Latest / The Word of Mouth Podcast / Why the Marketing That Saves One Practice Will Sink Another | WOM019
Transcript
- Jeff: Welcome back to the Word of Mouth Podcast. I'm your host, Jeff, and I'm joined with my co host Troy today. Yeah, I think getting clear on kind of who you're trying to attract and the kinds of patient you're trying to attract, the culture you're building in your practice, all of those things work together and they are the drivers of the word of mouth engine. You still have to be very intentional about growing that word of mouth engine for your practice. That doesn't just happen because you provide a good service. ⁓ I think there's a statistic that's people are like Troy: It's good to be back with you, Jeff. Jeff: Awesome. So we got a lot of feedback about our last episode, which covered a lot more of the maybe small b business of dentistry as opposed to the big B business of dentistry. So for now we're gonna shift away from covering the news, the trends, the like kind of business of dentistry, the big B business, kind of the macro ⁓ things that affect business, and cover more of what ⁓ goes into the small business component. ⁓ most practices are small businesses. 15 times more likely or something to leave a negative review than a positive one. And that's that is what you're battling against with kind of the word of mouth. People don't just go home and brag about their dentist. They talk about their dentist when they're prompted. And that can be a prompting from their friend saying, Hey, I'm looking for a dentist. That can also be a prompting from the dentist saying, Hey, if you know anyone who's looking for a dentist. And that's how ⁓ my father-in-law put it out to all of his people is And ⁓ cover that more on the word of mouth podcast. So you can look forward to that more in the upcoming episodes. Troy: Which is fun for us. I of course we we love watching trends and seeing what's happening ⁓ from a regulatory standpoint and and those do ⁓ different considerations, but ⁓ our passion is really ⁓ the small business element of dental and orthodontic practices. So ⁓ this is kind of a fun ⁓ focus or pivot for us. Jeff: He had a great experience. The dentist said, Do you know anyone who's looking for a dentist? And he it it was like within a week he'd sent ten referrals to this dentist just because of a simple ⁓ system to attract that word of mouth kind of patient. Yeah, it's super in line with what we do every day. So it makes prepping for the podcast certainly a lot easier, which is a good thing for us and a good thing for all of our listeners. So today we're gonna talk a little bit more about marketing and about how to grow your practice in a way that it is in line with your practice because there could be two practices who offer the same service. ⁓ 'cause there could be two practices who offer the same treatment in the same town. Troy: Yeah. And I think that's an important thing, ⁓ especially within the ⁓ the environment that we're in right now. A lot of dentists, ⁓ especially those that have relied on on paid paid ads, are feeling a lot of pressure. There's a lot of nervousness about what the future looks like. And the anecdote to ⁓ to sorry, the antidote to ⁓ to Jeff: Who need wildly different strategies in order to grow their practice effectively. Troy: Yeah, and we talked a little bit about kind of the nature of the commoditization of ⁓ the of the dental industry generally. ⁓ how that impacts a an individual practice really depends on in part, ⁓ some of it's a choice ⁓ just as to how they're approaching marketing ⁓ generally, but some of it is also a reflection of how that practice the the problems that we're seeing with ⁓ with a paid-ad centric approach in terms of the the long-term viability is to start building out those word of mouth systems, you know, really making it intentional and figuring out how do we ⁓ connect with the community, how do we network with the community, how do we ⁓ start creating ⁓ you know a really meaningful brand ⁓ in the community that's differentiated from all the other dentists. And the important thing is that it takes time, you know, whereas a paid ads I can I can pay and turn them on tomorrow. And that light switch goes on. Now it's getting dimmer and dimmer, you know, it's more and more expensive in terms of ⁓ patient acquisition cost, but I can turn it on immediately. It's not the same way with those local systems and that ⁓ approaches patient care and that patient relationship and the patient experience, as well as honestly the quality of dentistry that the ⁓ that the dentist provides. So we're gonna talk today a little bit about how ⁓ those considerations impact the the type of marketing, the type of ⁓ approach that a practice can and and should really yeah let me say that one again. that word of mouth marketing. The good news is yes, it does take time. Yes, it does take consistent ⁓ effort, but it but it's also ⁓ sustainable. ⁓ it's defensible ⁓ and it compounds over time as you continue to build it out. So it's the right move, especially for those ⁓ you know really exceptional ⁓ practices that have an opportunity to differentiate but haven't really focused on that great opportunity ⁓ but ⁓ so we're gonna talk today about how those considerations impact the type of marketing that's really best suited to a a particular practice. Jeff: Yeah, and I think we can kind of break this down almost like an Eisenhower matrix where you have kind of the maybe premium feel of the practice along one axis and the premium feel of the clinical expertise of the dentist on the other, or clinical maybe ability of the dentist on the other axis. And so you end up with kind of a lower clinical ability, lower end practice, a higher clinical ability, but a lower end practice. Troy: you know, we just need to be honest and clear with people that it does take time and it does take consistency, but the payoff is, you know, the practice that you really want. And so it's the right move, ⁓ but there's ⁓ some acknowledgement that it's not quite as as easy as turning on ⁓ ads. So Jeff: a high clinical ability and a high in practice or a high in practice with lower clinical ability. And I think that one's maybe the most rare. ⁓ but we can kind of talk through what each of these needs. And I think we can start with that bottom quadrant where it is the lower clinical ability and the maybe lower quality of care practice. And that's primarily where DSOs live. Yeah, and I think we need to also acknowledge that not every practice is there. Not every practice is ready for this kind of word of mouth push. They're they're relying on paid ads and it's because they don't really have an opportunity because of the way their practice is structured or because of kind of the clinical focus of the practice, th not every practice is ready to kind of take on this kind of marketing. Troy: Yeah. Yes, or at least it's where volume lives. You know, there's there's not really another ⁓ marketing ⁓ opportunity other than really trying to ⁓ grow prac ⁓ grow the practice volume. ⁓ and y you know that Jeff: Yeah. Troy: Yeah. It's it's a really good point. what we talk with ⁓ a lot of our clients and a lot of the dentists that we that we ⁓ that we interact with, it's it's all about having a story to tell. And the better story you have in terms of why someone would want to choose you versus another dentist, the better that story is. Not in a ⁓ you know, not in a selsy way or gimmicky way, but just in an authentic way, the better you It's a sad reality. And there are certainly things that can change about the practice or change about the the expertise or the quality of the dentistry to move them into one of those other quadrants. But as long as they're residing in that particular quadrant, volume is the marketing approach that ⁓ that makes the most sense. ⁓ it's going to be price-driven, it's going to be promotion-driven, it's going to be convenience-driven. and ⁓ unless something changes about can articulate the the quality of the dentistry as really unique. ⁓ the better you can ⁓ really tell a story about how the patient experienced in your clinic is you know is is better than what they are experiencing in the average dental clinic. The better those stories are, the easier they are to tell. And ⁓ so of course those practices that really ⁓ do have exceptional treatment and do have either of those unless there's movement along either of those axes, there it's really difficult to to to ⁓ to successfully ⁓ approach a different ⁓ you know marketing ⁓ unless something changes or the the practice or dentist moves on one of those axes, it's really difficult to deploy a kind of a differentiated model. you know, really outstanding patient experience. Well, that's just an easier thing to take to the marketplace and and develop those word of mouth ⁓ opportunities and and systems. ⁓ so th they're they have a leg up for sure. but you know again it just requires focused effort, like you said, which I think is a really important point. Great dentistry, great patient experience. It's just not enough because people ⁓ to to their marketing. Jeff: Yeah, that that practice primarily lives in the commodity zone where they're just providing the same kind of churn and burn bread and butter dentistry. And it does have to be a volume play. And the strategy for that in terms of marketing is typically just spend more, which is where I think a lot of dentists try to compete without recognizing that they actually are better clinically or their practice is better positioned to a point where that's actually not the right solution for their Troy: Yeah you hate you hate that it's the case, but you're kinda out of sight, out of mind. You know, they finish up their treatment and for most people they're just not thinking about their dentist for six more months. And even then it's just to go into their appointment. So having systems that ⁓ that that encourage and provide a reason and provide reminders ⁓ for them to to share the experiences that they've had with you. It's just a really important thing to do. Yeah. Jeff: Their practice. Troy: Yeah, and and I will say that there are still ⁓ I guess two points that we want to make. This isn't a question of bread and butter dentistry or not bread and butter dentistry, because there are extraordinarily capable dentists and ⁓ and practices that really have developed an amazing ⁓ patient experience that really have decided, they've made the decision they really want to focus on bread and butter Jeff: Absolutely. Yeah. There's the having the message and then the ability to get that message out. And those are very closely married and neither one is necessarily easy. It requires great dentistry, it requires great discipline by the practice, and then it requires a marketing ⁓ method or a marketing system in order to amplify and get that message out. one Troy: Yeah. ⁓ dentistry, which we applaud and and that's fantastic. At the same time, yes, spend more is the easiest way to increase volume. There are some local opportunities you know to try to build some of that word of mouth. The messaging just has to align with what you're offering. You know, if you're offering ⁓ a patient experience where the clinic's crowded, where maybe the technology is ⁓ is isn't For sure. Yeah, it's for sure. Jeff: One thing that we do with all of our clients and with a lot of the dentists we talk with is the it's the first thing that we do and it's build out a practice identity guide. Kind of who is the practice, who what makes it special, ⁓ what makes it different. And those things we've had amazing feedback. We just had an orthodontist that we're working with who said, I just I don't think I could have written this better myself. And it's because we get Troy: Totally up to date. if there's a high turnover, so the patient care or the expertise on the dentistry isn't as good. You don't want to go in and saying, hey, or you don't want to go to the market trying to convince them that you have the best patient experience or that you have ⁓ the highest clinical ⁓ expertise. Instead, we are convenient, we are affordable is a totally acceptable way to go to the marketplace, to the community. Jeff: a little bit of what drives the right story and working with the dent with dentists and orthodontists and unpacking that ⁓ kind of what makes you different is a good exercise because all of us lose the forest for the trees in our own life. We live we live in in such a refined or ⁓ in such a confined headspace where it's hard to recognize some of those differentiation points. And that's something that we've found a lot of value with and Troy: ⁓ and offer that service and there's a large segment of the population that is receptive to that ⁓ that message. It's just gonna be the segment of the population that's more cost sensitive and ⁓ and there's probably not gonna be the same duration, or said another way, a higher churn rate as what you'd expect in that type of practice. So Jeff: is one of the first steps and that's why we like to work with dentists who do have either clinical excellence or practice excellence and then try and help them or both or and and regardless help them move into that ⁓ into that fourth quadrant that is where both are excellent and ⁓ then then the word of mouth engine can really start chugging along. Troy: Or both. Ideally both. Jeff: Yeah. Yeah, definitely in decreased lifetime value of a patient, but if you have enough volume, again it's kind of that sliding scale of if you have enough volume, the number can be lower because you have more frequency. And so ⁓ I think that one theme that you just pointed out that I didn't really think about but needs to be pointed out now and we'll probably continue to touch on it, is that it does just need to come down to the dentist. Troy: Yeah. ⁓ i I'm glad you brought it up. You know, it was an interesting that ⁓ thing that ⁓ Orthodontist ⁓ she did something really smart. I mean, she really enjoyed ⁓ the ⁓ the the identity and differentiation guide that we put together. It felt like she it it really articulated her purpose and what she had tried to build. She took it to the next step and had all of her staff read this guide. Jeff: sort of being honest with or the business owner sort of being honest with what their business is. Troy: Yeah. Yeah. And and I think that ⁓ I I don't want to have what we're saying suggest that it's what we'd encourage. You know, that is that's a difficult model. It's it's ⁓ going to become increasingly difficult. So we would certainly suggest that if a practice finds themselves in that quadrant, that they're really evaluating And she said, We're going to be reviewing this monthly because I want this to be the story that they're telling our our clients. That they I want this to be who we are. And and it's a really smart thing to to understand the importance. Dentist practices or dental practices aren't any different than any other business. That culture, that that shared vision, it's really important and getting clear on what makes you different. ⁓ ways to improve on either or both axes to allow for a little bit of an escape from being, you know, kind of stuck in that, ⁓ in that quadrant. However, if someone's making the business decision that that is the business model they want to run, or they just don't have a mechanism to to move out of it, you hit the nail on the head that be honest with with patients, not saying, hey, we do a lousy job. that differentiation and what makes you unique, it it can be really empowering for your staff, which is a you know, a a really a great multiplier for the word of mouth effort. Jeff: Yeah. So if you're interested in getting a practice identity guide built for your practice or talking with us about how we can kind of move you into that fourth quadrant or amplify you if you're in that fourth quadrant, we'd love to chat. The link is in the description. we're here on YouTube. We'd love for you to comment, let us know what what your identity is. We'd love to have a comment full of identities. ⁓ we love hearing from our dentist friends. Troy: But hey, we are an affordable, we are a price-based or a convenience-based ⁓ practice. Also be a little bit honest with yourself ⁓ as the practice owner, that that is the model you you that you're running. And as you're looking at business systems and and prioritizing ⁓ different elements of the business, ⁓ efficiency really is gonna be you know an important lever to to be looking at because costs are going up and and Jeff: ⁓ we also are on Apple Music, ⁓ Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. So subscribe, leave a review, it really helps us out and we look forward to seeing you in the next one. Troy: Thanks again, Jeff. the those margins shrink. So it's a it's a difficult model. Not that you can't do it, but I think to your point, honest with the patients, honest with yourself and really focus on how to be the best commodity practice ⁓ in you know, in your in your area. So Great. Jeff: Yeah, like you said, none of these models are inherently bad or good. They just are either d more or less difficult depending on how you attack them. And so like this one, it might be more difficult in terms of kind of maintaining volume, but attracting patients if you're saying, Hey, we're one of we're affordable dentists in this in this convenient location, you won't struggle the marketing maybe The marketing may be a little bit easier, but it does shift to the other side where now kind of operations within your practice become a little more challenging. So that's it there's kind of pros and cons to every single one of these areas. Troy: Y yeah. For sure. And and the one other piece that we haven't hit on, but it's important to recognize, is that insurance providers, you know, insurance companies, ⁓ these are the ones that fit that model the best. So as a lot of dentists are seeking to exit ⁓ or at least reduce ⁓ their their dependency on on insurance plans, there is going to be some added ⁓ space for ⁓ for these commodity dentists to to take a larger share of those that are ⁓ that are insured by those companies and are are using that insurance coverage coverage as a primary consideration of which dentist to select. So there are some opportunities. There's some low hanging fruit. ⁓ I would just say from a you know from a long term viability perspective, some of that fruit is maybe has a shorter shelf life than ⁓ you know, some of the fruit that's a little harder to get to if ⁓ if you if you know what I mean. So Jeff: Yeah, that's a good way of putting it. ⁓ so let's move on to the next squadrant. Where do we want to go next? Troy: Well, probably the easiest one just because oftentimes it's a bit more measurable is the the the expertise of the dentist or of the you know of the the care that's received there. ⁓ a lot of dentists are really focused on on strategic use of their required continuing education to develop expertise and abilities that provide, you know, really exceptional and increasingly broad range of services for ⁓ for their patients. And ⁓ those practices that are really focused on on developing that side of the practice, there's some really neat opportunities to differentiate on that, ⁓ you know, on that basis. And so that would certainly be a different quadrant and someone that's trying to ex escape that commodity. quadrant or simply is experiencing commodity type marketing themselves despite expertise, you know, leaning into that, into those credentials and leaning into the the services and and technology that they're offering is is a good way to differentiate in the marketplace. Jeff: Yeah, organizing your differentiation around your targeting services rather than just trying to be everything to everyone. And I think that that's ultimately looking back at the commodity based and looking ahead is you just you can't no that is like marketing one ⁓ one, you can't be everything to everyone because you dilute your message too much. So if you're gonna be kind of that commodity volume driven dentist. be that commodity volume driven dentist and you can market that way, but that means you can't also market premium implants or full mouth restorations. Like that you have to have a message that aligns and targets the people who are going to be the most likely to come in and be the revenue drivers for your practice. Troy: ⁓ now I don't know Jeff if the audio is ⁓ I'm getting a lot of static in my headphones. Are you getting it in yours or ⁓ it's just when you're talking. Okay, as long as you're not. Perfect. ⁓ let me think what was I? ⁓ Jeff: No, I'm I am not. Troy: Yeah, and and maybe to build on that further, ⁓ with a number of our clients, there's a particular area where they find it it may be what they really feel that they're best at, or it might be the type of ⁓ client that they really enjoy ⁓ treating. Jeff: Sorry. Okay, go ahead. Sorry, I just could hear some buzzing, but it's just the fan on my computer, so it's all good. Troy: ⁓ no, that's okay. Okay. Something gotcha. Yeah, and and there's oftentimes a ⁓ even for a general dentist who offers a wide range of services, there oftentimes will be ⁓ a particular service that honestly even either economically or because of a particular interest or expertise that they have that they really want to focus on. And that's something that you can go to market with an expertise in that particular thing. And it doesn't mean that you don't provide the, you know, bread and butter dentistry or don't provide adjacent services or other services, but it's a way to be known for something as an expert in something, and have that be an important part of your branding so that you do have the opportunity. to maybe expand a little geographically by being the expert in a wider area for a specific service, ⁓ while still providing that that, you know, wide range, that kind comprehensive care. So it's not an either-or, but from a marketing and a differentiation standpoint, oftentimes it's much better to say, hey, I am the you know, the sedation dentist ⁓ or I'm maybe I'm the dentist for people who don't think they should go to the dentist or can't go to the dentist or something like that. That's a a unique message. That's differentiation. But anyone else that calls looking for general dentistry or comprehensive care, wonderful, you can accept them. But it allows you to just ⁓ approach the market in a different way than the competitors that are just simply saying, hey, we're friendly dentists or ⁓ you know, we take care of everyone. Jeff: Yeah, I think ⁓ if you look at ⁓ maybe like automotive repair as kind of an it a analogue for this, or let's see. If you kinda look at an if you kinda look at automotive repair as kind of a comparable s ⁓ it's not gonna analog is good. Okay. Troy: Analogue is good. I just say that's yeah. Jeff: Yeah, if you look at automotive repair as an analog for this, like you have the Jiffy Lubes where they'll service any vehicle. You just come in, but they just do the simplest service, brakes and oil changes, and that's kind of what they handle. If you go to ⁓ maybe a specialist, you might get s a a series of brands. Like they do all European cars and that's what they or all Japanese cars and that's Where they specialize and it's a a a little bit of a specialty, but you could have a Honda or a Toyota and they can kind of repair it. And then if you go to the dealership, it's one kind of car. That's all they do there. And that would be maybe like an orthodontist in this example, where they really don't want to do any other services. But the idea of cross sells and upsells, those things that are marketing principles that are very commonplace to us are not things that a lot of dentists, I think, think about. And so When you're marketing, you sell your primary service. But then if someone comes in and says, Well, I need a cleaning, if you do cleanings, great. Have a cross sell. If they come in and they say, Hey, well, I don't actually want the implant now, but I would like to come back for a cleaning in six months, great. That's a downsell. So these marketing principles that are really commonplace for us because we live and breathe that are maybe not so common, but they apply beautifully to dentistry. Troy: Yeah, and and maybe to to borrow your analogy a little bit, ⁓ there's a a auto repair shop near us that does all sorts of ⁓ of repairs, you know, from oil changes all the way through. But they ⁓ they've decided to focus on ⁓ transmission repairs and replacements for American cars. And so they do a lot of branding or a lot of marketing for that particular service. And so a lot of people know them as a transmission specialist, despite the fact that they have people that are coming in for oil changes and everything else. So again, some of it is g you know the idea of of of general marketing principles. ⁓ y even if you can service everyone, it doesn't mean you need to speak to everyone. ⁓ and and oftentimes that's the big mistake. Even if you can take care of them, you want to identify who your ideal patient is and make sure that you are speaking to them. And if there's a specialty or a a credential or some something that distinguishes ⁓ a dentist for a particular patient type or treatment type, that's just an opportunity to speak to people who need that and are looking for that. ⁓ in a way that that differentiates from the general dentist messaging that they're hearing from other ⁓ from other practices. So it's just a good way to to stand out in a really noisy and crowded marketplace. Jeff: Yeah, we talk about finding your community and this is really part of that is be the person who is what your community needs. And you get to decide who that is and you get to decide who your community is. But that's when you're a specialist, you find the people that are looking for you. Troy: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So the the next, maybe kind of going the other direction on the other access ⁓ axis is ⁓ practices that have really focused on the patient experience. ⁓ that can take a lot of different forms. one that we hear a lot about ⁓ because people appreciate it so much, is that they're really conscious of the time so that When someone shows up for an appointment at nine a.m., the expectation at the practice level is that they are walking into their seat, the you know, the operatory at nine a.m. They're not waiting in the the waiting room for a half hour. And a lot of busy professionals or, you know, are or ⁓ people with children or or just, you know, people that are busy, ⁓ that's a really important ⁓ feature for a lot of ⁓ a lot of folks. ⁓ you know, the quality or the the the aesthetics of the of the clinic are often ⁓ r something that people really value. ⁓ personal outreach by the the practitioners, you know, again, one of those things that a lot of people have found success in ⁓ in creating an experience by using those. But but practices can really differentiate by ⁓ focusing on on what creates high perceived value with their patients. Jeff: Yeah, I think there's other things like amenities in the practice. So like noise canceling headphones or ⁓ Netflix on the T V on the roof. I know I've had a dentist at one point in my life who had that. I thought it was awesome. I haven't seen it again since. But it would be something that would maybe at least for me have me think about going committing to that dentist, even if the the level of care is maybe a little bit lower. And that's because I don't I don't have a lot of dental issues. Troy: Yeah. Jeff: So I don't necessarily feel like I'm looking for a specialist. I'm just looking for that practice that kind of makes me feel comfortable and is enjoyable to go to. Troy: Yeah, I I will say one other ⁓ that we have a we have a great dentist, shout out to ⁓ Highland Heights Dentistry, but one of the things that they do is they're very, very gentle in their cleanings. And that isn't always the case, you know, but they really work with their hygienists and we you know sent my ⁓ recommended my my mother in law go and and ⁓ And give them a try and she just loved it for that reason. So that's again one of those experiences that you know she's now until they you know, unless they they change policies or or they're no longer quite that ⁓ gentle, she's a patient for life because that's something that's really important for her because she's experienced the opposite, which was very fast and fairly aggressive cleanings that were very painful for her. So again, there's different levers that can be pulled. that will ⁓ speak to different ⁓ patient profiles, but that's an opportunity to really engineer differentiation by how you by how you architect your ⁓ your your in-clinic patient experience. One thing that I'd note is this is a real powerful driver of word of mouth. ⁓ so it is something that ⁓ i if a practice is really looking to escape that commodity, ⁓ the commodity pressures, this is a place that you know that there's some good opportunities to ⁓ to to to start differentiating is i by by really focusing on those those patient experience ⁓ features. Jeff: Definitely. And I want to call out just quickly something you mentioned about the hygienist's focus on gentle cleaning. As a dentist, you have an opportunity or a practice manager, you have an opportunity to focus trainings on certain areas. And so if your goal is to sell molar full mouth restorations or more implant cases and convert those, not to like sell them to people who don't need them, but if you want to increase your conversion rate, that kind of sales training, for lack of a better word, can be part of that focus with the hygienists. If conversely you the patient experience is the big driver of success, that training needs to be about how do we as a practice, how do you hygienists help the patients have the best possible clinical experience or in clinic experience rather. Troy: Yeah, no, absolutely. And ⁓ and again, one of those things that we hear a lot of lip service too, but there isn't really a an an organized approach in a lot of practices. Not that they're not well intended. ⁓ it's just it it exists patient experience exists sort of i it it at a large conceptual level for a lot of practices. They're not really drilling down to say what would matter to the patients that we're trying to target. You know, that that oftentimes will help prioritize what ⁓ you know what what should be focused on first. So ⁓ again, kind of identifying what patients are you trying to target and what would be important to them is a good way to ⁓ to to start making some movements towards that ⁓ you know that that type of differentiation. Jeff: And a good way to identify those things is any practice that's kind of operating consistently right now has a thousand to two thousand patients that are actively coming in. Go through, identify who are your top twenty patients, the patients that when they come in, you just think this is gonna be the best like appointment that's so easy. I love working with them, I love speaking with them. Identify those people and then what do those people say about your practice that's positive? Why do they keep coming back? What is a good experience for them? And then focus on those things, and that's an easy way to kind of duplicate them because the people who are passionate about a gentle cleaning will go find their friends who are complaining. I know that that's something my father-in-law ⁓ he went to his dentist and he referred his two daughters, his wife, his ⁓ two sisters, his father. And it was all about the gentle cleaning. He loved the hygienists. And so, ⁓ I do think that that's a huge one. But we're not saying that's the only one. And I think that that's something that this entire episode needs to be taken into. Like this needs to be crafted for your practice where you're at. And that's where that honesty comes in. Troy: Right, right. Yeah. Yeah. Well, so the then, you know, of course the the pinnacle is those that have both you know, tremendous ⁓ dentistry, you know, technologically advanced, well credentialed, all you know, all of the the the advantages on that axis and at the same at the same time have really ⁓ engineered a great patient experience. ⁓ for those practices. There there really are a lot of great opportunities ⁓ to focus very, very ⁓ precisely on what type of treatments or what type of patients you you ⁓ are wanting to attract more of. for sure. ⁓ you know, I th there's just a lot of opportunities and so it it's it's Jeff: And both, really. Troy: There's it's always a little bit challenging for any small business owner to contemplate turning away patients. But what we see with some of our clients that really are just very well-run practices with excellent treatment for ⁓ for their patients is they are losing money by accepting patients and continuing to treat patients. That aren't well aligned with the type of patients that they're trying to get. Now, it doesn't mean that you go out and you dump you know half of your patient base, but the reality is that both economically and just from a ⁓ you know quality of practice experience and a quality of life ⁓ consideration, ⁓ if you have the ability to ⁓ to get more. of the right type of patients, it really matters. ⁓ and and and it can be financially a real boon. ⁓ we we like to ⁓ kind of talk ⁓ like a 2060-20 ⁓ division of the of of potential patients. You know there's 20% that are really your ideal patient type. ⁓ and as you look in the marketplace all you're trying to do is get more of that 20%. Now there's 60% that are just fine. And they're not ones that, you know, you necessarily need to to to to dump immediately or whatnot. But they're they're a a little bit of a filler portion of the the the market. ⁓ oftentimes they are they come as a consequence of that top twenty-five ⁓ top 20%. But there's also this bottom 20%. And whether it's because of the insurance plan they're on, whether it's because of their reluctance to accept treatments, whether it's because they don't make it to their appointments, they're always rescheduled, whatever it is, there's 20% of the market that you simply don't want any part of. And you need to make sure in your marketing messaging and the way that you're presenting your practice identity and differentiation that you make clear that you are not the dentist, not the practice for them. Did I freeze? Jeff: You did, but I should be continuing to upload on your end, so. Troy: Okay. I mean I'm frozen but ⁓ hopefully do you think I need to do anything or roll the dice? Let me look and see what's happening in the EOS. I think that Jeff: Yeah, you could switch your camera and then switch it back. Troy: ⁓ what the heck? might have to restart it 'cause it it won't allow me to click on source. Jeff: okay, I mean I no, let me just end the recording and then we can record another one. Troy: Should just restart? Let me just Okay.