Fred Joyal is the co-founder and CEO of 1-800-DENTIST the largest dental referral business in the country. In 1986, Fred and Gary Saint Denis started 1-800-DENTIST which is now owned by Dentsply Sirona. He is the founder of Futuredontics a dental marketing agency. He is the author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. He is a dental marketing guru, a speaker, and the blogger behind Go Ask Fred.
Fred’s book is one of the best books on marketing ever written. If you are a dentist, it is required reading along with Peter Dawson’s restorable dentistry book. Fred has also written a second book called Becoming Remarkable Creating a Dental Practice Everyone Talks About. An interesting fact about when Fred started 1-800-DENTIST is that it was highly controversial, and he was accused of destroying dentistry. Yet, Fred has actually invested half a billion dollars to get the general public to go to the dentist.
You can find Fred here:
Go Ask Fred
1-800-DENTIST
Futuredontics
Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth
Becoming Remarkable Creating a Dental Practice Everyone Talks About Discount Code: Fred Joyal
Fred Joyal on LinkedIn
Fred Joyal on Facebook
@fredjoyal on Twitter
Show Notes
[02:34] Fred still spends 30 million a year to get people to go to the dentist.
[02:47] How the biggest marketing opportunity is reaching people who don't go to the dentist.
[02:54] Fred is an abundance thinker. There is more than enough opportunity in dentistry.
[03:31] Whatever you believe is true. You will magnetize positive or negative towards you.
[04:04] Fred has had dentist thank him for reminding patients to go to the dentist.
[04:24] Advertising is using a specific medium to tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should use your service.
[04:35] Marketing is everything that you do that tells people who you are, and what you do, and why they should use your service.
[04:54] You can do fantastic advertising. What happens to the potential along the way is marketing.
[05:29] 5 mistakes people make with dental marketing.
[05:41] It comes down to the experience of being a patient. People write about their experience not clinical skills.
[06:44] The tightest filter on advertising is the front desk and what happens in the initial contact.
[08:33] Word of mouth should be your number one source of patients. The front desk is about getting them in.
[09:05] Don't over screen and try too hard to make sure the patient is a fit. Don’t talk about the money too much.
[11:39] If you have an amazing practice, they will want to go to your practice.
[12:57] If all roads lead to come on in, you won't miss the sale.
[13:40] Whales are in oceans where there are lots of fish.
[14:09] Smart practices get people to come in for free and see how great their practice is. The idea is to get someone into your office.
[15:40] More and more practices are realizing that they have to accept plans. You may be missing something by not taking any plans.
[17:42] How fast you get people in is mistake number two. With advertising patients, get them in right away. There is a 48 hour half life on an advertising patient. Get them in within 48 hours.
[20:23] The importance of immediacy. This is an opportunity. Every patient can be turned into 5-20 referral patients. Get new patients in and get them in fast.
[22:31] Any dentist can see a new patient tomorrow.
[25:39] Building patient trust takes time. There are two factors that determine the success of the practice. The patients perception of trust and the perception of the value of dentistry. Getting to the money too soon violates trust. Find out who the patient is and what they want. Trust can be subconscious and irrational. You can build it layer by layer.
[28:55] Have the I don't need your money mindset.
[29:09] Understand how the patient values dentistry in their life.
[29:25] A series of questions on their intake form. How do you feel about your smile. Build value over years, not minutes. Find out where they value dentistry versus other stuff in their life.
[30:27] There is no better investment in dentistry if you need it.
[31:11] Smile more to be happy. Don't smile because you are happy.
[31:39] Help people understand that dentistry is one of the best investments that people can make, and you are the one that can deliver it. Your team is your best marketing tool.
[32:34] Really invest in the people around you. You have to believe that money spent in your office is the best money spent. If you undervalue what you do, people will undervalue you. Mindset is huge.
[33:32] There are people who change lives and people who fix teeth.
[34:46] Great teeth are more valuable than people think. Communicating that value makes you invincible. The team is an important part of the marketing.
[37:01] People can find out what it is like to be a patient of yours on social media. You need to be remarkable and create a wonderful patient experience that people can't resist remarking about. You have to have a systematic approach to creating this online review profile.
[39:46] You need a steady stream of reviews. Negatives don't hurt you as long as you have a larger balance of positive reviews. You need to monitor, generate, and respond to reviews and generate Facebook content.
[42:12] Video is your most powerful marketing tool about being a patient of yours.
[43:25] If you show the face, don't talk about the case.
[46:05] Facebook is about the experience of being a patient not the clinical work.
[47:04] You write the narrative of your dental practice. People love the story.
[47:58] Build value and trustworthiness and people often find the money. Don't prejudge people.
[49:10] You need a 1000 great patients and 300 telling everyone how remarkable you are.
Links and Resources:
Dawson Academy
Laura Hatch
Carrie Fisher
Go Ask Fred
1-800-DENTIST
Futuredontics
Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth
Becoming Remarkable Creating a Dental Practice Everyone Talks About Discount Code: Fred Joyal
Fred Joyal on LinkedIn
Fred Joyal on Facebook
@fredjoyal on Twitter
