Sakaduski Marketing Blog

I was saddened yesterday to hear about the untimely death of Don Lochman. Don was president of Midwest, MDT, and Pelton and Crane in the 1980’s and 90’s. I first met Don when I interviewed for the VP od Sales and Marketing job at Pelton. Once I went to work there, I knew I was working for a unique individual. Don was an operations man, but loved nothing better than cavorting with sales reps. He was committed to the dealers. Pelton needed to rebuild its image with the dealers, and we spent many weekends in Charlotte training and entertaining dealer reps. We played a lot of rounds of golf at Piper Glen, and spent a few bucks at the Diamond Club. Don was a prime mover in continuing the dealer night at the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago. This was started by Butch Brendel, and was a great Pelton tradition. That was a different time. It was the golden age in the dental industry, before consolidation reared its ugly head. Don will be missed by many people. He was a mentor, colleague, friend and advisor. No one will miss him more than his beloved wife Jane, his children and grandchildren. You can send them a message by going on http://www.legacy.com/Charlotte/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=101826391
The dental industry has one less smile.

Don Lochman, former president of Pelton & Crane and more recently a City Councilman in Charlotte, NC died of a heart attack last night. Those who had the pleasure to work with him know his great sense of humor and joy of life. He particularly loved spending time with his wonderful wife Jane and his children and grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.  More information here:

http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/461004.html

Everybody in the dental industry has received their January issue of DPR by now and has seen the insert covering DPR’s trade show in Las Vegas in May. Finally, an idea that makes sense. And, an idea about ten years behind its time. Shortening the meeting, scheduling the lectures, and having Chris Izaak perform, “Baby this is not a bad, bad, thing!” From the vendor list, it seems that manufacturers, dealers, and service providers are behind this 100%. Everybody needs to convince dentists that if they insist on going to meetings to learn about what’s happening, then this is the way to go.  The current economic situation is going to affect eveyone in some way, and there needs to be a way to preserve a dental industry business practice like conventions, without causing a financial hemmorhage on the part of vendors. DPR World may be it!

Have you noticed how nobody is willing to wait for anything anymore?  Immediate downloads, overnight delivery, instant messaging…

Remember when you had to wait until a letter came in the mail (some of us do)? The Internet has helped by putting almost everything within reach, either instantly (online) or on a click to order basis.  Now even Netflix (which was already pretty fast) is offering movies as instant downloads.

Perhaps it’s time to evaluate your company or organization’s response time.  Most people are no longer satisfied to wait weeks to get a product delivered, or even days to get informational brochures in the mail.  Here are some ways you can provide some instant gratification to your customers:

1. Put basic product information, including brochures, manuals, and MSDS sheets on your website in an easy to download format.

2. Do everything you can to shorten the period between order and delivery.

3. Create a good communication system so that sales reps can get instant answers to customer questions while they are still in the customer’s office (ideally, reps should be able to answer nearly every question themselves).

4. Make sure your customer service phone lines are well staffed–phones should be answered quickly, by people knowledgeable enough to answer most questions, and open the full range of business hours, East to West coast.

5. Add interactive elements to your website–email links for questions (which must be responded to quickly) or online chat–that allow visitors to get fast answers to questions about products or services.

6. Provide an expedited shipping option, even if it costs more.

Customers buy from companies that are easy (and fast) to do business with. Make sure your company fits that description.

To anyone who hasn’t already gotten their tickets to the OHA Gala, better get a move on.  As a member of the Gala Committee, I can tell you that the tickets are nearly gone and that people will be turned away this year.  So if you don’t already have your seats reserved, contact Joe Donohue immediately:  joe@oralhealthamerica.org.  This is a DON’T MISS event with every mover and shaker in the industry in attendance. In other words, for anyone doing business in the dental marketplace, this is a target-rich environment.  It’s also LOTS of fun.

Happy New Year to everyone abd the best of luck in 2008. This year should be an interesting one for the dental industry. A number of economic factors are at work that could splell doom for those companies not on their toes. Inflation, stagflation, recession and a weak dollar are a few things that should cause everyone to revisit their sales and profit forcasts for 2008. Remember that dentists and patients are consumers, as well, and if they stop spending, then everything grinds to a halt. Do a few things early. Get new products out on time. Add value where you can. Reduce risk. Watch your travel budget since every aspect of travel will be hit by rising costs. Keep your website current, and don’t expect dental shows to bail you out. Be sure your understand your customers’ needs. Sit down with key accounts and figure out together what is best for each practice. Technology is improving everyday, and dentists are now firmly in the the 20th (that’s right!) century. Be sure they make the best use of what they have. An old marketing  axiom says that the three ways to increase market share is more users, more uses or more frequent use. Plan early for the worst case not just the best case. We have a resilient industry, not a fool-proof one, so try innovation in your planning and programs.

If all else fails, head for the Saturday Zydeco breakfast at Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge, LA. Those folks aren’t worried about any of this crap!