ADA Part 1

Posted on October 5, 2011 by jmichaeldunn

I took a break from the blog last week, mainly because I had a fairly hectic travel schedule and was unable to devote adequate time to it.  Luckily my travels brought me to my hometown, Charlotte, NC.  There I had the chance to see a couple of friends who also happen to be dental people like myself.  It was a wonderful reminder to me of the great people we have in our industry. 

Next week is the ADA annual session in Las Vegas, and I can’t wait.  Of course, I’m excited to be going back to Vegas…I have to admit it’s one of my favorite cities.  But that’s not the only reason.  The ADA show has always been a little bit like going home for me.  It’s a great kick off to the dental show season.  Usually there’s some buzz beginning for the product innovations and launches to be unveiled at the Chicago Mid Winter just several short months away.  And it’s a gathering of old friends and a great chance to make some new ones.  Here are a few corporate friends I hope you get the chance to meet if you’re in Vegas next week for the ADA meeting:

By now you get the gist:  I think the ADA is a great opportunity to connect and reconnect with others in the industry.  So take some time to make the ADA meeting a sort of homecoming for yourself.  Meet some old friends, make some new ones, and have some fun.  Next time, I’ll post some personal impressions from the meeting.  Until then, let me know what you like most about the ADA annual session.  Hopefully we’ll run into each other on the show floor!

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Dentistry by the Numbers

Posted on September 22, 2011 by jmichaeldunn

I thought I would take a break from my usual commentary on dental product marketing tactics and strategies.  Let’s look at some fun and interesting numbers related to dentistry.  I retrieved these from various internet sources, so let’s not get carried away and call them facts.  So, consider these dentistry related “stats” the next time you’re looking for an ice breaker…

  • 25,000:  The number of quarts of saliva produced in a lifetime by the average human
  • 20 million:  An estimate of the number of teeth extracted annually in the United States
  • 50%:  The ratio of toothless adults in North America a century ago
  • 90%:  A reported percentage of systemic diseases having oral manifestations
  • 39,400:  Estimated new cases of cancer in oral cavity and pharynx in 2010
  • 2:  Place of tooth decay in ranking of most common diseases in the US (behind the common cold)
  • 141,900:  The number of dentists in the US in 2008
  • 500 Million:  The estimated number of visits to the dentist made by Americans each year

Here are the sources from which I gleaned these dental numbers:

Encyclopedia.com, healthplex.com, cancer.org, CDC, and US Department of Labor

I hope you enjoyed this fun little exploration into dentistry by the numbers.  Please share your fun dental facts and trivia with me.  I look forward to your feedback.

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The Leads

Posted on September 16, 2011 by jmichaeldunn

Are the leads weak?  Is the rep weak?  If you’ve seen the classic film Glengarry Glen Ross, you know what I’m talking about and are likely smiling.  If you haven’t, pause reading this and go watch it!  Or finish this really quick and then go watch it.  🙂

Lead generation and management is one of the most contentious topics between marketing and sales teams.  How are you handling the leads?  It is of utmost importance to have a process in place and to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of that process.  Here are some items to consider when building the process or examining a current process for areas to improve:

  • Define what lead means to your marketing & sales teams.  The teams need to speak the same language.  Whether your need is to generate high volumes of inquiries or lower volumes of qualified contacts, ensure your marketing and sales personnel are on the same page.
  • Determine who qualifies the inquiries and define what “qualified” means.  Of course, this depends on the definition and need determined.  Usually it rests on marketing’s shoulders to qualify inquiries.  Regardless, make sure it is understood within the organization where that responsibility lies.  Then create consensus on how to determine when an inquiry is indeed qualified.
  • Create an appropriate hand-off from marketing to sales.  You’ve agreed on how many and whom the sales team will engage.  Now, how do these leads get from marketing to sales?  It is crucial that this process is efficient for both teams.  Don’t bog your sales team down with a system which isn’t practical in the field.
  • Coffee’s for closers only.  Everyone understands what a lead is, how many they need, and how the sales team receives them.  At this point sales takes them and closes them, right?  Of course, some won’t be closed.  The critical factor here is to close the loop, whatever the outcome.  How will sales let marketing know what happened with the lead?  Sales must provide high quality feedback that can be used to help drive improvement in the lead generation and qualification tactics.  Agree on an efficient communication flow and implement it.
  • Is the lead now closed, dead, or does it need to be re-qualified?  With the feedback from sales, marketing can now remove the lead from the process or put it back in to be touched at another time.  The key is to determine criteria based on feedback from the field and which can be effectively measured.

Lead flow is of vital importance to a business, but is unfortunately often neglected or poorly managed.  Regardless of systems and processes, collaboration between marketing and sales teams on definitions and expectations is critical to maximizing the money and energy spent on leads.  Define, form consensus, measure, and review often.  With sales and marketing working together, you’ll get more out of your lead generation activities. 

Please let me know your tips for maximizing the leads.

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