Fred Joyal, CEO of 1-800-DENTIST

Frequently, I find I have to convince dentists that their technology plays an important role in their practice marketing. The fact is, technology has huge marketing implications-especially for dentists who have added CAD/CAM technology, such as CEREC® or E4D, to their practice. While these types of devices are on the high end of equipment expenditure, they are also on the high end of consumer appeal. Quite simply, patients are eager to find ways to spend less time in the dentist’s office.

Fred Joyal is CEO of 1?800-DENTIST and author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. He can be reached at goaskfred.com.

Most dentists I talk to have an image in their heads of the ideal new patient. Not only does this person come in to the practice needing extensive care, he or she also understands the value of dentistry and has therefore budgeted the money to start comprehensive treatment right away. On the surface, this seems to make sense-after all, patients with high need and a high dental IQ offer the best opportunity for revenue, right? Not quite.

Has this ever happened to you? The other day I was watching TV and eating some pistachios, and before I knew it, I had eaten nearly half the bag. I realized that if I didn’t stop I might not be hungry for dinner, so I decided to have one last nut. I fished one out, cracked the shell, bit down and immediately my mouth was filled with a harsh, bitter flavor. I realized the nut I had grabbed was burnt and overdone, and the taste was so bad I had to run to the kitchen just to rinse my mouth. After that, I didn’t even want to look at the bag of pistachios.