The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

ELEVATOR SPEECH: AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING TOOL

I know what you're thinking: "What in the world is an elevator speech?" Years ago, I heard this term defined as a brief summary of a company's highlights and strengths, designed to encourage the listener to patronize that business. Now imagine that that business is your dental practice.

Think about the duration of most elevator rides: maybe a minute or so. Try to come up with an equally brief speech that would convince an elevator rider to come to your dental office for care. Speak in headlines. Emphasize such qualities as the gentleness of the treatment, the comfortable aura of the office, the well-trained staff, the dentist’s specialty and CE prowess, new equipment and methods of delivery, your excellent website and social media postings, and so on. Choose a few outstanding facts about the practice and weave them into a brief "elevator speech" that you can use to attract new patients.

A recent personal example: my grandson, a general practitioner, has joined a practice in which laser cavity preparation is used when appropriate. I recently made an unintentional "elevator speech" when I told a friend about fillings being done at his practice without the need for anesthesia. She called his office that day for an appointment. She is more than willing to drive nearly 60 miles to his office to see if she is a candidate for fillings done without anesthesia.

This exercise is most effective when used by team members while they are out and about the community. Discuss the idea with them during a staff meeting and ask that "speech" ideas be discussed at the next meeting. To stimulate participation, consider rewarding each person with a small gift, perhaps $10 or $20, for a new patient referred by that particular team member. Elevator speeches can be fun and rewarding for the practice, for team members, and for new, satisfied patients.