By JONATHAN FINE
Christmas is a time of giving as we know – or more honestly a time of spending. Every retailer in the land prepared for the Christmas spike in sales long ago – probably back in March or before – but how much of this increased spending is coming your way? Will your sales go up or down?
Christmas is really just an excuse or a permission to spend, a moment in time to focus on, and because of that retailers love it in the same way as they love Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.
Truthfully, about 15 years ago I bought my lovely wife tooth whitening for Christmas. It was two weeks before the big day and I had not the faintest idea what I was going to buy her (normally I buy stuff, hand it over and she smiles, kisses me, says thanks and asks for the receipt). Luckily I saw an A board outside a posh dentist that simply said “Tooth Whitening – the ideal Christmas gift”. It was – she was delighted! By the way, it cost £600, yep £600!
The really switched on dentists among you will have had a Christmas marketing campaign in place in June along the lines of “beautiful straight white teeth by Christmas”.
But if you are like the vast majority of dental practices who simply view Christmas as an irritation in terms of team roistering and income drop then cheer up, there is still a chance to cash in. We know conclusively that kerb appeal signage done properly brings in about 15 per cent of all new patients, so why not give your practice a turbo charged Christmas and spend a tiny amount on festive lights like Seapoint Clinic in Dublin have (see photo below).
Seapoint Clinic, Dublin
It will transform your practice because passers by that have ignored you for the last 10 years will suddenly think a bright new dental practice has opened. And before you ask, you don’t need planning permission.
If you want some help with getting the most out of the Christmas excuse to spend, or for that matter the Easter excuse to spend, please give me a ring.
And let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas!
JJF
jonathan.fine@breathebusiness.co.uk
07860 672727