patients. However, no matter where you get it, good front desk training is a sound investment. It's good for your team and your patients. And that's great for you.