There’s no denying that 2020 has been a trying year. Between the international healthcare crisis and the economic fallout it caused, 2020 has been a tough year. Yet as we near the end of the year and pause to spend Thanksgiving with our families, I can’t help but reflect on all the things I’m grateful for that happened this year.

As the co-owner and Chief Marketing Officer of Driven Dental Implant Marketing, I entered the year excited about all the practice owners we would help. Just a few months into the year, however, our plans quickly became irrelevant, as dental practices all around the country had to shut down. Some closed completely while others remained open for emergency dental only.

When that happened, the Driven Dental Implant Marketing team and I knew exactly what we needed to do. We knew we needed to help. Eight months later, I’ve never been more grateful than I am today. Here are some of the things for which I’m most grateful for in this unprecedented, chaotic time.

The Driven Team Mastered the "Pivot"

When we founded Driven Dental Implant Marketing, we did so with one goal in mind: to help dental practices. That’s why we focused all of our energy helping practices attract a steady flow of high-fee implant patients. Implants change patients’ lives while helping practices go from drilling and filling to performing high-profit procedures that truly make a difference.

So, when practices had to shut down to all but emergency dental, the team and I quickly pivoted to helping practices generate emergency patients. The team worked quickly and tirelessly to help our clients and it showed in the results, as we helped many practices thrive, even during the most challenging time for the dental industry in modern history.

And as our clients wanted more support, we brought in a team to help develop websites and promote other high-profit procedures for practices. In the end, we tripled our team during one of the worst crises in modern times. And we did so by helping practices stay open, expand their services, and even grow their profits in a year when many businesses’ profits plummeted.

We leveled up our ability to innovate to meet any challenge.

Over the first four years of running Driven Dental Implant Marketing, we generated tens of thousands of implant patient leads for hundreds of dental practices. During that time, we consistently improved our processes by soliciting feedback from our clients and using that feedback to improve what we did.

When the pandemic hit, we had a unique opportunity to reexamine how we helped practices. With the dental marketing shifting so quickly, many highly talented industry veterans hit the job market. That gave the Driven Dental Implant Marketing team an opportunity to innovate how we served practices once again.

So we hit the market and recruited top dental industry professionals to help our clients solve one of their biggest remaining problems: prequalifying dental implant leads. We vetted and trained a team of industry veterans to make sure they shared our values of compassionate and professional service. When we found our initial team of six hygienists and treatment coordinators, we rolled out our Virtual Patient Advocate, or VPA, program.

We built our VPA program for busy dental implant practices. Our off-site, U.S.-based virtual team does all the “pre” work you need to ensure that only patients who were ready, willing, and able to afford their treatment make it on your schedule.

Our clients immediately loved the VPA program and how much time it saved them not having to get on the phone with patients or schedule patients who are not ready to move forward. And I was grateful for the ability to implement a new way to help practices even better than we did before.

Despite a pandemic and economic shutdown, we've helped more patients than ever.

In addition to helping practices generate higher profits, our emergency dental and VPA programs helped many patients access the care they needed.

Our emergency dental campaigns connected patients in pain with practices that could safely serve them. And our VPA program helped hundreds of patients get answers to questions, access to financing, and connections to practices that could transform their lives.

One of the most fulfilling parts of leading Driven Dental Implant Marketing is seeing five-star reviews of our clients’ practices by patients whose lives were transformed.

We're contributing to the rising profile of dentistry in the medical community.

This year is probably the best example of how marketing and online messaging can impact people’s perspectives and influence their behavior. Like many things, the power to impact and influence people can be used for both good and evil. By creating hundreds of positive, engaging marketing campaigns for our clients, the Driven team has had the opportunity to influence patient perceptions about dentistry and elevate the authority of dentists as primary medical providers.

For decades, dentistry wasn’t held in its proper place. As we near the end of 2020, dentistry is being seen differently than it was before. With the continued and growing awareness about the connection between oral health and the rest of people’s bodies, dentistry has seen a big rise in profile. In 2020, with the pandemic making everyone hyper-aware of their overall state of health, the importance of oral health became impossible to ignore. 

Now, dentistry is finally being seen as a primary medical provider. And that means more opportunities for practices to help more patients and expand their revenue. When that happens, patients, dentists, and team members will all benefit.

I'm grateful for the relationships I've built over the years.

Shutdowns and school closures highlighted how important and valuable our relationships really are. Looking back, I was guilty of not reaching out as frequently to colleagues, friends, and family members. I knew I would see them soon enough.

When schools and businesses shut down and we spent most of our time in the house. With everyone home, the value of those relationships became obvious. Now, even with fewer restrictions, I reach out to colleagues more frequently. I also call and Zoom with friends and family on a regular basis. I believe I’m not alone, either. All the shutdowns have increased the value society places on personal connections. That’s a good thing. Even when we’re physically apart, we’re more connected now than ever.

Challenging times often bring massive unexpected growth opportunities.

In challenging times, we have a choice. We can ride the ups and downs or we can jump in the driver’s seat and take action. I’m proud of and grateful for our team for the choice they made. Our team was willing to redevelop our offerings, expand our services, and help practices not just survive, but thrive.

I’m grateful that we had the opportunity to help patients get access to care when they needed it most. And I’m grateful for the opportunity to help practices do more care they want and less drilling and filling for tight margins.

Even during a turbulent time, our clients were able to grow their practices. They were able to meet financial goals. And they were even able to live the lifestyle they want by performing high-profit procedures. That allowed them to make more money and less time.

The mindset and confidence that comes from overcoming a challenge like 2020 is something I will never forget. We pivoted. We did so quickly. And I know that no matter what comes our way, we can face the challenge. That’s an attitude and perspective that gives me hope and excitement for the rest of 2020, 2021, and beyond. When you wake up with that attitude your day will be better; your life will be better. That’s an attitude I will bring with me because of the lessons I learned leading Driven through 2020.

And that’s something to be very grateful for.