Summary

Differentiating yourself in the marketplace has never been harder. Ever since the big players have showed up- the game has changed drastically. They have big budgets and can afford to work with big marketing agencies that give them insights to put ads right before your hard-earned patients.
This video will share with you what fortune 100 companies know that can help your practice with authentic branding. The first takeaway is to differentiate your practice from all of the competition out there. What sets your practice apart? The second takeaway is you have permission to pioneer!
What are some things in your practice you have dreamed about but have not yet gone forward with? This is the time to do it! The final takeaway is that you are your single greatest asset! Your story and your why must be infused into every aspect of your business including your practice signage, website and office décor. When all of this aligns it conveys your authentic brand and your patients can feel and sense this and will feel a part of your dental family.

Full Transcript Below

Hey, so I just want to thank you for being part of this authentic dentist summit. Really excited. If you’re watching this summit, it’s because you want to build a practice that matters. Now, when I’m talking about at practice that matters, I’m talking about profit and purpose, not just profit and not just purpose. Because if you have all the purpose in the world, you know why you’re in practice, but you’re not making profit and it is not going to sustain your purpose. So ultimately when I’m talking about building a practice that matters, it comes down to how do you differentiate yourself in the marketplace, which means how do you set yourself apart? Right now the problem is doing that has never been harder and there’s a couple of reasons why, but one of the reasons is that the rules of the game have changed. If you’re a young dentist, you don’t know any different, but if you’ve been in practice over 15 years, 15 to 20 years, you might remember how things were again, 1215 years ago, but now ever since the big players have showed up, the game has changed drastically.

Let me give you an example. What is it that big players bring with them? Well, big partners, big agencies, and they can afford these big agencies because they have big budgets, million dollar ad spend, budgets. Now it’s not just that they’re forming and paying for lots of ads. It’s what these partnerships give them access to, which is big data. Now, big data for those of you that might not be familiar with it by itself, big data isn’t really scary or even useful. It’s what you do with it. So these big partners are there. These agencies are able to have really meaningful analytics that gives them actionable insights. Now translation, what does all this have to do with you and how does it affect you? Well, it relates to big problems and that is because they’re able to serve up an ad at the right time.

A sophisticated ad that comes right before your patient. So if you’re struggling at all with thing in front of your patient, engaging your patient and keeping your patients coming back, well this is a big problem for you. But let me tell you, there is hope there. There is a remedy and there is an antidote and that is what I want to share with you in the session. The worst part of any of what I just shared when it comes to big agencies and what they have access to is if what has done to you and your practice, if what that has meant to you is that it has taken away the joy from your practice, then that is ultimately the biggest problem and that is what I take issue with. I have a problem with that because I believe you got into dentistry to really make a difference, make a difference in people’s lives and not just do that but to be able to enjoy your dentistry.

And if that’s not you right now, let’s let’s fix that. Okay. I was mentioning that there is hope and that’s because you can practice in a way where you can grow your practice and find fulfillment. And what I want to share with you is what fortune 100 companies understand that can help you. Now what is that? Well, they understand the power of a brand. Now when it comes to dentistry, the brand is very different when it comes to dentistry. We’re talking about authentic branding and that is exactly what this session is going to help you with. So the first concept I want to share with you is an interesting one and it is called the dilemma of differentiation. Now what is the dilemma of differentiation? Well, if you think about it, all the truly memorable and all the truly remarkable services brands and just businesses that you interact with or truly different, that’s what makes them great, right?

They’ve deviated from the norm. Now when it comes to being different, there’s always a massive risk involved. So really what you’re looking at is we’re looking at the proven path versus something that takes leadership, something that’s new, some new expression of things. And I really think following best practices is typically a good course of action. And I would say specifically when it comes to like methodologies, I think tried and true methods are always good. But the problem is if you’re going to the same trade shows that everyone else is going to, if you’re attending the same courses in the same classes, then what you’re going to be doing and expressing in your dentistry is the same as what everyone else is doing. Now, let’s back this up. This is ingrained in you from your classes. Even in dental school. I mean when it comes to clinical dentistry, there is a way of being great. There’s a way to do things that’s right and there’s a way to do things that’s wrong.

Well, you know what’s going to get you a good grade and then you know what’s the wrong way to do it? Well, when it comes to business, it’s less of a science and a lot more of an art. It’s really this great game and it comes down to how the dynamics of the market will respond to the value that you’re bringing in releasing into the marketplace. Well, if everybody’s releasing the same value, no one is really standing apart, only is being set apart. If everyone on their website is saying we do great dentistry and we care, then there’s nothing different that is being offered. Now the risk again with differentiation is that different may not be good. Right? But moving onto our second point and that is I actually want to give you the permission to pioneer. What does that mean? That means this year I want you to think about maybe expressions of your dentistry or expressions of your practice that you’ve thought about, you dreamed about, but you haven’t given yourself permission to pursue.

And that’s because they are different. Well, I would say this is the time to do it because dentistry is going to survive and I would bite dentistry. I mean if you’re a small group practice or if you’re a solo practice, then we need your unique expression of dentistry. And that actually leads to my last point. What is your single greatest asset that you actually possess right now? What is it? Is it a piece of technology that you have that you just purchased and you’re super excited about? Is it the location of your practice? Is it your degree and your specific clinical credentials that you have? I would say no. The single greatest asset that you have and that you must be leveraging today, not to just survive, but to thrive is the actual brand that is you. It is you. You are the single greatest asset.

It’s your story. It’s the narrative of your life. It’s your perspective. It’s what’s unique about you and getting that infused into every single aspect of your dentistry brand artifacts are how or they’re actually what consumers engage with when they engage in a brand. So colors sounds sense, visually, words, messages, themes. Uh, it kinda compiles the essence of a brand. Well, in that same exact way, I want to encourage you to focus on every single brand artifact, everything that your patient is interacting with, whether it’s your website, whether it’s your signage, when they’re pulling into the parking lot, whether it’s the interior design of the waiting room, all of that should be aligned. And speaking to that authentic brand that is you. Now, I know throwing a lot of different words on a lot of different concepts out here, but just to kind of distill it for a moment, let’s kind of take an example. Imagine if you are, you are just a really common Walmart shopper and that’s what you love to do. You love going to Walmart, well someday you get disoriented and you stumble into whole foods.

How are you going to feel aside from what I just said, being disoriented, you’re probably going to be confused because you’re used to seeing value, you’re used to seeing low prices, you’re used to seeing all these specials about the money you can save and whole foods is not about that. Whole foods is about quality. It’s about having unique locally sourced items. So in that same exact way, there’s a lot of companies and dentists possibly like your practice that are continuing to promote a message that actually attracts the wrong patients. So what you’re doing is you are actually a whole foods, but you’re attracting Walmart patients and the single greatest reason why a patient doesn’t stay with the practice is often the hardest thing for them to put into words. Sometimes they say it’s because they felt like there was just this general indifference that they felt towards the practice.

A lot of the times that general indifference comes because of a feeling that they have where without realizing it, what was being marketed to them, what was being branded to them isn’t consistent with what they’re experiencing in the practice and it just doesn’t feel right. A lot of times we’re not able to put our words and thoughts together to pinpoint what’s wrong about something or even what’s right. We just feel it and we sense it. So I would challenge you and encourage you in the upcoming year a, you give yourself that permission to pioneer because it’s all about differentiation and I just want to say, go for it. Whatever that dream is that’s on your heart, do it. Maybe you have a hobby and you absolutely love fishing. Well, I would say use as much maybe fishing analogy is when it comes to the way you advertise, maybe you want to attract patients that also care about fishing. Why? Because at the end of the day, people make decisions based off of relational reasons. We’re relational creatures and we, we crave connection and your patients are wanting a place, not just that does the great, excellent dentistry, but where they can connect a place that they feel like they’re part of the family. Anyway, I hope this serves you well and I’m really excited to see how you are going to pioneer something great in your practice this year.