Business coaching
Avoid the recession and prosper
Ashley Latter, the author of ‘How to Communicate Effectively & Create the Perfect Patient Journey in your Dental Practice’, offers some suggestions from his recent Scottish Dental Show presentations on how to buck the trend and prosper in the recession
D
on’t take part in the recession, you have my permis- sion. I can still hear the words now in
my ears, as my sales manager gave me some sound advice on a one-to-one appraisal, and this was 20 years ago. At the time I was a consultant
for the Dale Carnegie Training organisation in Manchester. I had just had another poor month figures-wise and I was blaming everyone but myself for my poor performance. The number one excuse was the recession. My manager soon put me straight. As he quoted the other consultants’ figures – they were all very good – he told me don’t take part in the recession. This is still one of the best pieces of coaching I have ever received. Twenty years later, we are
living in another prolonged recession, with no end in sight. The economic destruction of the last few years is still contin- uing and it is making business life treacherous. Whether you like it or not, 20ı2 will be survival of the fittest. From the crossroads, there are two choices. Path one, stay as we are and hope for the best (hope and prayer have never been great business strategies). Or path two, which is the path where you embrace up-to-date marketing and sales strategies
– this is the path that secures your future and a business that will thrive. There is no middle path
anymore. Here is a reminder of some of the strategies I shared with my delegates at the recent Scottish Dental Show.
Receptionists ARE the most important people in your practice The receptionist is the most important person in your prac- tice. They can make or break whether a patient visits your practice or not. Every enquiry into your practice is poten- tially worth £3,000 at least, if they stay with you for say ı0 years. That does not include referrals of family, friends, or having any treatment done. Another thing to think about is that if a patient is contacting you about your services, they are probably ready to make a purchase. Does your reception team
answer the telephone as if the patient is worth £3,000? I recently did eight mystery shop telephone calls to practices enquiring about their services and prices. Not once did the receptionist ask me to make an appointment. Train them; they are the most
important people in your prac- tice. They can make or break how successful, or unsuc- cessful your practice will be.
Marketing – how many legs has your business got? To fill my programmes I under- take over ı4 different types of marketing. These include: • sending two newsletters out each month
• writing articles • speaking at conferences • asking for referrals • following up with clients after my courses and more. How many marketing activi-
ties are you undertaking in your practice? A chair has four legs. If one breaks, the chair can potentially fall down. That is the same for your business/practice, so you need to be undertaking at least six different marketing strategies to ensure that you maintain patient numbers and also grow them at the same time. Marketing is full time - to be done all the time, not just when you are quiet.
Understand that selling is not pushing products and services to patients – it is all about asking questions Sales legend Zig Ziglar once said: “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” You know what, it is true! To me, sales is all about
giving your patients what they want and need and in doing so, it will give you the income you want, need and deserve.
Ask lots of questions, listen
attentively to their answers and watch what they do. Never talk to your patients
about what you do and can offer, ask questions, be quiet and they will then tell you what they want. Yes, want, because that is what patients spend money on, things that they want. There are probably thousands of pounds worth of opportunities in your existing database if you ask them lots of questions. The biggest mistake dentists
and sales people make is that they try and sell the services before they truly find out what the patient (customer) requires. It is the biggest sin and, when you do this, patients think they are being sold to. So, my advice is to get into
the habit of asking lots of questions and become an outstanding listener. When you do this, then you become a world-class solution provider and not a salesman. No one likes to be sold to!
Pick up the telephone Seventeen years ago I rang two dentists six weeks after they had taken one my courses, to see how they were progressing and if they needed any help. Since then I have delivered my two-day ‘Ethical Sales &
Scottish Dental magazine 33 Continued »
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