Selecting a dental marketing consultant is a challenging task. You want someone who can come in and make effective change without making a costly mistake. In this blog, I will outline 
five personalities to look for and avoid when selecting a dental marketing consultant. I have included a red flag indicator to better spot the perpetrator.
(1) “The Talker”: You bring them in for an interview to discuss their services and they talk the whole time. They never shut up. They talk about their products, their systems and name drop past practices they have worked with. Red flag indicator: Ask a question and try to get a straight answer without being interrupted. Outcome: Someone who takes up a lot of your time and never figures out what you really need – run
(2) “The Know-it-All”: Here again is a difficult personality; they can make your engagement miserable. Often, the know-it-all has a big ego to boot. He has all the facts, numbers and statistics to everything. He even has the reports, studies and methodology to back them up. They answer all your questions with another dubious statistic. The problem is they are not interested in your thoughts and direction. They are going to do it their way, whether you like it or not. If you question them, you are most likely going to bring on a confrontation. Red flag indicator: Challenge them on a point they are making and see how they react. Look for diplomacy and not a negative reaction. Outcome: Life is too short to deal with a big ego – run faster
(3) “The Rookie”: Watch out for the person (not company) who has never worked with a dentist or this is their first marketing engagement. Everybody begins somewhere; you just don’t want it to be with you. The learning curve that comes with experience is important in consulting and you want someone who has both, marketing experience and has worked with a dental practice. Red flag: Ask them to describe a past dental marketing engagement they have completed. Outcome: You want them to learn on someone else’s dime otherwise it will cost you time and money- ask the company to assign you a different dental marketing consultant.
(4) “The New Car Salesman”: It all sounds too good to be true. They are very gregarious, glad handing everyone, everything is positive, maybe too positive; not realistic. Although they bring a lot of energy they may be more suited for sales and not strong at putting a marketing plan into place. Red flag indicator: Watch to see if they avoid your objections by answering a question with another question. Outcome: They may burnout quickly and leave you disappointed.
(5) “The Magic Package Man”: One size fits all. This person comes in with a prepackaged plan that really doesn’t address your marketing needs. They do not ask you any questions about what type of marketing you have tried, what your biggest marketing challenge is and what you are trying to achieve. They get right to demonstrating what they can do for you without understanding the underlying cause of your marketing issues. Red Flag: If they do not perform some sort of needs assessment on your practice, they can’t possibly understand what needs to be done to improve your marketing. Outcome: A waste of time and money for a package you really can’t use.
Look for a dental marketing consultant that is practice centered and takes the time to run a practice marketing audit, interview key employees and really understand what you need. Green flag indicator: They strive to understand your problems by asking lots of questions, look to be a team player and take the time to get to know you and the practice. Outcome: A pleasant experience with a solution to your marketing challenge in place.
Take your dental practice marketing audit to see what needs to be done to improve your marketing:
