Twelve years ago, I founded The Levin Group to help dental professionals reach new levels of practice success. Through intense, fully customized, comprehensive programs, my consultants and I teach our clients to:

• secure case acceptance
• enhance motivation
• foster team harmony
• reduce overhead
• define their competitive edge
• build better, dedicated teams
• attract new patients
• increase productivity and profitability
• build ultrastrong relationships with referrers and patients.

The rapid expansion of The Levin Group, which has now counseled more than 2,000 private practices, as well as a host of Fortune 500 companies around the world, is a testament to these strategies' validity, effectiveness, timelessness, and direct applicability.

Since its inception, a cornerstone of The Levin Group has been referral-based marketing programs for specialists reliant primarily upon referrals from general practitioners.

While, as orthodontists, you are unique among specialists because lengthy treatment durations customarily deepen your relationships with patients, you, too, must realize that your primary customer is still the GP.

You must, therefore, carefully cultivate this alliance, repeatedly demonstrate your value, and do everything possible to get "the lock" an exclusive referral relationship.

Years ago, orthodontists considered the occasional GP lunch a marketing program. Attracting new patients was not particularly difficult because there were plenty of patients to go around. Success, it seemed, was easy to come by.

However, radical changes in dentistry have made marketing an essential key to success for the modern orthodontic practice. There are more orthodontists competing for patients than ever before, and managed care is making the health care selection process increasingly difficult and confusing for patients. This means one simple thing: orthodontists must maximize every referral opportunity.

As dentistry continues to evolve, successful practices must evolve with it. This evolution begins with a proven, effective referral-based marketing program.

One of the key principles I've reiterated time and time again is that referral-based marketing is dependent on both the quality and quantity of contacts with each referring office. Having one or the other is not sufficient. A successful marketing program requires both.

Levin Group clients have posted dramatic 30-50 percent(!) increases in referrals simply by implementing programs based on a sufficient quantity of high-quality contacts.

Referral-based marketing is founded upon establishing ongoing relationships with referring dentists relationships that motivate them to refer consistently to your practice. My experience and the experience of my consulting team clearly indicate that inconsistency is the primary obstacle to implementing effective marketing programs.

You cannot spend a few years establishing relationships with general dentists, abandon your marketing program, and expect the referrals to continue.

What's the Point? The Levin Group Marketing Point System

So how do you ensure ongoing marketing results? How do you track their effectiveness? The Levin Group Marketing Point System(TLGMPS) facilitates both.

TLGMPS assigns point values to each marketing activity, so that you can quickly assess the referral potential of your marketing program. It is a tool with which you can evaluate the effectiveness of individual marketing strategies as well as the blending of these strategies. For example, while going to lunch has merit and is an essential marketing tool, peak effectiveness necessitates a strong mix of marketing strategies.

Based on extensive research of our clients' marketing efforts, TLGMPS virtually guarantees your success. However, bear in mind that establishing this program will be neither quick nor easy. It requires time, effort, and money. Remember, the investment you make to market your practice now will be returned to you 10- fold down the road.

You must keep in mind, too, that referral-based marketing takes approximately 4-6 months to demonstrate results. No tricks. No gimmicks.

The Starting Point

Before beginning your marketing program, you must separate your referring dentists into four categories. This will enable you to more accurately target strategy type and quantity to get the most "bang for your buck."

Include every area GP in your targeted referral list even doctors who have not referred to you for some time. Designate each dentist an A, B, C, or D.

As represent the top third of all referrers Bs represent the middle third Cs represent the bottom third Ds represent non-referring dentists

Classify all doctors by both number of referrals and production from referrals. While one GP might refer a large number of low-production cases to you, another might refer a smaller number of high-production cases and assume, therefore, a more valuable status.

A Offices

Even though your As are your best referrers, you still need to market to them. As a tried and true customer service precept goes: Treat your best customers best.

The marketing goal for A offices is the lock. You want your As to refer only to you. Once you have achieved the lock, focus on keeping it. Even referring doctors who refer only to you are able to send more patients if they are better educated diagnostically and are consistently reminded of the many services you offer.

B Offices

Your goal here is to upgrade B offices to As. These doctors often refer to other offices and to your practice simultaneously. You must give Bs a reason to refer all of their patients to you and you alone.

C Offices

Once you have determined your Cs, don't spend too much time marketing to them. While many orthodontists believe that meeting with Cs in person can increase referrals, research has shown that this is not true.

However, it is important that you not label a GP a C prematurely. Engage 20 marketing contacts over 12 months. If you don't see a significant increase in referrals following this trial period, you can then confidently ascribe a C.

Most likely, Cs already have orthodontists with whom they prefer to work or perform their own orthodontic services. Therefore, they are unlikely to change their referral patterns. However, Cs are not a lost cause. Keep them on your mailing list. You never know when a C could start referring to your office.

D Offices

Many orthodontists falsely believe that D offices have made a conscious decision not to refer to their practices. This, too, is untrue. Most likely, Ds have simply not been provided with motivating reasons to do so. They are, essentially, an untapped resource. Look for every opportunity to contact these offices and, when you do, treat them as you would your As.

Point of Entry: The Strategies

Marketing contacts fall into 14 categories:

Personal Contacts

• Doctor Lunch
• Shared Hobby
• Full-Day Seminar
• Other Personal Contact

Direct Contacts

• Doctor Visit
• Doctor Phone
• Contact Lunch and Learn
• Community Activity

Indirect Contacts

• Professional Relations Coordinator (PRC)
• Visit/Lunch Evening Seminar

Non-personal Contacts

• Fact Sheet
• Correspondence
• Gifts
• Food Delivery

Each contact category is assigned a point value from 1 to 5. Evaluating contacts this way allows you to assess their quality as well as their quantity and ensures that you are able to combine certain types of strategies to reach optimal point totals.

Point, Counterpoint: Determining Values

It is critical that you understand the point value assignment for each of your marketing strategies.

First, this will illustrate why both high- and low-point strategies must be incorporated into your program. Just as 5-point (maximum value) strategies have special benefits, 1-point (minimum value) strategies are advantageous as well.

Second, understanding the point system enables you to assign points for strategies not covered by TLGMPS. After all, your unique practice situation may allow for the inclusion of additional marketing strategies that complement Levin Group recommendations.

The marketing strategies you'll use can be divided into four main categories.

I. Personal Contacts [5 points]

Strategies involving personal interaction between an orthodontist and referrer earn the greatest number of points because the relationship-building impact is intense on a person-to-person level.

These strategies include Doctor Lunch; Shared Hobby, such as golf, tennis, fishing, or skiing; and Other Personal Contacts, such as dinner with spouses or attending a sporting event or social function together. While some of these strategies involve professional interaction, they focus on the development of a personal connection, which greatly enhances any referral relationship.

Full-Day Seminars sponsored by the orthodontist also garner high points. Because these seminars last, on average, eight hours or more, they allow for extensive personal interaction among you, your staff, your referrers, and their staffs.

Furthermore, their duration compensates for the non-social setting. Full-day seminars are particularly efficient, as well as effective, because one contact permits marketing to a large group of referrers.

II. Direct Contacts [3 points]

Doctor Visit, Doctor Phone Contacts, andLunch and Learns in which the orthodontist conducts a brief midday educational presentation to the GP and staff rank a little lower than personal doctor contacts. Unlike Personal Contacts, these strategies are business-centered and, thus, afford less personal interaction.

Joint participation in a Community Activity also earns 3 points. Service on a non-dental organization's committee, coaching or refereeing a sporting event, church or synagogue attendance, and participation in a charitable organization are just some examples of community activities. Like the shared hobby, community activities are important because they involve an aspect of the referring dentist's life you seldom get to see.

III. Indirect Contacts [2 points]

The next point level entails diluted contacts. Because the PRC Visit/Lunch involves staff-to- staff contact without direct contact between doctors, it, too, ranks lower on the point scale.

Though the Evening Seminar is a valuable educational strategy and, technically, a Direct Contact it loses some points because its duration and the number of people involved severely limit your relationship-building opportunities.

Again, these contacts should not be underestimated because of their lower point value. Marketing success depends on a blendof strategies.

IV. Non-personal Contacts [1 point]

Non-personal Contacts rate only one point each, but are, nevertheless, crucial for an effective marketing plan. Fact Sheets, Correspondence, Gifts, and Food Delivery (by your PRC or another staff member) quickly and easily keep your name at the forefront of referring doctors' minds.

Each strategy category has specific and unique advantages. For instance, while personal contacts are essential for developing strong referral relationships, you will need a good number of indirect and non-personal contacts to achieve predetermined point totals. Because the latter are generally inexpensive and easy to execute, they are vital to sustaining contact with each of your referrers.

The End-Point: Setting Goals

Goals provide you with a focus and incentive to make your marketing program work. While the monthly point goal for each referrer level has been determined for you (see Figure 1), it is equally imperative that you set goals for the number of times you use each marketing strategy. This will help ensure that you do not too heavily depend on one strategy to attain your goal.

Figure 1 outlines your contact and point goal by referrer level.

If you would like further information about any of the marketing strategies mentioned in this article, their classification, the classification of marketing strategies not addressed, or the categorization of your referring offices, please call Nancy Fox at 410.654.1234 or fax your questions to her at 410.654.1238.

About the Author

Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., M.B.A., founded The Levin Group in 1985. As a third-generation practicing dentist, he built a practice reaching the top 1 percent of all producing practices. Dr. Levin then began The Levin Group with the goal of making it the most advanced dental consulting firm for business systems in the world today. He is now one of the most highly recognized and sought-after speakers in dentistry. Dr. Levin speaks more than 110 days annually to both general dentists and specialists on practice business systems and marketing.

Under his guidance, The Levin Group has developed consulting programs in four countries and has consulted with more than 2,000 practices, making it the largest dental consulting group in the world. Dr. Levin has authored more than 900 articles, 27 books, 18 tape series, and 7 video cassette presentations. Dr. Levin and The Levin Group also publish eight newsletters.

Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., M.B.A. Dr. Levin is on the faculty of several dental schools and serves as a consultant to the American Dental Association Council on Dental Practice. He is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a diplomate of the International Congress of Implantology and has completed the L.D. Pankey Institute's continuum series.