There are two sure-fire ways to know when convention attendance is down. The first is to be able to find a seat in the Javitz Center Food Court at lunchtime on Sunday during the New York Meeting. The second is to be able to find a seat in the shade at the Grill Court at the CDA meeting in Anaheim; both were in abundance this time around. (The third, some would argue, is the length of the line at the Glove Club booth).
In speaking with a number of equipment and merchandise vendors at the show, the mantra seems to be “We’re down about 20%”. The CDA meeting did little to close that gap. Everyone in the dental industry wants to the business to recover to 2006/2007 levels, and they are hoping that there won’t be another October surprise in the fourth quarter this year. If I had the answer, I would not be here finger-typing this blog! There will be some recovery, but some recent events, like Midmark’s acquisition of Progeny, might mean that everyone won’t recover at the same pace. Some companies are positioning themselves for the run-up. Others are asleep at the switch and, for one reason or another won’t know the recovery has occurred until after the recovery has occurred. How can you tell the difference? Watch which companies are partnering with others. MCC/PSA, and VELscope/Den-mat are two examples. Who is upgrading their sales force by hiring better reps? Who is using more electronic advertising? Who is upgrading their websites? Which dealers are supporting new technologies and are trying to convince their dentist customers that the time to add value to the practice is now.
Like other industries, the dental business has to get leaner. There are simply too many suppliers chasing fewer buyers through a shrinking distribution system. The model we use is an old one. Change is a word that has been worn out lately, but we finally are facing change whether we want to or not. Remember, failing to plan, is planning to fail.
Today is the ninth anniversary of the day we incorporated Sakaduski Marketing Solutions. We’ve worked with dozens of companies during the past nine years, from one-person start-ups to gi-normous Wall Street Firms. We helped a global conglomerate whose name was virtually unknown in the dental industry learn about the market before it stuck its toe in the water in a big way with the acquisition of Kavo. We put a small whitening company on the map virtually overnight with strategic, cost-effective visibility. Oral Health America’s Gala took a leap the year we started handling their publicity (on a pro bono basis). We maintain long-standing relationships with Pulpdent, Lares Research, Mydent, Adstra, and OSAP, among others.
Yesterday, someone we highly respect commented that we “take the high road.” I like to think that’s how people view us. If we can’t help, we say so. We try to keep our fees reasonable, and consider the size and resources of the company when setting the price. We avoid conflicts of interest, and let people know when we have a financial arrangement with a company or service we recommend. We do our fair share of pro bono, volunteer, and community work. We’re not perfect, but we do our best.
Recently, we formed a partnership with Global Practice Solutions to offer small to mid-sized companies a managed independent sales force. This endeavor will complement, not replace, our business, marketing, and communications services. The recent launch of the Trimira Identafi 3000 Cancer Screening Device is an example of the kind of synergy we are now able to offer our clients
We appreciate the support we’ve been given over the years by our many friends in the dental industry and hope to continue to maintain these friendships in the years to come. It’s been a great nine years. Thank you.