Back to School

Well, it is August 31st here, and in the northeast, that means back to school! many of you are already back to school in the south and west. But here in the northeast, its back to school week! So, what does that have to do with your practice? Well, one thing, it usually messes everything up for a few weeks. For most of us! Now, i know dentists get slammed before back to school. All the college kids want their teeth looking good before school, and all the parents want to get it done before the hustle and bustle of school begins. Also, hair dressers get very busy, and of course back to school shopping takes off like crazy! Targets and walmarts and staples are busy. So, what does this mean for you in private practice? Well, for most of us, it means a couple of off weeks to be honest. Parents are going crazy getting ready, starting the school routine. They will usually miss appointments, wont come in for two weeks etc. Also, we see our teachers don’t come in, but once this two weeks is up, they start flocking back to the clinic!

Why am I bringing all this up for a million dollar practice? Well, simply it will mess you up for two weeks. Don’t fret about it, don’t stress, and I would say don’t try to change it. Some holidays and seasons we can market people in, etc, but For me, back to school you cant beat. Parents are just too busy, and they are going to miss some appointments. I'm telling you these two weeks have to have the highest missed appointment rates for most docs. What do you do?

1. Don’t schedule major promotions during this time, no one will come!
2. Do something for teachers. They are usually the best patients for most of us. They pay, stay, refer, and usually have good insurance. There are several teachers promotions you can do
3. Get ready! Cause usually right after this, if your keeping in touch with your patients via newsletter, etc, they will come rushing in. Vacations are over, Holidays are far down the road, there is not much distraction until thanksgiving. This gives you a few months of growth.
4. Fine tune your procedures, make sure all the little things are going very well! Fine tune your scripts and procedures

That is about it! This one you cant fight, you may be a little off for two weeks, but go enjoy labor day, and get ready, cause after that it is time to grow! There are growing seasons in a practice. Its hard to go up in august when everyone is away, or December when people are consumer with holidays, but after September and spring are the times to grow the clinic!