Marketing Your Lab

[nalysale]

For any business, large or small, what matters most is effective marketing that result in sales media network.e mail campaign as social media an effected and cheap way of advertising.Its an internet strategy and effective also..

 

[aabregini]

Hello guys I have a question for everybody who has a lab ,How you guys started, I am thinking in have a one man lab.? Having a lot of experience. But no idea how to start a lab. I don t mind the working long hours, I have been doing it all my life. It has to be a cad/ cam, crown and bridge lab. Any s?. Thanks.Ed

 

[rueric]

In terms of marketing, a good place to start is with taking good care of EVERY CUSTOMER that comes in. Make sure you give them a hospitable welcome as if it's their home.

Building the networks can be slow at first. But as soon as you gain their trust, the network will build itself bigger.

 

[BusinessCoach]

I believe you got a great advise from all who replied to your questions. A couple of things I would like to add to all these great responses that is your marketing should always extend to your current clients. They are your testing grounds for any new marketing vehicle, and they are your advocates to new clients. A successful marketing plan is the one that generates new business at the maximum ROI. No marketing investment has a better return than to current clients and through current clients. As Mark Jackson said, marketing is a continuous action that never ends.

 

[marvel]

Lab's Patient Brochure

When Dr gave the restoration choices he showed 2 brochures: one of denture teeth shapes and one of smiles labeled, "Aggressive, Mature, Hollywood, Youthful...."

Of even more interest would've been the Lab's Patient Brochure of tooth replacement alternatives, replete with full-color photos of examples from the more easily affordable to the priciest, or vice versa.

Does any dental lab offer this? Does the idea seem ridiculous?

Couldn't such a brochure help market a lab? This p/t would've loved it.

Personally, in addition to a strong, functional, well-sealed restoration, I want the most flatteringly realistic teeth the artist can fashion, lovely photographically and in life, closeup and conversationally, of natural chroma, internal anatomy built in lifelike layers with mamelons and incisal edge translucence, full normal lingual anatomy, and naturally shaded facials that catch the light juuust so.

But it seems not everyone cares about all of this or even wants some of it.

Elsewhere in these forums I've read, "most folks are happy with conversational distance esthetics," and "this is a case where I didn't go the extra mile." And with all the bleaching going on it seems more and more folk actually would prefer teeth of some even milky shade over intricate natural tooth colorings. I'm not sure everyone even wants incisal edge translucence with hints of mamelons in their teeth.

Since there are choices, why not offer p/ts a few, prices tiered accordingly?

Of course Drs would have to agree to present them thus.

And as each handfashioned tooth is a work of art, some p/ts may need it spelled out that no two can be exactly alike; that they are choosing the process and each restoration is uniquely tailored to the p/t.

 

[Ameritek]

Let me start by saying that most dentists are looking for the following from there lab.
1) Fast Service
2) Low Fees 10% or less than what there fees are.
3) Quality Work
4) Free remakes It is never there FALT
5) What until they are able to pay your Statement and leave a balance
6) Go to there office to see problem cases or shades ETC.
7) Your lab is only good to them as your last case is.
Sorry to be so honest about 99% of dentist but thats the truth
but there are a few good quality dentist that want good work and are will to pay a fair price and pay you on time I have been looking for 39 years know and I have found about 10 doctors like that. Lots of luck, Also try to Fax then a price list and turn around time

 

[marvel]

Business s BUMP

From the Doc's point of view:... ... ...Mike

THANKS! for this Doc's pov.
In these times it could be appreciated to :bump: this post...so I'm gonna. :biggrin:

 

[Kurt Goodfellow]

Dental Lab Software: Evident
Evident Dental Lab Management Software allows you to give your doctors online access to their account with your lab. They can submit and track cases, view account balances, and reprint invoices and statements.
This increased traffic will mean any marketing you do on your website is more effective.

 

[TomZ]

Sorry but
I find this to be "old school" lab guy way of thinking. Once you decide to run a business instead of it running you, this stuff disappears.

Let me start by saying that most dentists are looking for the following from there lab.
1) Fast Service
2) Low Fees 10% or less than what there fees are.
3) Quality Work
4) Free remakes It is never there FALT
5) What until they are able to pay your Statement and leave a balance
6) Go to there office to see problem cases or shades ETC.
7) Your lab is only good to them as your last case is.
Sorry to be so honest about 99% of dentist but thats the truth
but there are a few good quality dentist that want good work and are will to pay a fair price and pay you on time I have been looking for 39 years know and I have found about 10 doctors like that. Lots of luck, Also try to Fax then a price list and turn around time

 

[Scotts studio]

I really have to agree with Ameritek- (most) dentists are looking for that in a lab,but finding a Dr. who cares about thier pt's is very rewarding for all parties. The way I always market a new account is by dropping off a wooden box made up with different types of restorations in it - with my folder full of information,and just leave it there and tell them you will be back later that day or the next , and if the Dr. wants to talk to me - I'm available! if they can see the value of what you can do, they just might give you a try! If a Dr. is looking for the cheapest he can find,I don't want to work with them anyway. Being a one man lab- this has worked very well for me.

 

[paulg100]

So consider this..

You have to market but you cant offer any inducements. No special prices, no buy 10 get a free ipad, no volume discount, no introductory rates (early account settlement is ok).

So how do you go about about marketing now ?

believe it or not, this is now reality in the UK. Its against GDC regs to offer inducements or procure work in a way that limits patients choice, and labs or rather technicians are now regulated by the GDC.

Of course most UK labs are ignoring this and leaving themselves and the receiving dentist open to disciplinary action, but our ability to market based on quality and service rather than price, is more important than ever in my mind.

How does a business market without inducement, pretty crazy stuff from our beloved General Dental Council.

 

[DentureDude]

sometimes you gota work for it.

when i decided to push the Astron CLEARsplint nightguard i made up about a dozen.

i duplicated upper and lower models. (silicone) mounted them on the small brass articulators, and gave them out to my busy accounts. now they have something to show the patient.

worked like a charm.

 

[Rayne]

According to a piece of data from DIAC, 86% of dentists have internet access at the front desk of their practice. There are two assumptions with the resistance toward social media as a marketing tool and an online case submission system like the Evident Dentist Gateway. The first is that dentists are technologically illiterate and the second is that it's the dentists that will be utilizing the online case submission or reviewing the dental practice account information with your lab.

Old generations of dentists retire and new tech savvy dentists graduate each year. It's just as important to establish new relationships with new younger dentists as it is to maintain the relationships that have taken years of working together to establish. But dentists won't be the one's logging cases through your dentist gateway or actively pursuing dental labs, the receptionist will be the elected 'case submission specialist'. Dentists want to be at the chair earning money, that's why they have receptionists and those people are highly proficient when it comes to technology - not that you need to be a computer specialist to log a case through the dentist gateway!

So for dental labs that believe that dentists will always be using hand written paper prescriptions and that their current client base will source the dental labs work until the end of time, Evident has features that can help with administration, organization and marketing. But for those labs that can see that their competition, dental lab associations, dental associations and other industries are integrating technology for incomparable ease of access for their clients - Evident dental lab software is ready to give you the tools yo need to promote your lab. So you can do social media, but remember the dentist AND the person at the front desk will be the person researching your lab. So you want to sell the usual quality, cost and turnaround but there is a new feature that attracts front desk admin which is accessibility.

 

[Vitalium]

Here in EU ......
Be better than others, doctors talk....

 

[RDA]

Has anybody checked into Opt*In? Any results? I received an email from them, and am just curious.

Opt-in Dental Laboratory Cooperative

 

[TomZ]

Rather new co-op. Its Dean Merskys baby..

 

[dentalsaving]

i use classified ad posting for my website and grab local client.....

 

[Sandra]

Different ways are used to marketing a business. Internet marketing is the fastest way to make your business in the eye of avery one. They will get you fast by just searching you on internet.

 

[2bearnest]

Yea I've been talking with him(Dean) over the last few days actually.

 

[DenLab]

I have actually worked in marketing for two labs now. The marketing has been HIGHLY successful- it involves direct marketing by contacting dental offices to measure interest and isolate those that are truly in the market for a new dental lab. This is not as easy as it sounds because you have to have a full time person or persons on the phone making calls and that person has to be good at what they do- they have to understand the nature of labs (I'm a technician myself so that makes it much easier for me to root out real interest). You literally have to have a person making calls that is paid hourly plus bonuses for making "sales" for getting in new clients. Most labs can't afford this cost.

The last lab I worked at, I have a few reps doing this and we were able to get 10 - 37 new clients during any two week period. The unfortunate part was the lab was very new not focused on quality and a large number of clients didn't stick due to poor quality. However, several did stick and are still there to this day. We found some very large volume clients that are keeping the lab afloat.

I have now moved on to a more established lab that did not have this style of marketing in place. I set everything up and began a specific script and marketing (doing everything myself) - In a 45 day period I was able to bring in 21 new clients by myself and cover my pay by 4X! Of those, 80% are still using us and all have paid the first bill. It has been so successful that I was thinking of creating a service like this for other labs. Finding the interest and forwarding the the lead to the labs based on the area they want to get new doctors in. Is there any interest out there in a service like this? I think it would be more cost effective to pay for a red-hot lead for a dental office in your area that is interested in using a new lab than sending out thousands of mailers to get little to no results. Share your thoughts.