How a Dentist Transformed His Office Into a Hot Spot for Affluent Patients
In the early 1990s, Len Anglis D.D.S added implant dentistry to help grow his practice in Indiana. He didn’t have time for vacations. He relied on other dentists to drive referrals to his business. And he had to customize treatment plans for each dentist, since the dentist wanted to do some but not all of the work, making it less profitable for Dr. Anglis.
So he changed his approach, targeting affluent customers with a much more specialized service. That was 15 years ago. Today, over half his business is All-On-Four Dental Implant Treatment, a complicated procedure in which Dr. Anglis replaces entire arches of missing or failing teeth for patients all in one day. It’s a procedure no one else is doing.
Treatments can range from $30,000.00 up to $75,000.00. Most of his patients write a check for it, paying for it before or at the time of treatment. “Because insurance doesn’t cover this kind of treatment, we needed people who could afford it,” Dr. Anglis said.
Changing his approach has transformed his business and his life. By becoming very specialized in the All-On-Four Implant Treatment, dentists in the area refer people to him, telling their patients they can no longer help them and that Dr. Anglis is the only one who can do it. Patients arrive presold because they trust their family dentist. This also means Dr. Anglis rarely, if ever, does customized treatment plans for dentists anymore.
Creating marketing systems that target their ideal patient, they’ve been able to gain control over the flow of patients coming into their business instead of having to rely on referrals only.
By charging a higher fee, they can do more for their patients to make them feel comfortable. “Over the years, we really own the fact that patients would rather be anyplace else,” Nancy Anglis, a dental hygienist and Len’s wife, said. “We get it, we embrace it. So, we made our office like no place else.”
The Anglises completely remodeled their office as a “tropical dental resort,” putting a lot of thought into what patients would want, not only to get people talking about it but to intentionally create a more comfortable and relaxing space that would lower anxiety. “Nancy and I looked at every single component from colors to pictures and intentionally picked things that were relaxing rather than stimulating,” Dr. Anglis said. Special components were added that naturally lower blood pressure. They offer cappuccinos, lattes, and cocoa. Neck warmers, blankets, and aloe socks are provided. This has created somewhat of a phenomenon. “We have people come a half hour early because they know we run on time and they want to take advantage of our amenities before they go back,” Nancy said. “People show up just to have coffee. They think of it as a social gathering place. They’ll bring friends and families to meet us, which is how we’ve gotten some patients, too. It’s become a hotspot that people can’t believe.”
Their marketing approach is different, too. “We were marketing to people in a new way in which they know how much we value them,” Dr. Anglis said, “and it’s been very reciprocal. It seems like they value us more now as well.”
Marketing includes things such as a free book, Why You Might Not Need Dental Implants, that Dr. Anglis wrote; a newsletter; a series of notes and gifts; direct mail; and more. A free-standing insert in the newspaper advertises a seminar they host complete with refreshments. The seminar is orchestrated with subtle reminders that attendees really do need to have this treatment done because they can’t even enjoy the simple things in their life without a lot of grief and discomfort. They mail a package with very unique, specific items to prospects so they know who the Anglis are before they ever meet Dr. Anglises.
Follow-up systems are in place for those who don’t go ahead with treatment to keep Dr. Anglis top of mind. Sensitive to the fact that patients are afraid, worried about the time it will take to have the procedure done, and used to people telling them they are “too old and don’t need this done,” the Anglis choose very specific language for their materials that appeals to their affluent clients. “We have to convince them that there’s a better way to live the rest of their life with a higher quality and higher health level,” Dr. Anglis said.
Details matter, and the Anglises think of everything that might be an irritant to their wealthy clients and put processes in place to avoid them. For example, nobody waits. “We stay on time in our office and people really appreciate that because there aren’t many dental or medical offices that you go to where they respect your time at the level we do,” Nancy said. “And if we mess up, if we’re 10 or 15 minutes behind, they get a present.”
All this has added up to the Anglises operating at higher profitability than other offices, needing fewer patients, giving them more time to do things they enjoy … and they even get to take vacations now, usually several per year.
LEN ANGLIS D.D.S., https://dranglis.com/