Bloom Where You're Planted
Managing the stages in the life of your practice

Connie Hazel is president of Hycomb Communications,a marketing and communications firm. For over 20 years, Hycomb has been dedicated exclusively to enhancing the visibility and profitability of dentists. For more information, call 800-523-6961, e-mail info@hycomb.com, or visit their Web site at www.hycomb.com.

Years ago, when I was searching for what I wanted to do with my life, I saw a sign that read “bloom where you’re planted.” Suddenly, the path was clear. I told myself, “stop looking for the impossible. Instead, take advantage of who you are and what you have, right now.” Although this analogy may be a stretch, it can be applied to the dental practices that I advise. It’s important for every dentist to know where his or her practice is currently “planted” so we can help them take advantage of their present situation—and “bloom.”

While every practice is unique, I’ve found four fairly inclusive groupings to describe the various phases dental offices often experience. I call them:

• Coasting—an established practice that is doing well as a result of good visibility and a steady new patient flow.
• In-transition—a practice that is anticipating change in the near future, such as expanding, moving to new offices, hiring associates, or a key partner about to retire as others seek to retain old patients and fill the gap.
• Stressed—flattening of patient flow for whatever reason (such as the town’s major business is leaving and taking patients along with it). Stress can also result from the sudden appearance of heavy advertising from a competitor.
• Start-up—a dental office that must hit the ground running because they have no patients. Start-ups have a difficult challenge because they need the greatest investment of marketing dollars at a time when they often have the least.

If your practice is experiencing difficulties—a downturn in the income stream, for example—now is the time to review your current position and determine the marketing strategies that make sense for your office at this time.

For example, Start-up practices need people to walk through the door—right now! Almost all of a Start-up’s investment should be targeted to external marketing in order to accomplish three goals: motivate strangers to visit this new practice, make another appointment, and then refer their friends. The Start-up marketing budget should be “balanced” at about 85% external and 15% internal marketing diversification.

In contrast, an In-transition or Stressed practice will probably have a budget between 5% and 7% of gross collections, and balanced more toward 50% internal and 50% external marketing strategies and tools.

Where’s Your Practice Today?
Before spending a dime on practice marketing, take a hard look at where you are today—and where you’re likely to be tomorrow. Remember that the stage you’re currently in can change. This year you may be Stressed, next year Coasting.

I’m always reluctant to give hard-and-fast rules on marketing needs for any stage of practice; situations vary so widely. However, typically, Start-up practices require visibility (direct mail, advertising), demographics, and psychographics to understand the nature of potential patients in the practice’s area of influence. In-transition practices need a way of reaching and motivating a group of identifiable patients (former patients of a retiring dentist, say, or all the current patients if the office is moving).

Still, regardless of stage, every dental practice needs one key ingredient: a marketing plan—and the willingness to stick with it.