WHAT ‘UNIQUENESS” ARE PATIENTS LOOKING FOR TODAY?
What would make YOU stand out and be sought out?
WHAT ‘UNIQUENESS” ARE PATIENTS LOOKING FOR TODAY?
What would make YOU stand out and be sought out?
I attended the Miami Dental Expo last week and I want to report to you on what the “hottest” dental niche areas appeared to be. I’m sure you understand that now, more than ever, you need to stand out and be able to offer not only EXCELLENCE, but also DIFFERENCE. In this sluggish economy, where there is a perception of “financial doom”, (I personally don’t believe in that.), dental consumers have a tight hold on their wallets and reports of dental service acceptance show a concerning drop.
What are YOU doing now to offer a unique service? Your First Class Service and Patient Engagement are expected as basic “givens”. But what is your clinical niche? Are YOU the dental practice they must go to? Are you the only practice around that offers “invisible” braces, or mini-implant dentures or Nutritional Analysis ? And if so, are you promoting your unique brand to its full capacity? Are you the “Holistic Dentist”, the “Snooze Dentist”, the “Soft Tissue Management Dentist”?
The attendees at the Miami meeting seemed to be most interested in the following:
- Holistic Dentistry It’s a lot more than elimination of amalgam-mercury fillings..
- Storing Teeth for future Stem Cell Usage
- Patient Engagement and Marketing.
- Sleep Apnea solutions Many people believe they have the problem
WHY?
In discussions at the booths and while walking around I found the answer to be “supply meeting demand”. The doctors felt that their patients were most interested in these areas and were either asking about them or responded very positively when surveyed by team members. The doctors wanted to learn more because of their patients’ interest.
EVOLUTION OF DENTAL DEMAND
Remember how it was about 15 years ago when teeth whitening (aka “bleaching”) was the “new kid on the block”? If you had an “in-office” Bright Smile or Zoom machine, you could schedule an operatory all day long with patients from near and far. And then we had the “porcelain age of dentistry”, when the media made patients very image-conscious for “smile enhancements” at any cost, and the public was more confident in the future of the economy . Teeth whitening is now offered in nearly every practice, and in most as a discounted loss leader. Cosmetic crowns and veneers are now a lower patient priority.
SO, WHERE ARE WE NOW?
If you have a unique brand, promote it, let it make you famous! If you need one, follow the trend setters and pick up on the areas that were popular at the meeting…. or better yet- crate a new niche by finding some unfulfilled patient need, and supplying it.
Benjamin Franklin
THINK DIFFERENT