Lessons from the ‘Mad’ Dentist of Brisbane.

You see, Dr. Paddi was miserable and his patients were to blame. Some were great, others less so.

He decided his patients fell into two groups:
Group 1: those that valued his skills, paid on time and raved about him to their friends.
Group 2: those that often complained, turned up late (or canceled) and grumbled about his fees.

He contacted the Group 2s and politely insisted they’d prefer another dentist.

To avoid ending up with a new bunch of moaning patients he decided he’d only accept people referred by his existing patients. He figured that the best source for finding more of his ideal patients was to put his existing patients to work and encourage them to make referrals.

He then decided that he’d set himself apart from his competitors by making a big bold claim of being ‘the pain-free dentist’ (something that everyone wants!). He then backed up this claim with a daring guarantee. If the patient experienced pain their treatment was free! But because he now had fewer patients he was able to spend more time with each one in a relaxed environment and charge them more.

So Paddi managed to fire his annoying patients, find more of his ideal ones, charge more, and work less – all in a more relaxing environment.

Not so mad after all.

Takeaways:

Not all your customers are equal.
Figure out who your ideal customer is.
Seek referrals from your existing customer base.
Choose a point of differentiation that is valuable to your customers.