In case you missed it, we had a fantastic webinar on Friday
afternoon, during which I covered the steps involved in
setting up your very own Thanksgiving Card campaign for your
patients within about 1-2 hours.

This week I’ll be posting the webinar video so you can see
it again if you were there…or for the first time if you missed
it.  In the meantime, I didn’t want you to miss out on joining
the same online resource I use for sending these great cards
to my patients.

The company is Send Out Cards, and you can learn more about them
AND actually send yourself a real card by going here:

www.SendOutCards.com/24057
(signing up through my referral will get you a copy of
the exact Thanksgiving card I’m using this year…as well
as a few other cards I’ve created in the past)

As you’ll see, you can send not only postcards, but also greeting
cards with envelopes, as well as tri-fold mailings that allow
you to include more informaion in your mailing.

Better yet are the facts that you can send physical cards to one
or more patients without leaving your desk (I hate shopping for
cards)…and that you can even send automated CAMPAIGNS of cards
to one or more patients.  You can actually schedule a “send date”
in the future!  I do this all the time for our birthday cards
for patients.

Go ahead and check out the website now, while it’s on your mind.
You could literally have your entire Thanksgiving card campaign
READY by the end of today!  Here’s the link once more:

www.SendOutCards.com/24057

All my best,
Chris

PS: I’ve created a GIFT ACCOUNT which allows you to send one
card to anyone you want, including yourself.  And when joining,
be sure to choose either the “Wholesale” option, or the
“Entrepreneur” option for the most savings on card prices.
Do NOT choose “Retail”…too much per card at that level.

PPS: Even if you have zero interest in SendOutCards as a business,
you should still be using the service routinely.  I’m finding
SOC to be one of the best ways to inexpensively stay in touch
with my patients using direct mail.  Don’t miss out on this.

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
www.SendOutCards.com/24057

We’ll get down to business in a minute, but first:

I hope you had a great Halloween weekend.  We had a blast with
our kids of course, as our neighborhood got together for our
annual Halloween “blocks party”, with parents and kids all
donning costumes.

Reid (6) was Commander Fox from Star Wars, Kenan (4 1/2)was good
ole Batman, and Olivia (2 1/2) was Princess Ariel in a tutu.  If
you’re wondering about me, I wore a pig nose and big black wings.
Any guesses?  Yes, I was…

The Swine FLEW!  My wife Elizabeth was my “Earth Angel” with her
white wings and halo, to round out the family costumes.

OK…now let’s get to our topic today:

Mixing Your Messages For Fun & Profit

Last time I took a bit of detour from my original path on this
thread to emphasize how important it is to INCLUDE all of your
patients on your “patient list”, except for the ones who have
specifically opted out and have left your practice.  How else
will overdue patients return unless you stay in touch??

Today I’m going to discuss MIXING your messages for best results.
The intent is to KEEP EVERYONE INTERESTED in you and your practice,
and not allow them to get bored.  Being boring is “sin #1″…as
soon as that happens, you’ll find your messages being ignored by
your patients.

As I’ve said before, the foundation upon which all communications
with your patients should be built is your MONTHLY MAILED patient
newsletter.  Yes, a physical paper newsletter delivered by the
mailman.  If executed consistently, this will represent 12 of
your minimum 24 contacts per year with your patients.

Although I can’t give you all the details about what to include
in your newsletters today, I will give you a few important tips.
First, make it less than 50% “dental”…include personal stories
like I just did above!  Add some FUN content unrelated to dentistry.
Highlight selected patients to profile…they make great indirect
testimonials.  And don’t forget to include INSERTS to encourage
referrals and offers on specific procedures.

You can easily get another 12-24 contacts per year through your
EMAILED communications with your patients.  I suggest you email
your patient list 1-2 times monthly with shorter bursts of
info.  One article per message…don’t get complicated.  I know
my messages tend to be longer than normal, but I’m emailing
my industry peers with strategic information.  Your messages
should be considered as half information, half ENTERTAINMENT!

Occasionally you can even mix your mailed messages using
postcards, greeting cards, letters, etc.  December is a great
month to send an abbreviated “newsletter”, for example.  This
year I’m doing an 8 1/2 x 11 two-sided card stock mailing,
just to keep it interesting.  With all the holiday mail, be
sure to send something different so it’ll be noticed, but avoid
the “same as everyone else” holiday cards.

That said, one fantastic way to differentiate your practice is
to send a holiday card for an unusual occasion when people
don’t usually get cards.  I’ve been sending Thanksgiving cards
to my patients for several years, and they love it!  We also
include an offer, and we tie it in with our “End of Year Insurance
Letter”, which we send in mid to late September.

[Very soon I'll be sending another message about this.  If you
want to send a Thanksgiving card with special offer to your
patients, stay tuned this week for details!]

Another one of my favorite communication techniques is the
“voice blast”.  This is a really cool method that should only
be used 3-6 times per year.  A voice blast allows you to “call”
everyone on your list at the same time using a service provider,
and all those that answer will receive your prerecorded message
as if your were speaking to them live.  These are great for
special events, promotions, or even a surprise “thank you”.
Without a doubt, your patients will be blown away!

Now I know there’s a chance you may think this is “way too much”.
Well, the only reason you may feel that way is because you’ve
probably been doing a lot LESS of this than you should!

I’m telling you that if you don’t get in touch and STAY in touch
at least 24 times per year with your patients, you’ll LOSE more
of them than you normally would.  No question.

Heck, even if you just do HALF of what I’ve outlined here, you’ll
be so far ahead of other dentists in your area.  But don’t let
that keep you from going “all the way” and taking FULL advantage
of the absolute BEST practice builder there is:

Continuous, Consistent Communication!

All my best,
Chris

PS:  Don’t forget…this week I’ll give you the opportunity to
JOIN ME and send your own patients a very unique and effective
Thanksgiving Card promotion.  Don’t miss it!

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
www.DentalInsiders.com/patientattraction

I’ve got TWO things for you tonight…yes, tonight, mainly because
I just couldn’t get this out to you earlier today.  This 3-day week
has been a little hectic, although mostly in a good way.  Except
for the “drama queen” patient I saw today and the new patient
whose teeth “itch” yesterday (someone HELP me with that!), we’ve
been quite productive.  Two “10K+ Days” (both over $16K actually)
plus a $9K “close call” make almost any situation a little more
tolerable.

OK, so here, as Dr. Seuss would say, are “Thing 1″ and “Thing 2″:
an announcement and a KILLER idea.

Thing 1: My “Webinar Mulligan”

If you tuned in to my webinar last night (Instant Team Meetings…
Your Formula For Success) you witnessed perhaps the worst technical
webinar nightmare I’ve ever experienced!

PowerPoint and virus protection software issues plagued me from
the start, as my presentation kept closing and opening all by
itself.  I was forced to switch to an alternate P.Point Viewer
software, which prevented me from utilizing many of the live web
examples I had planned to share.  Even though I did manage to get
most of my content out, no question it was a MESS.

So…I’m taking a “Webinar Mulligan”!  I simply can’t allow that
sad excuse for a webinar last night serve as a representation of
me and Dental Insiders Alliance.  And, I want you to get ALL of
the content I had intended to share with you last night, but
couldn’t because of all the glitches I had to deal with.

For all these reasons, I’m going to REDO last night’s webinar
for you!  Whether you were there or not, you’ll get a second chance
to attend MY second chance at “Instant Team Meetings…Your Formula
For Success”.  [Be on the lookout for the announcement of the date
and time, coming very soon to your inbox.]

And, don’t make the mistake of assuming that this webinar is just
about team meetings.  FAR FROM IT!  Those who attended last night
and “stuck it out” with me would testify under oath that I unloaded
a TON of real, usable, “Monday Morning” content.  Plus I revealed
the absolute BEST method for IMPLEMENTING it consistently over
time.  And I’m going to do it all over again.  You do NOT want
to miss it.

Thing 2:  Flat Fee Success!

I conducted an informal TEST this week in my practice.  (HOLD IT!
That fact alone is a lesson.  You should frequently and actively
test new concepts and strategies in your practice, always looking
for better ways to do things.  I hope you caught that.)

I decided that, instead of constructing my treatment plans the
usual way, with my usual fees adding up to whatever…I would
present all treatment plans in a FLAT FEE format.  The reason I
did this was to SIMPLIFY things for my patients, making my fees
easier to understand.

Why?  Because the confused consumer buys NOTHING!  If you haven’t
noticed, most people are ALREADY more nervous and confused
nowadays about the economy, their jobs, their businesses, etc
than they were a year ago.  The last thing you want is for them to
be confused about their dental problems, your recommendations,
and worst of all, your fees.

Here’s what I did.  I picked a flat “per tooth” fee for:

- small fillings (like “Diagnodent” sized)
- big fillings (incl. multi-surface)
- ANY indirect restorations (onlay, crown, veneer)
- ANY root canal

Then I simply added everything up on the spot for each patient
based on their needs.  Using this approach I was able to arrive
at a TOTAL fee easily and IMMEDIATELY.

But here’s the most important part.  I explained this new “Flat
Fee” approach to each patient, including the REASON WHY I chose
to do it.  I told them that I wanted to make my fee structure
simpler for them, and that I wasn’t going to NICKEL & DIME them
with extraneous added fees for anything else, like laser
gingivectomy, build ups, etc.  They LOVED that!

Don’t worry…my flat fees were a little HIGHER than my typical
average fees.  So I wasn’t giving up hardly any gross revenues
by using this fee structure.  I estimated that, at most, I
would end up charging about $100 to $200 less per quadrant on
average.  HOWEVER…

A. I got more YES’s…at least two this week who specifically
stated that they APPRECIATED me simplifying things and SAVING
them some money.  And these two also mentioned to Kim that they
were not planning on moving forward, but the flat fee approach
was the MAIN REASON they said yes!

B. One of the two “extra yes’s” was a $3800 quadrant.  The other,
a $10,900 anterior case!  You think it was worth it to “give up”
a few hundred dollars here or there to acquire these cases?

C. Although anecdotal so far, the reaction from my patients was
100% overwhelmingly POSITIVE.  As “dicey” as things are out there
these days, they seemed somewhat relieved that I had adapted
and tried to make things easier for them.  That’s a HUGE
“intangible”, and a potential reason for them to REFER others to
my practice.  You can’t underestimate the value there.

I can’t say how long I’ll keep this going, but I can confidently
report that, early on, my new Flat Fee approach has been a big
SUCCESS.  Give it a try for a week or two in your practice, and
let me know how it goes.

That’s it for now.  Have a fantastic weekend!

All my best,
Chris

PS:  Have you looked into my new “10K Day” Coaching & Mastermind
Program yet?  If you haven’t, or if it’s been a little while
since you’ve seen the website, you should go there now and learn
about it while it’s fresh on your mind.  I’m only accepting a
maximum of 16 doctors into the program, so don’t put it off any
longer:
www.10KDay.com

PPS:  Don’t forget about my “Webinar Mulligan”, when I redo the
entire “Instant Team Meetings…Your Formula For Success” webinar
in the near future.  Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement.

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
www.DentalInsiders.com/patientattraction
www.10KDay.com

I hope your Memorial Day weekend is getting off to a great start.
I’m at the beach with my family, so I’ll make this very quick.

Late yesterday I added details about your exact investment in
the 10K Day Coaching & Mastermind Program, should you become
a member of the group of just 16 doctors maximum.

I included the total fees for the program, plus information about
monthly payment options for those who prefer that flexibility.
It’s all here:

www.10KDay.com

Dozens of doctors had emailed and called asking for more detailed
information about the investment required to become a member.
Even though I’ve received a bunch of applications already, I realize
that you may want to know more before applying.  That’s why I’ve
updated the website.

We’re moving toward filling the group now…don’t hesitate to
send in your ~RISK FREE~ 10K Day Application now.

That’s it…and as my 5 1/2 year old son Reid says, in honor
of his favorite Nintendo DS character:
“Happy MARIO Day!”

All my best,
Chris

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance
www.10KDay.com

Dental Insiders Alliance Webinar on May 27th at 8:30pm EDT
(7:30pm CDT, 6:30pm MDT; 5:30pm PDT)

Join me, Dr. Chris Bowman, as I reveal how you can…
Turn Your Team Meetings Into “Power Hours”!

During these challenging economic times, the difference
between practices that continue to grow and those that
struggle is the IMPLEMENTATION of effective, proven systems
and strategies that promote positive outcomes.  And the best
way to ensure that doctors and team members are on the same
page is to have regularly scheduled team meetings.

During this unique webinar, I’m going to share how I’ve
learned to take what WERE ordinary, dull team meetings…
and transform them into what I call true “Power Hours”
that immediately impact our practice revenues in a BIG way!

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=BwT0N&m=1dnCijocoFhxOT&b=Z4HMZzWO_kp9lbCeWAHspw

Do you currently have regularly scheduled team meetings?
If so, do you get frustrated when you spend a full hour or
more together, yet very little if anything seems to get
accomplished? Worse yet, do your team meetings sometimes turn
into tense, unproductive “gripe sessions” that leave everyone
tired and irritated?

Still worse, have you abandoned team meetings altogether
because they seemed to be nothing more than a “waste of time”?

If your answer to any of those questions was a YES, then you
really should make a point to be on this webinar!  I’ll show you how
you can take advantage of my new Instant Team Meetings strategy
to train your team effectively and consistently…month after month…
for STUNNING profit increases!

When you put this simple yet powerful strategy to work in your
practice, your team meetings will never be the same again.  You and
your team will emerge from future team meetings energized, focused,
and motivated to IMPLEMENT new concepts, systems and strategies NOW!

The result:  an IMMEDIATE positive impact on your bottom line!

Register now for this Dental Insiders Alliance webinar.  You’ll
be glad you did.

All my best,
Chris

Title:   Instant Team Meetings: Your Formula For Success!
Date:    Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Time:    8:30 PM - 10:00 PM EDT
(7:30pm CDT; 6:30pm MDT; 5:30pm PDT)

After registering you will receive a confirmation email
containing information about joining the Webinar.

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=BwT0N&m=1dnCijocoFhxOT&b=Z4HMZzWO_kp9lbCeWAHspw