I Screwed up!

My mistake should be a lesson. When it comes to marketing, I coach how important it is to always identify the audience. It’s the 2nd ‘M’ in the Message-Market-Media triad of successful marketing.

Over the last few weeks, as I began promoting my “COFFEE WITH THE COACH”  program, I focused on Doctors. I wrote blogs, sent emails, made up landing pages and gave 2 webinars. The copy and content were great, the message part and the medial portion were stellar.

As I was delivering the webinars, it occurred to me that I was talking to the wrong market.

Yes, a Doctor’s vision and leadership are crucial for practice success. But dentistry is a team sport and often, the Doctor, during office hours is functioning as a “provider”, rendering care. While doing so, they can’t, and shouldn’t even try functioning as the “air traffic controller”. Someone else should fulfill that role.

My discussion of KPI’s, the topic of the webinar (which I will email you upon request) had valuable information for the Air Traffic Controller in the practice. It talked about all the dials, gauges and read outs that one should be watching in order to avoid crashes.

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Yes, it’s great of the Doctor knows this information too but they are often not the people who should be implementing, measuring or holding others accountable.

That’s the way all small businesses start off. Mom and Pop shops that are fairly easy to control. It’s the dental practice that struggles in the $500K to 900K region of production.

But in order to break that barrier, other systems, like air traffic control, needs to be added. The lack of such an effective person at that position will keep even the most talented team from scaling up, increasing revenues, profits and caring for more people.

My “Message” and the COFFEE WITH THE COACH program should have included the Air Traffic Controllers of the practices. Without their cooperation, anything discussed will present a challenge to implementation.

That’s the problem that we’ve all faced after going to a CE course. We come back, excited, energized and full of ideas. Then, on Monday, we start discussing our new found enlightenment with the team. How dumb is that!

We are assuming that our team will follow us blindly into the abyss. While some may, most will just see the abyss and nothing more.

At least, if the office manager, treatment coordinator, COO or practice administrator were to have attended the course, they would be able to help strategize about the best way to implement whatever programs were discussed.

And so, I apologize for making that same mistake. My market, if I am to truly help dentists succeed is NOT just the dentist but their management team as well.

And so, I’ve modified the program contents to be of more interest to those team members as well as the practice leader, YOU.

If your management team could benefit from coaching about topics such as;
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• The PatIent Experience
• Customer Service
• KPI’s
• Treatment and financial presentations
• Value Ladders
And more…

Then, you and your management team should take a closer look at this PROGRAM.

And, take this as a lesson. Identifying YOUR ideal market, as defined and focused as possible is the way to make your marketing efforts more successful

To your successfully defined audience,
Michael