Some of the most effective marketing is what I like to call "Guerilla Marketing." Powerful strategies and tactics that just about no other dentist is doing. The fact that you are MARKETING IN A VACUUM makes these "Gems" that much more effective! And it doesn't matter where you are located!

One of our members practiced with his brother in a part of New York City known to have office buildings with more than 100 general dentists... per building! Admittedly they were in one of THE toughest areas in the world when it came to competition for new dental patients. Then they deployed one of my "Gems" I designed to enable any practice anywhere to attract new patients from local businesses. The brothers were shocked and amazed at how well such a simple (and FUN) strategy worked... right in midtown Manhattan!

You are about to discover one such Guerilla tactic... and BRAND NEW TWIST on a tried and true proven effective marketing Gem. The cost is MINIMAL and potential return (very) high. Best of all your team will LOVE... and may even fight over... who gets to deploy this Gem!

What if you could unearth a seldom-tapped deep (nearly endless) source of potential new team members... a source filled with people EAGER to WORK... willing and ABLE to learn just about anything you require of them. And just what if these folks were HAPPY to work for wages the likes of which you've not seen in dentistry since light cured composites were invented?

Well there IS such a source and very likely nearby your practice. Once I discovered this unpolished "Gem" I continued to draw time and again from this abundant well. I found them to be excited to work with us, passionate about and adept at learning. These were some of the best and brightest team members with whom I had the pleasure of working in my practices. Not only will you enjoy having these folks with you but your existing team members are guaranteed to WELCOME them with OPEN ARMS!

My team knew I preferred not to be interrupted while treating a patient. When Izabel buzzed I knew there was something wrong. She began, "Dr. Orent, there's a man here to see you. Says he is an investigator from the Massachusetts State Licensing Board... the Board of Registration in Dentistry. He showed me his badge. Says he wants access... to all of our patient records."

His visit was without warning. Unannounced. I had no idea why he was at my front desk. What I did know was that it's never good news. I told Izabel to tell him I'd be right out. Told my patient I was going to give him a short break... rest his jaw... then headed for the front desk.

Unfortunately one of the questions I'm getting from Gem's Family members more and more often is how to respond to a terrible review left by an irate patient. The internet presents awesome opportunity...

It can help us in so many ways. But it also has the power to cause massive rapid damage if you let it. In the old days if a patient was ripping mad at a dentist the old adage was, "A happy patient will tell a friend and an unhappy patient will tell 10 friends."

Even 10 people hearing how terribly you treated for Mrs. Jones was cause for concern. Today an unhappy patient can tell hundreds if not thousands through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and beyond. And then there's Yelp and Google!

Should you respond to the review at all?