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Talk may be cheap, but it pays to be popular with patients. MED discovers how word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers are key to growing your practice.

When it comes to running a practice, don't make the mistake of thinking that dentistry is above money. Call it a career, call it a vocation, but call it a business, because your accountant does. The simple fact is; patients mean profits, and practices are like any other small company battling for market share. They need to attract consumers. So why do so many dentists recoil at the prospect of marketing their services?

It's an emotive issue, explains Stewart Gandolf, co-founder of Healthcare Success Strategies and a leading practice marketer. "There's a stigma attached. Dentists mistakenly believe there is a correlation between how good a dentist you are, and how busy you are," he says. "So dentists who need to market are bad dentists, and look needy and sleazy.

"It's a mistake, because there are good dentists who market and there are bad dentists who market. It helps both get business.

If the perception that marketing is a dirty word is holding you back, a short aphorism could help. Put simply, says Rachael Sizeland, founder of RAS Marketing, if you aren't out marketing your services, somebody else will be.

"Even if you're an excellent dentists, patients won't be queuing up in your waiting room if they don't know you exist," she explains.

But if the thought of promoting your services brings you out in a cold sweat, don't panic. Marketing is not all about slick, big-budget advertising campaigns. "It is not the same thing as selling," says Gandolf. "It's about building the product to match what the customer needs, not trying to get the consumer to fit the product.

What this translates to is effective, low-cost methods of building your profile without snapping the purse strings. And, as with all successful businesses, it comes down to pleasing the customer.

A made market

When it comes to promotion, your current patients are your best assets. As Aileen Culligan, account director at Dubai-based public relations firm Asdaa, outlines; "In healthcare, it is a market of habit. Dentists and patients build an emotional bond and dentists need to focus on patient loyalty. They can get patients by word of mouth.

Even better, says Gandolf, it costs nothing to cultivate them. "Patients already have a level of trust in you. Asking them for referrals, following up appropriately and giving them a good experience is your highest return on investment.

"Give them [patients] a little extra, and it will open the door to recommendations.

While acknowledging that many dentists feel uncomfortable about asking patients to refer on friends or family, Gandolf argues that dentists that don't ask, don't get. "A lot of practices are perceived as busy, so if you're not asking for referrals, patients won't think to do it.

So how can you encourage word-of-mouth recommendations? In this instance, a cutting-edge logo or a 10ft billboard isn't going to cut it. Instead, it's about learning to think of patients as more than a number.

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