Man, there are so many ideas to process after a meeting like this, and one of the challenges is to try to combine and sort of justify all of the different points of view that were expressed.
One idea that many speakers expressed was the idea of a Niche practice, with Brad Durham and I being the two most outspoken adherents, and with Marvin Berlin and Mike being more of the side of welcoming everyone in (and making me feel guilty and elitist at the same time). And Jay Geier of the Scheduling Institute was sort of their inspiration, I believe, since he made a huge point of how important it was to make sure nobody was dropped, at least before your office saw that patient.
But on the way home, I got to thinking about Jay's business model, and how his menu of services was so much more "Soup Nazi" than "Come on in and we will take care of you!". He essentially has two things on the menu- a personal training session with one of his ladies, or a DVD and booklet training package, and I have no reason to think they wouldn't be great. But, it is a little ironic to think that people are hearing him say that you really need to never say "No" to anyone, when if you wanted a half day of training, that is exactly what you would hear! Right?
Funny, anyway.
But I am awed by the simplicity and power of his business model. He takes a subject where anyone can be made to feel a little concerned (do you know how your phone is answered everytime?), and then shows you how he can fix it for you, thereby making you tons of money and saving you from running off good new patients by how your phone is answered. And he will sign you up today, yadda, yadda, yadda. He probably made 25 thousand during the ACE meeting, and as I said, it will probably be worth it.
Actually, he proves my point about niche businesses. How narrow is that niche? Helping health professionals to schedule their patients/clients/guests more effectively is pretty damn narrow, but he is perceived as the expert since that is all he does. He has credibility because of his "niche-ness".
Why is it so hard for a dentist to think about this idea, and apply it to his own practice? Why is there such fear and loathing?
Quite interesting, the whole concept he brought so expertly to the table.
Otherwise, gosh, it is hard to imagine how a marketing meeting could be much better, and as I was talking to a couple of guys from San Diego when they were getting ready to leave this morning (Greg Friedman and Dave something), they were both amazed that the attendance wasn't twice as much. Such a relevant topic, with such great information.
If you missed it, we missed you. See you the next time!
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