Coach Barrow

I’m impressed with what Dr. Alex Jones has done, an innovative service in West Yorkshire, offering implants under GA.

To take a look at the web site click here.

Smart thinking - identifying a niche in the market - and doing something about it!

Bet you this market is recession proof.

Sainsbos dentistry in Manchester, originally uploaded by coachbarrow.

The view from outside the store.

Not the greatest photo - but you get the drift.

The Charlotte Street Hotel in London’s West End is beautifully presented and has a reputation for world-class customer service.

I arrive there (yesterday) for breakfast at 7.30 am - two of us (I cannot tell you who I my guest was - I would have to kill you).

The place is empty - I mean empty - there are 4 blokes around 1 table - that’s it.

We walk into the restaurant and the front desk lady intercepts us - she has a face like a slapped arse.

Question 1 - “are you resident?”

Answer 1 - “no”

Response - look down nose at guests.

Question 2 - “do you have a reservation?”

Answer 2 - “no” (thinks - the place is XXXXing empty!)

Response - show guests to least attractive seat in the house - far corner.

Manages to maintain slap-face throughout.

In 20 seconds my customer service experience is destroyed and I am made to feel like a vagrant asking for food at the back door.

No doubt this young lady is doing her best in the absence of a system.

If the hotel management had known who I was having breakfast with - they would have choked to death in embarrassment.

Here I am - telling you - that’s called viral marketing.

“Charming, witty, stylish and very cool” says the media (see their web page).

Yeah - and manned by miserable snobs.

Here’s a great little resource for you if you are as interested in branding as I am.

Click here to download and entertaining and informative PDF on “10 rules for branding in a post-branded world”.

Jogging down Oxford Street yesterday morning at 6.00 am was an opportunity to see branding naked - no people cluttering up the pavements.

It is staggering just how many media messages we are bombarded with nowadays - and I understand the point made in the download that if we are not genuinely interested in a product or service we can just “tune out” and get on with our daily tasks.

So branding becomes ever more significant in positively differentiating yourself, not just from your perceived competition but also from the “noise” of the world.

And on the subject of 21st Century dental business - ever wondered what a 60,000 square metre dental practice in a 11-story office block would look like?

Visit the Malo Clinic to see the future.

We read that 50% of the population never visit a dentist - and I wonder how many of them are simply afraid that, if they show up, they will be lectured to, ridiculed and HURT?

Let’s face it, a dental practice is not perceived as a fun place to visit.

Julie Webster, practice manager at S10 Dental in Sheffield and regular reader of this blog has suggested a postcard attack on non-attending patients as well as local residents.

They have printed A5 cards with their funky new corporate image (Nick and Julia Riley, the principals, have just rebranded from “Tom Lane Dental Practice” to “S10″ - that’s the postal code for their area of Sheffield).

The cards will read as follows: 

How long is it since you last visited the dentist?

Maybe you’re thinking of having a change?

At S10 dental we won’t bite!  

Take advantage of our fantastic offer…….

 

·         Complementary practice tour

·         Details of the practice  membership

·         20% off your 1^st consultation if this appointment is booked at your practice tour 

 

Ask a member of our team for details

So what they are doing is to invite reactivated old or potential new patients to a 15/20 minute meeting with Julie (practice manager) to either:

• discuss their concerns about returning to a dentist/hygienist for the first time after a break and/or
• discuss their requirements from a new practice and discover whether the “offer” at S10 suits them

All of this without the need to use up the time of dentists.

If they are happy at the end of the complementary meeting, the KEDO (knock ‘em dead offer) is to book for a proper first consult and a special price, 20% below the RRP. 

Great idea - I’ll be interested to see how it works out.

Take a look at the web site for Celebrity Sexy Teeth.

Its cheesy isn’t it?

But wait for the really hard sell…

Click on the star sign between the words “Celebrity” and “Sexy” on the banner headline.

And see what happens….

Feel time running out?

Feel as if your opportunity is slipping away?

Feel as if you “don’t want to miss the boat”?

Horrible, isn’t it?

And thank goodness that nothing like that happens in the UK.

Where do you find the site in the first place?

It’s a sponsored link from the Beijing Olympics information home page in the USA.

I bet they sell truck loads of this stuff.