Taking over an established medical/dental practice is generally a great opportunity for practice founders: For example, they can rely on an established patient base right from the start, often have a well-established practice team behind them and sometimes take over the (hopefully good) reputation of the practice.
Nevertheless, taking over a practice presents a number of hurdles and poses numerous challenges for the "transferee". For example, the "old" practice team must "get on" with the successor and accept and correctly implement any changes to internal processes. If renovations are planned, these often have to be carried out quickly so that the practice does not come to a standstill for too long. The previous owner's regular patients must first be "won over" or convinced.
In addition, many young dentists are striving to change the culture and image of the practice, introduce new methods and want to reach new target groups in the medium term.
For the last two points in particular Practice marketing This is immensely important and should be included in the considerations as early as possible.
Taking over a practice has many advantages, but should nevertheless be carefully considered and well planned. Good practice marketing can help to retain regular patients and attract new ones.
Practice owners should ask themselves this
- When and how do I inform about the change of ownership?
- How do I persuade the previous practice owner's regular patients to remain regular patients with me?
- What should the corporate design of my practice look like (Naming, Practice logo etc.)?
- Where does the practice's data need to be updated (e.g. signs, business or address portals, Google MyBusiness entry, etc.)?
- What marketing materials do I need to get started (printed materials, Practice homepageAccounts for valuation or Online appointment portals or with Social media channels etc.)?
- What opportunities are there to benefit from the previous owner's practice marketing?
Practice marketing for practice takeovers
To-do list and schedule
If you determine early on when which practice marketing measure is to be realised, how and by whom, you avoid the risk of forgetting important steps in the middle of the "takeover stress". This plan can be a valuable aid, especially for marketing activities, as practice marketing often "slips down the list of priorities" if, for example, there are difficulties with the renovation or urgently needed practice equipment is not delivered on time.
In the following, we therefore provide you with some initial guidance on which practice marketing tasks should be carried out in the "before the takeover", "during the takeover" and "after the takeover" phases.
3-4 months BEFORE taking over the practice
Practice name
Set the Practice name fixed. In the case of fantasy names, professional support in the area of naming may be required to avoid infringements of trade mark rights; if necessary, you should consider registering a trade mark with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.
Appearance
Have a corporate design developed (Practice logo, typeface, colour scheme)
Practice equipment
Prepare practice stationery and practice signs (or prepare as much as possible if certain data is still missing, e.g. bank details, telephone number or tax number)
Announce takeover I
If the practice owner "plays along" and operates a practice website: Note on the Practice homepagethat the change of ownership is imminent - including a favourable recommendation for the successor and a joint "shake-hands photo" of both parties
1-2 months BEFORE taking over the practice
Announce takeover II
If the practice owner "plays along": Inform patients about the change of ownership by means of a mailing (similar structure: Previous practice owner says goodbye with words of thanks, introduces the successor with words of praise and recommends him or her to others; "shake hands photo").
Attach notices about the takeover in the practice or display information material:
- Takeover flyer (for the counter)
- Posters (for the waiting room)
- Roll-up (for the reception)
Practice homepage
Prepare the new practice website as far as possible (work with placeholder photos if necessary, e.g. if the practice renovation has not yet been completed)
Patient service / online appointments
Registration with a Online appointment portal for doctors (e.g. Jameda, Doctolib) and integration of the appointment booking tool on the new practice website
Press / PR
Inform the press and invite them to the (new) opening - possibly in conjunction with an advert for the opening
Immediately before taking over the practice
Practice equipment
Order practice stationery (appointment slips, medical history forms, private prescriptions) and practice signs so that everything is ready on the day of the official takeover
Answering machine
Re-record the answering machine.
On the day of the (re)opening
Practice homepage
The new practice website should now go live. If a new domain was used, a redirect from the old website should be set up.
In practice
Replace the practice signs and display the new practice stationery. For regular patients, you can also display a "welcome letter" at reception to introduce yourself.
Online entries
Update all entries on various internet portals. It is best to find out in advance how long the update will take so that you can order it in good time.
Immediately after taking over the practice
Introduction to colleagues
Introduce yourself to possible "referrers" or multipliers with whom you could work: medical colleagues, pharmacies in the area, massage practices, physiotherapists, psychologists, fitness centres, sports clubs, self-help groups, kindergartens, schools, etc.
Marketing plan
Create a six-month or annual plan for practice marketing so that things don't quickly become "quiet" again after the opening (e.g. ongoing maintenance of the website and social media presence, search engine marketing, social media marketing, traditional marketing such as adverts in print media, etc.).
Your marketing assistant for your practice takeover
All of these tasks are sometimes complex and require a coherent concept as well as experienced, creative hands and minds for realisation.
If you are about to take over a practice, we as professionals for practice marketing and PR will be happy to help you with the planning and implementation of your advertising activities. We make sure that regular patients are informed about the change in good time and in a way that benefits you, that the external image of your practice is convincing right from the start and remains convincing in the long term. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like advice.
In this context, please also note our various Complete marketing packages for practice founders and our complementary Marketing package for practice owners.
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Photo: © Rido81 / elements.envato.com
