Bulletproof Dental Practice

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018! Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 59 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Darren Shaw, owner of Whitespark Watch full video of the interview by clicking here! Key Takeaways: Google has been ramping up their local SEO features so they can improve their local ad sales. Google posts are new and allow you to push out more content. They expire weekly so you need to stay current with new content. Google Q&A allows you to address some of the most frequent FAQ’s right in google search. Google Insights show who has clicked through to your website, who has called you, etc. Engagement metrics are real. The more engagement you get with your google content the better you will show up in search. Add videos, posts, attributes, etc. What makes up a good local search strategy? Get your Google & Google My Business listings are correct. Make sure your primary category is accurately reflecting what you do. Citations are your online business listings on Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc. Make sure these are all accurate. Make sure there are as many out there as possible. Shoot for 80+ listings. Reviews are super important for ranking and conversion benefits. If you are doing a review ask, coax a little bit to mention the specific service they had. Those keywords really help you rank better for those terms in local SEO. Website in local search comes down to how much content you have. Basic blurbs will not help you rank. Make sure you build out your content. Links help with local search as well. This is often done through sponsorships, community outreach and support. These are easy ways to get other sites to link to you. Local sponsorships are one of the best ways to get local links. To find: search in google: “intitle:sponsors ‘YOUR CITY’”, will give you a whole list of local sponsors. Vendors are also usually high-authority links. Find vendors of yours who list their local customers and find a way to get a link listed on their site. Yelp continues to be a challenge for many small businesses. You’re not allowed to ask for reviews. Yelp wants all reviews to come in naturally. It’s also of no value to ask for Yelp reviews. Their filters are very strict, only active Yelp users will have reviews that are shown. Yelp actively endorses a check-in offer, which is a GREAT way to bypass Yelp’s “don’t ask” policy. Any patient who checks in and takes you up on the offer will be encouraged to leave a review. Put the check-in offer on Google posts, send via email, put up a sign, promote as much as you can. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO. Another Yelp hack – make a new Gmail account, take your entire patient email list and put it into that Gmail contact list, then run through “find my friends” on Yelp, and it’ll tell you who is active. Facebook allows you to create custom segments by uploading your existing patient list. Promote new services, show them what’s new, etc. Website is a great opportunity to keep adding detailed content. Video is important. Talk about your services and upload on your website, YouTube, social media, etc. Google local pack – these are the top results that show up at the right side of the page when you search for a local business. It went from 10 businesses, to 7, now it’s 3. It doesn’t exist within an entire city anymore. Google filters based on the proximity of the searcher. You’ll generally show up within 5-10 miles of your business. The way to slightly break out of the proximity search is to buy local pack ads. Google guarantees some home repair related industries. The listings are paid for and business who participate must be screened. Another opportunity to rank organically is to build out city/neighborhood pages on your website. Build a page on your site that talks about local neighborhoods and how your office has helped with patients in that area. This helps draw in organic ranking results from outside your 10-mile radius. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.   References: Steady Demand Whitespark Local Citation Finder Whitespark Reputation Builder

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018!   Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 58 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Dr. Tarun Agarwal, owner/dentist Raleigh Dental Arts, owner T-Bone Speaks   Watch the full video of the interview by clicking here!   Key Takeaways: Make sure you’re not being oversold by predatory companies offering horrible insurance and investment planning. Review your estate plans every couple years. It’s not about how rich or poor you are, it’s about preventing your loved ones from inheriting a storm. The cost of maintaining a healthy office is significantly higher than it was 15 years ago. We should be shooting for profitability in the 10-20% ballpark. Profitability should be based on all your normal expenses, plus the following: Each dentist (including yourself) should be paid as an associate Build in an escrow dollar or percentage amount (2-3%) for future improvements, renovations, and technology gains Interest amount (5%) on capital put into the practice “All things under one roof” – medical and dental – is the future of dentistry. Cottage industry offices as we know them will be displaced in certain environments. Approximately 80% of offices are solo dentists. The believe is within 10 years this number will drop to closer to 50%. If you’re going to stop practicing within the next 10 years you’ll probably be fine. If you’re planning to practice longer than that you will get hit by these changes. Put away money on an annual basis to cover renovations. Make sure you’re getting fulfillment in your professional life, as well as in personal. If you design your business around you and make yourself happy, others around you will be happy as well. Focus on outcomes, not goals. People aren’t doing enough live training. The magic is being around people and interacting with others.   References: Creative Planning Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss   Tweetables: “Life’s ultimate ROI is fulfillment and happiness.” – Dr. Craig Spodak “What makes people happy is progress.” – Dr. Craig Spodak “Focus on outcomes, not goals.” – Dr. Tarun Agarwal

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018! Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 57 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Dan DelMain, owner of DelMain Analytics Watch full video of the interview by clicking here! Key Takeaways: DelMain Analytics is a full-service digital marketing agency. It’s no longer possible to gamify your way to a great digital marketing strategy. Google is humanizing their search engine more and more to reward sites who are giving value to consumers. It’s all about creating the best user experience. The amount of advertising noise is staggering. Voice search is a much more targeted way to search out information. Voice search is evolving into longer conversations. Evolution of internet platforms has been: desktops – laptops – mobile phones – mobile phone voice search – home devices Evolution of SEO has been 7-pack to 3-pack to 1-pack Who are the players in voice search? Siri – Apple Google Assistant – Google Cortana – Microsoft Alexa – Amazon What are people searching for? conversational - what is the cost of Invisalign? proximity - dentist near me hours of operation  insurances accepted 1 in 5 queries on Google are voice searches Chrome is also pushing search traffic to security-rich sites How to optimize your site for voice search mobile friendly/responsive answer FAQ type questions on the website claiming Google My Business profile online reputation social signals/social media schema markup Contact DelMain Analytics and mention Bulletproof Dental Practice, Dan will have a 30-45 phone chat with you and share any tidbits he can recommend! References: Google Mobile Friendly Tool

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018! Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 56 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Elijah Desmond Watch full video of the interview by clicking here! Key Takeaways: There is a commonality in all successful people. It’s hunger for more. If you aren’t making mistakes or haven’t made one in the last year, you are playing it too safe. Elijah Desmond runs a Facebook page called Trapped in an Op for those professionals who want to venture from the traditional clinical setting in dentistry. The main issue dental teams are suffering from is drama. Either you have the wrong people or the wrong culture in the office. If you are lacking alignment how can you work well as a team? Everyone is a consultant these days. Business owners are more self conscious than ever with social media outlets being readily available with information. Stop listening to everyone else. Focus on your goals and what you want out of your career. There is currently a changing of hands. The older generation is passing the baton and a new generation of influencers is rising. What is the reason why you entered in this profession? For most, the number one reason to be in this profession is to make people smile. Focusing on the big picture and changing lives What is your hygienist supposed to do? Focus on complete oral health Don’t brush off hygiene checks this is where treatment is converted! You have already established a connection with these patients. They more likely to agree to recommended treatment with the help of your hygiene team. Dental Intel will track which Doctor/Hygienist work best together in converting over treatment. Mention Bulletproof Dental Practice and sign up for Dental Intel w/no activation fee. Tweetables: “Magic is hard work.” – Dr. Craig Spodak “Motivation and determination without procrastination is the key to success.” – Elijah Desmond “The way you get to the top is by helping other people get there too.” – Dr. Craig Spodak

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018! Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 55 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Key Takeaways: Four Pillars of a Bullet Proof Dental Practice Vision and Leadership As a leader/owner of the practice you set the tone You must give your team a road map Be intentional in explaining your goals to your team Make a descriptive vision Self-managing teams Team and Culture Culture is a foundation of a lot of our marketing When your team is happy they are more resourceful Happiness is good for business. Money is the lagging indicator of creating an exceptional experience and exceptional dentistry. Daylight is very important to incorporate in healthcare environments. It affects mood and purchasing decisions. Marketing and Reputation The average person has 318 friends on social media Make sure you are getting mentions Use Hootsuite for tracking all social media channels Facebook is not a form of push advertising Keep your ratio healthy with your posts (funny vs before/after pictures) Seek out social influencers! Accounts that have more than 300,000 followers. Systems and Metrics New patients that visit each month Average dollar amount per visit True practice growth- how much did we grow this month? Click HERE to sign up for Podium w/no activation fees!   References: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hseih The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor   Tweetables: “Be the leader you wish you had.” Dr. Craig Spodak “Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure.” Dr. Craig Spodak

Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018!   Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 54 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guests: Alan Mead, Dental Hacks Podcast / Brian Colao, Dykema Law Firm   Key Takeaways: Should you have a DSO? If you don’t have a DSO and you’re a doctor owned practice, who can you sell to? You can only sell to other licensed dentists in your state, and that’s a very narrow, deflated market that is getting smaller every day. If you have a DSO your market is the world. A DSO deal with established DSO might pay 5-7x EBITDA and is a low-risk deal. A private equity deal will require ongoing involvement, and is higher risk, so may pay very high single digits to double digits. Private equity deals are performance based. There’s an evolution and consolidation in the dental marketplace. The evolution is from doctor owned single practices to DSO’s. The market is being flooded with private equity funds as it allows non-dentists to make money in the marketplace. The market saturation of DSO’s is about 10%. There is a lot of runway, and the industry is very fragmented. This means that saturation is a ton of value left to harness in the dental market. Seek out education about how the market is changing so you can react and best position your organization. Ten years from now there will be very limited opportunity for solo practitioners. If you have eyes set on being a solo practitioner, you need to understand the transition and have a plan. Only the rock star practitioners will thrive on their own. Patients are becoming more and more demanding. Consumers don’t really care who owns their dental office. DSO’s are in the third generation of progression. The highest valuation in the DSO industry is Deca Dental. 18.2x! DSO’s are trying to implement one-stop shopping. There’s a lot of upside as a practitioner in working within a one-stop shop style practice. It’s not just corporate DSO’s looking to get into the dental marketplace, existing industry suppliers are finding ways to reach consumers directly.   References: The Cleveland Clinic Way by Tony Cosgrove   Tweetables: “Peer pressure makes dentists better.” Dr. Craig Spodak

Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 52 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Dr. Michael Apa, Partner Rosenthal Apa Group, Founder Apa Aesthetic in Dubai   Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about our upcoming book release and the Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018!   Watch the full video of the interview by clicking here!   Key Takeaways: Apa travels back and forth from New York City to Dubai, focusing on creating amazing cosmetic cases. The small details in dentistry are best answered by people who are doing it in and out every day. Apa figured out how to take a lot of time in planning and prep, so the design and implementation of a case works PERFECTLY with no complications. After so many cases Dr. Apa’s team now works like a symphony. To have such high output you must have the driving passion and dedication. For Dr. Apa the work itself, and seeing patient’s reaction is very rewarding. When you do so much dentistry, you start amassing an audience of people who help to continue propelling you forward. Achievement is a drug that keeps high performers going strong, wanting to do more and more. In dentistry we draw a small box around what we think is the profession, but you can really do anything you want to do. Dentistry lately seems to be focused on the negative; insurance, corporations, debt, etc. Younger dentists are searching out more positive messages. You can’t listen to what is coming down the pipeline, you must find your own will and your own way. Take what everyone says to you, take it in, and exhale and stay true to what YOU want to accomplish. People in the US have a much higher knowledge about what is possible in dentistry. Other areas of the world have great opportunity to educate and train the population – and dentists – on what is possible. To feel the level of passion Dr. Apa has, you must be able to reach the general public. The best way to get patients of any quantity is to reach them where their attention is: social media.   References: Apa Beauty   Tweetables: “Achievement is a drug that keeps high performers going strong, wanting to do more and more.” Dr. Craig Spodak “Dentistry is a snowflake, you can express your vision however you want.” Dr. Craig Spodak “Don’t let anybody tell you what you can and can’t do.” Dr. Michael Apa “Listening to your patients is the best education.” Dr. Michael Apa

Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 51 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Blake McClellan, CEO and co-founder of Implant Compare Watch the full video of the interview by clicking here! Text ‘bulletproof’ to 345345 to stay in the know about upcoming book release and Bulletproof Summit in fall 2018! Key Takeaways: Implant Compare live-streams dental education and surgeries. We’re just now discovering the great many capabilities of blockchain, and how it can be applied to everyday life. It’s the algorithm behind bitcoin that is the most powerful. This episode is not investment advice. Bitcoin is a byproduct of a blockchain. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that is decentralized. Every time a transaction happens it’s added to the block. Essentially, it’s an ecosystem of a network of computers that validate every transaction. Decentralizing this process creates a lot more complexity and provides protection against data attacks. Blockchains aren’t just currency, every different algorithm has different applications. The other benefit of using blockchain as currency is it keeps everybody honest. Blockchain is a very fast rapid way to move data in a highly encrypted way. One major benefit of blockchain in dentistry is potential to develop, fast, highly confidential ways to transfer patient files. Applications could also be built to allow practices to share servers & hardware. Phase 2 of blockchain will be around identity management and logistics. The technology is still emerging, and we’re seeing big companies entering the development space. References: Pro Med Sales Vital Signs Technologies Patientory Dentacoin Ethereum Ripple

Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 50 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Eric Rea, CEO of Podium Watch the full video of the interview by clicking here!  Key Takeaways: Podium is a reputation management platform, helping to significantly boost your practice’s online reviews, and Podium has funding invested from Google. Podium focused on creating a great experience for the patient. This helps boost conversion rates and gets you more & better reviews. Reviews are made simple, and are targeted to platforms that are most popular with the user and the practice. Podium has access to parts of Google’s API that other competitors don’t, which gives them unique access into how their review system works. Recentness of reviews is important to Google’s algorithm so it’s key to continue getting rave reviews from your patients. User generated content (reviews, social media postings from patients, etc) is a way better predictor of your SEO rank than how many links you have to your website. Google Local Guides carry more weight than other reviewers. To comply with Yelp’s policies of not asking for reviews on their platform, Podium does not solicit reviews for Yelp. The most important platforms for dentists to pay attention to are Instagram/Facebook, Snapchat, and Google. These are the platforms where people spend their time, and they’re all working to integrate other features to become unique ecosystems. Reviews have shifted the marketing equation, you can’t fake real people talking about you online. Video reviews are important for the future, but they’re really hard to sift through. Review platforms haven’t gotten to a place where they make video reviews possible or easy. Voice-activated devices are also key to future marketing. Imagine giving your review to Siri or Alexa! Podiums software will scale and change based on future development from Google. 90% of reputation management companies are NOT recommended by the review platform sites. Making experiences seamless is how companies thrive. Podium is working on a communication platform that allows offices to connect with patients and make communication seamless. Click HERE to sign up for Podium w/no activation fees! References: What yelp’s crackdown on review collection means for your business (and why we stopped collecting yelp reviews over a year ago) Whitespark Tweetables: “Consumers are conditioned to always look at reviews.” Dr. Peter Boulden “Focus on creating an experience for the patient that you would want to have yourself.” Eric Rea “Dentists who take care of their craft and take care of the details are the ones who will succeed.” Eric Rea “If you’re providing massive value, you deserve to be successful.” Dr. Craig

Bulletproof Dental Practice Podcast Episode 49 Hosts: Dr. Peter Boulden & Dr. Craig Spodak Guest: Dr. Christian Coachman, founder of Digital Smile Design (DSD) Watch the full video of the interview by clicking here! Key Takeaways: The world is moving at a very rapid pace, and it’s each of our responsibility to roll with the change and grow to meet the expanding demands of our patients. Millennials aren’t looking for great products, they’re looking for great experiences. Marketing in dentistry has changed. People now expect a story of what they’re going to experience. You can no longer rely solely on being the best at doing dentistry, you’ve got to be able to connect with patients and show them what’s in it for them. Being good and doing decent dentistry is an obligation, but is not the only thing you need to do to be successful. The human brain has evolved to listen to stories. Make your patient the hero and the guide. The first step in telling your story is to open the communication channels and connect with the emotional side of people’s brains. There are 3 stages to presenting treatment plans with patients; gaining emotional permission, discussing problems, then explaining treatment plan. The DSD concept is about everything to be understood in regard to running a successful practice. DSD focuses on process within patient’s 1st and 2nd appointments; intake, analysis, smile design, treatment planning, treatment presentation, case acceptance, online marketing, and more. Dentists who want to own and operate their own practices are going to need to develop business and marketing skills, because your primary competitor will be a corporation. In order to change and grow with the business of dentistry, first we need awareness about what is coming. Then DSD educations about four moments; design, plan, sell, and perform.   References: Digital Smile Design Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller   Tweetables: “The good guys in dentistry are focused on adding value for patients.” Dr. Craig Spodak “Change is always a constant, growth is optional.” Dr. Craig Spodak “This is a great moment for ambitious people.” Dr. Christian Coachman “Millennials aren’t looking for great products, they’re looking for great experiences.” Dr. Christian Coachman “Storytelling is the biggest skill for this new era.” Dr. Christian Coachman “There’s a point of diminishing returns when it comes to just learning the clinical.” Dr. Peter Boulden “If the patient doesn’t see what’s in it for them – you lose.” Dr. Peter Boulden “When we do dentistry right, we’re helping people.” Dr. Craig Spodak “Everything happens slowly until it’s sudden.” Dr. Craig Spodak