Dick Corresponds with Brazilian Marketing Consultant
On Aug 19, 2009, at 9:46 AM, From: Dental Marketing - Consultoria e Marketing para Consultórios Dentários <contato@dentalmarketing.com.br> To: dick@nichedental.com Subject: Dental Marketing Consultant from Brazil!
Hi there!
I ´m Dental Marketing Consultant here in Brazil. I really liked your
site and articles! They´re very useful for dentist who´s looking for
information.
How is the Dental Market in you area? Here in Brazil, we still have
problems with worth in this kind of job.... it´s still new for dentists
and they are a little skeptical about it.
Finally, I invite you to visit my web site, it´s not traslated yet. But in few days it will be.
I would like to keep contact, to trade informations, articles and everything that can make our job better.
Best regards,
Rafael
Rafael Almeida Brazil Dental Marketing Consultant
(My Response)
From: Richard Chwalek
Date: August 22, 2009 3:37:14 PM CDT
To: Dental Marketing - Consultoria e Marketing para Consultórios Dentários
Subject: hello to you from USA... Re: Dental Marketing Consultant from Brazil!
Rafael,
Thanks for your praise. I will try to keep in touch. Feel free to contact me and I will do my best to respond.
Below is my take on the dental marketing environment in the USA...
First, I try to focus as much on the consumer as the dentist -- so my
ideas tend to be less approving of the current dental marketing tactics
being used and promoted...
We have a very strong marketing culture here - the main reason we might
have more dentists working with us - but it is probably under 40% that
have any regular contact with "advertising people". Ironically, they
distrust us and patients distrust them - but communication is the only
way to 'bridge the gap'. I go against the grain because of this two
sided distrust dynamic - being "less advertising" as well as consumer
focused - to get dentists to warm up doing a better job of
communicating with the public and their patients.
Basically, I don't think the old and even many of the most current
marketing "tactics" will move most consumers to change their habits.
That means dentists will also keep distrusting marketers and dental
marketing consultants.
Below are two "research" websites I refer to in many articles - which back up my position.
There is a way around this dilemma - but paradoxically dentists who end
up searching out "marketers" often want the "easiest" ideas - that cost
little, take no time to build and are "guaranteed" to work. Those
dentists who are NOT searching for us distrust us because of "what they
think advertising/marketing has to be" - and it does NOT have to be
anything except what THEY want (and the consumer needs) it to be.
However, in this transition - between snake oil marketing
tactics/statements AND "value building" communication -- we need to
"simplify the success plan" as much as possible to pull in some of
those who still want or expect "same old/same old" tactics while
simultaneously shoring up how we present the "potential of the right
marketing" with elements of trust.
As with patients (customers of dentistry) who are not very concerned
with the "trial and error" involved in developing dental treatments
before they are used in actual office settings - dentists (customers of
marketing) are not very interested in hearing their "marketing
treatment" is not guaranteed to work great - the first time and every
time.
But as you know, marketers (even consultants) live in a constantly
evolving laboratory that is the world of the human being. And, what
human beings will do about their oral health -- is NOT "governed" by
the laws of physics, biology or chemistry or any other science. Add to
that dentistry's complicated history which is burdened with anxieties,
fears of pain, distrust, denial, insurance reliance, non-compliance,
lack of awareness, etc. and it is obvious there is a need to transform
the communication environment.
If the current dental marketing tactics (mostly rehashed from previous
and/or non-related advertising strategies) had the potential to do
anything of note - the evidence of its positive effects would not be so
hard to find.
As you will see with the stats noted in the linked articles below -
while marketers in the USA have made money off of dentists - little of
what they have done has created a better communication environment for
increasing the frequency of dental visits or improving oral health in
this country. Review the websites noted below and you will see for
yourself...
SeniorJournal.com has some very sobering statistics...
http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/2007/7-11-09-NewReportShows.htm
-- even with all the advancements over the last few years - no change in visits...
"Overall, there was no change in the percentage of the population with a dental visit from 1996 to 2004."
-- not really about cost - this excerpt shows 40% of "high income" don't go to the dentist regularly...
"This would certainly be a factor in the statistics showing 60% of
older adults from a high-income family had at least one dental visit
during the year,..."
===================== This website/data shows that "current" marketing (and even dental
advancements) have had little or no positive effect on oral heath/tooth
loss...
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_ora_hea_los_of_nat_tee-health-oral-loss-natural-teeth
Only enhanced communication, consistently deployed - will move things
up another notch. While changing society or even dental marketing might
be too big a goal for us - to help our clients over the long term - we
need to think at a higher level than merely "filling the seats" in
their office. This is not "high minded marketing" - just making sure to
integrate these two vital concepts: value and trust.
Plus - helping your dentist clients attract an additional five patients
a month is not a very tough goal. By encouraging these dental consumers
to "value dentistry more" and instilling a "greater level of trust",
you are creating a foundation that has a prolific potential.
Once you develop this type of presence for your dentists in their
community - the likelihood of producing significant residual results is
very high (meaning increased and "stronger" referrals online and off).
Date: August 24, 2009 1:05:08 PM CDT From: Dental Marketing - Consultoria e Marketing para Consultórios Dentários To: Richard Chwalek Subject: Re: hello to you from USA... Re: Dental Marketing Consultant from Brazil!
Richard,
As I understand, you have the same problem that I have here in Brazil. We have the same scenario: Dentist who looking for the easiest ideas e low fees. Note that it´s impossible! I can´t charge the same price to build a "Happy Birthday Card" when the first step (in my point of view) is to prepare a good Marketing Strategic Plan, to identify the patient´s profiles, to know what they want and see as value...
I don´t believe that advertising, cards and billboards with beautiful (some times the sames) smiles and slogans like "Now you can smile"; "Be happy smiling" works to modify the negative demand that dentist represents. I think that we need to do more... we need to touch in the emotion field we need to make smile, wee need to do different and new things to transform the communication environment.
Too many dentists have no Marketing or Advertising plan. When you offer a consultant service like planning - they just want you to make an advertisement, they don't see the value in anything more. And it shows in most of the advertising in Brazil.
We really need to change the dentist´s point of view.
