First, the client tells me, "The newsletter isn't working." This coming from a seasoned dentist who has been doing a newsletter for YEARS suddenly thinks his 20+ new patients a month from referrals are due to something else... a Care To Share card. Yes, those work, don't get me wrong.

So, my advice was, "Hey, quit doing the newsletter and see what happens." Bad advice, but I want to prove a point.

Reminds me of a private client who insisted that, after 6 months of patient newsletter internal marketing, that patients were referring to him because he had a new location, new carpet and so on. Well, that HELPS, but believe me, since he stopped last month, I'm betting money he'll be back once referrals die off because he stopped asking for them!

In this day and age, one gets what one asks for. Nothing more. BUT, a lot less if they stop asking!

LESSON: If things are really cooking in your practice, but you're not sure WHY, the best thing to do is keep on doing what you're doing! Don't stop doing what seems to be working even if you can't put your finger on it.

Anyway, back to the coaching client. He also insists he needs more new patients. Last month he saw 49 NEW patients. He's already working 40 hours a week CHAIRSIDE and 50 hours a week total. He claims his biggest problem is more new patients. Yeah. Right. Oh, and he takes just two weeks of vacation each year. This poor fella is going to be burnt out before he's 45.

This is a sad situation. In his mind, it's about jamming more new patients in the door. Really, it is about generating more production from the almost 50 new patients.

He claims their biggest barrier to treatment acceptance: FINANCING. Well, gee. Problem solved. Here's how to add $500,000 per year in production without adding another 50 new patients per month: YOU FINANCE THEM!

And no, not through DFP or CareCredit. You finance them yourselves. So, in reality he has a systems problem, not a marketing problem.

ACTION-TO-TAKE TIP: Have you CORRECTLY diagnosed the problem(s) affecting your practice's ability to grow? All the new patients in the world will not help if your systems are designed to handle what you already are generating!