How To Use Public Speaking To Attract New Dental Patients

How To Use Public Speaking To Attract New Dental Patients

By Dr. Edward Martin (edwardm77@gmail.com)  

Are your marketing methods failing to get you known in your city ? Do you feel that your marketing doesn’t really get the public to know you personally and as a dental expert. Well, you are not the only dentist with these kinds of feelings. Many dentists tell me that they feel “invisible” to the public. These practitioners have great skills, but their marketing doesn’t convince people to trust them.

Let me give you examples of “invisible” and “visible” marketing. First, invisible marketing leaves you feeling that nobody knows and trusts your dental skills. Here, a good example is to try to imagine that people see your business sign that states your name and that you are a dentist. Now, what does the public learn about you from this type of marketing ? Were they able to get to know you as an expert in your field?  Or, are you still an unknown professional, who is basically invisible to them ?

Let’s try to analyze this topic a little deeper. There are many types of marketing and advertising methods that fail to introduce you personally and professionally to the public. People still don’t know who you are and they don’t even know if they like and trust you.

This type of impersonal marketing doesn’t tell people enough about you and it will keep you invisible to potential patients. It also will not motivate them to find out more about you and your practice. 

So, we have to change our goal or “marketing mindset”. We will need a more personal and visible approach to our marketing plan. Here, we have to show the public who we are and let them get to know us as trustworthy professionals. In addition, it is important to offer question / answer sessions, so that people can understand how you plan to solve their dental problems.    

At this point, let me introduce you to a second type of marketing which is stronger, more personal and it allows you to be very visible in your city. This type of marketing is known as “public speaking”.  Here, we find that giving speeches is very effective for attracting new patients, because of the following reasons :

1.  You are able to give speeches to different groups of people several times per week. Your staff can also be trained to give speeches in your city.

2.  Each audience will see you as a dental expert in your field and you will be able to answer their questions after your speech. Many groups will give you 15 to 30 minutes to answer their questions after you give your speech. In addition, you will be able to meet and shake hands with many of the audience members after your speech is over.

3. Successful dentists try to give at least two speeches each week. This will result in you giving around 100 speeches in a twelve month period. Some dentists, with large goals, try to speak 150 to 200 times per year. In addition, many successful dentists also have their staff members trained to go out and give speeches in their city. This would include other dentists that work in your office, dental hygienists, dental assistants, office managers and secretaries. – You don’t have to be a dentist in order to give a speech.

4. Speakers have the choice of speaking to small groups and large groups of people. Dentists and their staff members have speaking engagements at groups ranging in size from 20 to 500 people. So, start with smaller groups and gradually try larger groups of people, as you become a confident speaker. It is also important to expand your speaking engagements to the following kinds of groups : Corporations, associations, conferences, conventions, organizations, schools, colleges & universities and associations for other kinds of health professionals that have the ability to make referrals to you. – This will take some effort and rehearsing of different “pitches”, in order to acquire speaking engagements at good “targeted” groups. ( Don’t try to speak to every kind of group ). It does take a lot of effort and work, but it will be worth it. In addition, your employees can help with a lot of the work.       

                                                               

5.  If you have a fear of public speaking, you can conquer your fear by practicing in small groups or seminars. You can also practice your pitches for getting speaking engagements. In addition, you can start analyzing which kinds of groups are your best target markets for what you are trying to promote.

6. Start setting a goal of being a well known and visible dentist in your city.  Public speaking can help you become a well known professional to thousands of people in your city and surrounding areas.  Giving speeches can also help you make many strong contacts with medical, dental and other health professionals, who have the ability to send referrals to you.

7.  Here are a few more bonuses that you have a good chance of attaining, as a result of giving speeches on a regular basis : Being hired for paid Keynote speeches, receiving high fees for freelance consulting and training jobs, receiving many referrals for more speaking engagements and being asked to give many seminars and workshops. All in all, you will be able to choose if you want to speak locally, nationally or both.

8.  Let’s conclude with one final point that demonstrates the power of public speaking. We will start with a small goal of speaking to 100 groups in a year. This would require that you give two speeches each week. Now, if you speak to 100 small groups that have around fifty people in the audience, you would have spoken to 5,000 people in a year. 

Can you imagine the number of potential new dental patients that you might acquire by speaking to 5,000 people in a year ? Furthermore, when you are speaking to each group, your audience will get to know you and you will be seen as an expert in your field. They will also have a chance to ask you questions about their dental conditions. 

Now, this is just the beginning, as you can always decide to get speaking engagements more often at much larger groups. You can also increase the number of speeches you give to the public and to professional organizations that have the potential to send you referrals. Finally, many of your office workers and staff members can be trained to give speeches when you are busy.

So, stop being invisible and choose to be a successful well known dentist by using public speaking.