Do you like coffee?
I love coffee. I love everything about it.
The smell, the flavour, spending time with friends, the ritual of drinking it – everything.
Wherever I live, I like to find a great café. When I lived in Brisbane, my cafe of choice was Espresso Republic in the City.
Now that I live in Canberra, I like to have coffee at Koko Black (which is actually a bit odd because it’s a chocolate shop).
I like these cafes for the exactly the same reasons.
The coffee is consistently good. The staff know me and my order. And I am well looked after while I’m there (I’m even given free chocolate!).
When I leave they farewell me in a way that makes me want to come back.
It’s the little things. The value they create that makes me want to return time and time again.
From a dental practice management point of view, creating value is also about standing out from the crowd.
Let’s take a look at a couple of other examples (I’m going to stick with the coffee theme here):
Star Bucks
When Starbucks opened they wanted to stand out and be different.
The staff threw coffee beans out on the footpath in front of the shop, so that when people walked by they stepped on the beans.
This crushed the beans to release that beautiful aroma, prompting people to come in and try a coffee.
Uno Vita
This is inspirational coffee.
When you order a coffee at this Brisbane café, the barista takes a toothpick and draws a picture in the milk froth on top.
It takes seven seconds to make someone’s day. But it also makes customers feel like they are getting more than just a coffee.
It’s coffee with a difference.
The Koko Black Guide To Dental Practice Management
(And Creating A Practice Your Patients Will Love)
Patients will only value what you do as much as you value it yourself.
If you continually downplay what you do as a healthcare professional, then it is only natural that your patients will too.
Koko Black and Una Vita value the coffee they serve.
They don’t only stand out in their industry and make competition irrelevant. They grow a successful business and community of delighted clients.
They do that in three key ways.
1. Positioning
Koko Black might be a chocolate shop, but it positions itself as an expert in the field. Whether they’re serving coffee, or serving chocolate, they are experts.
Their customers trust them to deliver quality in everything they do.
As a dentist, you need to position yourself as a trusted adviser and the expert in your field.
You want to be the person who guides patients through their dental life and builds a strong relationship with them.
2. Prioritising
Koko Black make customers their priority. They provide value and aim to impress.
When you create value through your dental practice management, dental marketing, and dental practice systems, you impress your patients.
Not only that, you educate them so they begin to understand why their dental health must be a priority.
3. Proceeding
As an industry expert who also makes customers their top priority, Koko Black ensures their clientele.
Their customers wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. They’re not going to shop around for cheaper chocolate because they know that Koko Black has the best.
They’re not going to grab a coffee anywhere else because they won’t be welcomed the same way.
When you create value for your patients and elevate the importance of their dental care, you’ll see a marked increase in case acceptance.
Patients will see the value in looking after their dental health.
They won’t treat it as discretionary spending, and they will be more open to proceed with treatments.
Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
Here’s something that no one else will tell you.
No one likes run-of-the-mill. You have to be the best.
That’s what sets any business apart from other businesses. It sets them apart from the ‘also-rans’.
You don’t want to be a run-of-the-mill dental practice. You don’t want run-of-the-mill patients.
You want patients you can love. You want patients who love you too.
So you have to create a world class, kick-ass, gotta love it, business.
And that starts with you.
You must create a place your patients enjoy visiting.
You must have a team your patients trust to look after them. Every time.
You must create great value.
Starting now.
