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Dean Steinman is the founder and president of OrthoMarketing, as well as the host of the Aligner Insider podcast. Dean built OrthoMarketing from the ground up and is involved in every aspect of the business. OrthoMarketing is a family-run business, and Dean makes sure his clients are his friends. Dean offers marketing consulting services—encompassing everything from website design, to online reviews and branding.

1. What advice would you give your younger self entering the industry today?

    

   My advice is don’t do it all.

    

   It’s tough to give up control. Giving up power is complicated. I’d be able to save myself years of anguish if I said don’t do it all – use other people. Work smarter, not harder. Change. Delegate. Let go. That’s advice I’d give to myself years ago.

    

2. What book, or books, do you give most as a gift?

    

   The Four-Hour Workweek. This book changed my life. I still have it underlined in my bedroom. Not a day goes by when I don’t read a page or two. It tells you how to delegate and how to release control. This book started the whole idea of working smarter, not harder. I didn’t know about virtual assistants before reading this book, but I learned that from it.

    

   Another is How to Win Friends and Influence People – I still read this! You must adapt, but the core principles remain the same.

    

   My final is The Energy Bus. It’s another excellent book. It’s like a children’s book geared to businesses. It’s a short story you can read in under an hour – and I give this book to every client I’ve ever had.

    

3. What’s the best value for $100 to spend at a practice?

    

   Pay It Forward!

    

   Stand in line at a coffee shop and pay it forward. I’m all about Karma; do the right thing, and it’ll return.

    

4. You get to put a billboard up that everyone in the industry will see on their way to work tomorrow, what’s on it? Why?

    

   Smile.

    

   That’s it. Turn that frown upside down. Smile today. Think about it – you walk down the street and see some random person smiling, it’ll change your day. If they see that, you’ll do that. It sounds corny, but it’s missing today. You can’t turn the TV on without stressing yourself out. Take a step back and not worry about it.

    

5. What’s the best investment you’ve made to help your career and success?

    

   Getting an assistant. She’s been a lifesaver. She was such a significant investment. Hire yourself a personal virtual assistant. I started doing this three or four years ago. Every morning, I have a list of 30-40 things she can do: Emails, what’s real, what’s not, meeting notes, client meeting notes, she’s my “most valuable team member” It’s so helpful. Thank you M!

    

6. What’s a bad recommendation that’s touted as an industry “best” practice?

    

   Your staff can have it all under control.

    

   Most small businesses' biggest hole is their staff. And expecting your staff to follow up with everything. Did you know that the first person to respond to a lead has an 80% success rate? You must respond 8 times in 8 days to get a customer. So, if I hear that the office can do it all without help—they can’t. You must have the right company to focus on sales success. Let the right company handle this so you can do what you do best

    

7. What new beliefs have you adopted in the industry over the past three years?

    

   Automation.

    

   Every business needs technology to be more innovative and more

   efficient. If you don’t have it, you’re done. Take a new orthodontic lead; you need to automate the lead immediately. No one picks up the phone anymore. When was the last time you picked up a phone? You don’t. We send texts and emails as soon as someone hits “submit"; it’s all automated and done for you!

    

8. What is so intuitive to you, but the hardest to convey to the orthodontic industry?

    

   How do you stand out in your market? What makes you different?

    

   “Tell me about what makes you different” is so generic when I ask.

    

   A differentiator is what makes you unique, and that is your experience. Are you a speaker? Have you written books? No one seems to grasp differentiators. I always dig deeper into what makes someone different. That’s where I help build a marketing strategy around that. Doctors have a lens on them. It’s tough to see outside their lane. They’re clinical; their artists. It’s hard to look outside their current  marketing.

    

   Most practices are targeting and marketing to their existing patients. Well, selling your services to patients already in aligners or braces is hard. You can’t sell them more braces when they already have braces.

    

9. Dean, you visit a practice, what must they agree to before you leave?

    

   They must take advice and listen.

    

   They hired me, or anyone else, to trust me to change a little bit. People fear change, and it’s hard to give up control. I can’t leave until they trust me. I’ll put in the work. So, they'll be just fine by having faith and following guidance.

    

   For example, it all starts with getting them a better website. People are there for a reason; they want to know who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. So we look at that website, and you need to direct people to that website. Then, you need an advertising budget; the average practice should spend 10% of their top-line revenue on marketing. And it should give you a minimum of 2-3x return. By far, marketing is one of the best things you can do for your business. And you should see that return.

    

   We devise a budget, strategy, and how to differentiate you in your market/area.

    

   For social, you must think outside the four walls. Next time you post something, post something outside the practice or part of the community. Be outside the four walls such as at school, a restaurant, or a football game. That’s what moves the needle on social media.

    

   Red flags are online patient flow, how many new leads you got, how many booked appointments, and how many showed up. How many patients did you get? It’s been a tough few years, and you got to stand out. The odds that your current marketing is excellent are pretty slim. Unless you have an in-house marketing expert, you need help.

    

10. What’s your parting advice to anyone in the industry for a successful year?

     

    SMILE.

     

    People see through you. If you’re a sales rep, smile. A doctor, smile. If you’re a consultant, smile. Be real. Take a deep breath and let the bad out; not enough people do this. It goes a long way. If you see a million emails, smile. If your inbox has nothing today, smile. That’s one bit of advice. Share something and smile.

     

    It goes a long way.

     

My Take: Dean’s a super positive guy who consistently reminds you what this industry is about: Making people smile. He’s a huge fan of Tim Ferriss’s Four Hour Workweek, which also changed my perspective on focus and time at work. If you haven’t already, check out Dean’s podcast The Aligner Insider. It’s a great resource for anyone in the industry to hear from other leaders, mentors, and best practices.

 
To connect with Dean, email him at: [email protected]