Practices can struggle with whitening profitability for a number of reasons. They keep prices too low. They keep prices too high. They think a good tooth whitening gel alone is enough to attract patients. The list goes on and on.
But there is good news. Even if your practice isn’t making a profit from tooth whitening gels now; turning this around is very easy when you know how. With a simple list of actionable tips, you can easily tap into the growing demand for teeth whitening.
To help you on your way to growing your practice with tooth whitening gels, here are 5 key elements you should focus on…
1. Pricing Structure
The aim of a thoughtful pricing structure is to help you achieve your business and marketing goals.
Which means one thing. If you haven’t considered yours – you’re missing out.
Whilst there’s a lot that goes into deciding which pricing structure is best for your practice, here are some key strategies we recommend you consider:
- Promotional Pricing
Promotional pricing can be a powerful weapon (after all, everyone loves a deal!)
Experiment with different promotions and analyse which performs best for your practice.
Some areas to trial:
- Point of Sale Discounts – The simplest type of promotional pricing – advertise your discount throughout your practice using eye-catching marketing materials
- New Patient Deals – Offer promotional pricing for first time whitening patients
- Patient Loyalty – Reward loyal patients with promotional offers – e.g. discounted 5th order
- Product Bundle Pricing
Product bundling is nothing new.
You may be most familiar with the BOGOF deal (also known as Buy One Get One Free). However, there are other product bundles you can experiment with.
For example, bundling a free whitening toothpaste with every purchase. Consider your profit margins and get creative!
- Competitor Based Pricing
It’s important to understand your practice doesn’t operate in vacuum. Other practices in your area will also be selling whitening, and the prices you set need to be based on this competitive landscape.
Top Tip!
Beating the competition doesn’t necessarily mean reducing your pricing.
Consider what you offer: Do you offer a premium service? Could your prices reflect this?
2. Intelligent Buying
Buying whitening stock can quickly add up, and (if you’re not careful) easily take over your bottom line.
Costs can be lowered though – if you employ intelligent buying techniques.
Here are some of our top tips to get you started:
- Discount Codes & Deals
Why pay full price when you can shop for less?
Discounts and promotional offers are an excellent way to save money, often significantly reducing your overall cost.
When hunting for the best deals, it’s important to be aware of the best times to buy.
We all know that Black Friday and January are often great times of the year for sales – but what about the rest of the year?
Top Tips!
- Social Media – Follow your whitening supplier on social media. This is often the first-place discounts & offers are promoted
- Newsletters – A great way to bag a bargain is to use a discount code, these are often given out in supplier newsletters, so sign up and stay informed!
- Browse Special Offers – Online suppliers will frequently advertise special offers, and this can be a great place to catch a whitening bargain!
- Save money with a plan
As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail”.
This could not be truer when it comes to ordering your whitening supplies.
Make sure you have a clear budget in mind and stick to it. Buying in bulk can give you a great discount on a large purchase, but make sure this aligns with your budget and plan.
- Trust Your Supplier
Whilst shopping around may seem appealing, there is great value in building up a relationship with a supplier you know and trust.
With a valued supplier, you can count on high quality teeth whitening gels, a reliable service and (if you’re lucky) a whole host of additional benefits.
3. Know your Products
Knowing your products is one of the most important factors when it comes to increasing whitening sales – or any sales for that matter. This is your opportunity to find the best fit for your patient, highlighting all the benefits and answering any questions.
To maximise potential profit, ensure all practice staff are trained on your whitening products.
Improve your chances of success by focusing on the following areas:
- Focus on solutions - Rather than selling features, sell solutions to challenges. For example, the problem may be sensitivity, and the solution - a whitening product which combats this.
- Prove the product – Do your practice staff have full faith in your whitening system? If your team use and trust your whitening products, they will be able to speak about them confidently.
- Don’t Oversell – Selling in the practice isn’t selling in the traditional sense of the word and should focus on finding the best treatments for your patient. In many cases, whitening is a perfect complimentary treatment, so this should flow as part of a natural conversation.
4. Market your Products
How do you market your whitening services?
Whilst a poster in the practice is a good place to start, there are a whole host of ways you can market your whitening services to patients.
If you want to use whitening as a tool to grow your practice, you need to get patients excited about the possibilities of a whiter, brighter smile.
Maximise your chances of success and promote your whitening services with the following resources:
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- Brochures, adverts & posters
- Social Media Content
- Website information and blog content
- Patient Literature
- Point of Sale Display
- Swing Board
- Pull up Banner
- Practice video
White Dental Beauty offer a free Marketing Practice Pack including (but not limited) to the following:
Download your free White Dental Beauty practice pack here.
5. Make it Routine
At the end of the day, the primary purpose of a dental practice is to serve their patients.
Whilst profit is the end goal, the sales process doesn’t have to feel forced.
Here are three simple ways you can make whitening part of your practice’s routine:
- Use your new patient form – Adapt this form to include questions such as “would you like whiter teeth?” – this can open the door to explore patient demand and answer questions
- Use a shade guide - Incorporate the shade guide as part of the routine check-up with new and existing patients – an excellent way to start an initial whitening conversation
- Utilise reception staff - As the face of your practice, reception staff have a valuable opportunity to initiate a whitening conversation. This can easily become routine; upon arrival or when re-booking
Improving your profitability
So, there you have it – 5 easy ways to increase your profit with tooth whitening.
