I have had several people mention that things are slow over the past few weeks. I tell them all the same thing. You can blame the economy, the summer or gas prices if you like, but if you are not doing the basic ground working we recommend, look no further than the mirror for the responsible party.
One of the biggest misconceptions about slow times are that there is no business. That is not the case, there is business out there, your share is just smaller. So, where is the business? It resides in someone’s Circle of Influence. Probably, some exists in yours but you are not doing enough about it. The way to avoid valleys (as in peaks and valleys) is to make consistent investments in appealing to your Circle of Influence. This way, you remain in touch with all the business leads you have... whether you know about them or not.
The not knowing... this is the part that trips everyone up. Nobody wants to invest in the kind of marketing that makes business turn up spontaneously. Everybody wants to buy the ad to bring in new patients when the fact is that it is 10X easier to upsell or get a referral from an existing patient than to cultivate a new patient via the media. But, this kind of marketing requires long-term commitment, patience and it is not sexy... so it is not as appealing. That is, until times like now, when some people wish that they had been laying that groundwork on everybody they knew.
There is something you can do. You can stop putting off the behaviors and investments in your Circle of Influence that you should have been making all along. And, if you are thinking your cashflow is a little thin right now, what better motivator do you need?
Luckily for you, Dog Star Media has a line of inexpensive, long-term investments you can make in building and keeping your Circle of Influence working for you. All of these strategies will run you $300/month or less. The key is investing in these folks. How many of you wish you had been doing this for a few years? I wouldn’t put this off another day if that is you.
The Cosmetic Channel™ - New and improved for dentists and surgeons - $240/month
Starting on September 20, our new program goes into effect. For $240/month, you get all six episodes of the show you ordered on your web site, those six shows (24 minutes of video) on DVD for your reception room and a monthly email to your patient email list. This means you are making the educational, entertaining content about your surgeries available to your Circle of Influence every month. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.
Post-Surgical DVDs for Cosmetic Breast Surgery and Liposuction - 10 units/$200
Why not make the commitment to giving 10 patients these DVDs each month. These DVDs are about health and fitness recovery from surgery but they really are a keepsake of the surgery that you can customize as a marketing tool for your practice. This is the kind of tool that will make your satisfied patients in to an army of people selling you, not just the surgery. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.
Keyword SEO or Google Adwords - Only $300/month
Are you regretting not having a measurable SEO plan in place? Well, we’ve been perfecting a low cost, highly measurable, effective Keyword SEO strategy all year. Now we are ready to do it for qualified clients. Is this a marketing investment? No, it is an expense that you should view as cost of doing business on the Internet. Email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com for details.
There are three basics. Infrastructure for $300/month or less. If you find yourself in a valley, it is likely because you are not using these strategies. You will come out the other side but if you don't want to repeat this again, I suggest you put in some of this infrastructure.
