Liza Choa
Quick answer
How long should a dental practice keep following up a lead?
As long as you keep the contact. At one practice a price list download from February went quiet twice and the team wrote it off in June, but the nurture sequence kept running. The same person booked on 9 September, 7 months and 5 days after the first download.
A price list download in February. 2 rounds of questions, 2 rounds of silence, and an internal note from the team that reads “No answer/response- move to qualified out”.
They booked on 9 September.
There is no impressive speed number in this one. The number that matters is 7 months, and the fact that nobody at the practice did anything to earn it in month 3, 4, 5 or 6.
- From the first price list download to a booking
- 7months
- Messages in the thread, February to September
- 21
- Lost leads at this practice put down to no answer
- 80of 121
The timeline
- Wednesday 4 FebruaryPrice list downloaded
- Wednesday 4 February, 8:20pmAsked what a clean includes
- 5, 6 and 7 FebruaryThe practice answered, 3 times, over 3 days
- 7 FebruaryWent quiet
- Saturday 6 JuneSecond price list, plus the DMTV trailer
- Saturday 6 JuneReplied “I need a general clean up”
- Saturday 6 JuneThe practice quoted and asked for times
- JuneWent quiet again
- JuneTeam note: move to qualified out
- Wednesday 9 SeptemberBooked, 7 months 5 days after the first download
What they actually asked, in February
Wednesday 4 February
Patient · 8:20pm
The full cleaning was not detailed as to what you guys will do for the amount displayed
That is a fair question about a price list, and the practice answered it properly the next morning at 6:55am. Then followed up on the Friday. Then again on the Saturday, when they asked:
Patient
What does your general clean entails?
And got an answer 6 minutes later. Then nothing, for 4 months.
What happened in June
The Price List Funnel™ sequence sent the price list again, and behind it:
Saturday 6 June
Automatic text
By the way, our founder was recently featured on Dental Masters TV, an invitation-only docuseries. We thought you might enjoy seeing the person behind the brand. Here is a 1min trailer
Then the check-in. The reply came 31 minutes later:
Patient
I need a general clean up
The practice quoted $270 for a new patient examination, x-rays and a general clean, and asked which days suited. Nothing came back. A few days later the sequence sent the behind-the-scenes film of the DMTV episode. Then, 3 weeks after that, 1 line:
The practice
Hi, just checking in... are you still looking for a dentist?
Silence. And somebody on the team wrote the note: no answer, move to qualified out.
In plain English
This person was not being difficult. They wanted to know what they were paying for, twice, and both times they got a clear answer and then did not act on it.
That is completely normal, and it is the single largest thing on every practice’s lead list. At this practice, no answer accounts for 80 of the 121 recorded reasons a lead did not convert. It is the biggest number on the board by a mile.
What happens to those 80 is the whole question.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the nurture sequence run?
As long as you keep the contact. This thread was live 7 months later.
Did the automation book this appointment?
No. It kept the conversation open. Every price answer in the thread came from a person.
How do we know the messages did not annoy them?
They replied twice, in February and in June, and they never opted out.
What is the cost of keeping a lead this long?
The messaging cost, which is small, and the discipline not to clear them out, which is the part practices actually find hard.
Why is there no dollar value on the 7-month booking?
Because the booking was a general clean and a new patient examination, quoted at $270. It is not a big case. It is here to show the mechanism, not the money.
Written by
Liza Choa
Liza Choa is the founder of DCRM and Practice Growth Studio, a boutique dental marketing agency working behind the scenes with some of the most respected dental practices in Australia. She has spent over a decade helping practices grow and scale.
She built DCRM after seeing the same problem in practice after practice. The enquiries were already there, but the new patient numbers did not reflect it. DCRM bridges that gap, so practices increase the return on the marketing they are already paying for.
Disclaimer: The figures in this case study reflect the results of one dental practice over a defined period, and were taken from that practice’s DCRM account at the date stated. The practice is not identified, and identifying details have been removed or generalised. Results vary between practices and depend on factors outside the platform, including enquiry volume, treatment mix, pricing, location, team capacity and how consistently the practice follows up. These figures are not a prediction, projection or guarantee of the results any other practice will achieve. Data is reported as recorded in the platform and has not been independently audited. No patient information is disclosed.
