Try thinking outside the donut box
Try thinking outside the donut box
Remember that scene in Office Space where they celebrate someone’s birthday with grocery store cake in the break room? Everyone stands around awkwardly, takes a polite bite, and then goes back to hating their job?
That’s basically what your monthly donut deliveries have become.
Look, I get it. For years, the orthodontic playbook was simple: show up with pastries, smile, hope for referrals. But here’s the thing – so is everyone else. You’re not building loyalty; you’re just contributing to the office diabetes epidemic.
Dr. Martinez learned this the hard way. Every month, like clockwork, she’d hit five dental offices with fresh donuts and her brightest smile. One day, she overheard a receptionist say, “Great, more donuts. My pants already don’t fit.” Ouch.
Here’s the brutal truth: Bribes don’t build relationships. They build resentment.
But here’s what does work:
The Big Insight: Stop competing on sugar content and start competing on value. Your referral partners don’t need more calories – they need more reasons to think of you when a patient asks about braces.
Tactical Piece #1: Replace monthly drop-offs with quarterly “value visits.” Instead of donuts, bring case studies of successful treatments from their referrals. Show them the actual impact of their recommendations.
Tactical Piece #2: Create a “Referral Partner Toolkit” – simple language they can use when talking to parents about orthodontics. Most dentists don’t know how to have that conversation effectively.
The practices that get this right? They host appreciation events that actually educate and engage their referral sources. Not another CE credit snooze-fest, but real experiences that make them excited to send people your way.
One client switched from monthly donuts to quarterly appreciation events. Result? Referrals increased 40% in six months. Turns out, memorable beats edible every time.
Ready to stop feeding the competition and start feeding your practice growth instead?
Time to step outside the donut box,
Dino