Let’s face it: Unless your practice is in the most remote area of your community, you are competing against other dentists for patients. Without at least one benefit that is unique to your practice, patients are more likely to choose the practice that has the best prices or is closest to their home or office. If you take pride in offering the best quality dentistry available, that pretty much takes discount dentistry off the table — which is completely understandable. But if you can’t appeal to patients with PRICES SO LOW, THEY’RE INSANE, how can you appeal to them?
Convenience Is Key
The only people who aren’t overwhelmed by balancing work, family, and self-care are most likely under the age of seven. For the rest of us, convenience is the key to simplifying our hectic lives. That’s exactly why companies like Amazon are so appealing. In many cases, their prices are matched by other retailers, but it’s the convenience factor that keeps us returning. Where else can you get guaranteed delivery every day of the week? You may not have the power of Amazon behind you, but you can still use convenience to appeal to your community. Here are just a few ideas to explore:
- Offer flexible weekday hours. We’re not suggesting that you run a 24/7 operation, but you can adjust your hours so they appeal to those who struggle to get time off from work or school. Perhaps one day a week you can open an hour or so earlier (and maybe knock off early, as well), and another you can extend your hours to accommodate those who have to work until 5:00 or 6:00.
- If altering your weekdays isn’t your thing, consider offering weekend hours to distinguish your practice from others. Even if you only open one Saturday a month for three or four hours, patients will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
- Make lunch appointments more doable with snacks. Getting away from the office can be a challenge, particularly if it means giving up lunch. If you know a patient is missing lunch in order to make their appointment, consider offering snacks like cheese sticks and fresh fruit so they can fill their stomachs on the way back to work.
Take It One Step At a Time
Convenience is important to you, too, so there is no need to feel compelled to incorporate all of these ideas at once. Start with what is easiest for you and your team members to implement. Whatever convenience factor you decide to implement, you’ll need to make it known in order to appeal to the masses. Make sure to update your website and Facebook pages to reflect these changes. To ensure that your current patients keep coming back, use email to make them aware, as well. Convenience is the best way to emphasize what your practice has to offer without having to sacrifice quality of service.
