Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

June 13-19, 201120 United Kingdom EditionMoney Matters page 19DTß airports? So how does this detail trans- late to the world of dentistry? Are dentists indeed retail- ers? Is it important? The ac- cepted view is that UK dentists are becoming very retail-savvy. There are countless examples of the so-called ‘dental spa’ with very un-dental type names being over represented in certain seg- ments of the dental market. Make no mistake, dentists are and will become skilled retailers, however the detail point goes way beyond the ‘packaging’ of the practice. Take 10 minutes out to try this little 10-point test: Put yourself in a prospective new patient’s shoes, visiting your practice for the first time: 1 Kerbside appeal: how does the practice look? Cold and clinical, or warm and in- viting? How do you want it to look? First impressions really count. 2 Does the signage com- municate the type of dentistry you provide? eg pain free, no needles or cosmetic, etc. Does it say new patients are wel- come? Does it tell you the open- ing hours and does it tell you where to park? 3 On entering what can I hear? As a new patient I am naturally stretching to see if I can hear the dreaded drill. In- stead, I hear a soundtrack from some birds tweeting gently in the background, along with some running water. 4 How do the people who work in the practice look? Could it be a tanning parlour, a Toni & Guy or an NHS waiting room? Not uniformed or uniformed, or maybe in scrubs? What is your overall conclusion of the team: frumpy, happy, young, senior, mainly female, gen- tle, professional, sloppy, dim, exciting..? 5Does the receptionist step out from behind the counter to welcome the new patient or does she simply look up and say: “Hello, where did you park? Please fill your registra- tion number in here” (which is what my expensive dentist’s receptionist always does). 6How are the toilets? Check them out at about 4.30pm, you might be shocked. Dirty toilets translate as dirty dentist, trans- mitting disease. 7What is the range of mag- azines and how thumbed are they? People are perpetually thinking about cross-infection. 8How is the clinical team addressed by staff? Is it Dr Brown or Gordon? Both could be correct depending on your practice’s positioning, but that is not always the reason first names are used. The cap- tain of a BA 747 is always re- ferred to as ‘captain’ by cabin crew, as it is critical his lead- ership is never compromised through familiarity. 9What items are sold to me in a passive way through point of sale devices as I am waiting to see my dentist? 10What happens when the treatment session is over? How is payment handled? Do I feel like the value has been re- inforced so I leave contented? Not applying the ‘retail is detail’ rule to your practice will hurt your bottom line. In fact, you will find that ap- plying this rule plays a vital role in keeping your team fo- cused on who is the most im- portant person in the practice... the patient. DT About the author Jonathan Fine is Director of Mar- keting at Breathe Business and has built a strong repu- tation as a strategic marketing expert through many years of high-level achievement. For more infor- mation, contact Breathe Business on 0845 299 7209 or email: info@ nowbreathe.co.uk www.nowbreathe.co.uk ‘The accepted view is that UK dentists are becoming very retail-savvy’ Ems-swissqualitY.com For more information> www.ems-swissquality.com savE cEllsNEw Ems swiss iNstrumENts surgErY – saviNg tissuE with NEw iNNovatioNs iN implaNt dENtistrY The inventor of the Original Piezon Method has won another battle against the destruction of tissue when dental implants are performed. 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