In our recent interview with Ronin Marketing’s Kurt Schubert, we unpacked 4 P’s of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Following our deep dive into “Product”, today we delve into “Price” and “Place”.
Price
As simple as it sounds, price refers to how much a business charges for their product or service. The concept is simple, but the execution can prove to be a unique challenge for dental practices. So how should your price strategy be executed?
Be Transparent
A common pain point for customers is the unexpected prices that can come with a dental visit.
“The reality is, you want to do what you call a ‘dog whistle’ to put people at ease. Be as transparent as possible; in terms of how your billing works or if there are bigger ticket items, show them the tools you have, such as IntraOral Cameras, to explain the treatment plan and what the costs will be. This can show how supportive and sensitive to people’s needs you are,” explained Kurt.
Ultimately, if a patient requires a dental service, they will likely address their issue.
“Chances are, the more you demonstrate your expertise and build a sense of trust, your customer won’t be as intimidated by cost issues. You’re planting the seeds that they’re at ease from the get-go before that trust is even built,” explained Kurt.
Place
Place is often referred to as a firm’s distribution. It involves all spaces where consumers can access your business. For firms, Kurt explains to us how your dental practice can benefit from an innovative distribution strategy.
Create An Inviting Space
When customers are seeking a potentially invasive service, such as dentistry, they need to be put at ease at all points of distribution. A visit to the dentist can become more intimidating than necessary when the environment is off-putting.
“The outdated magazines, stained carpet, old biscuit crumbs, and the hard vinyl chairs… you walk in and question why chairs designed to be hosed off are in the waiting room,” Kurt chuckled.
When thinking of welcoming dentist practices, Kurt mentioned a client he represents, ‘Dentifit‘. This dental fit out business creates welcoming and calming spaces for customers.
“They consider how they can create something that’s not quite a day spa, but could be designed with the approach of being a day spa. It’s a disarming situation.
“Let’s face it – from a marketing purpose if you’re a dentist, it doesn’t hurt to have a situation where people feel like they want to come back. So if your customer remembers their experience of going to the dentist as a pleasant place to be, they’re likely to return sooner rather than later. There’s been great books written about this called ‘The Architecture of Happiness’ [by Alain de Botton]. It literally makes people happy to sit in a nice space”, Kurt explained.
Communicate Your Products To An Already Engaged Audience
Your waiting room is filled with customers already invested in your brand. This is a great opportunity to sell items of potential interest to your customers.
“In advertising terms there’s the saying, ‘sell the sizzle not the steak’. Your practice can showcase unique products your customers could be interested in, such as teeth whitening or the new Curaprox toothbrush, perhaps with poster prints that can easily be replicated at low cost on a monthly basis.
“So if you’ve got a good graphic designer, or if you’ve got a marketing agency that you’re working with, you can continue rolling out fresh posters to show your current offers.
“Creative content should be geared to your company colours, regardless of what you’re selling. When it’s all on brand, you establish that your practice is the one-stop-shop for your customers,” Kurt elaborated.
Not only does this yield revenue, it builds brand authority that your practice can handle all customer needs.
“It’s like going to the chemist. To fill your prescription, you’ve got to walk all the way to the back to the counter. Meanwhile, you’re hanging around, and you’re looking at all the vitamins you suddenly ‘need’.
“When you sell to customers while they’re on your premises, in the ‘zone to buy’, it’s not a big deal to just value add and sell them on another smaller, simple service,” Kurt said.
Beneficial For Business
Strategically communicating your price and making the most of your dental practice’s distribution points can yield significant benefits for your business. At Dental Depot, we connect dental practices with quality products and services that will assure your customers they are receiving the best care available. If you’d like to find out more, contact us today.
