Competing in Today's Economic Landscape

More people these days think of dentistry in terms of lifestyle-enhancing makeovers. They look at high-profile people in the media-saturated world around them – actors, pop stars or athletes – and they see flawlessly engineered smiles.

Perfect has become the new standard. Patients seek perfection to the point where they feel they need it and are willing to go into debt for it.

But there is a catch. The same person who is motivated by media influences to value modern dentistry is also likely going online to investigate further. And while it only takes a couple of mouse clicks to find out what today's dental technology can provide, it only takes a couple more clicks to find out that they can get that makeover in Tijuana for less than what their family dentist charges. If their decisions are based on what they see on a website, all dentists look pretty much the same and price becomes an overriding factor. The new reality is that the media has glamorized dentistry, while the Internet has commoditized dental services.

This has created a new competitive landscape for dentistry where the term "family dentist" doesn't carry the same sense of automatic loyalty it once did. You're competing at a new level in a world where choices abound and big money decisions are routinely made instantly with a tap at a phone screen.

In this hyper-competitive business world, the face-time you get with clients takes on a new urgency. You have to demonstrate your value in a profound way during every visit. It's important to do everything you can to get clients to commit to a decision before their time and attention is captured by the next opportunity to spend.

The last several years has seen the metabolism of the marketplace speed up dramatically. If you want to keep up with the way your patients are making decisions, you have to treat every visit as if it were your last chance to reach them – because it just might be.