Once you’ve established club structure and set up and finalized all lectures and sessions for year one (this is done as part of your initial consultation), your next task is all about getting members to sign on. Recruiting is an ongoing effort, and one you can share—task your coordinator, implant sales representative, a fellow noncompetitive specialist, the advisory board, or your lab representative to help get the word out and identify prospective members.
Step-by-Step Approach
Identify Prospective Members
- Group 1 = Your core (best) referring dentists
- Group 2 = Dentists who refer on a less regular basis
- Group 3 = Younger or inexperienced practitioners you would like to bring along
- Group 4 = Any non-referring dentists you would like to participate
Plan for a club comprised primarily of your Group 1 prospects, followed by a smaller contingency from Group 2, and then smaller still from Groups 3 and 4.
Make the Initial Appeal
You’ll have to determine the best means of making contact with your groups, and may have to try several approaches to find the best fit for your community. Since communications and technology continue to change at such an incredible pace, the solution that works this time may not work next year, so we encourage you to remain nimble and responsive. It may take a while to schedule conversations in any form with 15-20 prospects, so give yourself enough time to finish this process prior to the Kickoff Dinner.
For the folks who like face-to-face contact: Make lunch, breakfast or after-work appointments with Group 1, Group 2 and selected members of Groups 3 and 4. Introduce your plan for the study club and explain your year one program. One caution here is to be definitive, rather than talking about the club like it’s only a concept, and highlight the opportunities they’ll have to participate in an informal but well-structured club where they can learn from lectures and clinical sessions but also (and more importantly) from each other.
For the folks who like more virtual interaction: Be prepared to reach people at a time and via tools that make sense for them, and an invitation to lunch or cocktails may not be the best first move. For some, they’ll prefer you reach out via email, text or social media, while others might respond well to gift box from a favorite local bakery (with study club information tucked inside, of course). Try a few approaches, review your success, modify if need be, and try again.
Whichever way you make that initial contact, be prepared with information about study club that you can either provide in hard copy or digitally—it’s the same information, you just deliver it in different ways. Look in the online toolbox (link) for sample communications. Here’s a quick outline of the topics you’ll want to address:
- Advise them of the tuition structure and explain it is used entirely to provide first-rate programming
- Emphasize that the essential component of our philosophy—clinical sessions—improves treatment planning skills and general case management because members receive continual feedback from colleagues in a relaxed, non-threatening environment
- Establish your club’s affiliation with Seattle Study Club. Provide a link to the Seattle Study Club Journal website and encourage them to sample a few articles and case studies. Talk about the strength of the Seattle Study Club network and its leadership in the field of dental continuing education.
Aside from your direct outreach efforts, your implant and dental supplies sales representative can also help promote your study club to general practitioners in the area. Your representative can advise of dentists who are interested, and you can contact them directly. Your local dental lab can also promote your study club and refer prospective members your way. Contact these individuals and invite them to participate.
Make a Secondary Broad Appeal
You’ve focused your efforts thus far on several targeted groups, but it can’t hurt to reach a bit further and perhaps engage someone new to the area or the industry. About six to eight weeks before the kickoff dinner, send an introductory letter and invitation to the entire dental community in your area. Enclose a copy of the program for the year. You may also want to mention your advisory board members if they are highly visible in the community.
At about three weeks before this dinner, you may want to personally call certain individuals and encourage them to attend.
Sign Them Up
Once study club and the programming have been explained, we tend to see three consistent scenarios with joining:
- For those most interested, it is a matter of filling them in on the details. You may also want to encourage them to enlist their friends so they will be able to share this experience with people they already know and like.
- For those who are not sure, encourage them to sign up by assuring them they will find the upcoming year rewarding. If after the kickoff dinner they have second thoughts, you will be happy to refund their tuition.
- For those who are almost sure study club is not for them, invite them to the kickoff dinner free of charge. It gives them a chance to understand the program; and if you pick up one or two additional members from this group, it is well worth the price of the extra dinners. It is always impressive to see many people at an event, and it will stir up interest, and if nothing else, help create a positive impression of the evening. Those who do not enroll will be excellent candidates to join in subsequent years as they become more aware of what they are missing.
You are now ready for the kickoff dinner and the beginning of the study club year! Remember that recruiting is an ongoing effort, so keep your informational materials current and available.