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When something doesn’t go our way, it’s easy to point the finger at external factors. We often don’t want to admit that we can be ourselves for the unintended consequences. Business owners – like myself and the dentists I work with – can have a lot of pride and don’t always want to think they might be the reason opportunities don’t turn into customers (or patients in our case). Focus only on the source (ie, the leads or opportunities) rather than reflecting on their own internal processes.
And I know this because I’ve seen it and done it myself before. As a marketing agency, my company’s overall goal is to create opportunities to capture new business for the dental practices we serve, and for the most part, we are responsible for the types of opportunities the practices receive. However, are we responsible if those opportunities don’t convert into new patients? Maybe, but also, maybe not.
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Collaboration is key.
Marketing agencies get blamed for producing low quality leads, and the same goes for a highly specialized agency that only works with dental practices like mine. In theory, however, the quality of the leads we generate for practice depends largely on how many parameters there are for those leads, and the information we get from the practice itself. Naturally, the more accurately we can define the types of leads we want to attract, the more likely we are to target that particular demographic. That’s not to say that every single leader will be perfect, but most will be, or close to it.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll never say it again: marketing is a collaborative effort between the agency and the client. The more you can work together and develop a synergy, the better the results will be. Dr. David Pierce, a highly respected New York dentist who worked with my agency and now consults with the practice on this subject, agrees with me. In a recent article, “The dentist can better understand the marketing company and vice versa.” He knows that in order to get the leads he needs, he must work with the marketing agency to help them understand the needs of the practice.
Now, of course, some businesses can have a hard time defining their ideal customer or lead, and that’s perfectly understandable, especially if you’ve never taken the time to break it down. But that’s also where a marketing agency can be a huge asset. Marketing professionals are experts at digging for answers. The more involved a business owner is willing to be in this process, the better leads they will receive and the less “weeding” they will have to take the bad out of the mix.
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Put your process to the test
What if you get good numbers, but those leads aren’t converting into customers? Is the marketing agency responsible then? If those leaders do not meet the quality standards they have established with the agency, the agency bears some responsibility. However, if those leads are consistently good quality, meaning they check most if not all of the boxes, you may need to look inward to understand the disconnect.
Let’s take an example from my experience in marketing to dental practices. A dentist receives 100 good leads from a marketing agency, but only 15 of those leads convert (ie, become patients who follow through with treatment). That’s a very low number. But is it because the leads aren’t good enough or because there are some glitches in the actual sales process? Again, this is where the marketing agency can be a great partner. If the dentist is willing to let the marketing agency analyze the sales process from start to finish, they can identify any weaknesses that are preventing them from converting leads into patients.
Dr. Pierce explains this in his article, “While the marketing company may not be able to make the necessary changes, the best marketing companies have internal mechanisms to help each of their clients improve this process.” So, while the marketing agency may not be responsible for the low conversion rate, as long as the dentist is willing to work with them, they can still help increase that rate to an acceptable number.
That said, in my experience, quality leads don’t always turn into quality patients right away. You can talk to them and get them to book their first appointment, but the work doesn’t have to end there. Dr. Pearce says, “Quality patients say, ‘Doc, where have you been all my life? Yes, the best dentists have a system in place to meet each new patient on their journey to good dentistry. It is the same for any business. Fortunately, if a business owner is not used to thinking about leads and customers in this way, they have help. The marketing agency will work with them to identify areas of opportunity and convert more leads into long-term, quality customers.
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Lean on your partner, but do your part
If sales and marketing don’t come naturally to you or your team, finding a good agency to partner with can make a big difference. However, for such a partnership to work, you must be open to the possibilities and ready to change how you approach and handle instructions. Be sure to ask your marketing partner if they offer sales training or resources to improve your sales presentation. Sometimes, they at least have some materials you can use and distribute to your staff with some tips on how to handle inbound leads.
My company provides resources for office workers on how to properly handle phone calls and new and interested guides to educate leads from all digital marketing efforts. You can also ask your marketing company to record phone calls to give you more insight into how your incoming calls are handled. This is a great way to provide concrete examples of what’s going well and where your sales process needs to be improved. In short, the more you understand yourself and your employees, the more productive your partnership will be.
It is also very important that you are loyal to your marketing partner. Simply expressing your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the service is not enough. Give details if you really want to use it on partnership. Take notes, and tell your marketing agency exactly what you’re not happy with and why. Give real examples of what you see not working out according to your expectations, especially when the relationship is new. When you provide detailed feedback, your marketing partner can better adjust and target campaigns to your needs and generate more quality leads together.
Once things are rolling and you’ve found the “sweet spot,” be careful not to become complacent. When things are going well, it’s easy to go back to old habits, and then the results start to nosedive. To avoid this, ask your marketing partner to check in regularly for a status report (if you don’t already). These periodic calls help you and your partner keep your marketing strategies in mind, and they’re also a good time to talk about what’s working and what’s not. Meeting regularly keeps your marketing partner informed and holds you and your staff accountable.
So who is responsible when the leaders do not work? The business or marketing agency? In my experience, it’s not entirely anyone’s fault, and playing the blame game gets you nowhere. Pointing the finger at the marketing agency for not generating quality leads or dropping the ball with the sales process is no solution. Real progress happens when the marketing agency and the business come together as partners to achieve better results.
