The Summer is here

Part of my job is to comment on what I see. Here is what I see:

1. small to medium-sized treatment plans being postponed due to cash flow issues

2. maintenance and hygiene books getting gappy again

3. continued strong sales of cosmetic ortho, implants and denture stabilisation

4. patients keeping their disposable income in their pockets

5. patients still investing capital in dentistry

Here is what I think:

1. folks are still getting back up to speed after the Jubilee celebrations

2. and now they are watching Euro 2012

3. and getting ready for Wimbledon, The Open, The Olympics, other sporting events, open-air rock and classics concerts

4. and their own bbqs, summer holidays, weddings, other family events

Here is what to do:

1. sell what’s selling

2. ramp up your recall systems

3. make sure your telephony and front desk are “on it” with answers to FAQs

4. review every new patient yourself – don’t farm them out to associates

5. offer an incentive to your hygiene/therapy team for internal referrals

6. double your marketing activity (but in the right areas)

7. triple your efforts on word of mouth referrals

8. network like hell

9. be prepared to reduce expenses quickly

10. watch the numbers like a hawk

I suspect we are all going to have to work very hard until September to keep things going at the right pace. That Jubilee weekend has sent SME’s into a tough summer.