Is your dental office playing the discount game to be the low-price leader? Learn why you should avoid discount dentistry.
Many practices use the approach of trying to obtain new patients by offering discounts – new patient packages, free whitening, free X-rays – you name it. This is entirely the wrong approach unless your practice focuses on volume versus quality dentistry.
Why? Offering discounts devalues your services and starts the doctor/patient relationship all wrong. If the doctor devalues his or her services, what would make the patient value them? You must create the value in what you can provide before patients can accept it.
This approach also inherently attracts individuals looking for deals. This results in an ongoing hustle of trying to stay competitive with pricing, which is a hard game to play if you are committed to providing quality dentistry. What typically happens is that to try to make up the lost margin, doctors work faster, use cheaper materials, and ultimately, patient care is compromised. These patients are also more likely to scoff at the price of a potential treatment that is more costly (i.e., crowns, cosmetic treatments, etc.).
Patients that choose your office because of a discount offered are also likely less loyal and will jump to the next deal when they find it. Loyalty is harder and harder to find in all of consumerism so why attract people who are all about the bottom line? You want patients who value you and choose your practice because they know it to be superior and because they like you, your team, and the values you stand for. Flashy discounts don’t necessarily speak to this ideal crowd.
Create value in your practice by working on the patient experience. The $200 you would have “lost” in that new patient discount can be rerouted to some affordable amenities to truly create an exceptional experience that will attract those ideal patients. When your office can stand out as being different in the level of service you provide, you will find patients choosing you for that reason and that will be willing to see beyond a higher price and out of network participation.
Everyone wins! Your practice grows with quality patients, you can provide quality dentistry with integrity, and your patients have an amazing experience unlike anything else they can get down the street!
Martin Management is a dental consulting firm that helps dental offices transform their practice into a dental spa and soothe patient fears while offering spa-like amenities and significantly growing their practice.
