Yesterday I was talking to Rhonda Mullins, a well known dental consultant and speaker, and she shared a bit of wisdom with me.  While it was wise, it was also practical, which made it even more valuable. Rhonda said that instead of thinking about goals in January, dentists should look at the time between now and the first of the year. She asks what hasn’t worked in the first three quarters of 2010, and what can be done right now to change the trend for the better next year. Great advice.

That got me to thinking, how much time is between now and January 1^st. 2011?

Monday is November 1^st, so as of that day, you have 61 days to prepare for the 1^st quarter of 2011. That’s 9 Mondays, 45 weekdays, or, if we take out the Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, Christmas Eve, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s, you have only 37 workdays, if you work Monday through Friday.

You have 37 workdays before 2011.

If you don’t do office work on Fridays, that number is cut back to 31 days.

So you have about a month to get ready for business in January.

As a dental marketing consultant, I have to ask, how’s your Internet strategy working for ya? Consider, if you will:

• Is your web or blog traffic increasing, or at least maintaining a good level?
• What are your plans to increase traffic? Blogging daily, using good SEO practices, should be number one priority. Google Caffeine launched in April of this year. Do you know what it is?
• Do you have a Facebook page? Do you have fans? Are your number of fans on the rise? Do fans participate in conversation on your wall?
• Do you tweet? Is it doing anything for you?
• What’s your plan for social networking in the new year? What’s the value? What’s your commitment level?
• What’s your number-one goal: to get new patients, to retain patients, to close bigger cases? Something else?
• How is your Internet marketing strategy going to help you accomplish that goal?
• Has your target market changed, and, if so, has your marketing re-focused accordingly?
• Where are your marketing dollars going?
• Is the investment effective?
• Do you need a fresh start in 2011?

If you’re investing in ineffective marketing, you’re making a bad investment. If your logo and website are outdated, you could be losing potential patients.

I challenge you to take the next 30 working days to really think about where you’re going, what you want, and how an effective marketing plan for 2010 can help you achieve your goals next quarter. Break bad trends. Start good habits. Make wise spending decisions. Enjoy more success in 2011!