Dental Marketing - Tyson Steele Associates - Advanced Dental Marketing Concepts

Written By: Tyson Steele on 2011-11-09

Why you absolutely MUST attend the Friday, November 18th client workshop!!!

Twenty-eight years ago this month, the crew of a Columbian jumbo jet flying into Madrid made two major mistakes. First, as they approached the airport in the dark of night, the pilots botched their navigation procedures and turned the 747 jet into a collision course with a nearby hill. Second, incredibly, as the ground proximity warning system sounded for 14 seconds, telling the pilots to "Pull up! Pullup!" the captain and crew proceeded to ignore the warning.

As a result, the right landing gear and number four engine clipped a hill at a speed of 160 miles per hour, causing the plane to ricochet off a second hill before crashing into the ground and breaking to pieces. All 19 crew members and 162 passengers died. Amazingly, 11 passengers survived.

This airline tragedy serves as a solid reminder that we should pay heed to warnings before it’s too late. So listen closely, because you’re about to get warned!

In early summer this year, we noted a trend in practices across the nation that coincided with a steady downturn in consumer confidence.

Now, for clarification, the Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence is considered “average” if it’s in the range of 100 points. In early 2009, at the trough of the Great Recession, the index hit a record low of about 30 points.

After that, the index rebounded and climbed steadily, reaching the 60s in early spring of this year. (A score of 60 certainly wasn’t good, but it was a heck of a lot better than the lows.)

However, summer marked a major shift in consumer confidence, and the index has been dropping steadily since then, hitting 40 at the end of October. It’s as if the index is screaming at us to "Pull up! Pull up!"

So, being the conscientious pilots we are, we’ve been monitoring our "navigation equipment" carefully. In our case, that means monitoring the scores and statistics that are driving practices around the country.

As a result, we’ve seen some very interesting trends in new patient leads and case acceptance since early summer. And instead of being a short term blip, we’re seeing some real momentum as we approach the end of the year.

Make no mistake... you guys are not average practices. However, average practices across the U.S. are starting to feel the pain. I'm sure you've heard this from more than a few of your colleagues. So now it's our job to help you take advantage of the warning signs to protect your practice and grow through this new trend.

So be sure you register now for the complimentary client workshop on November 18th. Don’t miss it! We’ll show you which gauges to watch in your practice, and how to “Pull up!” most effectively even in the new downturn. After all, do you want to be a market leader, or just another statistic? Good captains know when to heed the warning signs and take action. So get your hands on the yoke and pull up now!

I'll see you online next Friday.

- Tyson