Marketing Meeting Recap

Referral Health Snapshot

Key Discussion Topics

• Dr. Elliott's Ramp-Up And Marketing Spend: John confirmed the practice should keep doing what it's doing for the rest of 2026. Dr. Elliott finished September with a strong push of in-person outreach, and a couple of referrals have already come from it. Carla logged September's outreach and still needs to add Wednesday, September 30, plus the October visits.
• September Study Club Recap: The September 17 study club, sponsored by Geistlich, had the best turnout yet: about 50 attendees, with only a typical number of last-minute no-shows. When the guest speaker cancelled, Dr. Michelotti and Dr. Elliott gave the presentation themselves and kept it fun. Dr. Davis, who received referral pads the next day, has already sent good cases to Dr. Michelotti.
• September Performance: The practice beat its production goal by $17,000, even though Dr. Harrell was out three weeks and Dr. Michelotti one week. New patient calls reached about 115, up from the 80s each month from April through August. The team kept SRP patients moving by offering same-day and next-day appointments.
• Dr. Harrell's Transition: Dr. Harrell is now in the office two days a week and will soon be down to one. New patients are going mostly to Dr. Michelotti and Dr. Elliott. The team will keep telling patients and referring offices about the transition clearly, and we'll watch where Dr. Harrell's top referrers send patients as he steps back.
• Practice Metrics Review: Time to consult is 8.3 days over the last 3 months, compared with a 14.7-day 12-month average (12–18 days is typical for perio). The drop likely reflects added provider capacity, and it's partly limited because Dr. Elliott isn't yet credentialed with the largest contracted insurer. Case acceptance is strong at 70–80%. Average case value is up almost $400 over the last 3 months. Referrals are averaging 95 per month, up from 85. Carla continues monthly unscheduled-treatment reviews with each doctor.
• Meeting Cadence: Monthly meetings will continue through Q4 so we can support the transition. In early 2027 we'll look at moving Alpharetta to a quarterly (Tier B) schedule, as long as referrals stay steady.

Marketing Initiatives Discussed

• Fall Treat Bags: Carla is putting together fall-themed treat bags (two kinds of popcorn, with apple cider, Halloween candy, or caramel apples as options) for about 12 referring offices. Six go out this Thursday and six next week, at roughly $25–30 per office.
• Catered Staff Lunches: To replace some of the repeat Crumbl and bagel drop-offs, the practice will send catered lunches to whole referring-office teams. The Q4 plan is 2 lunches per month (about $200 each) plus about $350 per month for treats and drop-offs. In October, Dr. Michelotti and Dr. Elliott each choose one of their top referring offices.
• Holiday Strategy: Our referral data shows holiday gifts don't drive referrals the way consistent in-person contact does all year. Specialists' gifts also tend to pile up in GP break rooms in December. The suggested plan is a nice holiday card instead of large gifts. With the savings, the practice can send up to 4 catered lunches in November and December, scheduled in the first two weeks of each month to avoid Thanksgiving and the end-of-year rush.
• Personal Touches For 2027: Carla has had success with a January touchpoint after the holidays. For 2027, we'll start collecting birthdays and practice anniversaries for the top referring providers (about 43 are currently rated green) so those touches feel more personal.
• Ideas And Playbook: Jayme will share photos of gift baskets other SGA practices have made, along with a month-by-month outreach playbook.

Wins & Opportunities

Action Items