I've been presenting the "How to Sell to Dentists" workshops and seminars for many years now and have worked with almost 200 companies and over 12,000 sales/marketing reps, directors, and managers. One of the segments in these programs is called "Rate the Ad" where we review current pieces that are in dental publications and determine whether they are 1 (poor) or 10 (great) ads (or something in between) and why. Many who attend are shocked at how many ads that "look nice" to them are poorly rated or completely unappealing to the TARGET audience--the dentists! In fact, only about 12% of ads (and I've surveyed my colleagues for hundreds of them over the past few years) get a "7" or higher. This means that MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in marketing spending is "wasted". And, again, as I mentioned in a previous post, 73% of dentists only NOTICE (let alone read through) 1-3 ads in a print publication like Dental Economics per issue.

I just received the current issue of DE, and (as I always through) looked through the dozens of full page ads (going for $8k or so per) and was even amazed myself to see that there was only ONE (and my job is to purposely notice ads) that I found appealing (as a dentist and a sales expert and trainer).

So what gives? Yes, some of it is that there are simply SO many places now to advertise and it's certainly becoming harder and harder to get dental office's attention.

However....there are 5 main reasons that you aren't getting results, AND each of these can be addressed. I urge you to read this and take action! Some of you will need to focus on just one but most companies have to address most or all of these. They are in no particular order of importance. And, by the way, these aren't just for print ads--they hold true for most of what else you do--direct mail, social media marketing, product flyers, trade show marketing/selling

1. Your marketing department thrives on being creative! That's nice, because you hired them because of their ability (to be creative), but most I have worked with try to produce pieces that are so creative, they become confusing, overwhelming, and/or too cutesy for a dentist/office that has only a couple of seconds to decide whether to read or not to do so. They often elect to skip/pass. It is always better to keep it simple, clean and crisp.

2. Your marketing department doesn't understand dental! This is a HUGE problem out there. The feeling is, as long as they understand their company/product line, they can produce effective marketing. Many don't even do this in-house, they outsource to a company that works within many industries (and especially other medical/healthcare). I have news for you! Dental is a different animal! Your marketing team should be trained and should study dental just like you and/or your sales team do, and even more so.

3. The "message" (if there actually is one) isn't resonating with the dentist!Over 90% of the ads out there focus on how "great" your company/product is. Great--you want to pat yourselves on the back ..I get it. But the truth is that if your message doesn't fit within what's "most important to the dentist" (there are a handful of things -- financially or emotionally that do) you lose. It's about them and it's about how your product/program FITS into their practice. We (dentists) already know you think your product is great...it doesn't mean that much to us. Not every product can be the best, so part of it psychologically is that we become skeptical. Tell us what this means for MY PRACTICE. I don't need to see the name of your product, or your company name, or your "#1 composite" award as the main message.

4. The marketing department and sales department are not in synch! Over 85% of the dental manufacturing companies I work with show a strong 'disconnect' between sales and marketing. Very little consistent communication. Even if marketing creates a piece that gets results, the sales team gets the lead and then prospects offices with a completely different message! HELLO? It's not that hard to get both sides together on a plan!

5. You aren't running your ads by your target audience or the "experts" beforehand! Ok, so you've committed to a large ad campaign for 2015. You are putting a full page ad in five publications and running each of these six times. Add that up..you have just committed a huge amount of money and banking on the success of that ad. 12% of ads get a "7" rating or higher. You are gambling. Question is...why aren't you, with that sort of financial commitment, asking for someone's opinion (to assist in tweaking and revising it a bit) before you are releasing it? Let's face it. The publications aren't going to tell you your ad sucks! (And yes, they know many of them do...I've spoken to many of them off the record) Their job is to take your money and you're on your own. Yes, it's true that they SHOULD give you feedback (if they are qualified and some are) because if you are successful, you will continue to advertise. But it doesn't work that way. I can look at an ad for a few seconds and immediately know whether it will produce decent results. Again, same with direct mail pieces, trade show strategy, and/or social media messaging. You're committing hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. For a MODEST additional investment, you can get feedback BEFORE you send it to print.

If you are a CEO, President, or VP Marketing/Sales and are reading this, I can help! Contact me to discuss! tonydmd@gmail.com or 646-375-2067

As a dentist with over twenty five years experience on both the clinical and sales/marketing sides of the industry, I’ve had the unique perspective of being able to clearly see what works (and what doesn’t) between practices and those looking to do business with them. While my focus is generally on working with dental companies and their reps on how to sell more effectively to dentists by better understanding what’s important to them, I’ve come to the realization that it is just as important for offices to do what is necessary to put themselves in a better position of making the process as efficient as possible.

There is no doubt that there are many resources now available to dental offices, especially online, to allow for them to better research, compare, and purchase products and services. However, I’m sure we would all agree that there is still a strong need for those “face to face” meetings with sales reps and consultants, to get information and to see how a product works. This can occur via an in-office demo, lunch & learn presentation, and/or a trade show conversation. There are many logical reasons why dentists don’t “like” to meet with reps. One of the main reasons and one that is often overlooked, is that most general practices perform dozens of procedures and therefore need hundreds of products (not to mention equipment, software/business programs, services, etc.) to function. It would be literally impossible to meet with “everyone” who calls on them. Then, most dentists complain that reps simply take up too much of their time offering almost too much information to impress them without even understanding their practice situation, then almost “scold” them for what they are currently doing or using, and finally try to get their business almost immediately. There is no doubt that this is true many times. Most dental reps spend the majority of their training learning about their own company, their products, and their competitors. That doesn’t “naturally” translate into an effective sales presentation. It becomes too much about them and their product and not enough about the benefits to the dentist’s practice they are speaking to. Added to this is the overwhelming belief on the sales side of the industry that dentists are not good businesspeople and are “cheap” and only buy on price. Rather than get into a long discussion on whether those beliefs are truly true or not, as that’s an article or seminar in itself, let’s move forward with the consequences of dental companies and reps approaching their sales presentations in that manner. What we often find is the meeting with one rep sounds exactly like the meeting the dentist had yesterday with a rep from another company. They all “sound alike” rattling off all the features of the product and explaining at length why their product is superior to the other company. The result is that dentists and office managers start to say “Here we go again” to themselves and interest is lost as the conversation goes on and then “objection mode” kicks in.

So…what do we do? As I mentioned before, sales reps and dental offices still NEED each other! There are many times when a dentist or office manager wants to, and has to, set up meetings with reps to learn about, or SEE, how a product or service can improve their practices. I say the answer is that dental offices should be getting more PROACTIVE when it comes to working with reps. There is frustration from the dentist because of the reasons previously mentioned and then the rep gets frustrated because dental offices are “indecisive”. Both sides have to do their part. Yes, the reps (and I’ve been working hard on doing this with the trainings I offer) have to better understand the mindset of the dentists they are selling to, as well as being more organized and prepared for EACH presentation and not sounding like a “robot”. And, dental offices….instead of assuming or expecting that reps will be knowing the “right” way to present to you and then getting frustrated, take charge so that the process becomes more efficient and consistent:

When you are setting up time to meet with the rep, here are FIVE suggestions on what to do to ensure a better process and results:

1. Tell the rep EXACTLY how much time you have allotted for them, and ask them if they can commit to that time frame.

2. If there is a specific reason you are interested in their product, tell them what that is up front and then tell them that you want them to be organized to address that situation.

3. Tell them to prepare for their meeting with you by learning as much as possible about their practice BEFORE they walk in the door. This can be by visiting your website to better understand the focus and philosophy of the practice. Plus, if it is a manufacturers rep coming in with their dealer rep, ask them to have their dealer rep give feedback on what the practices preferences are.

4. Ask them if they need anything to do their demo or presentation. Examples can be whether they need to be in an operatory or private office, whether they need a computer and/or outlet, etc. I can’t tell you how many times reps come to offices thinking one thing (or just haven’t thought about it at all) only to find the office isn’t on the same page. Don’t wait for this problem to occur as it wastes a great amount of time from both sides.

5. When the meeting begins, tell the rep what you are looking for, or what you WANT, in ________ product (whatever it is they are selling). In other words, don’t waste each other’s time having the rep go into all 25 bullet points of everything the product does. If you are in the market for a composite resin alternative, and it’s most important to you that the composite handles well, tell them that and ask them up front to focus on it. Most reps come in with an approach of “Here’s why you NEED our composite” instead of “Dr. Smith, what do YOU want in a composite”.

Some of you reading this article may look at these five suggestions and say, “That’s a lot of work on our end”! It may seem so, and the reality is that once you get in the habit of doing this, you are going to see your relationship with the rep dramatically improve! It takes just a minute or two to do what’s listed above, and you will save lots of time during the conversations with reps and then afterwards in reducing the amount of time it takes to make decisions. Hey, you may even start looking forward to the meetings!

I've been a dentist and sales executive, trainer, and consultant for over two decades now, and have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of companies and thousands of reps. I truly have a unique perspective on the industry and that's helped in understanding why most dental companies feel they can't seem to reach their sales projections (or anywhere close to them). The purpose of this post is to offer the 3 main reasons why this is so. And...just so you know, I don't have the ability here to explain all the details behind this "list". However, take a look and if you'd like to know HOW to then break through all of this, I would urge you to consider taking my "How to Sell to Dentists" workshop or bring me in to work with your team at National or International Sales Meeting or at your headquarters. 

I guarantee you will be amazed at how easy it is to turn things around!

Let me start off by saying what I always have said and truly believe...most companies do a good job at training their salespeople in three areas: their company, their products, and their competitors. The PROBLEM is that the missing piece is: truly understanding the mindset of the dentist..why do they buy and what gets their attention?

1. You are doing what everyone else does! Ok, I can go on and on about this, but let me start by saying that I have the opportunity to observe dozens of dental manufacturers at their annual sales meetings work their sales teams by having them do "role playing" exercises. (one is the dentist and the other is selling their products to them). While this generally "satisfies" everyone (reps, managers, and company executives), the honest truth is that rarely translates into anything (sales-wise) "out in the field". If I were to "close my eyes" and not "see" which company I am watching, I couldn't tell one company from the next. The role playing all sounds the same, and the people who "play the dentist" don't (and it's not their fault) come close to communicating the way it really is. The main problem is that companies and reps are basing their "pitch" on two things which are somewhat totally "unrelated" to one another: "Dentists are cheap" (and therefore we are going to get them by offering our "special") and "Let me tell you why our product is the best" (better than our competitor). This combination doesn't work for a bunch of reasons. Let's not even get into how every company also tries to "get past the gatekeeper", sell at trade shows, and do lunch and learns the same way. Even how you leave information and follow up is pretty much the same as the same competitors you are trying to distance yourselves from. Hello? This is SIMPLE to change. The cardinal rule of selling to dentists is: Understand how they think and do what the others don't. I can teach you how.
2. Your marketing department doesn't understand their audience! Besides the fact (although very important and a topic to cover at a later date) that most mid to large sized dental companies have a serious "disconnect" (meaning they don't communicate) between the sales and marketing deparmtents when they should be in synch with their messages and objectives, here are some numbers to consider. I've done hundreds of surveys and evaluations on marketing campaigns. Let's just take a look at advertising in dental publications. Take Dental Economics. One issue may have dozens of full page ads from various manufacturers, dealers, consultants, etc. My latest survey shows that 73% of dentists READ only 1-3 ads per issue! How about this? I had 500+ dentists "rate" over 200 dental ads giving them a 1-10 ranking (10 meaning it's a great ad, and 1 meaning it's a poor ad). Only 12% of the ads scored a 7 or higher! Finally..this: When asked why they didn't read more ads, the top 3 answers/results were: 55% said nothing stood out about the ad, 24% said "they don't relate to my practice situation" and 11% said "they take up too much of my time". Thetranslation of these 3 top responses are: "there wasn't a message or headline that caught my attention (or they were boring), "it was about them and not about me", and "they are too confusing/busy" respectively. The end result: Tens (or hundreds of thousands) of dollars are being wasted because the marketing department doesn't "get" what turns a dentist on...what's important to them...what gets their attention. Let me ask you this...do you actually have a dental person look at your ads before you release them to the publications to use? If not, you should! How difficult is it to do that, and potentially SAVE tons of money and get double or triple the responses?
3. You are hiring the wrong people! I also provide recruiting services and work directly with HR Directors, VP of Sales, and CEO's on a regular basis, and to be brutally honest, I'm amazed at the selections being made out there (and the process behind them). I'm also amazed at how many companies completely "rule out" certain "types" of people based on completely outdated philosophies. This is true when hiring reps all the way up to managerial and top leadership positions. Tons of people just "hop" around and get recycled from company to company because they have "sales experience". First and foremost, do they UNDERSTAND the industry and/or can they learn the industry (not your products)? Pushing aside these standardized personality profiles/tests being used ad nausem, do they have the right "attitude" to succeed? Dentistry is a unique field within health care, and selling/marketing to them is different. I can look at a team of 50 people, and within 10 minutes pick out who has it and who doesn't. I can also look at a bunch of candidates and do the same. You've heard the expression keep doing the same things and you'll get the same results. It's time for dental companies who have progressive and innovative product lines to HIRE along the same thinking that you put into developing new products...think a bit outside the box.

Again, if you'd like to make the shifts necessary to start seeing much better results (and really learn how to grow organically), contact me!

Here's the bottom line...MOST companies I work with say they aren't getting anywhere near the response they want or need from their advertising/marketing dollars. They blame it mainly on "dilution" --- there are simply too many places to advertise and dentists don't/can't read everything anymore. Some of this is true. However, regardless of how much of it is the case, the bottom line is that you still NEED to market and still NEED to see results. Therefore...you have to get BETTER at what you are doing.

I've kept this post and list simple but it can SAVE YOU HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in the long run. Review it, and contact me. First, the numbers/stats don't lie. My latest survey shows that 73% of dentists READ only 1-3 ads per issue! How about this? I had 500+ dentists "rate" over 200 dental ads giving them a 1-10 ranking (10 meaning it's a great ad, and 1 meaning it's a poor ad). Only 12% of the ads scored a 7 or higher! Why? I will tell you why once you look this list over and contact me.

Second, for some reason, most companies don't ask to get feedback/evaluation before submitting their ads (and spending their money) from dental professionals who understand why their colleagues buy. I can do that for you at a very modest cost. I can do this privately or, if you aren't convinced, you can come initially to one of my live 1.5 day NYC workshops "How to Sell to Dentists" (See HOME page of this website for next course dates) 

Here's the list of "mistakes" being made. They aren't in any particular "order" per se, but all are important, and many marketing pieces combine several of these, giving the synergistic (negative) effect of less results!

1. Too creative, which results in confusion. If it takes too long to figure out what is going on, you lose. I know you get paid to be creative, but...simpler is better. It's the message, not how pretty or "clever" your ad is.

2. Brag about themselves. Everyone says their product is the best. Dentists aren't stupid. Not everyone can be #1 and even if you are #1, the "message" gets lost. It's not about you, it's about them!

3. Too busy (you don’t need to list all 30 procedures you do with a laser)! You've got 1-2 seconds to get their attention. If it's too cluttered, they will move on.

4. Too scientific -- surprise!

5. Create a “price war” without realizing it

6. When leading with testimonials, they are too long or in a font (or italicized) making it difficult to read.

7. Don’t make top 1/3 of ad a question or statement that gets dentist to say “What’s this?” or “Hey, that’s me!”

8. Bury the most powerful messaging in bullet points way down the ad

9. Don’t create an urgency to respond

10. The ad does not fit into any of the “most important” to dentists list. (want the list? Hire me or take my course!)

tonydmd@gmail.com

646-375-2067

It doesn't matter what you are selling to dental offices. In order to be super successful, you have to know how to handle ALL of the 11 areas listed below. If you want to learn how, attend a "How to Sell to Dentists" workshop (see HOME page on this website for next dates). Or, contact me to work with your company/team directly!

1. We don’t know our target audience and go after “any dentist”
2. We don’t prepare properly before we meet/speak with them
3. We don’t know what types of questions to ask
4. We tell them about all the mistakes they are making
5. We are lousy listeners
6. We are too “formal” and not friendly enough initially
7. We think they will buy based on logic once we impress them
8. We don’t have enough patience
9. We focus way too much on ourselves
10. We aren’t clear as to what influences their buying decisions!
11. We have to get in front of them in the first place!