Do Your Patients Know How Smart You Are?

There are numerous reasons for pursuing--and various benefits of completing--continuing education. One that I have seen very little of, though, relates to "marketing" it to patients.

When I sit in a waiting room (which is hopefully not very long), I have yet to see information on the continuing education that my dentists or their staffs are completing or pursuing. No plaques on the wall, no binder of photos or certificates, no log of class attendance...nothing.

Your clients may not know their perio from their endo, and frankly, they probably don't care. But I guarantee you that they do care that you and your staff know.

If you and/or your staff attend a dental conference, take a continuing education course, or go to a society meeting, bring back a certificate--or print one up--and display it somewhere in your waiting room. It will increase your patients' confidence in your care and, who knows, may even serve as conversation fodder.

Color Your World

When was the last time you painted the inside of your office? If it's been more than a few years, then the next time you step into your waiting room, try to see it as a new patient or visitor would.

Are the colors fresh and welcoming? Or, are they dated, stale, or worse yet, dark and foreboding?

• Consider a neutral background color;


• Add eye catching accents (a search for the right ones could start simply with Googling "popular colors";


• Avoid colors that some patients and visitors might consider too bold;


• If you use nontoxic, environmentally friendly paint, make sure to tell your patients (signs at the front desk, website, newsletter, etc.). You'll strengthen the loyalty to your practice of more than a few mothers and fathers of young children.

Once you've given your office a mini-makeover, your next step will be to make sure your marketing materials that have pictures of your office interior (brochures, your website, newsletter, appointment cards, Facebook pages) receive the same Tx.