The Right Dental Office Location: A Ten Step Process

> By George Vaill

Thankfully, finding a dental office location and negotiating for it is something you’ll rarely have to do. I say “thankfully”, because the process is one with which you probably have little familiarity and it can be fraught with difficulties and rude surprises.

At the very least, it’s very time consuming and generally takes you through lots of unfamiliar territory. So, when you’re faced with these challenges, having a well-thought out plan and following it deliberately will result in a substantial savings in time and money and a significant reduction in the hassles and stress normally associated with the dental office location choosing process.

The Ten Step Process

A good location search and negotiation plan is one that combines (i) thoughtful establishment of the location, site, space and lease terms criteria; with, (ii) coordinated search, evaluation and negotiation procedures and techniques. None of these elements, however, should be developed without input from various professionals who have experience in the required disciplines. Your office location plan can be summarized in the following 10 sequential steps.

Planning Stage

STEP ONE: Select professional team members. Among others, these should include equipment, finance, dental practice management consultants, design, real estate, construction, legal and accounting experts. With early input from these professionals, you are better prepared to proceed through the remaining steps. Find out at the very start when they think the best time is to bring them in.

Let professionals be your guide.

STEP TWO: Establish goals. Develop your lifestyle plan and your corresponding workstyle plan. Establish short and long term goals for your dentistry practice in general and, specifically, for the location search, evaluation and negotiation process.

Meld your personal and professional goals.

STEP THREE: Define your criteria. Where do you want to locate - geographically? What type of setting - strip mall? high rise? professional building? free standing? How large a space? Do you require any special amenities? How much parking will you require?

This is your future. Think through it carefully.

STEP FOUR: Conduct the search. Employ brokers, drive the area, search the internet, scan the newspapers, check online listings, and ask family, friends and your equipment/sales reps to keep an eye out.

Focus on and be truly faithful to your criteria.

What type of dental patients do you want to serve?

STEP FIVE: Evaluate the opportunity. Is it where you want to be? Is it the right size? Is it in the type of setting that will best project the public image you desire? Does it have sufficient parking and signage? Is it available in your time frame?

Leave your rose-colored glasses at home.

STEP SIX: Inspect the space: Do the dimensions work? Is the space handicap accessible? Are the utilities of sufficient capacity? Can you run the plumbing as needed?

Check every detail carefully.

STEP SEVEN: Gather the lease information: How long a lease term is the landlord seeking? Are there renewal options? What is the starting rent? When does it increase? What’s included and what’s not? What’s the delivery condition? How much will the landlord contribute toward your leasehold improvements?

Get it all in writing.

STEP EIGHT: Negotiate the lease: Your professional lease negotiator will negotiate the economic terms before the landlord drafts a lease document. Once the economic terms are agreed upon and inserted in the landlord’s form lease, your lease attorney will negotiate the dozens of legal concepts that define the landlord/tenant relationship.

The key is to employ an expert negotiator.

STEP NINE: Design the layout: Secure the services of a professional dental office designer. Only someone with this specific experience will know all of the ins and outs of dental office design. That knowledge will make a whole world of difference between a facility that serves you well over the course of your occupancy and one that is a constant source of aggravation for you and your staff.

Design in the present. Plan for the future.

STEP TEN: Construct your facility: Secure the services of a professional dental office contractor. Only someone with this specific experience will know all of the ins and outs of dental office construction. That knowledge will make a whole world of difference between a facility that serves you well over the course of your occupancy and one that is a constant source of aggravation for you and your dentistry staff.

Build it right the first time.

The foregoing is not meant to address every single phase of the process. However, it does provide a basic outline for you to follow. As your dental office lease is one of the largest and most important contracts you will ever sign in your life, it’s critical that you employ every measure at your disposal to reduce the possibility of making choices that do not serve your long-term goals. Plan thoroughly, leave your rose-colored glasses at home when evaluating a location opportunity and, most importantly, recognize your limitations.

© George Vaill 2001 - 34 Edward Drive, Winchester, MA 01890

george@georgevaill.com - 800-340-2701

George D. Vaill is president of George Vaill Dental Office Lease Negotiations. He specializes in negotiating the economic elements of office leases for dentists throughout the United States. Additionally, George reviews, and in many cases renegotiates, leases as part of dental practice transitions. George can be reached at 800-340-2701 and can be found at www.georgevaill.com.

To improve your practice in many ways, visit NicheDentalCollaborate.com

The Tax Act Can Pay You Back... for your New Dental Office?

Rick Epple of Epple Financial Advisors explains how dentists the tax act can pay you back...

Tax Act Encourages Business Purchases in 2009

• Rick Epple, CFP*


• This article was originally published in Northwest Dentistry.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law on February 17, 2009. The new law includes significant incentives to encourage equipment purchasing this year. You may be asking yourself, is there any benefit to me? The short answer is “perhaps”. With some quick planning and implementation, you could realize a sizeable benefit.

The Act creates an opportunity for dental practice owners to greatly accelerate cost recovery of qualifying equipment put into service in calendar year 2009. By taking advantage of the provisions, dentists can reduce taxes considerably.

The ARRA extends for one year the small business expensing levels in Section 179, which are very generous. In 2009, a dental practice can expense up to $250,000 as long as its qualified equipment purchases do not exceed $800,000, the amount that can be expensed decreases by one dollar, so that a practice that makes $1,050,000 in total purchases will not be able to expense anything (but could still claim the depreciation bonus).

The ARRA also extended for one year (i.e., through the end of 2009) the 50 percent bonus depreciation first created in February 2008. Dental practices that buy equipment in 2009 will be able to depreciate an additional 50 percent of the costs of assets placed in service this year. Only new equipment is eligible, but “new” has a liberal interpretation.

Key Points and Comments

• Equipment and qualified property must be purchased and place in service in 2009. There is not much time to complete these types of projects without starting today.
  As happened in 2008, these provisions may be extended another year into 2010. Dentists should not plan on this, but keeping an eye on this provision could help to hit the ground running next year.


• While the Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes investing in a dental practice attractive, it does not mean the road should be considered wide open. A well thought out analysis and plan of upgrading equipment and the office should be completed to insure the desired Return on Investment (ROI) is achieved.


• Only equipment and property subject to a less than 20-year depreciation schedule qualifies for the bonus depreciation.


• By increasing a dental practice’s tax deductions in 2009, the asset expense election and bonus depreciation help trim tax bills in the short term. However, because there will be less to depreciate in the future, the practice’s tax bill in later years may be higher.


• Dentists need to work with their tax advisors proactively to determine qualifying equipment and property. This includes an analysis of taking the deductions again 2009 income versus waiting.

Section 179 Expensing Summary

• The 2009 ARRA extended for one year the increased Sec.179 expensing limit of $250,000 and phase-out cap to $800,000


• Expensing is phased out for each dollar that purchases exceed $800,000


• Companies with total purchases of $1,050,000 cannot use Sec 179


• Can be combined with depreciation bonus


• New and used equipment are eligible for expensing


• Applies to tax years that start in 2009


• Sec. 179 expensing levels will drop at end of 2009 unless extended

Bonus Depreciation Summary

• The 2009 ARRA allows additional first-year 50 percent depreciation of the purchase cost by extending for one year the bonus depreciation created by the 2008 Economic Stimulus Act.


• Bonus depreciation helps businesses that buy qualified property this year cut their 2009 taxes. Will expire at the end of 2009 unless extended.


• Applies to purchases of tangible personal property with a MACRS recovery period of 20 years or fewer.


• Equipment must be new. However, the definition appears to be liberally interpreted:

1. New qualified leaseholder improvements such as office remodeling projects to the interior may qualify.


2. Personal property converted to the business may qualify. An example of a property that might qualify would be a car.


3. Used rebuilt equipment or reconditioned costs may qualify.

• Equipment must be purchased and placed in service in 2009.


• Allowed for both regular and alternative minimum tax purposes.


• Taxpayers need not claim the depreciation bonus, but do have to elect not to.

How It Can Work

The ABC dental practice purchases and places in service equipment (five-year property) and office furniture in its calendar 2009 tax year having a cost of $800,000, which will be subject to the half-year convention. ABC will elect to expense $250,000 under Sec. 179, leaving the machinery with a remaining depreciable basis of $550,000.

Applying the bonus depreciation provided by the Act, ANC is entitled to a further deductionin 2009 of $275,000 (50% of $550,000), leaving the machinery with a remaining depreciable basis of $275,000. Standard first-year depreciation for five-year property under the half-year convention is 20%, providing ABC with further depreciation on the machinery of $55,000.

Accordingly, dental practice ABC is entitled to a total expense and depreciation deduction of $580,000 in 2009 on its $800,000 machinery. The remaining $220,000 cost of the property is recovered after 2009 under otherwise applicable rules for computing depreciation.

Summary

In talking with dentists, the awareness level of the opportunity provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act seem to be rather low. The Act provides tax breaks for dental practice owners to create jobs by making it attractive to invest in their practices.

However, lower taxes should not be what drives the decision making process. First and foremost, the capital improvements needs to make sense from a business and return-on-investment standpoint.

There is not much time to complete the project(s) in 2009 and to benefit from the tax breaks afforded by the ARRA. Therefore, dentists should consult with their tax advisors as soon as possible to take full advantage of the provisions the Act provides.

* Rick Epple, CFP is a member of the Northern Dental Alliance. He is an NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor, Epple Financial Advisors, LLC, Wayzata, Minnesota. E-mail is Rick@EppleFinancial.com • www.EppleFinancial.com

• This article was originally published in Northwest Dentistry.


• More Articles From Rick: Wealth Management/Financial Planning for Dentists


• Rick Epple's Background

Do You Need Dental Practice Management With Scalable Flexibility?

My goal as a dental consultant is to find the right resources for my clients to achieve success. There are three basic elements that I see as important: flexibility, consistency and pragmatic implementation.

Recently, I was contacted by a person who fit those criteria as well as having the expertise to move forward efficiently for my dentist clients. Her name is Claudia Walters; her consultancy is focused on dental practice management...

Flexible, Scalable and Affordable Practice Management Consulting

Get the experience and flexibility your dental practice needs in this economic environment. Claudia Walters has over 20 years in dentistry and has the expertise to develop the systems required to help your dental office thrive.

Claudia has a flexible dental office program from a financial and logistical standpoint that is also comprehensive and efficient. She is very knowledgeable about dentistry and how dental offices work. She will move you in the right direction with specific objectives and instructions.

With her consultant services, you will end the frustration of an inactivity and low productivity. Improve every office system you have, generate more dentistry, and increase revenues very quickly.

Claudia is a Professional Dental Management Consultant. She has worked one on one with dentists for over 10 years. She was a chairside assistant while attending the University of Detroit Dental Hygiene School.

She practiced dental hygiene for 18 years. Claudia received her management and consulting training from The Goldman Group, Professional Management Consultants and Brokers. Paul Goldman, president of The Goldman Group, has been a consultant in the health care profession for over forty years, and has worked with over fifteen hundred practices in a consulting capacity.

According to Paul Goldman: "I have had the opportunity to know Claudia Walters for twenty years. We trained Claudia for a year before she saw her first doctor. For nine years she worked for me and consulted with over five hundred doctors. I have received a number of referrals from doctors she worked with. If she were interested in moving back to Michigan, I would rehire her!"

Goldman and his chief consultant Henry Bechek, worked with Claudia for one year, on the road in over 100 practices. Subsequently, Claudia traveled on her own as a consultant representing The Goldman Group, to dental practices all over Michigan and Canada. Claudia believes in working one on ore with her doctors, and a team concept with staff.

Her objective is to create a highly productive yet relaxed environment where everyone knows their job description, yet each staff member helps one another. The environment developed will be where the doctor can concentrate on dentistry and feel confident that his dental practice is running smoothly.

Claudia's areas of dental expertise include new patient experience, phone coordinator, appointment book control, case presentation, collections, internal marketing, motivation communication, staff meetings and huddles, scripts, hygiene quarterly reviews, interview process, tracking progress, and more.

Claudia has been published in Dental Management and RDH Magazine and has designed a 4200 square foot office from the ground up. She is also listed in Who's Who in the World.

While currently located in southern California, she consults with dentists, dental teams and dentistry practices coast to coast via Skype video or in person.

• Visit Claudia's Dental Consulting Website
• Email Claudia - Dental Practice Management Consultant

===========================

For comprhensive dentistry communication consulting and dental marketing coaching, contact Dick Chwalek of Niche Dental.

866-453-1026 Ext 251

Dentists on TV & Radio: Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Profitable

Matt Wagner, Owner of

RADIO & TELEVISION EXPERTS, LLC…“I have helped dozens of clients in many industries run successful campaigns on radio. That's my best niche. Through use of testimonials, jingles, dialogue spots and well placed schedules, I've maximized dollars and results. I can truly give neutral, unbiased advice on the best stations to use (unlike stations who will always steer you their way).”

A Few TV/Radio Campaign Answers...

How much does this cost?
It depends on what market you are in – the size of each radio stations approximate audience, coupled with demand on advertising inventory are what dictate rates. In addition, rather
than buying 20-30 commercials at random times, we narrow down the time frames considerably so dentists like you standout during peak times when the most amount of listeners can be impacted.

How long until I start seeing results?
In some cases, we've had responses the first day, but I ask for 8-12 weeks before we start gauging results. Radio and TV are different than other marketing. The audience has to transfer from ‘hearing’ you to actually ‘listening’ to you.

The beautiful thing is, once that happens, you'll get new dental patient referrals from people who have never met you, but only know you through media. If after 8 weeks you don't see noticeable results, I take a closer look and make any necessary adjustments. I don't like to lose, especially since it's hard to re-convince an audience.

How does R.A.T.E. make money?
As an Advertising Agency, I am awarded a discount from the media for bringing them the business – that is my compensation.

Get More Answers By Contacting Matt…

Matt Wagner of Radio And Television Experts LLC (R.A.T.E.)
Matt is a 16-year veteran of radio, has won national sales and writing awards and has created
for dentists practicing general cosmetic dentistry as well as sleep sedation dental treatment. Wagner will identify the best stations, negotiate the most effective times, and create compelling ad copy at no additional charge to what the radio would normally cost.

Radio And Television Experts, LLC

Matt Wagner - Owner / Founder / Head Media Coach

Direct Line: 580-512-0351

Email: MW@RadioAndTelevisionExperts.com

1146 NW Cache Rd

Lawton, Ok 73505

www.RadioAndTelevisionExperts.com

Collaborate for success, visit NicheDentalCollabarate.com

Get It Right The First Time - Dental Office Leasing

Leasing space for your dental office can be a complicated endeavor. Consider working with an experienced professional that has helped many dentists get the right terms at the right price.

George Vaill has this type of dental office leasing background. Below are some of the some of the concepts you should understand before signing any lease agreement...

Types of Commercial Dental Office Leases

> By George Vaill

Understanding how rental charges are determined and allocated is very important if dentists wish to safely and effectively negotiate terms within their budgets. The one thing most dental practice leases have in common is that, in addition to specifying the amount of "rent" to be paid, they require that dentists also pay the landlord's operating costs (real estate taxes, insurance premiums, maintenance costs, etc.).

While there are unlimited variations on who pays what and what is or is not included in "rent", there are four common approaches and they are often referred to in the following manner:

• Gross Lease

The dental office tenant pays a set amount of base rent (sometimes called fixed rent, annual rent or minimum rent), normally with built-in future increases. The landlord pays the operating costs. In addition, the tenant typically pays for utilities, suite janitorial and maintenance.

• Pass-Through Lease

This is the same as a Gross Lease except that, starting with the second year, in addition to the base rent, the dentist-tenant also pays a proportionate share of any increases in the operating costs paid by the landlord in the first year. In addition, the tenant typically pays for utilities, suite janitorial and maintenance.

• Full Service Lease

This is essentially a Gross Lease, but one in which all utilities, suite janitorial and maintenance are included in the base rent. There normally are built in future base rent increases and sometimes, also, operating cost pass-through increases.

• Net Lease

The dentist pays base rent, normally with built-in future increases. The base rent includes no other charges. However, in addition, the dentist-tenant also pays a proportionate share of all operating costs. In addition, the dentist typically pays for all of its own utilities, suite janitorial and maintenance.

As you might imagine, it is easy to get confused, even tripped up by a fast-talking office broker or landlord. So understanding what is at stake and how the landlord's program is set up is paramount if you wish to avoid a rude surprise when it comes time to pay the "rent".

© George Vaill 34 Edward Drive, Winchester, MA 01890

George D. Vaill is president of George Vaill Dental Office Lease Negotiations. He specializes in negotiating the economic elements of office leases for dentists throughout the United States. Additionally, George reviews, and in many cases renegotiates, leases as part of dental practice transitions.

George@GeorgeVaill.com • 800-340-2701

===============================================

For Complete Dental Marketing Consulting and Dentist Coaching Services Contact...

Dick Chwalek of Niche Dental

• He is also Founder & Member of the Northern Dental Alliance
• As well as Founder & Director of Niche Dental Collaborate

Deteriorated Dental Office Brands

> Invigorating Referrals & Refreshing New Patient Numbers

Dental brands can become stagnant and then deteriorate very quickly, depending on the conditional of the local and national economic environment and strength of the practice structure and management. Generally, within five to seven years many elements can begin to go spread apart and lose their strength without a focused reenergizing effort.

A dental brand includes the office location, facility décor and layout, dentist expertise, team presentation, practice mission, advertising statements and of course, logo design and the look of other marketing materials. Some dental brand elements will have a much longer life and other brands become outdated even before Google can rank it.

Does your dental practice brand have the strength to thrive?

Weak & Confusing Dental Brands

• Employing generic marketing when dentists want to emphasize high value dental services
• Advertising convenience and speed while expecting consumers to pay a high quality treatment fee
• Promoting cosmetic dentistry without the look and feel of artistry within practice brand elements and office design
• Building awareness of implant dentistry expertise while simultaneously focusing a lot on free and discounted dental services

Dental office brand inconsistencies mean your patients and consumers come in with hard to manage expectations.

Deteriorating & Stagnant Dental Brands

• Dentists with significant expertise who have little high value public exposure
• Referrals built solely on simplistic brand knowledge and expressions such as “friendly and nice”
• Dental offices where comfort is not an obvious focus in the treatment, setting and team demeanor
• Marketing focused on services, NOT on people and the overall value of advanced, lifelike dentistry

When a dental brand becomes stagnant and too internally focused (about what the dentist is comfortable with), patients start to look elsewhere. Simply being nice and friendly just won’t cut it anymore.

Dental Office Brand Identity

Brand is closely tied with image. A stronger dental brand can take the office image to a higher level. Dentists with exceptional credentials and a well-honed brand are an infinitely more cohesive entity. An expert can't stop adding new techniques and knowledge and a brand can't rely on one element to survive long term. Many dental office brands rely on one or two things: location/expertise, facility/high-tech or great team/superb service. These branding attempts can only cover so much ground on their own.

New dental patients are attracted because of many branding efforts. Relying on one or two elements like location and referrals means gaps in new patient development will appear. Branding is communication; communication is everything for a dental practice. Oral health, dentistry expertise, and preventive dental care compliance all need communication to make them viable within a consumer society, and ultimately, perceived as vital to each individual.

Marketing dental expertise is complicated. To be successful advocating your high value dentistry services, the complexity needs to be skillfully explained and succinctly understood. This is difficult to do when current and prospective patients are being influenced and distracted by other branding efforts that appeal to them at more basic and emotional levels from ‘free whitening’ and ‘covered by my dental insurance’ to ‘mercury fillings’ and ‘dentist visit fear.’

Marketing a full line of dental care services that are always changing and often misunderstood is problematic. This garble of clinical terms intermixed with always evolving marketing techniques adds to the confusion, which disconnects the consumer from understanding the value your dentistry expertise makes possible. A relevant and concise brand sets your dental office apart from dentist competitors selling those same services as well as other consumer services, which will end up taking precedence when dentistry is missing from public discourse.

Standing out from the generic dentist crowd has a lasting impact. Providing brand name dental services like Lumineers, Invisalign, CEREC One-visit Crowns can be helpful initially. But when every other dentist is advertising the same way, you begin to blend in again. Rather than being the “brand named” cosmetic dentistry veneers artist, invisible braces/orthodontic expert, or high-tech crown restorative dentist, develop an image that is bigger and more exclusive than a service you provide that every other dentist does. A unified and distinctive practice-branding strategy can tie together these other elements and create a focal point for your dental advertising and value educative messages.

Visual Brand Icon: Dental Logos Design

Combining a unique dental logo, cohesively designed package of materials, a congruent image with a consistent salvo of ongoing refreshed re-branding strategies can prevent your dentistry brand from going on life support.

Dental brands such as ‘drill, fill and bill’, ‘dentistry has little value’ and ‘only if insurance covers it’ survive in the minds of patients because most dental offices have similar images or generic marketing strategies. Therefore, dentistry mostly attracts one segment of the larger consumer audience - those who have tooth loss, those in pain, the insurance patient and the (non-fearful) health conscious.

Some of these consumers are desirable, but won't change their current perspective without a different message; many others are not likely to ever connect without an enhanced brand identity being presented. A unique brand that incorporates pleasant images (no dental chair mouth mining), relaxing actual patient renewed smiles (not fear producing metal probes) comfort creating service strategies like sedation dentistry (avoiding the perception that tooth pulling is the goal) as well as advanced technology for a more rewarding experience and smile makeover result has substantial potential to change perspectives and lives.

Comprehensive dental branding will bring more people from the yesteryear of bad dental visit memories to the present day ‘brand’ of total oral health with the dental ‘logo’ of exceptional value and oft spoken ‘tagline’ of painless treatment and pain free living. Effective dental branding is about high value not high cost, great service not great expense, and lifelike results not lifeless quality.

Brands focused on rejuvenated oral health and stunning smile makeovers present the public with a reason to rethink their current value system and move beyond the generic concepts of fix and maintain into the realm optimal and exceptional. Whether dental branding makes sense to you or not, many of your patients and much of the general public need an assertive and refreshing message to move in the right direction quickly enough to preserve their oral health and in many too many cases save their smiles.

Conclusion: Refreshing Dental Practice Brands

Sitting on the sidelines means more people missing out on your dental expertise and smile makeover artistry, which is a losing position for everyone. Patients lose teeth. Dentists like you miss out on revenues. Public dental health continues its supreme reign as the ultimate king of loss leaders.

Take your dental practice to a higher plane of dentistry communication. Get properly branded.

Dental Marketing Commentary by Dick Chwalek

Niche Dental President

Dental Marketing Coaching & Dentistry Communication Consulting

For Dental Brands, Logos, Websites, and Online Services contact The Peripheral Vision

Northern Dental Alliance Welcomes New Member

The NDA - based in Minnesota, recently welcomed their newest dental alliance member, Leanne M. Mathieu Kramer. Ms. Kramer has worked in the dental profession for over 20 years. She brings her expertise for infection control and OSHA compliance training as well as implementation of these elements for dentist offices in Minnesota.

Leanne saw a need among these dental practices after working in the clinical setting for many years. With so much focus on quality patient care, new products and technology, many dentists and dental offices find it difficult to keep up with written infection control, MSDS, and radiation manuals.

She started her dental consultant firm Statements Plus Compliance Solutions, Inc. to help dentists achieve their other goals more efficiently and effectively.

Leanne is authorized by the Department of Labor as an OSHA Outreach Trainer in General Industry. Her memberships include, The Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures, American Dental Assistants Association, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and ChiroCode News.

What Minnesota Dentists Say About Leanne
"Leanne is the consummate professional. She has a thorough understanding of all OSHA policies and procedures. But more importantly, Leanne has a well-organized implementation plan that allows your dental office to be completely OSHA compliant. I would highly recommend Leanne and Statements Plus."
> Dentist in Bloomington, MN

"Let's be honest - no one enjoys OSHA, HIPAA or radiology lectures. Leanne makes it convenient and pain free. She is very organized. It's a great way for everyone to stay up to date and get CE. It also allows the doctors to focus their attention on other things."
> Pediatric Dentist - Coon Rapids, MN

"OSHA training needn't be a source of dread with you or among your staff. Get a professional to help! She will have both a diagnosis AND a prescription just for your dental practice. I offer a whole hearted endorsement of Leanne's services...she made the complex task a simpler one for us...all we needed to do is make one call. Thanks, Leanne!"

> Preventive Care, Restorative, Cosmetic Dentistry - St. Cloud, MN

READ More Testimonials at Leanne's dental consultant website.

The NDA encourages dentists to contact Leanne and make sure your practice is set up exactly how patients expect it already is - safe, secure, and health regulation compliant.

.

The Northern Dental Alliance graciously welcomes Leanne as a member. More importantly, her expertise and knowledge offers NDA's client-dentists a way to achieve even higher levels of success.

READ her entire article at the NorthernDentalAlliance website.

Sincerely, Dick Chwalek - Niche Dental President

Dentist Coach and Marketing Consultant

Founder, Member Northern Dental Alliance

Laboratory & Dentist Collaboration creates Beautiful, Healthy Smile Makeovers

What do consumers want from dentistry? They want lasting results. Will they always want to pay for it? That depends on how it is presented and what the dentist is actually able to deliver.

The right dental laboratory is an important element in achieving the level of smile makeover results most consumers "really" want. While everyone wants to pay as little as possible, dental patients expect their dentistry to last. Going the other direction (lower quality to hit a price point) in too many cases just exacerbates the low value view they have about dentistry.

Of course, it is not easy to overcome the low value issue when they want to pay less because they don't believe that there is value in doing more. Obviously, if you suggest more than the dental insurance industry covers, you are "selling" them a bill of goods.

The insurance companies are only looking out for their policy holders--would never steer them in the wrong direction. A dentist who is trying to heal patients has to be the bad person when they do more than an insurance company. Four years of dental school, a residency, thousands of hours of continuing education and many years of experience are merely a ploy to oversell their patients on some crazy idea of comprehensive health.

The dental insurance provider that covers $1,000 per year in dental work -- which pays for one or two restorations - has to be thinking only about the patient's long-term health. Their altruism is rock solid and is based on the best interests of their patients. That is the only way to think about it, right?

Then again, if you think about how most of us (dental consumers) access dentistry, which is usually haphazardly or only at the point of complete dental deterioration (see your state's edentulous stats here) then you might see how the $1,000/year is actually very problematic.
Imagine going five years without seeing the dentist. You can't get your $5,000 back from the insurance company (if you even have insurance). Plus your dental health probably has declined significantly. That $1,000/year might have covered things if we as dental consumers used it each year. But now you probably need to double it to correct what you have done to your smile.

So you are now up to $10,000 or let's say just $7,500. Maybe it has been 10 years since you have visited the dentist. Then it might be 2.5 to 3 times what it cost if you would have been a model preventive care patient so $25,000 to $30,000. Now who is snookering whom in this situation: the assertive dentist who actually has the expertise or the patient in denial with their insurance company with their paltry $1,000 handout?

While the insurance provider has not done anything wrong contractually, not accepting the dentist's comprehensive smile makeover plan often gives the patient the impression that the dentist is over diagnosing. Basically, the insurance company is saying, "continue doing one-tooth-at-a-time dentistry like they did back in the 20th century". Use 21st century technology for the restoration - but the same treatment strategy from back when high tech meant having the latest version of the Craftsman pliers--dentist edition.

Yes, $10,000 is a lot of money, and paying your dentist $30,000 might even seem obscene to some. Then again it was all the rage to pay a huge sum for a Harley chopper, but for some reason having a healthy set of choppers is worth so much less. 

Paying a car and bike salesman enough to live in a mansion is just fine. But a dentist that have a ton of debt before they even start their career, and does work most of us could not do (that actually makes people feel better in many ways) is looked at in a negative light for wanting to make you healthier and to make some money as they do it.

There might be a few Bernie Madoff dentists out there - but before you label every dentist in that vein - look in the mirror and see how well you can smile without one in your life.

When searching out a dentist that has your health in mind make sure they work with a dental laboratory that backs them up with a quality result.

Dental Marketing/Consumer Perception Commentary by

Dick Chwalek

Dentist Marketing Coach and Dental Communication Consultant

Call 866-453-1026

Photos provided by Renstrom Dental Studio

View more of this Minnesota lab's cosmetic dentistry and smile makeover results.

Turn Around Marketing/Conclusion of Dentists Following The Sameness Stampede

Read Part One: Dentists Sap Their Value When Following The Sameness Stampede

TURN AROUND DENTAL CONSUMER MARKETING

So TURN AROUND. Go another direction. Say something different. Be something different. Don't be a dentist. Don't offer dentistry. Be an expert, a lifesaver, a people problem solver, a comfort achiever, or whatever fits your expertise, experience, personality, location, etc. Differentiate!

Simply by turning around you will get noticed. This is not about exclusivity or being a boutique dental practice. It is specificity. Be specific about who you are and what you can do for the dental consumer. Yes, this is focused mostly on people with a lot of discretionary funds. But people who want what "they now see" and would pay much more than you would ever expect -- will start coming in as well - even in this tough economy.

I have seen - how this tough economy is an opportunity for making this happen. While the go-go days are gone for now - in times like this people will think about what is really valuable to them. They are ready to change their focus.

Because everyone is chasing the same thing -- there is a lot still left on the table. Turn Around your dental marketing and you will see the rewarding banquet and so will they. Think about it. There are 75 million baby boomers and 10 of millions of even older Americans - the two groups that have all the discretionary money. Plus they have more extensive dental disease and smile makeover needs than the younger set. More dental needs, more discretionary money, not sure how things can get better than that!

More specifically, I read an article that estimated there is 0 billion in dental implants to be placed right now if everyone that needed them got them. Even if it is 0 billion - if 25,000 dentists turned around and focused on them that is 0K more per year in their pocket for 20 years. Just for dental implants. Without turn around dental marketing, most people will never "see" the value.

In reality a lot less than 10,000 dentists will turn around their dental marketing because following the marketing herd is very seductive. For example, there are oodles of low-cost "following/competing" dental postcards, websites and other marketing products online right now. Google makes it even easier to follow and consume sameness.

But let other dental practices chase the tail of sameness because that means even more money is on the table for you. Of course, being creative and changing the dynamic takes some thought and commitment. But if you want more consumers to turn around and see the value in your dental expertise, then turning around how you value communication might be worthwhile as well.

GET STARTED... 

Your Two DENTISTRY Marketing Choices

• A) To compete, go to Google.com, Yahoo.com, and MSN.com where dental marketing sameness can be searched in all its sap-a-licious splendor.


• B) To turn around, see things differently, and help your patients and consumers in this way as well, Niche Dental can help put things into focus.

Contact Niche Dental - Email or Call 866-453-1026

Dental Marketing Commentary by

Dick Chwalek

Dental Communication Integration Consultant

Dentists Sap Their Value When Following The Sameness Stampede

There are TWO ways to approach dental marketing...

1) Compete 2) Turn around. 

Dentists Competing for Patients

Competing dental marketing is very challenging and costly in many ways because there are numerous players. Turn Around marketing is like judo: using the "generic heft and creative complacency" of this large group to take advantage of what they cannot see or target.

Competing marketing players are looking for everyone to be their dental patients. They see this huge mass of dental consumers and wonder why they can't get a large chunk of them. They want to fill the dental chairs and maybe at some point move them to higher-level procedures like cosmetic dentistry.

There is nothing wrong with dental practices that go this route. It is just that to compete in the general arena means you communicate in simple and similar terms like your competition. You say "FREE", half-off, toothache, and dental emergencies. Possibly you now say Invisalign, CEREC, Lumineers veneers, and ZOOM! But pretty soon every dentist is saying those things as well.

Dentists that follow and compete like this often get worn out. In addition, as they pursue this sameness strategy, dental consumers get trained to expect sameness. For example, most consumers want things at the lowest cost possible, you and me included. But there some things we also will pay a lot for. "I would like a new smile but it’s a lot of money. Plus I just bought a big screen TV and we are going to Mazatlan again this year."

What is wrong then; why is your dental expertise not a higher priority? Consumers do not see YOU! They see a dentist. They see dentistry. And they already "understand" dentistry. "It should be covered by dental insurance. It should be low cost. Of course, something should be free. And finally, when the dentist tries to explain why I need a lot of dentistry and it does not fit this sameness pattern, he/she is trying to 'sell me' something. 

But what if you have tons of dental CE? Can create lasting, healthy, beautiful smiles? Have many years of experience? Treat people not teeth? If you are doing one or all these things, YOUR consumers should see something else besides the "same idea of dentistry" people saw 30 years ago when things were more similar.

Yes, dental technology and all the cool cosmetic and restorative techniques can get you noticed. But the "new service/technology theme" is short-lived and often shallow in value because it is not focused on people. People make decisions and that means the "justification process" is complicated. Some of it is logical but it also has to do with fear, ignorance, complacency, and emotion. And a beautiful smile might only be a small influence on taking that final step.

People only connect to things that have deep meaning; otherwise "simple" rules the day. Free Whitening focuses on simple. Exciting, yes. But still simple, especially when Wal-mart also sells it. They only remember FREE -- whitening is forgotten quickly and then they think - free dentistry from the local dentist who must not have much expertise if he/she is promoting free services. Low cost marketing "works" - but where does it take you?

When dental consumers are not connected - you can lose them very easily. When you do general (competing) dental marketing you invite them to not expect value because you are competing with the same message everyone is offering. You are making the blur of sameness blurrier. Sameness is valueless when it comes to dental treatment beyond cleanings and "fillings". 

More on Sameness Stampede Marketing In my next Dental Coaching Blog entry. NOW POSTED.

Contact Niche Dental - Email or Call 866-453-1026

Dental Marketing Commentary by

Dick Chwalek

Dental Communication Integration Consultant