The Dental Marketer

Feeling like rejection is closing doors on your ground marketing efforts? What if it could be your secret weapon instead?In today's episode of the Ground Marketing Series, we're exploring the misunderstood realm of rejection, redefining it as feedback rather than failure. Through a blend of down-to-earth examples and actionable tactics, we're learning how practice owners and marketing teams can convert rejections into golden opportunities. Drawing from personal experiences, we demystify the reasons behind common rejections—from automatic no’s by gatekeepers to the fear of change among decision-makers—equipping you with the insights to turn these hurdles into stepping stones.We'll unveil effective strategies like the "Coffee Drop" and "Customer Referral Play" to thaw the initial frosty interactions with potential partners. We'll dissect typical rejection types, providing countermeasures and a strategic three-step framework for cracking the "no" code. Each rejection, whether reflexive or cautious, is navigated with a value-first approach, ensuring a positive relationship. Wrapped with a real-world case study, this episode reaffirms the power of persistence and strategic finesse in transforming every negative into a partnership in ground marketing.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How to interpret rejection as feedback, not failure.The common reasons why marketing efforts meet resistance.Strategies like the "Coffee Drop" for connecting with gatekeepers.How past experiences influence current rejection responses.Techniques for maintaining relationships despite initial rejection.A step-by-step approach to counteracting different types of "no."Insights into crafting value-oriented propositions.A real-world application through a detailed corporate case study.Press play and let's learn how to turn every "no" into a strategic partnership opportunity!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Organizations:American Marketing AssociationHarvard Business Review‍Businesses/BrandsWalmartSalesforceMcKinsey & Company‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors) Michael: Overcoming rejection in ground marketing.Now rejection is not failure. It's feedback. Every rejection in ground marketing is a data point that tells you something about your approach, your value proposition, or your target audience. And the biggest mistake practice owners and marketing teams make is personalizing rejection, rather than seeing it as an opportunity to adjust, refine, and improve.So let's talk about the real reasons rejection happens in ground marketing. Understanding rejection at its core removes the emotional stink and allows you to adjust strategically. So that's why we're gonna get down to the real reasons first, number one, and this one is huge. It happens all the time.Gatekeepers are trained to say no. Now this is a statistic from the Harvard Business Review. 90% of cold approaches in sales and marketing are met with an initial rejection because gatekeepers have been conditioned to filter out non-essential interactions. So they've been trained on the interactions what they need to do.And anything else besides that, they're just trained to say no, they don't wanna mess up, And a lot of the times in ground marketing, I wanna say this is like above 90%. The reason you get no is 'cause of this. Mainly because you're speaking to the wrong person first and foremost.So if you do your strategy or your script and you talk to the gatekeeper, They consider that interaction most likely a non-essential. They're like, I don't know what's happening. What do I do? This is above my pay grade. No. I think I've spoken about this in the past many times, but.I remember when I wanted to, ground market and provide a specific service and get in front of a lot of the warehouse members at a Walmart center. It's like a Walmart distribution center. It wasn't an actual Walmart. Huge, thousands of employees. And I tried getting in many times and I would ask to speak to HR, human resources.Can I speak to hr? Can I speak to hr? That's just me thinking, right? Common sense hR would tell me no. I would get their voicemail a lot and still a no. And it wasn't until I spoke to someone who was pretty awesome at HR and they said, oh, we don't handle that. We only handle the front end of Walmart, like the actual store.You wanna speak to the logistics center? Let me transfer you. They transferred me to the logistics center and then I just said, Hey, can I speak to someone there who's in charge of maybe HR or maybe they're your supervisor?They passed me to the supervisor and guess what? Within the first just ask.I said, Hey, love to see if I can provide more services. Could we do like a lunch and learn like an event for the day? You're like, yeah, sure. Come on by. We'd love to have that. It was a lot thousands of employees, but it worked. It's 'cause I was speaking to the wrong person from the get go.And you can just give up from that point on and then say, okay, you know, it doesn't work to get into the warehouse or distribution center at Walmart, but it does. It does, as long as you're speaking to the right person first and foremost. And then from that point on it continues. So here it's gatekeepers are trained to say no.And that's a good example, that gatekeeper was the wrong person, first and foremost to speak with. And at the same time, all they know is just to say no if they don't know anything else. So the solution is you wanna bypass the auto rejection by making your presence non-threatening and value driven. So instead of selling, introduce yourself in a way that benefits them immediately.This is going to disrupt their autopilot rejection and gets them to lower their guard. So number two, the lack of perceived immediate benefit. Now, this is a statistic by Salesforce research.72% of decision makers only engage in partnerships they perceive as immediately beneficial to their customers or employees. So the solution tie your offer or your approach directly to their top priorities. you're gonna have to do a little research for that. Three, fear of extra work or change.This is a statistic by the McKinsey and Company Group, and it's 85% of businesses avoid change unless it's easy to implement and requires little to no effort on their part. The solution make it effortless for them to say yes. And four, they've had a bad experience with another dentist. This is a statistic by the American Marketing Association, but 76% of businesses that reject a partnership do so because of past negative experiences with similar offers.The solution address this head on now. We're gonna dive into some scripts right now. Okay. On how to do this. So how to make businesses want to work with you without ever talking about yourself first. That's the key. You don't wanna go in there and saying, Hey, we're the new person down the street. Hey, does anybody here need a dentist?Hey, we're taking on new patients. That's all you. That's the mistake you're making already. If you are making that, you wanna walk in without ever talking about you first. so these scripts, they're gonna trigger curiosity, establish trust, and subtly make businesses feel like they owe you something reciprocity.Remember, that's one of the principles in ground marketing without ever pitching your dental practice up front. So number one, we used to do this all the time. It's the coffee drop. This is for any business with a gatekeeper. This is an in-person strategy. Okay? So the target is any business with a front desk staff.It could be gyms, daycares, retail stores, even corporate offices. And the goal is to warm up the gatekeeper, disrupt their automatic no, and create an opening for future interactions. Now the script is the first visit. You're disrupting the automatic. No. You are walking in maybe with a coffee holder and a smile or just a coffee in hand and you're saying hey, how's it going?Yeah, I know you're busy. I just wanted to see if you guys wanted some free coffee. Actually, no strings attached. We just appreciate everything you all do here and our practice does a kind eat every day for a business in our community, The gatekeeper's gonna say, oh yeah, wow.Thank you so much. I appreciate, what's your business? Where are you located? Who are you? Right? They may even say no. If they say no, that's perfectly fine. They're still gonna ask, who are you? And then who's gonna shrug casually and just say, you know, I just know that the front desk teams keep business running and I know we appreciate our front desk, and I wanted to show you that today.And continue right Now, not only do they have their guard down, but they feel, oh man, this person really understands what I'm going through. Maybe they might be having a bad day that day and you are the sunshine that just came in. But this works because gatekeepers lower their defenses. When they see that you're giving, not taking reciprocity kicks in, they feel inclined to engage.They will engage no matter what. Even if they say no, they'll say, oh wow, thank you. No, you know, I appreciate that. Thank,it'll be just as good as if you did bring in their coffee and then they associate you with positivity, making future conversations much easier. So once that happens, let's just say you just established it.You're like, okay, cool. After that, you know, you leave, you don't feel like poking the bear or anything like that. 'cause maybe they're busy, they're talking to someone, you just drop off their coffee. At least you have a second date. Now you can follow up and say, Hey, last time I was here, I meant to ask, do y'all do any events for the employees here?Remember, they associate you with positivity. Your future conversation is happening right now, and now it's easy for you to ask, Hey, do y'all do anything for your employees here? Do y'all have an employee's benefits day, a health fair? Could we do something like that? Do y'all have a employee wellness month in the newsletter?You can ask anything at this point on your next visit. Now they're sharing their business and you can strategically introduce your practice. Okay, so that's like a one-two step. That happened all the time, and it took me a while to realize it's a one-two step. I would come in all the time. Hey, I love what you guys are doing here.If you want, going to the coffee shop right next door from you. Do y'all want anything? Yeah, sure. You know, I love that. Oh my gosh. Yeah. No, no. Thank you. I appreciate it though. Okay. I just know you guys are super busy and sometimes I know our front office is like, I wish I had AFR coffee right now and I'm just thinking about you guys.So that's all. We tend to do a kind deed for a business out here every day and you're like, oh man, well, who's your front office? Where are you from? Where are you located? Right. And then you kind of continue to talk more and you can actually, at that moment, even if they say no, still. do the ask, right?Do y'all do any events for the employees here and so forth? But a lot of the times they might get busy, the phone may ring, whatever, right? Then you can just say, okay, bye room, and then they'll know. Wow. he was literally just asking me for if I wanted free coffee and that was it. That was awesome. And come back in a day or two and then say, Hey, real quick. I wanted to come by and see if you guys do any events for the employees. I meant to ask you that. I forgot. Sorry. Easy breezy. They'll be super open from that. Okay. Now number two, the customer referral play. This is for gyms, salons, and wellness centers.The target is businesses that benefit from having more customers, Make them see you as a referral source before they realize they can refer people to you. the script is, you're gonna walk in casually creating curiosity, right? You're gonna say, Hey. I've been hearing some great things about you guys.A couple of my patients have been talking about how much they love coming here, so I figured I stop in and see what the buzz is all about. they're gonna be intriguing. They're gonna say, oh, really? That's great to hear. And they might talk a little bit more, and then you say, yeah, you know, they were raving about a specific service that they provide.And then you're gonna say, I get a lot of people asking me for recommendations on places like this. So I just wanted to check it out for myself. What makes this place stand out and then you continue. Right now, that's the key right there. I get a lot of people asking me for recommendations on services or places like this.They don't know if it's just one person who asked you, or a million people who asked you. They just see, oh wow, is a referral source. They can provide me with a lot of customers or whatever. Right. This works because they now see you as a referrer first, not someone trying to sell them something.Second is curiosity builds. They want to explain why they're great, so make sure you ask what makes this place stand out. Third, they will naturally ask what you do, making it easy to bring up your practice organically without fail. A thousand percent. When you say, I get a lot of people asking me for recommendations, especially you say, A lot of our patients ask us about recommendations on places like this or your services, 1000%.They will ask you, what do you do? Or where are you located? Now you can follow up before leaving. You wanna use reciprocity to get a referral, right? You can continue to say, you know, I love what you guys are doing here. Do you have anything I can give to my patients in case they're looking for an mention of service, right?That they offer. They're gonna get you a folder filled of stuff, their business cards, and we both know those business cards that they have are just sitting in the back collecting dust, but now they have a reason to give it to you. So don't feel bad or don't feel like, oh man, just gimme one. If they wanna give you a hundred, let them give you a hundred.Don't feel bad about it. Most likely they'll give you like 10 or 20, but You could put 'em in hygiene kits if you want. You can feature a month or whatever. But that is your opportunity for the follow up ask, right? Where you're like, Hey, could I ever bring you guys any of our information as well?And then boom, they feel obligated to ask for your info in return, or they will feel obligated to take your info and return without even actually feeling obligated. It's just a nice deed, right? So that's the number two. Number three, the secret shopper play for retail and local businesses. Now the target is mainly coffee shops, retail stores, boutiques, things like that.And the goal is to make them feel like a VIP and subtly, subtly position yourself as someone who sends them customers. walk in with genuine curiosity, and then you're gonna create exclusivity. You're gonna say, Hey, you know what I was just over at. And then continue with saying, and they mention that this is the best place in town for mention a specific product or service. So now I have to see for myself how incredible this place is. And then stop there. They're gonna say, oh wow, thank you. Yeah, we love doing business with them, or we like them too, or who mentioned it over there, and you're just gonna be like, I don't remember their name.Right. And then continue with it and say, oh wow, that's great to hear. I think people love us because. Then they're gonna mention reasons too. Then you say, yeah, that makes sense. I feel like more people should know about this. Do you guys ever do collaborations with other local businesses? No. Boom. They're either gonna say, yes we do, or no, we don't.If they say, yes we do. Cool. Can I participate? And they say, no, we don't. Oh man. We always do, collaborations with other types of businesses. Would you ever be interested in doing one? Then they're gonna say yes, right? Yeah. You know, We've been thinking about it and so forth. It works because you make them feel special.They now associate you with bringing them business, and they start thinking about partnerships before you even mention your practice. So they're already thinking of partnerships. Yeah. You know what? I can definitely do a partnership. We've thought of doing a partnership, but let's make something happen.And later in the conversation you can follow up. You know, You can say, I love supporting local businesses like yours. If you ever want to do something fun together, I'd be all in. Actually, you know what? We're only picking three businesses this quarter for a free wellness initiative. Could I save you a spot?Boom, right then and there, right? If you're already creating a partnership, a collaboration, it's gonna be happening. And then once they say yes, as you're leaving, you can say, Hey, could I ever give you some of our information too, as well, right? That way you can look us up a little bit more for your customers, and then just provide them with more things.Doesn't hurt to do that. But this gives them a sense of being afraid of missing, especially if you say, we're only picking three businesses this quarter for a free wellness initiative. Should I save you a spot? Number four, the Business Insider play. This is for corporate offices and HR managers.Now, the goal is to make them feel like an exclusive insider in their own company. You are gonna walk in with an observational comment, and you're gonna use the fear of extra work to your advantage, right? You're gonna walk in and say, you know, I was just talking to someone who works here. They were raving about what a great place this is to work.So I had to stop by and see for myself, what do you guys specialize in? Boom. They're gonna say, oh, wow, that's so great to hear. You know, we really focus on boom, right? They may ask, oh, who are you speaking with? And then say, you know what? I can't think of their name right now, but likethey were super excited about it and they mentioned equality.They were super excited about it. They were really warm. They were awesome. They were.talking it up and I'm like, man, I gotta go check this place out and so forth. once they say, you know what we really focus on, and then they're gonna mention their company culture. You're gonna say, you know, that makes a lot of sense. So if someone was new here and wanted to make the most of their experience, what's the one thing they should know about this place? And then they're gonna mention their specific things about their corporation and so forth. And it works because you instantly build trust because you're not pitching anything.They see you as someone who understands their culture, and they will start seeing you as an insider, making them more likely to say yes later. Now, a follow-up move you can have later in the conversation is, I love hearing about workplaces that actually care about their employees. Do you all do any cool perks for your team?If you mention, oh my gosh, I love hearing how you guys take care of your employees and everything you've taken into consideration for them and their needs. Do y'all do anything for your team, for your employees? Do you have any cool perks? Do you do a health and wellness day? I don't know, something like that, right?But just the best thing you can say is, do you all do any cool perks for your employees, for your team? And then they're gonna let you know everything they do. Now you can do two things. You can say, oh. What, What it cost or how can I be a part of any of that? Just hand out everybody, some freebies too. And then they're gonna ask well, what do you do?And so forth, right? And then boom, it'll be easy breezy from there. So you can do that, or you can say, okay, cool. Awesome. Could we ever host something here? We have quite a bit of patience and I know a lot of your employees, have questions about some specific procedures that we offer. Then they're gonna ask, okay well, what do you do?And then you can continue and boom, you might be able to host your own event. So those are the two things you can do, right? Participate in one of their events or host your own event with them, or provide some type of perk for their team. Now, the final takeaway for this is flip rejections into wins by controlling the narrative.Most businesses reject partnerships, not because they don't need them, but because they fear extra work, competition, or wasted effort. So by using curiosity, reciprocity, and effortless value, you position yourself as an ally, not a solicitor. So remember, the key thing is give before asking, create exclusivity so they feel grateful to work with you and make your offer seem like a zero effort perk.Rather than a commitment. Now, the chapter two of this, we're gonna discuss the psychological breakdown of rejection types, right? So rejection is not a one size fits all. Each type requires a custom response. So I know what you're thinking with the scripts that you heard. You're like, oh man, I'm just gonna use that one script sometimes for all the rejections.And you cannot, right? We've discovered this the hard way. there's about three types of rejections. The ground marketing scenario number one is the reflexive, no, it's an automatic rejection. The cause is an automatic response. They're not even listening to you. An example.No, we don't allow, allow soliciting, right? You just walk in. The solution is interrupt the pattern and it works because it disrupts their automatic no response and forces them to reconsider like thecoffee drop example. You're walking in, you're giving them coffee.That's it. And then once they say no, or maybe they might say yes, right? And continue on with their day. You can come back and they're used to it. They're, oh man, you're here again. What's up? it disrupts their no, and they will be more open to you, providing more information.they're gonna ask more information about you. It's one of the best ones. Number two is the cautious, no. This one's a trust barrier. They don't fully trust your offer yet, or they don't trust you yet. the solution is remove competition from the conversation.You're not replacing their current Provider. You're adding value. So remember that. And then number three is the busy no. And that's a timing issue. They're overwhelmed and don't have the bandwidth for your offer. They say, not now. We're swamped. The solution, acknowledge their situation and ask for something quick.You respect their time, making them more receptive later. So there is a three step rejection counter attack framework that's chapter three here, right? Every rejection is an opportunity to refine your strategy. Number one, you wanna pause and acknowledge the objection, why this step is critical.Psychological insight, right? People feel validated when their concerns are acknowledged. The next thing is when you resist the urge to argue or sell, it disarms their resistance, and then you acknowledge them. Acknowledgement lowers their defenses, making them more likely to reconsider. Now, this is a statistic by the Harvard Business Review, but 67% of people are more likely to continue a conversation if.Their concerns are first validated instead of immediately countered. So let me give you an example of something wrong. The business says, we already have a dentist we refer to, and you say oh, you have them, but we're way better than them. This is wrong. You've now positioned yourself as a competitor, making them defend their existing partnership, and it puts them on the defensive.Making it less likely, they'll engage. The right response would be, oh yeah, you know, I totally get that. That's incredible. A lot of businesses I talk to say the same thing, and then you continue, right? It works because you validate their decision. They don't feel like they have to defend it. You keep the conversation open instead of shutting it down, and it makes them more willing to listen to what you have to say next.You can follow up with that sentence by saying, Hey, outta curiosity, what do your employees love most about that partnership? Boom. And you continue, The conversation. Then you find the cracks, and then you see where you can be the solution to those pain points. Now you've turned their rejection into a conversation starter.Next, you wanna pivot to a value first approach. This step is critical. When people feel they're gaining something rather than being sold something, they are far more likely to engage. If rejection doesn't come with a loss, they are more open to new possibilities. A Salesforce research statistic says 83% of people are willing to listen if they see an immediate low effort benefit.So lemme give you the wrong way to do this. The business says we're not interested. Then you say, well, let me just explain why our practice is different. That's gonna fail. They don't care about you yet. They care about what they gain. So you're trying to overcome the rejection instead of pivoting the conversation.So the right response is, if they say, we're not interested, you're gonna say totally fine. By the way, do you guys ever do anything for the employee wellness days? They're gonna say Employee wellness days, no, not really. What are you talking about? Why? They're gonna say no reason. Just have something that might be cool for your team and I I can drop it off next time if you like.This works. You shift away from your offer and make it about them. Instead, you create curiosity, making them more open to your next visit, and you frame yourself as someone bringing value, not pitching a service. Once they engage you now have a chance to build value naturally. And then the final thing is you can follow up in a non-threatening way, right?In value-driven way, 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups, yet only 8% of salespeople persist past the first rejection. Following up is key with any marketing in general. But especially with ground market, you've got to follow up. Life happens to many people, you need to follow up.The key to successful follow-ups is making them feel effortless and organic. the key mistake people make is they never follow up or they follow up to aggressively. So let me give you an example of a wrong way. Maybe you're returning in two weeks and you say, Hey, I just wanted to check back and see if you're ready To start referring patients to us, that's gonna fail you. They immediately feel like they're being sold something. and it's all about you, not about them. The right way is, Hey, I was in the area and I figured I'd drop off a few of these free hygiene kits or a few of these free travel hygiene kits for your team.Just a little something to say. Thanks for all you do, and that's it. The business is gonna say, oh wow. Thanks. That's really nice of you. You're gonna say, no problem at all. And by the way, I saw something the other day that reminded me of our last conversation. Mind if I ask you a quick question? This works because if you give them something before they're asking for anything, it feels natural, not like a sales follow up, and it creates an opportunity for a real conversation.You can follow up by saying, you know, by the way, if any of your customers ever need a good dentist, let me know. I'd be happy to take care of them. You can present them with a specific offer or a new patient exam or whatever incentive. Right now, they are offering to refer people to you, which is the key.That's what you want, and there's many, many other things we can do, right? Rejection doesn't mean never, it means not yet. The key is knowing how to change the dynamics of the interaction so that the business sees you as a valuable partner instead of a solicitor. We can leverage reciprocity, the psychology of reciprocity, and it works fantastic, right?And a way you can do this the right way is maybe you're targeting a gym that initially rejected your partnership. Now if that happens, you can say, Hey, I was grabbing some snacks from my office and figure your team could use a little fuel. I know how hard you guys work here. So I just wanted to say thanks.And then hand them over some bottled waters and protein bars. Staff is gonna say, oh wow, that's so nice of you. Thank you. You didn't have to do that. You are gonna say in a nonchalant way, it's no big deal. I love what you guys are doing here. Actually, quick question. Do you ever run into members asking about teeth grinding or jaw pain and then this is gonna work, right?Or they're cosmetics or teeth weening. Now this works because you're giving, before asking, triggering the psychological need to reciprocate. It doesn't feel salesy. Makes them more likely to engage. The question naturally transitioned into your services without being pushy. So works fantastic. You can also use tactics like scarcity and urgency as well, right?You can say, Hey, we're only selecting three businesses this quarter for our no-cost wellness initiative. I mean, I know you guys have such a great team. I love to include you. Can I save a spot for you? That's one, and there's many, many more, right, that you can adjust to in this scenario, which is gonna be done in a later episode.How we can go to businesses that maybe perhaps we messed up before we started listening to these episodes and we said, oh man, they've already told us no, they've already rejected us. They've even like kicked us out. How you can turn that around and now go into these businesses and fix it? Fix it and create strong partnerships.So that's gonna be an episode, later down the road, but it's turning around rejections, which is a lot easier than you think. Now I'm gonna give you a, case study on, rejections and how it'll work specifically with corporate office rejection, right?So there was a business that immediately rejected a proposal for an in-office dental screening.Instead of walking away the dentist, they emailed HR with a customized dental wellness month proposal focusing on how it could help employees with stress related dental issues. By the way, in the ground marketing course, we are about to drop all to do this. How to email HR with a customized dental wellness month proposal.And then in the course as well, it's gonna break down the SOP, the standard operating procedure and the system on how to effectively host a dental wellness month with a corporate office. Fantastic. I'm excited for it. It's something we've done a lot, but it's gonna be in the course coming up here probably by the time this episode drops.So we're excited for that. So if you're not a part of the ground marketing course, please feel free to go in the show notes below. Click on the first link in the show notes below to enroll into the Ground Marketing course. You'll get all these strategies and way more specific in-depth scripts and strategies, and this too, as well, the Dental Wellness Month proposal.But at the same time, you'll get a lot of these live ground marketing workshops with myself. But if you are a member of the ground Marketing course, look out for that. It's coming up right here pretty soon, so get excited. Now. The next thing is reframe the event as an exclusive benefit rather than a vendor service.And then offer a small, no pressure reduction, just a free guide in hygiene kits for employees. The results were amazing with this member HR approved the wellness initiative after seeing it framed as an employee benefit. Over 50 employees signed up for screenings within the first month, and the company now offers the dentist services as a permanent employee part.The lesson. If they reject you in person, pivot to the email and make it a tailored offer that fits their priorities. That's what was happening here. The business immediately rejected the proposal in person, but then the email is what got it, is what took it right. So a good takeaway from this episode is rejections are simply missed connections.You can turn them into opportunities by giving before asking reciprocity, right? Creating urgency and exclusivity, scarcity, finding an insider to advocate for you. You have an internal champion and reframing your offer to match their priorities. Customization. So definitely keep this in mind.These scripts are gonna be fantastic. There's more scripts that are gonna be in the ground marketing course, like general approach. I wanna refer my patients to you. I wanna support your members. I want to help your families. I love to support your customers. I wanna help your students getting them to promote you.These scripts are gonna be inside the ground marketing course as well under this, specific unit. But yeah. If you're not a part of the ground marketing course, like I said, definitely go in the show notes below. Click on the first link and see everything it has to offer. And if you are a member of the Ground Marketing course, I'm excited to talk to you in the next Live Ground Marketing workshop and look out for the Dental Wellness Month proposal, the email, and the actual SOP for that that you can start implementing and utilizing soon.Alright, in the next episode, we will be discussing leveraging community events for maximum impact. Talk to you soon.

Which path offers more freedom in the long run: corporate dentistry or owning your own practice?In this episode, we're getting into a candid conversation with Ken Kilday, who expertly navigates the often-complex waters of transitioning from corporate dentistry to practice ownership. Ken brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, uncovering the numerous advantages of owning a practice and debunking the myths surrounding corporate dentistry's ease. With control, flexibility, and autonomy on the line, Ken emphasizes what truly transformative practice ownership can be when driven by intentional planning and clear goal-setting.The episode is chock-full of indispensable advice, from striking a balance between the clinical and business elements to fostering an uplifting workplace culture. Ken shares insights on using strategic templates for success, asking the right probing questions to align your motivations, and embedding core values into your business ethos. Wrapping up the discussion, Ken provides a roadmap for corporate dentists eager to make the shift, while also shining a light on strategies to keep passion alive and dodge burnout in the demanding field of dentistry.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why owning a dental practice can offer unmatched control and freedom.The importance of clear goal-setting and intentional planning.Practical tips on structuring your practice with specialized templates.Key questions to clarify your motivations and business aims.Techniques for integrating core values into your practice.Steps for transitioning from corporate to practice ownership.Tips for sustaining passion and avoiding burnout in dentistry.Don't miss out on Ken Kilday's valuable insights into transforming your dental career—join us on this episode!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment‍Guest: Ken KildayBusiness Name: Leader's CutCheck out Ken's Media:‍Website: kenkilday.com/industries/dentistryKen's Resources: makingthecut.biz‍Love the Podcast? Let Us Know How We're Doing on Apple Podcasts!‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Books:Through the Looking-Glass‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

What would make patients EXCITED to refer their friends and family to your practice?In this episode of the Ground Marketing Series, we unveil the secrets to crafting a high-performing patient referral program tailored for dental practices. Navigating the maze of compliance might seem daunting, but we're breaking down the barriers, offering you a roadmap to a program that is as effective as it is legal. We dive into a list of innovative strategies and enticing rewards designed to inspire your patients to become enthusiastic promoters of your practice. Learn how to play within the rules while making your referral program the talk of the town with ideas like luxury mini items, mystery gifts, and VIP dental perks.Beyond strategic insights, this episode provides a personal touch with practical examples, real-life scenarios, and ready-to-use scripts for engaging patient conversations. Discover how to transform your referral program from mundane to mesmerizing by tapping into psychological triggers such as urgency and surprise. By the end of this episode, you'll not only have a blueprint for invigorating your patient base to refer, but also learn how to stay within state regulations while doing so. Don't just aim for passive referrals—dare to craft an experience that keeps patients talking.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How to design a referral program aligned with legal and ethical standards.Impactful reward ideas that excite and engage your patients.The role of urgency and surprise in enhancing referral participation.Harnessing luxury mini items and local business perks for maximum appeal.Scripts and scenarios to easily implement these strategies in practice.The power of social proof to amplify your referral efforts.Let's learn how to create a captivating referral program—tune in now!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Other Mentions and Links:‍TDM Articles: Legal and Ethical Patient Referral Strategies for Dental Practices‍Organizations/Laws:Anti-Kickback StatuteState Dental BoardsSunshine Act‍Businesses/BrandsChanelDiorYSLInvisalignKlatch Coffee‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors) Michael: The ultimate compliant and irresistible patient referral program. We're gonna be diving into strategies and gifts that actually work. So this episode with ground marketing, we're gonna talk about creating a referral program that works. How to make patients want to refer while staying fully legal and ethical.Now, most referral programs fail. They don't excite patients enough, and let's be real. No one cares about appreciation clubs or educational seminars that much patients want something they actually desire. But we also need to ensure full compliance with the A KS, the anti-kickback statute, and the state Dental Board regulations.This episode's gonna break down highly enticing, fully compliant, and unique referral strategies that make patients want to refer without violating federal or state laws. Now, just a heads up, by the time this episode comes out there is going to be a article, out on the website titled Navigating Referral Marketing for Dentist.It's gonna say compliance and ethical strategies. And in there, I mean, you can kind of see the draft right here if you're watching on YouTube, but you can kind of see, I talk about understanding the Sunshine Act and the a KS for dentists. How can dentists reward referring offices without violating the law?Gives you exactly, Hey, gift cards, are they okay or not? What kind of gives thank you cards? What's legal and ethical? I break that down. How to stay compliant with referral marketing. So much more. And I'm gonna go deeper into the article as well. So that article is gonna be out.I'm gonna put a link to it in the show notes below by the time this episode goes live as well. But going back to this episode with ground marketing, we're gonna talk about right now, the secret to making a referral program work. Now, a successful referral program has three key components. One, the reward must be something they actually want.So if it's boring, they're not gonna refer right? Two, it must be compliant. So that means no cash, no high value gives, or direct financial incentives. And then three, it must feel like an effortless bonus. So effortless, the patient should feel like they're getting a pleasant surprise rather than being bribed.Okay, and I dive deeper into this in the ground marketing course. Now, the goal for this, instead of saying, refer a friend and get $50, we want to create an exciting, ethical, and legal reason for patients to spread the word. Okay? So now that we got that down, the three things that have to be in a referral program, has to be something they want.Nothing boring, must be compliant, and it must feel effortless, like an effortless bonus, right? So that moves on to number two. Now, here's where we can dive deep and let our imagination run a little bit more wild. But at the same time, remember the state that you're in, the law and everything like that.So I'm gonna give you some things that our members have used, I've witnessed, I've used, that is an incredible, fully compliant reward, right? It's highly enticing. So number one. Luxury experienced based gifts. Now, why this works? Patients love unique experiences. It makes them feel special. So instead of cash, offer low cost, but high perceived value gifts.Okay, A compliant experience-based reward. Here's some ideas. Luxury candle or skincare gift set. This can be under $15 coffee subscription, a one month trial, right under $15 as well. Designer Lip balm they have Chanel, Dior, YSL, et cetera. Those are under $15. Artisan Chocolate Box or Gourmet snack Pack, Those can be under $15. Then maybe like a cozy night in package, and that can involve face mask, herbal tea, mini candle, right under 15, $20. A lot of the times it's the way you're gonna word this and package it, I'll give you an example of the wording and how important it is. A lot of the times we may say, Hey, Free consultation on your Invisalign. And we see that everywhere all the time. Everybody's like, Hey, course it's free. Everybody else is offering it free. But if you say, Hey, your first session of Invisalign is free. Now, people who are ready to get it in their mindset. They're more ready than the free consultation person.They're thinking, holy snaps, I get the first session for free. They don't know. The first session is a consultation. They're just in their mind. The first session is free. Let's do this kind of a thing. Boom. So the wording has a lot to do with this. So you can, instead of just saying, Hey, face mask, herbal tea, and mini candle package, you know, you just say, Hey, a cozy night in package right?an example script for this could be, Hey, thank you for referring your friend. As a little appreciation gift. We have a luxury skincare set waiting for you at your next visit. I can guarantee this is gonna ensure. That they will show up for their next appointment. And it works because people associate luxury with high value, even if it's a small cost designer brand.Mini items feel premium, but they stay compliant. So that's number one, right? Luxury experience based gifts. Two monthly surprise gift box. Now, this adds like a fun mystery factor and why this works. Patients love the ex excitement of mystery gifts. The psychological trigger of surprise and delight makes them want to refer more and how this works.Each month have a small mystery referral gift box in your office. Patients who refer get to pick one at their next visit. It's a mystery box and the example items, they're all under $15. Okay. this is what you can have in these mystery boxes. Mini essential oil set. You can have a high end travel toothpaste kit, gourmet popcorn or snack packs, many hand poured soy candles.And now depending on the community you live in, you can purchase some of these things from small businesses in your community and have these in the mystery. Bags or gifts. And then not only are you partnering up with another business and creating rapport, and maybe y'all guys can do even more things together, but boom, this is your foot in the door in order to get into that small business and get the employees to come in.But at the same time, now you're having them participate in something. for example, the mini hand poured soy candle, right? There can be a candle shop somewhere. And then another one is premium hydrating lip balm, right? Like the ones we discussed before. So mini essential oil set, high end travel toothpaste kit, gourmet snack pack, popcorn, anything like that.Candles, mini hand or soy candles, and then premium hydrating lip balm. Anything in this referral gift box, can have that, right? An example script for patients is, Hey, you've earned a pick from our mystery referral box. So go ahead, pick which one will you choose, and you can even record this, put it on social media, make it a big deal.It's fantastic and it works because patients will refer multiple times to try different gifts. The mystery element adds extra appeal, so it's not just a one-time thing. They're gonna try to refer multiple times to get multiple things right. So that's number two. Monthly, surprise gift box. It adds a fun mystery factor.Now, three local business perks. Now this one's huge. This is one we always do all the time with a lot of our members in our offices. Now this works because instead of a cash or gift cards, you partner with local businesses to offer exclusive low cost perks that feel high value. Now, example of local business perks are VIP perk at a coffee shop.Hey, your next drink upgrade is on us, right? Two free ice cream scoop at a local spot. Hey, enjoy sweet treat on us. Three exclusive, $10 boutique store credit so you can get store credit, paid by your practice. You don't have to buy a whole thing. It can just be this is for store credit. Next 10 minute chair massage at a local spa.Same thing, right? Store credit. Another one mini flower bouquet from a local florist, that's it. I mean, Those are example local business perks. And the script you can say for that is, Hey, we partnered with The local business to treat you. Your referral earns you an exclusive free drink upgrade next time you visit.however you want to word that right? Your referral earns you an exclusive $10 boutique store credit at. And it works because patients get real perks at places they already visit. Making the reward way more exciting. So this involves you getting to know, obviously, your target audience, where you want more of your target audience to come from.But at the same time, if you do an EPA, which we talk about that in the course, an existing patient analysis where you sit down. And think, who are my favorite patients that I currently see right now, or that I want to see once my practice is open, write it all down and boom. You're like, okay, where do they go?Where do they shop? What kind of coffee do they like? Where do they work? Where do they live? All these things. Now you're able to tailor make your referral program to that. So let's just say they go to Clutch Coffee, right? And they love Clutch Coffee. They talk about all the time, I know that I've even seen them there.Blah, blah, blah. Boom. VIP perk at a coffee shop once their referral, right? So if they send a referral, be like, Hey, I got you a VIP perk at a coffee shop. Your next drink upgrade is on us. You ain't even gotta worry about it. they're gonna love it. They're gonna see, that's my favorite coffee shop. How'd you know I go there all the time?Oh, much, much bigger impact than, Hey, here's 50 bucks. Here's a reward, right? And then the ethics plays a role in that, and you're not gonna get as much. So trust me, that is huge. The more you pay attention to your patients and where they go and what they like to do and who they are, the easier it is to build a rewards referral program and it will skyrocket your practice.From that point on, you can do a number four, which is a VIP dental perk. So this is non-monetary, but highly valuable. So real quick, a recap. We discussed three things so far on building a Referral rewards program. So number one is luxury experience based gifts.Michael: Two is monthly surprise gift box, which I think is fantastic. Three is local business perks. Another one. Fantastic, right? All these are fantastic, but local business perks creates a community hype. The community gets more involved. You know what I mean? You'll get more referrals from other businesses like that and so forth.Now, number four is a VIP, dental perks non-monetary, but highly valuable. Now, this works because patients value, convenience, and special treatment more than discounts. compliant VIP dental perks idea would be first pick for preferred appointment slots. Priority scheduling for family members, complimentary comfort upgrade.So maybe aromatherapy, neck pillow, something right that you guys do. Massage chairs or a skip the line fast pass for check-in, right? That works once in a while, but you can do something like that, especially if you are a highly, highly busy office. So an example script for patients that you can say is as a thank you for referring a friend, you are now on our VIP priority list for scheduling.And you can mention things like that. And it works because it creates exclusive benefits without violating compliance laws. So those are the four things you can do now, how to make the referral program feel more enticing. This is huge right here because you've created it, you're excited about it. You wanna put it out there.But you want people to start referring and you want them to take advantage of this program that you've created. So if you're just offering it, Hey, we have a rewards program, that's not enough. You need to present it in a way that makes patients excited to participate. So there's a couple things we can do, but I'm gonna mention three.Number one, use fomo. Fear of missing out, how to apply that instead of, Hey, refer a friend and get a gift. Maybe you should use, Hey, there's only 20 mystery referral gifts available this month. Once they're gone, they're gone. And then you continue. This works because people don't wanna miss out.Limited quantities equals higher participation. Two, make it feel personal and unexpected. This is how you're gonna apply it. Instead of telling everyone ahead of time, surprise them after they refer with the small, unexpected reward. So an example script for patients.Would be, wow, you refer to friend. Thank you so much. That's amazing. We have a little something for you next time you visit, And then you have it. Or if you already have it right then and there, that's perfect. You can just give it to them. But it works because you surprise them. And surprise rewards feel more special than expected ones.Now, number three is use social proof, make people see others referring. So feature referral shout outs in your office or social media. An example is like, Hey, thank you so much for this patient's name for referring a friend. We love them. Enjoy your mystery referral gift, right? And then they get the mystery referral gifts.You can make it a whole thing. And this works because patients feel encouraged to participate when they see others doing it.Now, these referral rewards program have reciprocity. People refer when they feel they owe you something. So if someone receives value first, they feel an obligation to return the favor. This is the science of reciprocity, so how you can apply this before asking for a referral. Give patients something first.Offer a small, unexpected gift at the end of an appointment, Branded lip balm, specific gum, or a $5 coffee card. And when they say thank you, mention the referral program. Yeah, you know what we love surprising best patients with small gifts. Here's a little something to say. Thank you. Oh. And if you know anyone looking for a great dentist, we'd love to take care of them too.Do you know anyone? And then that's it. Ask the question. Hey, by any chance, do you know anyone? we'll give the time. Be in silence for as long as you need to be until they come up with a name. And then now it starts working. Now you can start asking for that referral. It works because patients now feel obligated to refer because you gave first.So train your team to mention the referral program every single visit. That's it. That's what's gonna do it all honestly, is the consistency of that. Your front desk and hygienist should mention it at checkout or any moment that they get and create a pre-written script for staff to use. Make it themselves, use their personality with it, but should be something short, sweet, and to the point.So how to create an unstoppable referral program. In summary, you want to offer high perceived value gifts, select luxury mini items, local perks, surprise gifts. Use VIP scheduling perks or priority treatment as incentives if you want. Leverage, mystery and exclusivity to create fomo. Partner with local businesses for exclusive referral only perks, and make patients feel personally appreciated instead of just earning a gift. What you don't want to do is offer cash, gift cards, or high value incentives, That's a violation of the a KS. You don't want to make it feel like a transaction instead of an appreciation, and you don't want to use complicated referral processes.Keep it effortless, even to the point where take out that card. Sometimes we see that, Hey, here's a card if you want. Just give it to someone then write your name on the back. And then when they come into the practice and then they give me that card, I'll see your name and I'll know that you're the one who referred.That's too much it should just be like, Hey, come to my dentist. And that's it. It shouldn't have to be that whole long process where you need to get all that stuff. So the final winning strategy, make the referral gift something patients genuinely want but wouldn't normally buy for themselves.Use this strategy and your referral program will be the most enticing and legally compliant patient growth machine ever. Okay, now let me give you some examples how this works. The situation a dentist struggles to get consistent referrals. So we're gonna call this person Dr. Samantha, the general dentist at a small but loyal patient base, yet very few people were referring friends or family, and she had tried offering $25 discounts and free whitening, but she realized that these incentives weren't compliant and didn't excite patients.The problem patients saw discounts as unexciting. Two, her referral program felt like a transaction, not a reward. And three, the discounts could violate anti-kickback laws. The solution she had to have high perceived value, low cost luxury gifts. So Dr. Samantha switched to a referral gift system based on small but desirable luxury items.So instead of discounts, she offered mini Dior. Chanel or YSL, lip balms, luxury scented candles, organic self-care kits all under $20. Now how it worked, A patient referred a friend and when the referred friend came in, the refer received a luxury mini gift at their next visit. So the friend came in and, yeah, I came in from this person.Okay, cool. Awesome, wonderful. And then they gave a gift. Then patients loved it because it felt premium and personal, not like a discount, and the script was, you deserve a little luxury. You know, When you refer a friend, we'll have an exclusive Dior lip bal, or spa candle or mystery gift waiting for you at your next visit.It's exciting. They come in the results. Are incredible. You'll triple referrals in a short amount of time. Patients actively were asking, do you still have those little gifts available? And it's completely compliant. There's no cash, no high value incentives, just low cost appreciation gifts. Always remember people love branded premium feeling gifts, even if they're small luxury beats discounts every single time.You can also do the mystery box, right? mystery box works well. Patient refers a friend when they came in for their next visit, they got pull a mystery gift from the box, and patients love the excitement of not knowing what they'd get. So when that happened, I mean, referrals skyrocket, right?Some patients referred multiple people just to get another mystery box, and it stayed compliant because the gifts were low cost, but fun and desirable. And remember, people love surprises and games turning referrals into a fun experience makes them want to refer again. if you do decide to do the mystery box, make sure you record it.Post it on social media, make it a whole thing that's exciting, that's fun. And also the local business local community referral rewards program. That too, record that, post that on social media. Make it a big, huge thing. Now, all these successful programs had many things in common.they offered something patients actually wanted, they avoided financial kickbacks and stayed compliant. They made referrals feel special, not transactional, and they created an experience. Patients wanted to repeat. Now, if you want more referrals, do that. Do exactly what you heard in this episode and this whole episode along with the scripts and everything you're watching and seeing along with more scripts will be in the ground marketing course.If you're not a part of the ground marketing course, make sure you go in the show notes below. And enroll. I love to see you in there. We're always growing at making more, in there as well. But at the same time, you'll see the scripts. You'll learn how to get into businesses. You'll learn how to get into corporations everywhere in your community and not just start tracking new patients obviously immediately, but at the same time, you'll start becoming the go-to practice in your community.go in the show notes below. Click on the first link in the show notes below. Check to see. All that's inside of the course. We continue to add to it, but at the same time, you can already see everything that's inside of the course and I'd love to see you in there. So in our next episode, we're gonna be talking about overcoming rejection in ground marketing.So thank you so much for tuning in, and I'll talk to you in the next episode.

‍Ever wondered how to navigate life’s big challenges while single-handedly running a dental practice? In this episode of The Dental Marketer, Dr. Melissa Torres details her journey from contemplation to execution and her eventual success in the realm of dentistry. Despite the weight of decisions, self-doubts, and life's unexpected turns, Melissa persisted, primarily banking on personal introspection and journaling for clarity and direction. She exposes her innovative approach of assembling a team with less experience but a profound willingness to learn, crediting social media as a primary platform for recruitment. What You'll Learn in This Episode:How personal introspection and journaling can help gain clarity and purpose while facing significant decisions.Insights on how to effectively manage consultants and contractors for the success of your business.Melissa's unique approach to recruitment and why she chose to train newcomers instead of hiring experienced professionals.Strategies for coping with unforeseen setbacks and staff changes before and after launching your practice.Melissa's experiences and recommendations about different companies she associated with while setting up her dental practice.A personal story of managing a profound personal loss while still handling the daily operations of a thriving business.Harnessing the power of social media not just for brand visibility, but also as an recruitment tool.Listen as Melissa shares her riveting journey of the ups and downs of the dental industry!(This episode originally aired on 1/4/2024)‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment‍Guest: Dr. Melissa TorresPractice Name: Miel Dental AestheticsCheck out Melissa's Media:Website: https://mieldentalaesthetics.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmelissatorresEmail: inquiries@drmelissatorres.com‍Companies/Software/Services: Open Dental Ideal PracticesIdentify DesignsDarkhorse TechCiscoCasperTranscendental, LLC (marketing company)Google AdsIndeed‍People/Communities: Dr. Ashley Dawson - Dawson Modern DentistryDr. Taher DhoonDr. Christopher Green‍Books/Publications:The Practice Launchpad: Insights From The Experts: Unraveling The Complexities Of Practice Ownership‍Establishments/Brands:Howard UniversityTargetStarbucks‍Products:StairMaster‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

How do some dentists seem to always have a steady stream of patient referrals without hefty advertising budgets?This episode of the Ground Marketing Series covers the art of effective networking for your practices. Get ready to uncover the secrets behind successful in-person marketing as I share valuable networking hacks to elevate your practice's local presence. From pre-event preparation to executing a seamless follow-up system, you'll learn how to transform casual conversations into lasting partnerships. I also share a compelling case study about a practice owner who became the top pediatric dentist in her area by building a strong referral network with local daycares, showcasing the transformative power of strategic networking.By tuning into this episode, you'll discover advanced networking tactics like becoming a connector and leveraging reciprocity to keep referrals flowing. We emphasize the importance of leading with value and expecting nothing in return, a mindset shift that will undoubtedly enhance your networking outcomes. Whether you're a multi-practice owner or new to the field, these strategies will help you cultivate meaningful connections that extend beyond the dental chair.This is not just about making connections—it's about making the right ones that will sustain your practice's growth.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Effective pre-event preparation techniques for meaningful interactions.Strategies for making instant connections and reinforcing relationships.Building a robust follow-up system for converting contacts into partners.Advanced networking tactics to generate ongoing referrals.Real-world success story of a dental practice owner boosting her community profile.The philosophy of giving value first in all interactions.Don't miss out—hit play now to learn the networking strategies that can elevate your practice!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Groups/Communities:EventbriteRotary ClubChamber of Commerce‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors) Michael: Networking hacks for dental practices. Now, why most dentists struggle at networking events, this is gonna be the guide and it's a tactical, researched backed guide to winning local events.Michael: Now, networking is one of the fastest, lowest cost ways to generate referrals. Partnerships and community presence for your dental practice. However, most dentists fail to make the most of networking events because they one go in without a clear plan, so that leads to wasted time. Two, they focus too much on selling instead of building relationships.Three, they fail to stand out from other attendees. Just another dentist in the crowd, right? And then four, they do not follow up properly. Connections fade fast. So following up is huge. So the key to networking success is to position yourself as a resource for others, build strategic connections and leverage follow-ups to create ongoing referral pipelines.So this episode provides detailed steps. Backed by psychology and real world networking strategies, what we've done. So you dominate every networking event you attend and turn contacts into long term patient sources. So number one, preparing like a pro before the event. Most of the work happens before you even walk into the event.So first thing you wanna do is set a clear goal so you walk away. Real results. Okay, so most dentists attend events thinking, you know, I'm just gonna meet people and see what happens. No, don't ever do that. Okay? That's a huge mistake. Instead, define your specific objective.Here's an example. I wanna get three strategic partnerships with businesses that can send me patience. I wanna meet at least five key decision makers who can refer people to me. I wanna get 10 high quality follow-ups from business owners who fit my referral criteria. So an example you can tell yourself is by the end of this event, I will connect with three businesses that attract my ideal patients and set up follow-up meetings to discuss collaborations.so that is step number one. You wanna set a clear goal. This is all the pre networking strategy. So imagine this all falls under the pre networking strategy umbrella. So number one, set a clear goal. Two, research the event and attendees so you know exactly who to target. Most networking attendees go in blind.But the most successful professionals research attendees ahead of time so they know, number one, who is attending. So look at the events. Facebook, LinkedIn, or RSVP list two, what businesses align with your ideal patient profile, right? If you're a pediatric practice and you see a pediatrician going, you see a gymboree owner going, you see specific locations where they.Provide, information or medical attention, or they provide clothes or whatever to pediatrics or schools, that's who you wanna see, right? Businesses that align with your ideal patient profile. Brie, who are the sponsors or speakers who are often the most influential people in the room? For our competitors attending.Not to over highlight that, but just so you know, you know, you wanna differentiate yourself before the event, so our competitors attending. Now what you can do is look up attendees on LinkedIn and find common connections. You can check Google reviews and social media of businesses attending.Find something specific to compliment them on. Okay. Then search for recent press releases or events hosted by key businesses. Why this works? ' cause you enter the event with strategic targets, not just random introductions. You already know something personal about the people you meet, making your approach memorable and you can prepare specific conversation starters that make you stand out.so we wanna research the event and attendees.Step three, strategic positioning. Where to stand, maximizes high value conversation. This is huge. this is something we never think about, but you need to start thinking about it. And once I tell you about it, you're gonna always think about this now, where to position yourself, areas to avoid. So near the entrance, people are rushing in not paying attention.Avoid that. Near the food table, people are focused on eating. Get outta there at the far end of the room. There ain't no foot traffic there. Get outta there. The best spots to stand near the drink station people gather here naturally be there in the center of the room. That's where the highest traffic flows.Flows to event organizers. They can introduce you to VIPs, near keynote speakers or sponsors. People approach them first. Okay? So the best spots and then the worst spots why this works. But you place yourself where conversations naturally happen instead of forcing them, you get introduced to key people without effort, and you make it easier for the right people to find you.Those are the three things under the pre networking strategy. You wanna set a clear goal, number one, two, research the event and attendees, and three, know where you're gonna be. Strategically position yourself for maximum conversation. Now the second major step is how to approach people and make an instant connection.There's a couple steps here. Now the perfect first impression formula. This is a psychology hack. Studies show people decide whether they like you within the first seven seconds, the three step first impression formula. So number one, open with value instead of introducing yourself. Okay? So instead of saying, Hey, I'm Dr.Smith, a dentist in town right here, that's generic, forgettable, right? Say, Hey, I love what you're doing with, and then mention their business name. I actually mentioned your business to some of my patients recently, and I say, really? Oh wow, wonderful. What do you do? Right? That's beautiful. Hey, I love what you're doing with their business name.I actually mentioned your business to some of my patients recently, or I mentioned some of your work or anything like that, right? To some of my patients recently. That's it. So that's step one, your opening with value. Step two, ask a question that gets them talking. Great networking questions are like, Hey, what inspired you to start your business?what's been the most exciting thing happening in your business lately? Or, Hey, what kind of clients do you love working with the most? So I know that way I can send you those type of patients. Boom, right? That's what they're gonna love. I personally do number three all the time. What kind of clients, patients, customers do you love working with the most?That way I know I can refer those type of patients to you, or talk about your business a little bit more, right? That's step two. Ask questions that get them talking. Step three, use the name Reinforcement Trick. So as we know, we've heard this a lot of the times, we can say their name. Hey, that's really interesting, Mike.I'll have to check that out. It was great meeting you, Mike, right? Studies show that repeating someone's name makes them like and remember you more. Why this works, you immediately offer value. Instead of sounding self-promotional, you get them talking about themselves. Which makes them enjoy the conversation and you become instantly memorable.Now, how to stand out from other dentists so this makes them remember you. so most dentists at networking events sound the same. You know, I run a dental practice, we do this, that general cosmetic dentistry, but instead of saying that, say something that sparks curiosity. Yeah. Help professionals get the kind of smile that closes business deals.I make sure parents never have to fight their kids to get to the dentist. Or I work with athletes to improve endurance through better oral health. This is according to their business. That's what you're gonna say. So if it's like a fitness studio I work with athletes to improve endurance through better oral health.It's a children's facility, daycare, you know, I make sure parents never have to fight their kids to go to the dentist. Awesome. It's professionals, right? Realtors or whatever, I help professionals get the kind of smile that closes business deals. Wow. Intrigues them. Why this works. It gets them asking questions instead of tuning out.It makes you stand out from every other dentist in the room and it shifts the conversation into how you can help them. So that's what's gonna be under the how to approach people and make an instant connection. You did that. You made an instant connection.Now here's three. The follow-up system turning connections into long-term partnerships. So what most people do is they either try to hand out business cards or collect some and then they never follow up or they send a generic nice meeting you email. What you should do instead is follow up within 24 hours, reference something specific you talked about and give them value before asking for anything.an example email can be the subject. Hey, it was great meeting you at this event. And then their name, Hey person's name, it was us meeting you at the event last night. I really enjoyed our conversation about a specific topic that you guys talked about. I wanted to follow up because I think we really align well and I'd love to feature you in our next patient newsletter.I'd love to have some of your information, in our hygiene kits so our patients can see it. Do you have any promotions or events? I can share with our patients. And that's it. Looking forward to staying in touch. All the best. Your name. Now, when you do this, It's an open-ended question.You're waiting for them to hear back and they're like, yeah, we do have promotions. Yeah, we do have events happening this month and all that. Now it's easier for when you go and pick up their information. You can just say, Hey, could we ever participate in your events? Set up a small booth to the side.They're gonna say, yeah, of course. Remember that's that little small percent. You've done all this leg where you've done 95%, you've done it all. You're saying, Hey uh, can we do this? Can we do that? Blah, blah, blah. Oh my gosh, yes. They're looking for a way to give back to you and you say, Hey, well by the way, can we do this?And then boom, you're able to do it. But that's the email fault. Well, if you want to do why this works, it reminds them of your conversation. It gives them something before asking for anything, and it naturally leads them to returning the favor. perfect right now. A lot of the times you can have advanced networking tactics, so you wanna become the most valuable person in the room, you know, instead of just networking for yourself, introduce people to each other.Meaning if you meet a personal trainer and a chiropractor, introduce them. Hey Mike, you should meet Sarah. She runs a fitness center, and I think your services would compliment each other. That makes it even easier for all three of you to do an event together. But this works because they now see you as a valuable connection and they will naturally start sending referrals your way.So the final takeaway for this is the golden Networking Rule that guarantees results. Give value first. Expect nothing in return, and people will want to promote you. Okay, use this strategy and you will never leave a networking event empty handed. I love doing this. I love getting everyone's business card as well.Michael: And then I love following up with them in person the next day at their place of business. And then I'm able to even leave signup sheets, leave information, so now I can attract their employees from their business to come. I'm not just going to networking events, trying to get these one-off patients that are there.You know, Hey, are you looking for a dentist, a gym owner, then yeah. Come to my practice. Hey, are you looking for a, dentist? Yeah. Come to my practice. No, it's not all about that. You're looking to create these partnerships. Now there's many examples on how a lot of our members have done this.For example, there's a practice owner, she mastered networking to partner with a daycare and became the number one pediatric dentist in town. She searched Facebook events and looked for business networking groups. She checked her local Chamber of Commerce websites, which many cities list upcoming business mixers and luncheons by the way.So it could be a Rotary Club, chamber of Commerce website. She found a women in business meetup happening at a coworking space, and this was smart ' cause daycare owners are often female entrepreneurs, and this event had a. high chance of attracting them and parents groups and women's networking events often have small business owners who run child-focused services.So how she checked the RSVP list to find key attendees. She checked the events online page. She visited the Facebook event page and clicked the going tab. She noticed a few names she didn't recognize, but saw a woman named or a specific woman. who owned and it said like founder and director of Little Explorers Learning Center, local Daycare Center.She also checked the Eventbrite attendee list. That's sometimes available, sometimes that's not available. And she saw names linked to local businesses, and then she typed in, you know what I mean, the businesses, their names and found their websites Facebook page. So she's doing a lot of the pre-planning.She checked their reviews to see what parents loved most about the daycares. She followed the daycare on Instagram to get a feel of their branding and parent interactions, and this was smart. She knew who she wanted to talk to before even arriving. She discovered conversation starters from reading the daycare's reviews.Parents loved their hands-on activities and personal attention, and then she positioned herself to offer value based on what the daycare's valued. So how does she stand out? She didn't stand by the food table or in the corner. Instead, she positioned herself near the drink station, then closed the event organizer, and obviously in the center of the room, she didn't force conversations.She let them happen naturally. The organizer introduced them, and it was perfect from that point on, right? a lot of the times you just walk in there and you're in the back of the room and you're thinking, I want to talk to that person, you're gonna talk yourself outta that. You're gonna overthink something.Don't. Talk to other people, be where everybody's at. Then finally, the perfect conversation started so it didn't feel like a sales pitch. She said, Hey, I've heard suchgreat things about your daycare. but she mentioned the name. A couple of my patients parents rave about your daycare. What's been your favorite part of running now? She immediately made the conversation about her, the business owner, not herself.She mentioned the parents' testimonials, which showed the business owner's daycares reputation was spreading, and she used an open-ended question, allowing the business owner to talk about her passion. Now. It was fantastic. The response was fantastic. She even told us the response. She was like, wow, that's amazing to hear.I love that we get to build a safe and loving space for kids. It's been so rewarding. But at this point, the doctor has done three key things successfully. She complimented the success, and then she made the business owner feel appreciated and valued, and she got the business owner to open up about her challenges, then the reciprocity. Using reciprocity to make the business owner want to help in return. So the practice owner, the doctor I remember said, I love how much you prioritize a positive environment for kids. know, I have a lot of families in my practice who are always looking for great daycares.I'd love to share your daycare in our next patient newsletter. you have any upcoming enrollment events I can mention? Now, this was genius because she offered something first, pre-promotion. She made it low effort for the business owner, just sharing existing events and she subtly positioned yourself as an expert on child wellness.Now, the business owner obviously was like, this is fantastic. I love it. Yeah, let's make this magic happen. So then step five, she kind of continued, she also offered a way, would it be okay if I left a little signup sheet, once she was in there for the parents who might have questions about baby teeth and first visits?Maybe we can do a workshop or, do patient education, but at the same time we can, if they need a visit right now, we can offer that too. Here's a signup sheet and it was perfect. ' cause it wasn't a sales pitch, it was framed as a helpful resource. It aligned with the daycare's values, right? Child development, and it felt like a natural next step in the conversation.So she loved it and that was it. After that, it was basically just following up, going to the events, And this was a long-term referral system that followed and the daycare kept, our members signup sheet on display year round, which was fantastic because that was like a major resource for her.Every new group of parents saw it, saw this signup sheet that was always on display, and signed up for the first visit tips, at the same time for first visits and also the daycare actively referred new families whenever questions came up. And then uh, our members sent occasional check-ins and continued to promote the daycare too as well.The results are fantastic. Over 20 parents signed up within six weeks, continue to refer and lo and behold, our member became the number one recommended pediatric dentist in the community. it's fantastic. So the final takeaway is the networking formula that guarantees referrals.Five things you wanna research before the event. Two. Open with a compliment and an engaging question. Three, offer to promote them. First. Four, introduce a signup sheet as a helpful resource, not a sales pitch if you can't do that. And then five, follow up within 24 hours with a personalized message.So you want to do that right at these networking events. Now, introducing a signup sheet as a helpful resource, not a sales pitch. if you're at their place of business and you decide to leave a signup sheet, you don't have to right In the ground marketing course, obviously there's much, much more into depth.We discussed this, especially how to network, how to drop off signup sheets and stuff like that. So if you are and you wanna enroll into the ground marketing course, I highly recommend you do that. You can go ahead and check out everything that's in the course. Go on the first link in the show notes below, and you can go from there.But yeah, that's basically how to make this happen at networking events. So go ahead and check that out. I'm excited to see you in the ground marketing course if you decide to enroll, we're having tons of success with our members there, like you just heard right now. And that's just with one strategy, right?That's just what networking at events or a daycare strategy that's not with all the other businesses and locations that you can be involved in and, have, right. Definitely make sure you enroll into the ground marketing course to have that type of success and so much more. So thank you so much for tuning in, and on our next episode we're gonna be discussing creating a referral program that works.So I'm excited to dive into that. thank you so much for tuning in. I'll talk to you in the next episode.‍

What's holding you back from being the face of your business?In this episode, we're sitting down with Linda Ugelow to uncover the intricate layers of public speaking anxiety, especially in the digital landscape of social media to bring visibility to your practice. Linda breaks down how past experiences often fuel these fears and guides us on a journey of self-discovery to forgive and embrace self-compassion. She shares simple yet transformative tactics, like starting a video diary and befriending the camera lens, that ease the anxiety of speaking to an audience, fostering authentic connections and confidence.The discussion goes beyond the surface, diving into how these unresolved fears can stifle business growth and disrupt team synergy. Linda illustrates the necessity of reshaping our mindsets surrounding sales and public interactions, proposing a enlightening approach to redefine these experiences. She encourages us to celebrate our achievements and acknowledge our points of vulnerability to ensure practice growth in a more meaningful way.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Discover the root causes of public speaking anxiety.Cultivate self-compassion and forgiveness to overcome fear.Practical tactics for improving comfort with speaking on camera.The effect of unresolved fears on business growth and team dynamics.Strategies for redefining your approach to sales and public interactions.How self-reflection on pride and forgiveness can enhance speaker effectiveness.Let's learn how conquering our fears of public speaking can change our practice and our life for the better with Linda Ugelow!‍‍Guest: Linda UgelowBusiness Name: Linda UgelowCheck out Linda's Media:‍Website: lindaugelow.comTikTok: tiktok.com/@lindaugelowLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lindaugelowCoaching: lindaugelow.com/work-togetherLinda's Book "Delight in the Limelight": lindaugelow.com/delight-in-the-limelight‍Love the Podcast? Let Us Know How We're Doing on Apple Podcasts!‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Terms:EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)‍Groups/Communities:Rotary Club‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

Ever at a loss for words when trying to partner with local businesses?In this episode of the Ground Marketing Series, I'm uncovering the secrets behind a compelling pitch that transforms your dental practice into a patient magnet. Start by rethinking how you present your offer to potential partners, focusing on partnerships that bring continuous value to both sides. Amidst discussions on common missteps made in ground marketing, we're diving into the psychology that dictates an irresistible pitch. We'll walk through the six psychological triggers—reciprocity, authority, social proof, scarcity, commitment, and liking—that can turn your pitch into an offer they can't refuse. You'll come away understanding how each trigger can be woven into your marketing narrative to capture the interest of potential partners from every angle.But the insights don't stop there; You'll be armed with a four-step blueprint for crafting a high-converting pitch that includes the hook, value proposition, social proof, and the decisive close. Curious about the application? I'll be giving some real-life examples, showcasing how these strategies have found success in diverse settings like gyms and coffee shops. As the episode wraps, discover advanced techniques for scaling your strategy: automation, social media dynamics, and powerful referral networks become part of your armory.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The role of effective communication in strategic partnerships.Common pitfalls dentists encounter in ground marketing.Psychological triggers that elevate your pitch.A four-step structure to craft a compelling pitch.Advanced strategies for reading reactions and handling objections.Innovative incentives to make your offers irresistible.Successful real-life examples of pitches in non-traditional settings.Techniques to automate and scale your ground marketing efforts.Hit play and discover how to skyrocket your dental practice with winning marketing pitches!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Businesses/Brands:CrossFitLA Fitness‍Software/Tools:Excel‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)‍Michael: mastering Your Ground Marketing Pitch. We're gonna be discussing how to competently communicate your offer to potential partners. Now ground marketing is one of the most powerful cost-effective strategies to create a continuous stream of new patients for your dental practice. Not only is it a continuous stream, but this stream has depth volume, however, success hinges on your ability to pitch effectively, turning cold introductions into long-term mutually. Beneficial partnerships. This is just good to do in general, even when you're just talking out and about. This is gonna really, really help you out with your ground marketing, but also people skills and so much more.Now, most dentists fail at ground marketing because number one, they talk too much about themselves instead of what's in it for the other person. Two, their offer is unclear, generic, or lacks an irresistible incentive. Three. They don't overcome objections with confidence. And four, they fail to follow up strategically.Now this episode's gonna break down every detail of crafting, delivering, and closing a high converting ground marketing pitch so you can walk into multiple businesses and secure referral partnerships Specifically, we're gonna be discussing three things, three events, three businesses in this episode, schools, gyms, and community events.Now, understanding the psychology behind an irresistible pitch. People buy into partnerships emotionally, then justify them logically. So if a business owner doesn't feel emotionally engaged by your offer, they won't care about the details. So here's how to structure your pitch so it triggers a yes response in their brain.There's six psychological triggers that make people say yes, and we've discussed them in previous episodes. And number one, reciprocity. People feel obligated to return favors, so offer something valuable first before asking for anything in return. Two authority. Position yourself as a trusted expert, not just a dentist looking for new patients, but you can possibly use phrases like most people don't realize how much their oral health affects.And then you mention a specific concern like how much their oral health affects their diabetes, their confidence, their fitness, et cetera. And continue with that. You're positioning yourself as a trusted expert.Three social proof business owners want to know that others already trust you. So mention existing partnerships. Four. Scarcity. If your offer feels exclusive or limited, they'll value it more. Five. Commitment and consistency. When they agree to something small, they're more likely to commit to something bigger later.And six, liking people do business with those they like and trust. So make your pitch conversational, not salesy. Okay, so those are the six psychological triggers that make people say yes, and that's what's gonna be behind your pitch. So the proven formula, we're gonna share it right now for a winning ground marketing pitch.There's a four step structure of a high converting pitch, and we discussed this in the ground marketing course with further details, but every effective pitch follows this proven structure. Number one, the hook. So instantly grab their attention. Start by focusing on them, not yourself. Here's a couple examples, right?Hey, I love how your gym promotes holistic wellness. I love to support that in, a way that makes your members even happier. Or, Hey, your daycare does an amazing job helping kids developing their confidence. You know, I love to offer something that makes parents feel, supported. Make sure it's a hook, grabs their attention.Not long, 10 seconds or less, Hey, it's free. Grab whatever you want, right? That's at an event. Make sure. It's a hook. Then the second part is the value proposition. Now this one's 30 seconds, or less, right? What's in it for them? So first we instantly grab their attention, Hey, it's free. And then what's in it for them?So explain how your partnership will help their business members, customers, or students. So here's an example. We found that parents at daycare centers love getting expert guidance on their children's oral development. I love to provide a free Healthy Smiles for Kids Workshop that adds value to your families.Or, our goal is to help your customers feel more confident about their health. We can provide a free small performance assessment for your members the next time you have an event. Boom. That is the value proposition. 30 seconds, that's what's in it for them. The next thing number three is social proof.That's another 30 seconds or less. Show that others trust you. So you can share a real world example of success to make them feel comfortable. You can say, you know, we've partnered with, this specific business and they loved it because it gave their customers an added benefit at no cost to them. Or you can say, Hey, when we ran this with another business, they saw a 27% increase in engagement from their members.So that's why it's important to track these things because data like this helps when you are doing your pitch, when you're providing the social proof. I personally like the first one, we've partnered with this local businesses and they loved it because it gave their customers an added benefit at no cost to them.Sometimes I say, Hey, you know what, for this month we're specifically doing this, blah, blah, blah. For the community, we wanted to promote you. A lot of people saw more of our patients become their clients, we just wanted to have your information. Boom. Social proof, right? And then finally the close 10 seconds or less.This is a soft, no pressure ask. Don't say, would you like to do this right? Say, Hey, let's test it out. Let's make this happen. If it works we can expand it. Sound good? Boom, that's it. That's all you have to do. So that was the hook. 10 seconds. The value proposition, 30 seconds. What's in it for them?The social proof show that others trust you. That's 30 seconds and the close, that's 10 seconds and it's a soft, no pressure ask. So that's what in total, that's about a and a half. Obviously there's gonna be conversation back and forth, right? Don't try to, I have a minute to do my introduction and that's it.No, make it like you're playing catch with this, right? Do the hook, play, catch value proposition, play catch, social proof, play, catch the close, play, catch right conversations going back and forth with them. Now you wanna learn, and this is huge, huge, huge advanced strategies for maximum impact. A how to read and adapt to their reactions.That's, I can't tell you how incredible that is because sometimes you will see people say, yeah, definitely drop off your signup sheet. I'd love to have this person. You can see their reaction. They're thinking of people in their mind to sign up. They have family members, all these things. Although you said it's for the employees, but they wanna sign people up.Then you see people who, their reactions, they could be saying, yeah, just leave it, drop it off. You'll come by and pick it up on Friday. they're not even looking at the sheet of paper or they're not even thinking about the calendar or anything like that. their reaction is, plain.nothing to it. That's where we're gonna be discussing right now, how to read and adapt to their reactions. So if they lean forward, nod, or especially ask follow-up questions, they're interested, move toward the close, right? But if they seem hesitant, use the softening technique and the softening technique is, you're just totally understandable.So you can say something like, Hey, totally understandable. I know you're busy, so let's just try this with a few people and see if they like it. Or we can try this with a couple of your classrooms and see if they like it. Or we can try this with a specific grade, or a specific daycare or a specific time.We can try this at your next event, right where you have more vendors. Totally understandable. Uses something we call the competitor mention technique. You can say, I totally get it. LA Fitness said the same thing at first, but when they saw how easy it was, they loved it.So you can mention something like that. You're mentioning the competition. I've yet to need to do that. But we do have members who have done that and it works fantastic. So you can go ahead it's a partnership and you see that they're leaning forward with success, once you do, you can tell, you can read and adapt their reactions from the hook once you're like, yeah.And then the value proposition, if their eyes get wider, their eyebrows raise higher, they see more excited. They want to sit and talk with you. They give you more time. You already closed it. You know, you don't need to, think about it and say, okay, you know, we can test this out with a couple people.No, you can just say, we'd love toparticipate at the event, or whatever you're trying to do right now. Objection handling. Sometimes you may get, people say, especially at corporations, we don't usually do partnerships like this. Now you can say, I totally understand. Neither did this specific business, but after trying it, they loved it because it added value to their customers.Had no extra effort on their part. We're doing everything right. So then they're gonna say, okay, cool. You may get objections like, I don't think our customers would be interested. that's where you say, I hear you. Most customers don't realize they need this until they're offered it. That's why we start with a, small group or we start at a small event, or we start with a couple of your people right, to see the response You may get, we already work with another dentist. This one I have gotten many times. Now you can say a couple things. One thing you can say is like, Hey, that's great. That means you understand the value of oral health for your customers, your children, your members, whoever, right? But what we offer is a bit different.Our approach is a hundred percent focused on than mention a unique angle. Would you be open to seeing how this compliments what you're already doing and then boom, you continue. Right? A lot of the times, especially at schools or daycares, you may get someone who says, yeah, you know what? We already work with another dentist.Say, oh no, I completely understand. You know, that's fantastic. That's wonderful. You value oral health for your customers, your members, your students. Wonderful. I love it. what we wanted to offer was a little bit different on their approach. I think they come like once a year, once every two years.Right. And typically, yeah, they do. Dentists come once every quarter or once every two years. And then you can mention, what we wanted to do was just offer like a mini workshop, no competition, nothing like that. We're not trying to steal customers or steal anything like that. We just wanted to enhance, the importance of oral health, right?Or enhance the importance of a specific unique angle. we can start off with just a couple classrooms. That'd be perfectly fine. It can be part of like an assembly or whatever, and then boom. You're like, yeah, you know what you let's make it happen, and then you can make it happen. A lot of it has to do with your tone of voice too.Now that's what you're gonna do with objections. You're gonna have those advanced strategies on how to read and adapt reactions.Now your secret weapon is gonna be irresistible incentives that close deals. Most businesses won't partner unless they see a clear win. So use high converting incentives and every community, every location is gonna be different. Giveaways that work, for example, are whiteningsfree whitenings. that's probably universal and makes their customers feel special.Then you can do free digital smile makeovers, it's digital. So more engaging than a cleaning you can do exclusive offers if you want, That increases engagement, gift cards and things like that. Personalized oral health and fitness guides. free mouth guards if you like.free office tour a special on a new patient exam at the same time. Sometimes we do have quite a few members don't offer anything for free. they're just available for them and they stay on top of mind. They have specific people who are just ground marketers who make sure they are up there in there, in the businesses, staying on top of mind, staying on the events.Helping them connect with other businesses. And they are just, I mean, they've never offered anything for free. They're just like, Hey, we're here. And then they're always participating in their, things. And those are fantastic. Those are fantastic when they do that. But me personally, yeah.New patient exams, free office tour, and free whitenings. Those are my top three for me. Now the urgency hook, we're only offering this partnership to two local gyms this quarter, or we're only doing this with one gym this month. It can be the health and wellness month or whatever that you want to call it.And yeah, they're gonna wanna partner up with you because it's, Hey, I wanna be that one gym, right? That's in front of your patients. Or you can say, Hey, we have room for just five daycares to receive our free Healthy Smiles workshop that we're doing this month, and we thought about this daycare and we'd love to do it.now, the follow-up system that converts interest into results, this is how you're gonna wanna follow up, okay? Now the day after, follow-up email or text, right? You can say, Hey, excited to work together. My name is great meeting you. Here's a quick summary of what we discuss and let's test this out, or let's make this happenand see how they like it.I'll follow up in a few days to check in, right? And then you wanna. Personal check-in. You wanna call or drop by in person and just say, just wanted to check in if you had any questions or needed any materials for me to make this easier, especially if you're gonna be a part of an event, if you're gonna be doing a specific workshop or a seminar, if it's a daycare, you might possibly be doing a workshop or something like that.If it's a gym, you're probably gonna be at an event. If it's a community event, you're gonna be at an event, right? You wanna continue to check in, see how you can be of help. And then week three and four you wanna share testimonial or success stories from other partners. Offer an exclusive upgrade to keep them engaged with these partnerships as well.Now the next step, scaling ground marketing to dominate your market. The way you wanna scale this is automate follow-ups. So use a CRM to track partnerships and automate email, text reminders. Now, in the ground marketing course, we do have, it's an Excel sheet that it's a template. We have it for you, and in there we show you how to do this, how to automate follow ups with potential partners and referrals, right?Businesses that you're going consistently in there. You're picking up signup sheets, you're dropping off flyers, you're doing their events, you're helping them out. But at the same time, obviously they're referring new patients. So following up is key. ' cause you're like in a relationship now, so you want to continue to show up.At the same time, you also wanna, number two, leverage social media. So tag businesses and posts to increase visibility, right? Once you've created this partnership, tag them a ton, even if you're near the specific business, if you're around the specific business. If you're in front of the specific business or you're obviously in the business, tag them.Leverage social media. Three is develop a referral network. So introduce businesses to each other and position yourself as a trusted local authority. the relationship doesn't stop there, right? Meaning, if you find they will benefit. Let's just say you're going to a specific gym and hey, the gym owner for this CrossFit will benefit knowing this other person or this person at the district.Let me introduce them. 'cause I know we've had that conversation that they wanted to be in the district too, or something like that with the schools or children or whatever. Make that happen. Make that introduction happen and that's it. Not only does this strengthen the referral, partnership, but at the same time.You're helping out the community and now you're providing benefits for both of those businesses. You're on top of mind for both of them, and it's easier for you to do things with them now, be a part of their events and so much more. And for finally, host joint events. So partner with local businesses for workshop, top of events, booths, things like that helps out a lot.So once you do that, that's basically it. The strategic ground marketing approach. You wanna make it low risk and high value, you'll close more partnerships and get more referrals and dominate ground marketing. Never say, what do you think? Never say, could we do this? Right? if you find any hesitation at all, just say, if you want, we can give it a quick try on, on the event that's coming up for you or on your next event.Or we can give it a try with a couple people in your group. If it works well, we can expand it. Sound good? Boom. That's it. This works. Most business owners don't want to feel like they're being pitched, but they love it when someone supports their business. So this approach makes them feel like they're getting the better end of a deal while naturally positioning you as someone worth promoting.So the key is get before you ask. They should feel like you're helping them first, make it feel effortless. No extra work for them. Leave a natural way for their customers to engage with you. Okay. So now I wanna share with you some scripts, for your initial approach. And remember, we wanna frame it like we're helping them. So we want to casually walk in and say, you know, if it's a gym, hey, you know, we're running a healthy smile healthy body campaign this month, and we love featuring local gyms.Can I grab your info so we can promote your gym to our patients and stay quiet? They will love this. Do this with every single fitness studio that you know of. The next one is a coffee shop. You can walk in casually and say, Hey, we're doing a sip and smile feature this month where we highlight local businesses.Our patients love. They love this coffee shop. I love this coffee shop. Can I grab your info so we can promote your coffee shop? that's it. Stay quiet. They will love it. Salon and med. Spa casually. Walk in. Hey, we're doing a confidence month, a spotlight, and featuring top local beauty spots. I'd love to include your salon, would it be okay?Can I grab your info to share with our patients? Boom, they will love this. And then daycare. Hey, this month we're doing a Healthy Smile for Kids feature and letting parents know about trusted local daycares. Can I grab your info to share with them? Not one person. Will say, no, don't. They will love, absolutely love this.you are gonna be a hero to them once you do these scripts. Right now, in the ground marketing course, we share these scripts in so many more scripts, as the initial approach to get your foot in the door, to start the conversation, to already start making this partnership happen. So many more scripts and we dive deeper on the scripts that I just told you about and show you way, way, way more.Right. But that's how you wanna do it. They give you their info without hesitation when you do this because you're helping them. And now once they're, you know, yeah, lemme grab some information for you. Yeah, of course. Take some more information, whatever, right? Once they give you their info, keep the conversation about them.Make it still about them. So with the gym, Hey, how long have you been in this location? Your gym looks amazing. The coffee shop. Hey, what's your best seller? I'll make sure to tell people to try it. The salon. Do you guys do VIP events? We see a lot of patients who love Self-care. That one's nice because they'll say like, yeah, you know what we do, VIP, eventual.We've been thinking about it. And boom, lo and behold, you guys can partner up and make something happen. The daycare. Are you guys taking new enrollments? I mean, parents always ask us about trusted daycares. Having these, conversations where you're still following up still continuing the conversation.Those questions specifically, ultimately crucial. I mean, you are deepening. You are building that relationship. You are dropping the reciprocity seed in there. By showing interest in their business, you're making them feel valued. They will now naturally start thinking about how they can help you in return.Now, step three, right? Once you're building the rapport, you can say, by the way, we see a lot of patients who are into fitness, sometimes they ask about gyms in the area. Would it be okay if we left a small signup sheet here for people who might wanna learn more about. Dentistry or dental wellness and how it connects to performance.Boom, that's it. Coffee shop. We have a lot of patients who love supporting local coffee spots. If it's cool with you, I'd love to leave a signup sheet here so anyone interested in wellness can get some cool perks in the future. salon. A lot of our patients are into beauty and self-care.Would it ever be okay to leave a signup sheet here for anyone who might want tips on how their smile plays a role in overall confidence? Or anybody here who might need free whitening? That's it. If you mentioned free whitening in a lot of them, gym, coffee shops, salons. leave that here and you're gonna see them sign up. But mainly coffee shops and salons are huge and a lot of the times gyms are too. Now with daycares you can say, many parents ask us about oral health for kids.Would it be all right if we left a little signup sheet here in case any parents have questions or want some free resources? We're running a new patient exam right now too, as well. Boom. This makes it feel like a helpful resource, not a sales pitch. And then finally, Step four, you wanna create an irresistible, non-salesy incentive, right? The gym, we're also giving gym members a free smile performance guide if they sign up or giving them free whitening. Same thing with,the coffee shop. if they sign up, we're giving them a free sip and smile rewards card, or they don't even have to sign up.It's just another free whining. If you want, justmake sure your incentive is according to location. It has to be appropriate, Step five is the indirect close. So getting them to promote you without asking directly after they say, yeah, you can definitely leave something off, or, yeah, you can definitely leave us your information or whatever.You can say, I'll stop by next week to pick up any flyers so we can let our patients know about your gym too, Would it be okay if I left some of our information here as well? You wanna say that with everyone? Make sure you're always, oh, thank you so much.This is fantastic. I love it. Hey, would it be okay if I also did this, a super small 5% at the very end? All you're doing is talking about them, you're highlighting them. You wanna provide more for them. And then you also wanna benefit their members, their residents, their customers, and at the very 5%, that's the ask, Hey, would it be okay if I leave some of my information here as well?Oh, and a signup sheet, just so anybody who's interested in blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, in a free whitening and this or that, they can just sign up. Would that be okay? Now they feel like. They got the whole good end of the deal, and the least they can do is, oh yeah, of course we can do that. So that's what you wanna do.And then step six, you want to keep, the business actively engaged, right? You wanna follow up casually drop by. Hey, just wanted to check in, see how if any customers were interested in the signup sheet wanted to stop by. Oh, okay. Cool. Yeah, there's a name. Hey, by the way, I gave a shout out to your business and our patient newsletter.Let me know if you want me to mention anything specific next time. That could be week two, week four. Hey, we had a few signups from your place. Just wanted to say thanks again for letting us set that up. If there's anything we can do for you, let me know. That could be week four, right? And then you just continually following up with them.You're continually following up with them. Now there's many, many things you can do when it comes to, how to do this right? Now, some real life examples on how this worked was with the gym, right? There's one where members secured a long-term referral deal with the gym was focused on airway and performance dentistry, and he realized that gym members were perfect candidates for his practice. He didn't use a generic pitch about dental health, which gym owners don't care about.before he failed to position his offer as a benefit to the gym. So that failed. Right? And he also, he never used reciprocity to make the gym owners feel like they were getting the better deal. So this is what he did. Instead, now he checked the gym's website to see their branding and target audience.He scanned their Google reviews to understand common complaints or interest from members, and that was huge. That was huge because that's already on the top of mind of the gym owner. And then he visited their Instagram page and saw that the gym was promoting an upcoming member appreciation month. And then boom, that's it.He just said, Hey, I wanted to be a part of that member appreciation month. Can we be a part of it? And then gave a little bit more conversation, extra value. He kept those Google reviews, the negative ones in mind and saw a way to combat that and used that to his advantage. But it acknowledged the Jim's current goal.It positioned him as helping them first, and it made it effortless for the gym. So it reduced all objections. And yeah, he used social proof, and then at the same time, he leveraged it. He can say, Hey, we recently did this with this gym, and their members loved it. Look at the social media.Other gyms reached out to him and said, Hey, can you come and do this for our practice as well? It was fantastic. So the results were really, really good. Members signed up in the first week. Many became new patients and the gym continued referring members every month, making this a long-term referral stream, and it was fantastic.Now here's another one where a practice owner, got into a coffee shop without paying a dime and she promoted her practice. Now this is pretty interesting because traditional flyers and business cards got ignored right at the coffee shop. so throw that out the window.If you feel like I'm just gonna drop off some flyers and hopefully people will sign up, it gets ignored, right? And she's proof. There was no compelling reason I. For customers to engage and coffee shop owners saw no benefit in promoting a dental office. So she did her research, right? She followed the coffee shop on Instagram and noticed they ran loyalrewards program where customers earned free drinks.She saw they often featured local businesses in their email list to boost engagement Just like most business owners saw that the coffee shop wanted to increase customer engagement and repeat visits, so she built her pitch around the goal. She said, Hey, I love your SIP and Earn rewards program.We're looking for awesome local businesses to highlight in our patient newsletter. Would it be cool if I featured your coffee shop? Notice how she offered something first, pre-promotion. She made the business owner feel like they were getting the better deal. Now the third step was she added a unique non-salesy signup sheet.So after a few minutes of chatting, she just said, Hey, I was thinking, you know, it'd be fun to offer your coffee shop customers something extra like a sip and smile rewards card for this month. Yeah, I was just thinking everyone who purchased a coffee or whichever 30 customers you absolutely love will also get free whitening with their coffee.I could stop by and bring some reward cards for you to give out. This worked incredibly. I loved it when she did this because here's the thing. You're not promoting yourself, you're not waiting for someone to sign up. You're not doing anything. This person, the barista already started having people in mind, oh my god, I can just give free whining to people.Yeah, you can give free whining to people. Oh wow. Okay. I had people in mind already. Oh, and then customers come in and you're like, Perfect. it ran out within like a couple of days. This was brilliant. And it worked because it was fun, relevant, and interactive. Not just boring dental flyers.This person's actually giving these out, right? This barista's, Hey, here's your coffee shop. And by the way, at the same time, the dental office right down the street, doctor, whoever right, told me I can give out a specific amount of free whitening to people and I just.I wanted to give it to you. You know what I mean?Or they conversated obviously, and then they said, Hey, here's free whining. Or they just said, Hey, you're coming here all the time. I absolutely love it. And we're able to give out free whitening to people. if you want it, here it is. Right?Never took it as offensive oh my gosh, I need white.None of that stuff. So get that outta your head if you think that's happening. That doesn't happen, at least in, it's never happened yet. You know, The coffee shop. Had increased engagement without doing anything extra. Right. But at the same time, obviously it brought in new patients immediately. that happened.She said, awesome, I'll swing by in a bit, drop off some loyalty, cards or some rewards cards. Would it be okay if I left a little bit more info and flyers as well around here? And then they're like, yeah, sure. Perfect. And that was it. That's all they had to do. 43 people signed up for the sip and smile giveaway the cards.17 booked appointments and then the coffee shop continued, referring customers and this was all within like a matter of days. So that was awesome. So the final takeaway, this proven ground marketing formula works every time you wanna research before pitching. Start with a hook that helps them.Offer something first, introduce the idea casually close with a no pressure offer. Follow up within 24 hours. Use this system and you'll turn every local business into a patient referral machine. Now, this is like the formula behind the scripts and strategies and things like that.Every business, every. Location, corporation Residency, HOA Chamber of Commerce business is different. They require different strategies, different methods, different ways, different systems, but the psychology behind it and everything is what we just said. So you wanna know more every. Specificity of the specific scripts, strategies and tactics and everything like that, that is found in the ground marketing course, like the gym one, the one we talked about, coffee shop strategies in their daycare events, all that with detail and templates and PD files and also real life examples of me doing them.have a hidden camera, like on my pocket so you can hear me, do some of these and also on the phone. That's all in the ground marketing course, and I teach you exactly how to do that. So if you're interested, go into show notes below. Click on the first link in the show notes below. It's the ground marketing course, checkout.Everything that's in there. I continue to add to it. Every single month, we continue to add more and more to it. So you never left alone, right? But yeah, definitely go check that out the ground marketing course. you want much, much more help, more detail. Next episode we're gonna be discussing networking hacks for dental practices.So thank you so much for tuning in. I'll talk to you in the next episode.

Do you need a "fancy" website or do you need one that brings in patients?In this episode, we have Ali Soufi from DocSites back on to dissect the draw to fancy dental websites versus those that truly convert visitors into patients. We dive headfirst into the debate—exploring why the flashiest of designs might not always be the most effective choice for a dental practice. Ali sheds light on the notion that "fancy" is subjective and frequently an unnecessary expense. Instead, the conversation pivots to crafting websites that serve the actual needs of a practice's target patient, leveraging essential components like patient reviews, straightforward information, and contact details.We don't shy away from addressing common pitfalls dentists encounter with DIY websites as we stress the ongoing necessity of keeping site content fresh and authentic. Ali shares valuable insights on building trust through digital presence and offers a glimpse into how DocSites tailors their affordable solutions to fit the needs of your practice. As we wrap up the discussion, we encourage you to take advantage of a complimentary, no-obligation website assessment offered by DocSites to elevate your practice's online presence.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The difference between "fancy" and effective website designs for dental practices.How to prioritize functional design over aesthetic allure.Key elements that make a dental website convert—content, reviews, contact info.Common errors dentists make with DIY websites.The importance of keeping your website updated and accurate.How to establish online trust and credibility with potential patients.Insights into affordable yet impactful website solutions by DocSites.Discover the crucial elements of a dental website that truly converts—tune in now!‍‍Sponsors: DocSites: Do you need a new website or marketing agency with no long-term contracts? Visit DocSites' website here and be sure to mention The Dental Marketer for $500 off! docsites.com‍Guest: Ali SoufiBusiness Name: The DocSitesCheck out Ali's Media:‍Website: docsites.comEmail: ali@docsites.comPhone: 818-616-3919‍Love the Podcast? Let Us Know How We're Doing on Apple Podcasts!‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Terms:SEO - Search Engine OptimizationSSL - Secure Sockets Layer‍Places:Beverly Hills‍Tools/Services:Google AnalyticsWixSquarespaceGoogle Business Profile‍Products/Brands:FerrariHondaInvisalign‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.

What does it take to build local partnerships that matter and become the go-to dental practice in your community?In this episode of the Ground Marketing Series, we unpack the game-changing strategies practices can use to build meaningful local partnerships that yield lasting results. Rather than pouring resources into passive marketing channels, we explore how becoming an integral part of your community can lead to sustained patient acquisition. From partnerships with schools, gyms, and community centers, we delve into how connecting with organizations that matter to your target audience can establish you as the trusted local dental provider. Schools, with their network of families, present a multitude of opportunities, whether through PTA involvement, educational workshops, or sports team collaborations. Gyms and community centers are also massively valuable, where offering services like free oral health screenings can cultivate trust and lead to steady referrals.You'll hear a captivating case study of a dentist from the Ground Marketing Course who leveraged these strategies with exceptional success, achieving remarkable patient growth and slashing marketing costs. By emphasizing social proof, consistent partner engagement, and maintaining strong relationships, this approach not only brings in new patients but also fortifies your practice’s reputation as a community asset.What You'll Learn in This Episode:Techniques for creating impactful partnerships in your community.How schools can serve as a hub for patient acquisition.The importance of value-first strategies in gym partnerships.Ways to leverage community centers for trust and exposure.Tactics for building a robust referral system.Insights from a successful case study in ground marketing.The role of social proof in enhancing reputation.Methods for sustaining long-term partnerships for ongoing growth.Press play to learn how local partnerships can revolutionize your practice and boost patient growth!‍‍Learn More About the Ground Marketing Course Here:Website: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/the-ground-marketing-course-open-enrollment/‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Businesses/Brands:PlexCrossFitDymatize ProteinMuscle MilkBig Brother Big Sisters of America‍Software/Tools:Excel‍For more helpful tips, strategies, ideas, and marketing advice, join my weekly newsletter here.The Dental Marketer Society Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2031814726927041‍Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)‍Michael: All right, we're going to be talking about building local partnerships that matter. So that's the key word here is that matter. Sometimes it's easy to build local partnerships with, other potential businesses or locations that aren't as important as. It should be to you or they really just don't matter.we'll see what I mean by that the episode goes along, but why partnerships? So most dentists rely on passive marketing ads. SEO, social media, but local partnerships allow you to integrate into the daily lives of your target audience. So instead of spending thousands on marketing, you become the community's trusted dental provider by leveraging existing relationships.This isn't just about getting your name out. It's about becoming the go to dentist in your town. That's the goal here, the go to dentist. So we're going to be discussing that throughout this time and how to do that. But like I always mentioned, if you want the scripts, you want the videos, you want the in depth, more of all of this, the templates.And if you want more one on one time with myself and my team. Any questions or concerns with the crowd marketing, then please feel free to join the ground marketing course, we continue to add to that course. It's an amazing course. It's going to be, in the show notes below.There's a link there. It's the first link in the show notes below. So definitely go check it out and just go check out everything you can see inside of the course and check out what everybody else is getting and the results that they're seeing and how it's improving their, practice their community.Let's dive into this, understanding the psychology of local partnerships. Now to truly embed, and that's the key here. You need to understand how and why local decision makers agreed to partnerships. And that's the key. You want to embed yourself into the community, but let's understand how and why local decision makers agree to partnerships. There's three ways. Number one is, people don't promote businesses, they promote relationships.A gym owner won't push your services unless they genuinely like and trust you. A school principal won't let you do a talk unless they see value for their students and parents. And a community director won't recommend you unless you make their job easier. Promote relationships, okay? Remember this principle, the principle of reciprocity.Give before you ask before asking for referrals, offer something of high value, make it feel like a favor. So for example, a gym owner is more likely to refer patients. If you offer something for free to their athletes, first, Or you want to give something where that benefits them first and it doesn't have to be, Hey, we're offering free whining.Would you like free whining? No. It can be, Hey, do you have any business cards? I'd love to give it to our patients. We're doing a health and wellness thing this month and we'd love to have your information in our hygiene kits. That's perfect. They're like, yes, more clients, more business.Yeah. I love to do that. You're offering first and then three positioning, right? Embed, don't sell. Okay. That's how you want to position. Instead of saying, can I promote my practice here, which from this point on, I never want you to do that, right? Can I promote my practice here?No. You want to notice the pain points, right? Hey, I noticed many gym members struggle with teeth grinding, right? I have a lot of patients who come to this gym and they, suffer from teeth grinding and I'd love to help your athletes with some free night guards. Or maybe there's kids in your school that are high risk for cavities and you say, quite a bit of kids come to my practice in this school and they're high in cavities and I'd love to do a, you fun presentation about oral health and nutrition.Or you can say many of your community members may be unaware of oral cancer if you're at a senior home, right? Can I do free screenings at your next health event? Would that be okay? You're making people's job easier. You're showing that you care. There's a principle of reciprocity and you're promoting relationships.So the goal is to position yourself as a valuable asset. Not an advertiser. I want you to get out of the mindset of, Oh my God, I got to promote my practice, I guess, get all these new patients. I got to meet production, get collection, get paid profits. And I want you to position yourself as a valuable asset.Okay. I am an asset to the community, which means my practice is a humongous asset to this community. Let me show them position yourself. And so how are you going to do that as we're going to kind of, scratch the surface on three main things, schools, gyms, and fitness centers, and then community centers.Okay. And then we're going to discuss how to make these partnerships self sustaining. And I'm going to give you a case study, an example of how this worked for a practice member. So. number two right, school is the most powerful and overlooked partnership. Schools are an ultimate hub of families.They have parents, kids, and teachers all in one place, and this is a gold mine for patient acquisition. Many times we go after the kids and we forget about the parents, or we go after the kids and the parents and then we forget about the teachers. We go after the kids, parents, and teachers, and we forget about the staff besides the teachers.I mean, There's a lot of people there, unless you're a pediatric practice, right? But there's a lot of people there who are not your patients who can become your patients. Definitely keep that in mind. Schools already have a health and wellness mandate. If you align with their mission, they will welcome you.Just figure it out. And I'm going to discuss how you can do that right now. And then three, schools have high trust in medical professionals, meaning your practice gains instant credibility. You want to be the go to practice for emergencies. But also the go to practice for whatever comes to top of mind when it's oral or dental related for these teachers, staff, and so forth, the schools.Schools are the ultimate hub of families, understand that. Now, understanding key decision makers in schools. There's a couple. There's the PTA president, they control parents, engagement programs. There's the school nurse, handle student health and make, good referrals. Three, principal, obviously, right?They approve in school partnerships. Four is the athletic director. They manage sports programs. It's perfect for those mouth guard campaigns. And then five, after school program coordinator, right? They organize extracurricular activities. So these are like the five ones. Now, if you want to go above and beyond, contact The school district in your town. to be honest with you. That's what I go for right from the back is I contact the school district. I even go inside the school district facility, where it's just the district pocket up with the people there because they oversee not just one school, right?They oversee multiple schools in the whole district. So, If you get cool with them, you're going to be able to get cool with those other schools, right? school nurse, principal, athletic director, afterschool program coordinator, their boss is. if you're able to contact the school district, get an amazing partnership with them, get them to come to your practice, the people in the district, then everything else pretty much becomes easy peasy from that point on.And in the ground marketing course, I show you how I do that contact the school district. And I give you the script and everything like that, but I also give you the script for you know, the principals and the school nurses, wellness directors, and things like that, because you can do that as well.Cause sometimes the district will tell you, we'll contact the principal and then. They will let you know. But like I said, in the course, there's so much more detail with all of this. I'm kind of just scratching the surface for everything. Cause I want you to get just a bit right now. So those are the people you can contact.They're the key decision makers. Anybody else besides that? You're just talking to someone who thinks they a decision maker, but they're not. And you may get a no from someone who that no doesn't even matter. And so what I mean by that is maybe they may say, no, you cannot come in here. And that was like the administration office.It don't even matter what they say, if the principal says yes, then, all you did was just contact the wrong person and got the wrong answer, which happens so often. So I need you to understand that you have to contact decision makers, not anybody else, not the front office, not the person answering the phones.Reach out to these people. PTA president, school nurse, principal, athletic director, afterschool program coordinator, the district, right? Reach out to them because they will most likely give you a yes. And if they do perfect, but if it's anybody else, they may give you a no, cause they don't know the answer.And now you're just not attempting to go anymore because you talked to the wrong person who doesn't even know what they're doing. So I would hate for that to happen to you. So understand the key decision makers. That's huge. Then the next step is tactics for breaking into schools or like getting into schools.So the PTA approach, the parent network hack, right? You want to attend PTA meetings, introduce yourself as a resource, not a salesperson. Offer a 10 minute talk, right? With free giveaways for kids. Propose a parent education night, examples, you can do a cavities and nutrition, what every parent needs to know, what I like to do is offer something, where every attendee can come to my practice, So offer free whitening coupon, offer something specific where you know they will come into your practice. You can also do the next approach, which is the school nurse connection. This is a referral pipeline. So offer to train the school nurse on dental emergencies. You also want to provide free dental first aid kits that can be like gauze, floss, mouth rinse, referral sheet to your office.Provide these to the schools. I cannot tell you how crucial this is, to getting new patients. Hey, instead of hygiene kits, which you can just break apart a hygiene kit, And then make it into a free dental first aid kit for the school nurses. Hey, here's free dental first aid kits. We'd like to give it to our schools.We want to make sure you guys are stocked and ready to go for this season. Let me know if you need more at any moment. I will come by maybe like in a month or so. you need any more, but also here's the signup sheet to refer, here's also our number and we always can come by like every, month or so to pick up the signup sheet to see if there's any names or numbers or anything like that that gives you like more opportunity to show your face in front of them, but at the same time, more opportunity to drop off free dental first aid kits for the children.And at the same time, it gives you more, of an opportunity to drop off more referral sheets or maybe pick up the referral signup sheet and see the names and numbers. Great. But most likely they will call you and refer you that way, but that's huge. dental first aid kits huge, huge, huge. If you can start doing that today, if you haven't do that with the schools, you want to offer VIP fast pass for urgent student cases, right?Whenever the nurse sees a dental issue, they call your office directly and you can get a same day appointment. So make that a huge thing. Okay. Like, Hey, if you ever have an emergency, here's the same day appointment pass. Okay. Like, Just let us know it's from you. You can also sponsor school events. That's visibility on steroids.I mean, Sports teams, they offer free custom mouth guards. You can do that. Career days, give a talk on what it's like to be a dentist, instant credibility with parents right there. Teacher appreciation provided teacher smile program, maybe discounted whitening or priority scheduling. They always have teacher appreciation.See how you can participate in that. Don't just let that slide make those teachers come to your practice. Be a part of the teacher appreciation program and then offer something specific just for the teachers. That's a humongous gift. And then you can have like library and reading incentives. This happens a lot.I a sponsor of for smiles, challenge kids who read 10 books, get specific goody bag, right? Like a dental hygiene kit just for them with fun stuff in it. And also information about your practice, things like that and so forth. And then you can also do summer camp and afterschool programs.You want to offer a free dental checkup day at summer camps possible. And then you can have school fundraising and referral loops. So you can offer a free dental day where a percentage of proceeds goes to school programs. Create a referral contest where the class with the most referrals wins a pizza party.Make it fun, when you're getting these referrals and you want to have them be a part of it. You can also donate a portion of every referred new patients. First visit fee back to the school as well. That's a huge way to support the school and they're going to continue to refer and so forth.So this is for school. Schools are huge. Gyms and fitness centers. That's the secret to high value patients. Gyms are huge. This is something I started. This was one of my first ever locations I went to ground market to and have yet to stop. It's incredible. They're health conscious people. That value wellness.Many gym goers suffer from teeth grinding or dry mouth and acid erosion from fitness drinks. And then trainers and gym owners are influencers. If they trust you, they will refer their entire client base. So how can you establish that? The gym owner angle, the business partnership play, You want to approach the gym owner, not as a dentist, but as a business owner.Always. They're on the lookout to get clients. You're on the lookout to get patients. So offer a value exchange, right? Go in there, offer free oral health screening days for gym members, discounted whitening for trainers, things like that. What I like to do, honestly, is keep it simple. I just, hey, can I have some of your information?I love to put it in my hygiene kits. And then say, why, maybe you're off, you're doing something that month or you want to partner up with them, They'll be ecstatic. And then at the same time, Hey, by any chance, can I give you guys some of our information as well? Yeah, cool. Awesome. And then drop off a signup sheet for the employees and the trainers there.Hey, this month, we wanted to give you guys just the employees here, this boom. And then from that point on, you're able to do more. Now, like I said, in the course, we dive way deeper in gym. So you can go ahead and check that out and become a member of the ground marketing course there. And then you want to do campaign for athletes.If this is like a specific location, like Plex, that's a gym in Texas. I remember it was just for athletes or any other type of gym. That's just for athletes, like weightlifters and CrossFit athletes. You can provide night guards, yoga practitioners. You can do something where mindfulness and oral health connection, cyclists and runners, hydration and oral health education.This one was huge bodybuilders. acidic protein shakes and enamel damage prevention. Now something we did this is what I think personally will be incredible that you should do on social media. There's a hundred and one protein shakes, a hundred and one, pre workouts, post workouts, intro workouts, all these things.How bad is each of them or how good is each of them for your oral health, How do we take this? Do we take it just with water? Some people just take it straight. I've taken it just straight and then pour water Later on how should this be taken and then rate each of them like make a video for each today, we're checking out.I don't know Diametized protein see how bad it is good it is for your teeth depending on the ingredients and then you're tasting it and then boom Okay, this is not that bad one out of ten. It's gonna be like a four and then you do muscle milk Oh, man, this has arsenic. It has lead has cadmium. Not only is it bad for your oral health, but it's also bad for this.This is a, definitely a one I do not recommend, right? Kind of A thing like that. Make videos like that. Trust me, Nobody's done it yet, So if I were you, if you are into that, this is something I'd attack and I would say, okay, we're going to do this campaign.We're going to do a hundred videos, different proteins. Right. doesn't have to be all in one day. It can be, you know, within year's worth if you want, but. Make sure you, become known as that. And then not only are you niching down on a specific target audience, which is bodybuilders who are people who care about their physique, they care about how they look and things like that.They care about their health, but at the same time, you're helping them prevent an enamel damage. So that's something to think about. And then you can also do sponsorships like at local CrossFit competitions hydration stations at 5k races or marathons, and then exclusive gym membership. You can have the trainer referral incentive.I know this is something we did. Any gym trainer that refers five patients, it's something specific. In our practice, sometimes they wanted a percentage off where they wanted, Invisalign or they even wanted just rewinding. As much as they could, right? And so we would offer that depending on how many they refer.And then eventually they just continue to refer without, getting any type of incentive, which is fantastic. So you can definitely do that. And then you can always participate in their events as well, which they have a lot of events all the time, gyms and fitness centers. So huge, huge, huge. And then, finally would be community centers the trust builder.Now this is just an example, right? There's many locations you can go to gyms corporations, salons, all these things. But. For this episode, I'm just going to be covering, like I said, schools, gyms, and community centers, and then I'm going to give you a case study of someone who attacked these three and the results that they got.finally this community centers and community centers are crucial. They serve families, seniors, low income individuals. I mean, There's a huge patient segment and community centers already have structured health programs, so you can seamlessly integrate. They have established trust. People trust community based recommendations over ads.Michael: Now, the best community partnerships, best hands down is senior centers and retirement homes. I mean, They offer a ton of stuff and there's somebody specifically there who's called the activities coordinator or director who's looking for you to do things for their seniors, for their residents.You can offer free oral cancer screenings. You can host dentures and implant Q& A sessions. You can provide a senior smile program, which is a dental discount for seniors. Your membership program, you can offer a ton of stuff. Best thing to do though, is just do a Q& A session. Once one or two of them start asking questions, the whole room is going to ask questions.And it's just up to you to coordinate it to guide the questions and answer them. And you'll notice a theme of the questions, and then you can create a program tailored just for them. If you would like, so that's something best community partnerships, senior homes, and we have a whole unit on senior centers, independent living facilities, retirement homes.You can even see me in real life doing the strategy, setting up at events, signing up people and so forth, beautiful location. love senior homes. I love working with them. It's fantastic. But like I said, strategies, scripts, templates. Live examples. You can see that in the ground marketing course, doing it there.So that's number one, Senior centers and retirement homes. The next one would be youth centers and afterschool programs, right? Partner with big brother, big sisters. You can offer free checkups, sponsor sports leagues. If you'd like create a smile scholarship for underprivileged kids. So like X dollar amount per new patient goes into a dental fund for them, right?Specific things like that. And so that's going to be it right there, right? Kind of On how you can do that with community centers. So how to make these partnerships self sustaining You want to leverage social proof and community testimonials? So always capture video testimonials from gym owners pta leaders and community members and features success stories on social media And newsletters automate and scale your outreach So use a CRM to track partnerships and follow up quarterly.In the course created for you the ground marketing worksheet. And in there, it's just literally a template. You just download it on Excel and that's it. And you can see exactly how to follow up quarterly or often what you need to write down so forth, because you can lose track if you are not organized.So you want to automate and scale your outreach, track your partnerships, follow up, create a dedicated community liaison role. So assign a team member to manage partnerships. This is what business development is. You're going to see a lot of larger corporations, larger businesses. They have a business development, partner, a business development person in their organization, in their, job who's just dedicated to developing business partnerships. So sign that, and this can be the ground market. in your team and then recurring checkpoints with partners. You want to schedule quarterly check ins with school nurses, gym owners, and community leaders.And then you want to offer new partnership ideas to keep the collaboration fresh, and this comes naturally. So don't overthink it. This is going to come naturally. Every time he's like, Hey, I ran out of hygiene kits or, Hey, I ran out of first aid, dental health kits, or, Hey, I need some more of your business cards.Quarterly check ins happen naturally if it's the right partnership. Okay. So the best marketing doesn't feel like market. When you build partnerships, patients don't need to be sold on your services. They already trust you before they walk through the door. That's what partnerships do. .Now we're going to go into the case study. Now this doctor is a member in the course and she lives in a midsize suburban town and she struggled with slow new patient growth, despite a strong online presence.Instead of pouring more money into ads, she embedded her practice into the community using a strategic partnership approach. It took her a year. Within 12 months, she increased new patient flow, reduced marketing costs, but she built a self sustaining referral system with schools, gyms, and community centers.Here's exactly how she did it. Step one, schools, the long term growth machine. The plan is instead of cold emailing schools, she identified key decision makers and provided value up front. She attended PTA meetings and introduced herself as a community resource, not a business. She connected with school nurses and provided emergency dental first aid kits.She offered a free workshop for teachers about oral health's impact on kids focus. And attendance and the teacher saw that was incredibly valuable. So they wanted the parents to come and then eventually the parents came as well to see that. So that was a workshop that was offered and shown more than once.So that was tactic number one, PTA and school nurse relationship building. Number two was monthly school visits and parent education. She scheduled quarterly classroom visits. She brought fun tooth fairy kits for kindergarteners. She hosted a smile superhero contest for older kids could maintain the best brushing habits.And then she set up a free online dental Q and a for parents hosted on the school's Facebook page. Tactic number three, referral partnerships with school sports teams. She provided custom mouth guards for the local youth soccer and football teams branded with her office's logo. And then she created a VIP referral system.Every student referred by a school nurse or coach got priority scheduling and a free treat, a specific to what they needed. And the results were incredible. Over 400 new patient referrals in the first year, teachers and school staff became loyal patients after she provided an exclusive teacher discount.And the school sports partnerships created a word of mouth effect. Parents saw her logo on their kid's mouth guard cases and so forth. And kids knew who they were. was just amazing how the word of mouth effect happened here. So that was schools.Step two was gym partnerships. Which was a hidden gold mine. The plan was she identified three high end gyms and CrossFit boxes in her area and offered value first tactic. One gym trainer and member benefits. She offered free night guard fittings for trainers who suffer from teeth grinding. She gave each trainer five VIP dental passes worth a hundred dollars each to give to clients experiencing TMJ issues and Want to put a little asterisk here.besides free nightguard fittings. She offered for you teeth whitening So it was one or the other on that for the personal trainers and the gym members. She provided an exclusive fit smile package, teeth whitening, free fluoride treatment, discounted nightguards for heavy grinders, or an asterisk here too.She also offered a discount on cleanings. So that was the fitness smile package it wasn't like a whole type of, Hey, we're doing this as long as you remember, no, it was just, Hey, we're doing this for this summer only kind of a thing. So urgency was created. Tactic 2, gym event sponsorship, so she sponsored a gym hydration challenge, she tied hydration to oral health, she set up a free dental checkup day at the gym, and then she cross promoted her practices blog on the gym's website and social media.So the results were over 50 high value patients from gym trainers and referrals nightguards became a profitable service for her. And Jim started organically promoting her practice because she helped their members.So that was two, and then three was community centers. Instant trust and mass exposure. So she partnered with local senior centers, afterschool programs to gain instant community trust. So tactic one, the senior centers, the hidden patient base, she hosted free oral cancer screening events. She created a senior dental membership plan, right?So she discounted specific services. She became a guest speaker at community wellness talks, covering topics like how oral health affects brain function in seniors and much more. This was fantastic. She continues to do this. Tactic two, low income community dental support. She partnered with a local nonprofit organization to offer low cost cleanings.She created a dental scholarship fund where 10 from every new patient fee went toward helping undeserved kids, and then she hosted a free smile day. So every quarter for families who couldn't afford to care. And this established an incredible powerful reputation. As a dentist who gives back, she was able to obtain over 200 new patients from senior centers and community programs.And she was even featured in local newspapers and community newsletters for her charitable efforts. So that was free publicity. So it was fantastic. So scaling partnership into a self sustaining referral machine. she leveraged all of this through social proof and community testimonials. She filmed short video testimonials, school nurses about her educational talks.Jim trainers about how she helped their clients, senior center directors, praising her community involvement. And she posted these testimonials on social media and her website to reinforce credibility. I mean, You're doing all this work. Might as well go for the ask. Say, Hey, can you record a short 30 second video for me, please?You can even say 15 second video. Can you record a short 15 second video? boom. And then just record a short 15 second video on your phone. Little do you know that 15 second video will be up them talking about you for five minutes. Or three minutes, right? But that's it. That's all you got to say. So leverage it to create a community referral program.So any partner, right? School gym, community center that referred five plus patients got a special sponsorship for their events. So create something like that community centers and schools started reaching out to her instead of the other way around. So instead of her having to reach out to them.They started reaching out to her and three schedule, quarterly check ins with partners. Maintain these personal relationships with school staff, gym owners, and community leaders. Always ask, Hey, what would be most helpful to you right now? How can I help you or how can I help your members or how can I do this?How can I help your residents this quarter? Be specific like that. How can I help you guys this quarter? What are you guys doing? How can I help you? And then see how you can fulfill that need. And then offer new partnership ideas to keep engagement high. This will come naturally all the time.The new partnership ideas. So key takeaways for this is stop relying on hold ads and start embedding your practice into trusted community. Networks who is school gyms and community centers provide built in credibility and trust. If you offer value first three, once partnerships are established, referrals become self sustaining, establish these partnerships for social proof, testimonial from school nurses, gym owners, and community leaders, compounds growth five, less reliance on expensive marketing, more on relationships.will equal long term success. So I hope you understand, right? I'm not saying you need to do these three specific things. if you're a member in the ground marketing course, then you already know that you've done probably gyms. I know for sure you've done senior centers and then at the same time, schools, so you can attack it like that, And then continue to nurture these locations. But this is where her target patients were. And she wanted it. So we kind of extracted that and said, okay, let's look at the three strategies she mainly did and bada bing, bada boom. It's fantastic. So leveraging partnerships is key. The easiest way to grow a dental practice isn't by spending more on marketing.It's by becoming the dentist everyone in the community already trusts before they ever meet you. Always remember that creating these partnerships are huge, and in the ground marketing course, I teach you exactly how to do this. I teach you how to create these pipelines. So referrals are coming to you consistently, okay, for years, not just once in a while, but they're coming consistently and they're compounding.So then you just depend on, I need to nurture this relationship, or I just need to continue what I'm doing and the way I'm working and being fantastic. Because now they're referring to me, my referrals are referring other people. And that happens all the time. So you want to continue to build local partnerships that matter. And if you want more information on this, not just information, but strategies, you want to learn exactly how to do this, get the exact results or better. And at the same time, build partnerships with all your schools and your community, partnerships with all the gyms and fitness centers, partnerships with all the senior centers.You want to be a part of their events. You want to be a part of their. Specific health fairs, things like that. You want to create incredible referral systems and partnerships. I teach you all that in the ground marketing course. I give you the scripts, I give you the templates, I give you the examples, the lives, everything.And at the same time, you're able to talk with me more one on one. In the ground marketing course. So that's going to be in the show notes below. It's the first link in the show notes below. I welcome you to join. Please join especially if you want to see these results. And at the same time, I'm excited for you.I'm excited to see you in the ground marketing course. So go ahead and do that. It's going to be the first link in the show notes below in the next episode, we're going to be discussing mastering your ground marketing pitch. So this is how you make sure you get your foot in the door securely and effectively. So thank you so much for tuning in. I'll talk to you in the next episode.‍

How can small dental practices leverage big-business buying power?In this episode, we chat with Mike McCoy, the visionary behind Dental Collective, who helps independent practices save big on high-end dental products and services. Raised in a family immersed in the dental sales sector, Mike shares his personal journey and expansive experience working with industry giants like Komet USA and Align Technology. These roles unveiled the secrets of sales and pricing, laying the foundation for Dental Collective. The heart of the discussion reveals how McCoy's group purchasing organization (GPO) empowers smaller practices to enjoy the pricing benefits once reserved for larger dental service organizations (DSOs.) Mike demystifies the working process of GPOs and dismantles myths surrounding deal access in the dental market, advocating for a level playing field.The episode takes a deep dive into the economic advantages of joining Dental Collective. Mike explains how engaging with a GPO is not just about saving on supplies but also capitalizing on extensive resources like marketing, IT, and insurance negotiations. He paints a vivid picture of practices pocketing considerable savings on expenses like credit card merchant fees and third-party financing, thanks to skillful negotiation and streamlined processes. As Mike shares compelling case studies, he invites dentists to take a proactive stance in their GPO membership to maximize gains.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How Mike's journey and industry acumen shaped Dental Collective.The role and benefits of a group purchasing organization in modern dentistry.Common misconceptions about dental deal accessibility and pricing structures.The financial impact of GPO memberships on overhead costs.Strategies for leveraging GPO services beyond traditional supply discounts.Real-life examples demonstrating significant cost savings through Dental Collective.The importance of active engagement in maximizing GPO benefits.The broad spectrum of resources available to Dental Collective members.Join us for an enlightening discussion on transforming your dental practice's financial health!‍‍Sponsors:‍CareStack: Modern, Secure, Cloud-Based Dental Software for Growing Your Practice! With state-of-the-art features including Online Appointments, Integrated Payments, Text Reminders and more. Click the link here for a special offer: thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/carestack‍Guest: Mike McCoyBusiness Name: Dental CollectiveCheck out Mike's Media:‍Website: Dental Collective | Your Go To Partner for Savings on Dental Supplies(Use coupon code DCTRIAL1 at checkout for a 1-month trial of Dental Collective. You can cancel at anytime if you don’t find it to be a good fit for your practice.)Email: dcsales@dental-collective.comPhone: 781-701-6707Instagram: instagram.com/dentalcollectivedpoLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelrmccoy-100419Book a Consultation: calendly.com/dcsales-2fs/30minVendor Partners: Partner Vendors | Start Saving Money Today with Dental Collective‍Love the Podcast? Let Us Know How We're Doing on Apple Podcasts!‍Other Mentions and Links:‍Terms:GPO - Group Purchasing Organization‍Businesses/Brands:Komet USAAlign TechnologyInvisalignBioclearBrasseler USAPattersonBencoCostcoDental CityApexToothioCherryUltradentKettenbach USAUptime Services‍Sports Teams:New York Yankees‍Products:3M Filtek Composite‍Host: Michael Arias‍Website: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/‍Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer Society‍Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]‍p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/companies, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.‍