Attracting new patients is simple once you know what they are looking for
You’re kind. You’re skilled. You’re well regarded. You’re successful. You’ve been in business for a while. You have the experience. You have a good reputation. You’re great with your patients. You’ve redecorated the waiting room. You figure that with all of your good qualities, getting patient referrals and attracting new patients should be a piece of cake.
Growing Your Patient Base Isn’t as Simple as it Seems
But it’s not so simple, is it? It seems like new patients are fewer and farther between. Or you may be attracting the wrong type of patient altogether, simply because you don’t know how to effectively communicate the services you offer at your practice. Every dentist has lost a patient to another dentist because they didn’t realize you could provide the treatment they were looking for. Though you feel that you’re doing all the right things, you wonder why it’s so difficult to build a loyal patient base. Though you’re a great dentist, your patients have hundreds of other great dentists to choose from.
You can’t do anything about your competitors. All you can do is focus on the things that you can control – and that’s your practice and the services you provide for your patients.
You don’t find new patients just because you’re a good dentist with good qualities. You don’t double the size of your patient base by having an ad in the paper and a beautiful website that touts your skills. Patients don’t love you simply because you deserve it and have done all the right things.
The Solution:
Most dentists I know have a lot going for them. But the ones who attract new patients are the ones who recognized that they couldn’t coast on their impressive credentials alone. It’s often shocking to learn the traits in which you may take the most pride are not your most important assets to your patients.
It’s not that they don’t matter. But don’t lose sight of the fact that a patient wants more than just a clinically skilled doctor these days. They expect that. What they want is:
- A dentist who makes him or her feel cared for and good
- A dentist who offers something unique
- A dentist providing something of value to them
- A dentist who can fulfill all of their perceived needs
It’s great that you have done five times the required CE this year. But if you’re not making your patients feel like they’re important to you, if you’re not offering things they can’t find at other practices in their area and if you’re not regularly communicating with them about the treatment you provide in your office, then you’ll lose them to someone else who wasn’t so shy.