As a dental practitioner and dental practice owner, one of the things that I did in my community to build my practice credibility was to attend regular monthly “Chamber of Commerce Business After Five” meetings.
These monthly meetings were held each month at a business premises of different Chamber of Commerce members, and for the cost of a few beverages and some food caterings, were an excellent way for local small businesses to introduce themselves to the other members of the chamber and to let those chamber members know who you were, where they were located, and what sort of services they were able to provide to the community.
Although my local Chamber was made up primarily of what I called “men in suits” [lawyers and accountants] these meetings presented a great opportunity for me to present myself each month as an attendee and to meet members.
The exciting part about all this was simple. Most of the Chamber members had teeth. And secondly, no other dentist was attending these meetings to introduce themselves to Chamber members.
The lightbulb moment:
The lightbulb moment for me came one day when I was talking to one of the Chamber executive members who said this to me:
“We often get asked by new members where should we go to the dentist, and our answer is always the same…”
“And that is, there’s only one dentist to go to in Parramatta, and that’s Active Dental.”
And then he said this:
“And we tell them this: ‘You’re going to pay more there. But it’s well worth it’.”
And that’s how I wanted to be known.
I wanted to be known as the best dentist in my community.
I wanted to be known for my quality of dentistry.
And I wanted the dental practice to be renowned for the compassion and the customer care and the experience that we provided to each and every one of our valued customers and patients.
I never wanted to be known as “the cheapest dentist in town.”
And I earned the RESPECT of my community, and in particular, the business community, by being seen out and about at Chamber of Commerce Business Events and functions, and charity fundraisers.
As a small business, my dental practice was a significant supporter of a prominent local based charity in my community, and attending their events raised my practice profile as a local business seen to be GIVING BACK to the local community.
Patients want to know…
Your patients want to know that you’re REAL, and that you are human, and that you CARE.
And being seen regularly, in popular “professional” places, and being approachable, really goes a long way towards breaking down those barriers that inadvertently and accidentally get built between business owners and their customers.
Being seen out and about in your community during the working day is also important.
Supporting local cafés and eateries is good. Being known at the local pharmacies, florists, stationers, and food suppliers [like fruit shops, butchers, and bakeries] is also good.
Remember…
Remember, your customers and future customers want to know that you don’t bite, and that you are approachable.
Support your patients that are plumbers, builders, mechanics, hairdressers.
And be happy to do so.
Don’t be reclusive, and don’t be aloof.
The community has an expectation of their white-collar professionals.
Being professional, as well as also being approachable, goes a long way towards building trust, and creating well-earned respect for what you do in your community.
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com