Let it sit (ferment) for one day to one week. It all depends on your patience level.

Then, grab a legal sized yellow note pad.

Next, go to work going through the pile and noting what needs to be done with the crap in the pile in priority order. Granted, this is a very simplified version of what I do, but it works.

Priority for me is:

- Revenue generating items, first

- Legally-bound-to-respond-to, second. (Why should they be first? No revenue, no business, right?)

- Pet projects, third.

- All other crap, last.

This simplification of business life is very effective at getting my most important things to the top of the list and getting them wrapped up quickly.

Adios. Here’s to huge profits and productivity.

Regardless of what’s going on nationally, there are many micro-economies all over the U.S. that are showing promise of growth or at least, staying even. Maybe your area is one of those?

I’ve got news for you there: It doesn’t matter. The bank, your spouse, your kids could all care less what’s happening in your area – they all want to get “paid” – whether it’s food and shelter, clothes or in cash!

It’s easy for us to get caught up in the popular message the media is sending about the “bad economy,” so if prosperity is what you are looking for, keeping the evening news and Drudge Report® turned off are your best bets to stay focused on your goals.

If you buy into the negativity, I can tell you that will translate to your patients’ decision on whether they hand you money or not.

Compare it to the situation with GM and Chrysler. Cars are not moving from these two automakers. Sure, Toyota and Ford are down in overall sales, but because they’ve chosen to make the changes necessary and forge ahead, as we know them today, we’ll know them in a few years from now, whereas GM and Chrysler might be some kind of hybrid of what they look like today.

If you as a dentist and business person want to continue to forge ahead, you will no doubt have to make some changes to your business model in doing so…maybe more insurance patients, maybe working fewer hours, maybe, just maybe, being more aggressive in your marketing efforts, which I think (yes, probably selfishly so) is your best bet.

Right now, at SofTouch™ Family Dental here in Salem, we are mailing about 2,500 to 5,000 postcards each month. We’re active in keeping our existing patients as well by keeping a newsletter full of useful, mostly non-dental information in front of our best patients, so we are also staying relevant in their lives.

We’ve started including more information about how to save money, spend less and live a more free life and we’re seeing the results.

As well, the postcards we mail are centered around patient “feelings” or emotions. They’re also heavily incentivized to make an appointment as soon as possible with impending deadlines and “take-away” offers. Our best offer to-date is a “Guilt-Free Exam & X-rays” for just $99.

If you want to consistently close cases, irrespective of what the economy is doing, you have to market your practice to new and existing patients. You must have consistently-used systems to reactivate patients that are inactive (those without a “next” appointment) and you have to get involved in the community in whatever fashion possible.

Here’s a great example. Just a few days ago I made a call to the local online news service that is going head-to-head with the print newspaper and doing well at it.

I offered to provide them information on dental health care (articles) they could use – they get great content with no effort that is relevant the their readers and we get great exposure as a cutting-edge office just by being online and of course, our website link is provided with an offer(!) and readers are invited to make an appointment.

If we just get a half-dozen patients (or just ONE for that matter – think: REFERRALS!) a year from this source, it’s very well worth the time to take an article we use in our already published patient newsletter and just email it to the online news service – it’s called “re-purposing content,” and smart businesses do it all the time.

Finally, and this will be brief: Do not over-complicate the buying/sales process in your office. If you truly have something of value to offer patients, you’ll need to work hard at showing them YOU deserve to exchange your service for their cash. Working hard doesn’t mean you make the case presentation/sales pitch more elaborate than it needs to be. Go back to good old fashioned direct approach if you need to: “Mary, your tooth is cracked and it’s about to split right down to the root which means in all likelihood, this tooth will fall out and could, at virtually any point in time – and most likely, the most inconvenient time. There’s one thing that will fix it: a crown. Do you want us to get started on that today?”

More Americans are saving now than in the last twenty years. We’re seeing more debit card use today than ever before. And, in fact, the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) reported that for the first-time ever, debit card use exceeds credit card use.

We all know and have heard it countless times: There’s more undone treatment sitting secured in your patient files than you could complete in two years of full-time work. So, have your team get on the phone. Have them send out undone treatment letters. Whatever it takes to get movement.

Much of this can be accomplished with an easy-to-implement system I have developed called the Unfair Advantage Patient Reactivation System. You can learn more at http://www.PatientReactivation.com

Good luck with growing your practice; I think amazing opportunity abounds for the aggressive, take-no-prisoners dentist!

You can learn more about my new, Unfair Advantage, Recession-Proof Patient Reactivation System at http://www.PatientReactivation.com

For an absolutely free, no-strings attached copy of his 50+ page, latest book, 24 Success Secrets Most Dentists Ignore, simply visit his website @ http://www.DentalMarketingTips.com/freebook.html

Copyright 2009, Jerry A. Jones

Headline could be: 2,500 Year Old “Cosmetic” Dentistry!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090518-first-dentists.html

For more information on patient retention, visit http://www.PatientRetention.com

Adios, Jerry

Check it out now!! It’s not a short video, so make sure you have time to get the whole enchilada.

Adios, Jerry

Subject: Carrie Prejean

She’s the current Miss California and competed in the Miss USA pageant to win it all.

So here’s the chain of events to follow from the Donald’s perspective (at least from my vantage point!)

1. He let it fester. Trump didn’t weigh in right away. He’s a master at playing the media and letting them hash it out and endlessly comment about whatever it is they are hot on. Then…

2. He weighs in with a BIG Public Announcement Press Conference after almost everyone else has and they are now clearly waiting for HIM to weigh in… Then…

3. Trump cleverly uses the linkage to Obama and (THE Guy on everyone’s mind – repub or dem alike) to get his comments carried by every single news broadcaster in America, every shock jock, and morning show DJ, too.

4. For all this, Donald Trump promoted his biz of Miss USA, his real estate activities, his “Apprentice” show, etc. and most importantly the TRUMP BRAND.

I’m not sure if it was deliberate or not, but Trump made darn sure the pics of Miss Prejean were already floating around the internet…so he could use that as further promoting Miss USA and the Trump Brand.

Look, like him or not, the APPLICATION of what he’s pulled off here by you in your business could be HUGELY profitable. In fact, if you’re in the news for any reason, you have to carefully consider and weigh every possible method of extracting every ounce of positive publicity out of it as possible. There is no substitute for celebrity! Period.

Adios!

It’s called “$99 Dental” and would cover all but ortho and anything related to oral surgery beyond minor extractions.

Just going on record – I think it’ll be a tremendous service some day.

Sometimes I am there, sometimes I am not. All depends on the “subject” for the day.

Let me explain: The easiest way to get people’s attention is to bribe them with food. It works for sales guys and, it works for employers.

So, when there’s important info to share, or it’s time for education or team training, FOOD is the way to get it done.

Plus, since most lunches are only 1 hour long, the time constraints FORCE you to be efficient and eliminate needless chatter that can take place elsewhere and off the clock.

TRY THEM now, in your office. Order pizza, take-out, whatever. Decide beforehand on a subject or subjects to cover and create a brief outline and get your points covered, get fed and get your team on board!

This is also great for team-building, too!

Down and dirty, fast and effective ways to increase your revenue.

If you like what you’re seeing, let me know. Also, you can join my free newsletter by opting in, here.

Here’s the first:

I’ll post one video now and the other two here soon.

Adios – Let me know what you think, ok?