Practice Management Toolkit How to Attract Patients to Your New Dental Practice David Schwab, Ph.D Whether you are starting a dental practice from scratch or joining an established practice, you have an immediate need to attract new patients. If you start practicing in an area where you have lived for many years, you have the advantage of friends and family in the area. However, if you move to a new location, you need to develop a network of contacts to build your patient base. Here are some tips for the dentist who is starting to practice in a new location. Send Mailings to New Residents. One of the best sources of names and addresses of new residents in your area is your local telephone company, because nearly everyone establishes telephone service as soon as they move to a new location. You can purchase these new resident mailing lists and either send your own mailing or participate in a new resident "coupon packet" that contains information from many businesses in one envelope. The advantage of sending your own material is that it does not get lost in the clutter of all the other advertisements in the packet; the advantage of using a packet is that the unit cost for your advertisement is lower. Since repetition is a key ingredient in advertising, you may wish to use the coupon packet for the initial mailing and then send those same new residents additional mailings from your office during the year. Place an Announcement in the Local Newspaper. Most communities have one or two major newspapers and other local papers. The problem with a major newspaper is that you will be paying to reach individuals who live too far from your practice for them to consider becoming patients. A local paper, with a smaller circulation, will be more cost effective and help you reach households close to your practice. Send a News Release to Your Local Newspaper. In addition to announcements, which can be run repeatedly as paid advertising, you may be able to generate free publicity by sending a news release to the newspaper. Since there is no fee involved, the release should be sent to all newspapers in the area. You can get examples of the proper format for a news release from your local library. Be sure to include a photograph. Some newspapers even have special sections for news releases from new businesses. Check for these sections and guidelines for submissions. Keep Regular Office Hours. Sometimes new dentists maintain erratic office hours because they have few patients to treat. Even if you are only practicing two or three days per week, you should keep regular office hours and use time between patients to do your marketing, including setting up business appointments, writing letters, or arranging mailings. You can advertise in the early days that walk-in patients are welcome, and convert at a later date when you are busier to an appointment-only policy. Buy a Cellular Phone. For those times when you cannot be in the office, use a cellular phone. Have your office calls forwarded to the cellular phone so patients can always reach you to make an appointment or discuss their concerns. Once you are well established, you will not want patients to reach you at all times for routine matters such as scheduling an appointment, but in the early days of your practice every telephone call counts. You can also have your office answering machine activate your pager so you will know when to check for messages and be able to return patients' call immediately. Join Your Local Dental Society. The best way to get the pulse of the market is to talk to other dentists. Since dentistry is a cottage industry, the dental society is a great way to network and to learn. Participate in Several Community Organizations. If your goal is to meet people, then you should not only join but participate in several community organizations. Volunteer for jobs that will get you visibility, such as serving on a committee. Offer your office as a convenient meeting place for small gatherings to increase your visibility. Visit Other Businesses in Your Neighborhood. Remember the old days when policemen "walked the beat?" They got to know all the shop owners and were always visible in the community. This style of police deployment—now called "community policing" is making a comeback. You can take a lesson from this approach by visiting other business owners in your neighborhood and saying something like, "Hello, I'm your new neighbor." Leave your business card and other practice information with everyone you meet. By meeting local business owners, you will be meeting people who collectively know everyone in your community.
Ask Patients for Referrals. As new patients start to come in, tell them that
you would like to see their family and friends. As a new dentist in town, you
will be able to accept appointments on short notice, and you will be able to
spend quality time with each patient until your schedule starts getting full.
These are all great advantages. David Schwab, Ph.D., Lake Mary, FL 
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