Nine steps to becoming a recognized
authority
For more on this topic, go to www.dentaleconomics.com
and search using the following key words: branding,
expert, recognized authority, advertising, Gandolf,
Hirsch.
We’re willing to wager
that you are already an expert.
The dental professionals with whom we work are all highly
educated, experienced, and smart. Almost by definition,
every one of them is an expert — and they’re
passionate about some aspect of their work. The straightforward
part is being an expert — the important part is
how to become a “recognized authority.”
Are you missing the advantages of leveraging your expertise
to the recognition level? Here’s how to move up
from “expert” to “authority”
with personal satisfaction and growth to your practice.
First, list what you’re
truly good at doing. Park your self-modesty
(and your ego) in neutral and list several options.
Consult your memory, CV, and trusted friends, and translate
clinical skills into patient-benefit values. Isolate
one or two core strengths that are your genuine areas
of expertise.
Pick an expertise that supports
your practice branding. A dental practice with
the competitive differentiation of “new-you cosmetic
dentistry,” for example, can extend that message
with a recognized authority in “3-D smile design.”
Now, grow from mere expert to recognized authority:
• Give speeches.
Community or civic group talks are an easy way to begin.
Experienced speakers develop at least one core presentation
and adapt it to each audience. Consider a “problem/solution”
format where you describe a challenge and tell how your
expertise achieved an exceptional solution.
• Teach a class.
OK, maybe not two nights a week for six weeks, but a
once-in-a-while community college class is an excellent
public forum. Becoming an adjunct professor and teaching
about your practice expertise is an additional credential
and often leads to invitations for more public exposure.
• Write articles. Write
a book. You could sit down and write a book,
but it’s easier to climb this mountain a little
bit at a time. Write the outline for a book and create
it in slices of individual articles. Being a published
author is perceived as a highly authoritative credential.
Many first books are self-published, at a relatively
low cost, and they become a practice promotional tool
that’s useful when you give a speech, teach a
class, or inspire contacts from the radio and TV media.
• Consider professional
journals and events. Beyond the usual clinical
topics, many publications for professionals are open
to good editorial contributions that are profession•al-to-professional,
about practice business, or even lifestyle topics such
as travel.
• Create once, but use
in multiple ways. Let’s say you’ve
written an expert article for the newspaper. With a
little revision, this same content can become an article
on your Web site, recorded as a track on an audio CD,
or presented as a downloadable podcast. Make reprints
available in your office, mail them to colleagues, or
use them as handouts at public events.
• List yourself in directories.
Begin with the Yellow Pages (print and online), but
reach out to any classified/category directory where
your expertise connects. Search online using variations
of terms that describe your proficiency. This is likely
to reveal dental health sites, associations, groups,
and institutions that are an appropriate connection.
Online connections are a powerful plus for the practice
when online directory listings link back to your practice
Web site. These “backlinks” (from another
site to your site) help boost your ranking with search
engines.
• Position yourself
as an expert in your branded materials, Web
site, and advertising. Review your existing brochures,
ads, and letters and revise if needed to showcase your
expertise and the benefits to the patient/reader. Confirm
that your Web site has the right keywords, tags, and
text for search engines to find your site.
• Maintain and circulate
an up-to-date CV. Carefully document every
occasion that you have been published, quoted, honored,
or otherwise recognized for your profes•sional
expertise. Keep it current and complete, and don’t
be shy about sharing this with the media, colleagues,
and professional societies and in advance of speaking
events.
• Set a schedule.
Getting started is often the most difficult step, but
the flow of expert materials grows: a speech inspires
a media interview ... a series of articles become fuel
for a book ... recognition itself energizes additional
recognition.
Recognized authorities are the experts who are willing
to stand in the spotlight. Done well, the personal and
professional gains are satisfying — and the added
bounce to the practice marketing plan is richly rewarding.
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, and Lonnie
Hirsch are cofounders of Healthcare Success Strategies,
and two of America's most experienced practice marketers.
They have worked with dentists for a combined 30 years,
have written numerous articles on practice marketing,
and have consulted with more than 3,000 private health–care
practices. They may be reached by calling (888) 679–0050,
through their Web site at www.healthcaresuccess.com,
or via e–mail at info@healthcaresuccess.com.
Source:Dental Economics
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