Dental Marketing Goat

Hosted by Gary Bird

Business Marketing Health Fitness Education

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Episodes

291

Latest episode

Sep 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Welcome to the Dental Marketing Goat Podcast, where we discuss proven dental marketing strategies that consistently attract predictable new patient flow to your practice.Whether you're a solo practitioner or part of a larger group, we'll provide valuable insights and actionable tips to help your dental practice thrive.Tune in as we explore the latest trends and techniques in dental marketing and how you can use them to drive predictable, sustained growth for your business.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 18, 20269 min

#289 The Current State of SEO & AI

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ AI search is changing dental marketing, but Gary Bird warns dentists not to abandon the SEO fundamentals that still drive new patients. Learn why AI rankings are unstable, why Google search traffic for dental is stronger than ever, and how traditional SEO, Google reviews, website content, and consistent NAP data can help your practice show up across AI platforms. Gary also explains why SMC would never promise 10 new patients from AI alone and what dentists should prioritize instead. Subscribe to Dental Marketing Goat for more no-fluff dental marketing, new patient growth, Google reviews, and practice management strategies. Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

September 4, 20265 min

#288 6 Ways to Know AI is Working

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Most dentists are using AI without knowing whether it is actually improving their practice or creating more busy work. Gary Bird breaks down six signs that your AI is working, from capturing missed calls and increasing new patients to improving collections, freeing up time, reducing micromanagement, and helping you make better decisions. You’ll learn what metrics to track and how to use AI for dental marketing, new patient growth, practice management, and everyday operations. Subscribe to Dental Marketing Goat for more tactical dental growth strategies from Gary Bird and SMC. Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

September 2, 202617 min

#287 600% Marketing ROI for This Dental Startup

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Nearly 600% marketing ROI helped Dr. Mike Scruggs grow his dental startup from roughly 30–40 new patients a month to nearly 90 at its peak. In this episode, Gary Bird and Dr. Mike Scruggs breaks down the scheduling, clinical efficiency, team alignment, treatment communication, and patient-access systems that helped turn marketing into real new patient growth. You’ll learn how to shorten wait times, protect new-patient blocks, fill schedule openings, expand hours, and keep your practice flexible as demand increases. Subscribe for more tactical dental marketing, practice management, and growth strategies from Gary Bird and SMC. ✨ Timestamps ✨ 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Mike Scruggs and Practice Growth 02:14 Effective scheduling and patient treatment strategies 06:10 Flexibility in team scheduling and patient management 09:08 Aligning team incentives with practice goals 10:00 Expanding hours and competitive advantages 11:13 Treatment presentation and patient acceptance tactics 12:22 Hygiene team management and transition 13:14 Transitioning from PPO to fee-for-service 15:50 Future plans: associate and practice expansion Connect with our Guest Here ⤵️ Website: https://magnoliadentalgrouptn.com/ Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

August 12, 20263 min

#286 Leadership Layers is KILLING your Dental Marketing

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Too many layers of management can quietly disconnect you from your patients and kill practice growth. Gary Bird breaks down how having four layers between leadership and the client created confusion, why removing just one layer made problems dramatically clearer, and why dentists should build working systems before adding more management. You’ll learn how organizational structure affects dental marketing, new patient growth, phone conversion, treatment presentation, pricing, and patient financing. Subscribe to Dental Marketing Goat for more tactical dental marketing and practice management strategies from Gary Bird and SMC. Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

July 13, 20268 min

#285 Ten Ways to Be a 10 Out of 10 Dental Office...That Patients Will Love!

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Most dentists focus on clinical excellence while overlooking the patient experience, which is quietly costing them new patients and treatment acceptance. In this episode, Gary Bird shares 10 practical ways to build a practice patients genuinely love, including reducing the 28-day wait, improving front desk performance, using patient financing to increase treatment acceptance by 30%, and earning more Google reviews. Drawing from the systems SMC has implemented across more than 1,195 dental practices, Gary explains how these simple operational changes drive better dental marketing results, stronger practice management, and sustainable new-patient growth for fee-for-service, PPO, startup, and DSO practices. Subscribe for more tactical dental marketing strategies, patient growth systems, and proven practice management insights every week. ✨ Timestamps ✨ 00:00 - Ten ways to be a 10 Out of 10 Dental Office that patients will love! 01:39 - 1. Don’t filter out patients. 02:46 - 2. Don’t make patients wait 28 days to come in. 03:45 - 3. Use patient financing with every patient. 04:27 - 4. Don't make people wait in your lobby; have them wait in the chair. 05:26 - 5. Don't treat insurance, treat the person. 05:56 - 6. Train your team on customer service. 06:25 - 7. Don't use a temp hygienist. 07:14- 8. Treat your team well, so they'll treat your patients well. 07:21 - 9. Get as many Google reviews as possible. 07:58 - 10. Make sure you make your patients feel good. Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

July 8, 20267 min

#284 Why We Charge 2X Our Competition

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Most dentists aren't losing money because they spend too little on marketing. They're losing money because they're paying for websites, SEO, and ads instead of buying predictable new patient growth. In this episode, Gary Bird breaks down the math behind successful dental marketing, including the marketing budget percentages that drive growth, why 45–55 qualified leads can become 30 new patients, and how phone conversion, show rate, and referrals determine your real ROI. You'll also learn why the cheapest marketing option usually becomes the most expensive mistake. At SMC, we've helped 1,195+ dental practices build predictable growth using real-world data, proven systems, and outcome-focused marketing strategies, not just deliverables. If you're serious about new patient growth, practice management, fee-for-service dentistry, DSO growth, or building a smarter marketing strategy, this episode is for you. Subscribe to Dental Marketing Goat for weekly, no-fluff strategies that help dentists grow faster and market smarter. Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

July 1, 20265 min

#283 40% to 74% Conversion: Why We Switched AI Receptionists

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ Most dentists assume an AI receptionist is either working or not working. The reality is that not all AI platforms perform the same. In this episode of Dental Marketing Goat, Gary Bird sits down with Dr. Jancy Parkerson to break down why they replaced their original AI receptionist and what happened next. You'll learn how one system converted around 40% of missed new patient calls while the replacement converted 74%, resulting in 17 scheduled new patients from 23 calls in a single month. If you're focused on dental marketing, new patient growth, phone conversion, practice management, fee-for-service dentistry, or scaling a startup or DSO practice, this episode provides a real-world case study with actual numbers and lessons learned. Gary and the SMC team work with dental practices across the country and continuously analyze what drives patient acquisition, phone conversion, and sustainable growth. Subscribe for more real-world strategies that help dentists grow faster. Connect with our Guest Here ⤵️ Website: https://chattanoogadentalarts.com/ Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

June 29, 20263 min

#282 One AI-Scheduled Patient Paid for the Entire Year

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/48RHMt2 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/4p48qoC ➖➖➖➖ What happens when your practice stops sending missed calls to voicemail? In this episode, Dr. Shane Wingler shares how his practice implemented an AI Receptionist and what happened next. Over a five-month period, the AI answered missed new-patient calls, scheduled after-hours appointments, and helped recover opportunities that would otherwise have gone to competing practices. One patient scheduled through the AI Receptionist paid for the platform for the entire year. Then that patient scheduled their entire family. In this conversation, Gary Bird and Dr. Shane discuss: 📌How the AI Receptionist handles missed calls automatically 📌Why 19 out of 28 missed new patient calls still got scheduled 📌 The real ROI behind AI phone answering for dental practices 📌 How the AI supports front office team members during busy times 📌 What patients experience when calling after hours 📌 Why are practices using AI to eliminate lost opportunities If your practice struggles with missed calls, limited front-desk capacity, or after-hours patient inquiries, this episode shows what is possible when every call is answered. Connect with our Guest Here ⤵️ Website: https://carolinapinesdentistry.com/ Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T Personal: https://bit.ly/3SCEQZy Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://hubs.la/Q0436vZG0 ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4jFhb5T 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

June 26, 202629 min

#281 How a $39 Patient Special Boosted New Patient Conversion and Treatment Acceptance

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/4vuWz6v 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/43lY2Ai ➖➖➖➖ Dentists don’t realize how many new patients they’re losing before the front desk ever picks up the phone. In this episode, Gary Bird sits down with Dr. Jancy Parkerson to break down how her practice booked 17 of 23 missed new patient calls using an AI receptionist, how a $39 new patient special led to a $10,000 cash case, and how membership plans are helping retain more fee-for-service patients long-term. You’ll learn how to improve phone conversion, optimize new patient specials, reduce missed-call losses, and create a better patient experience without adding more pressure to your team. Gary shares real-world data from SMC and tactical strategies dental practices can use right now to drive new patient growth. Subscribe to Dental Marketing Goat for more dental marketing, phone conversion, practice management, and fee-for-service growth strategies every week. Connect with our Guest, Here ⤵️ Website: https://chattanoogadentalarts.com/ Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4fxFOTI Personal: https://bit.ly/4vAdu7F Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://bit.ly/4uku2zu ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4aAtM8x 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events

June 22, 202617 min

#280 5 Ways AI Helped This Practice Grow

Send us Fan Mail 🚀Free Resource: https://dentalmarketinggoat.com/resources/the-dental-practice-ai-operating-system/ 🚀Check out our new Dental AI Receptionist! It schedules better than humans: https://bit.ly/4vuWz6v 🚀Grow Your Practice with Cherry Payment Plans: https://bit.ly/43lY2Ai ➖➖➖➖ Most dental practices don’t realize how many new patients they’re losing to missed calls. In this episode of Dental Marketing Goat, Gary Bird sits down with Dr. Shane Wingler to break down exactly how AI is used in a real dental practice to capture missed calls, improve diagnostics, automate patient communication, and reduce front-desk overload. You’ll hear how AI converted 19 out of 28 missed new patient calls into booked appointments, how the team is using AI for x-ray diagnostics and insurance verification, and how simple automation is helping drive more new patient growth without adding more chaos to the schedule. Gary shares real strategies SMC is seeing across dental practices nationwide around phone conversion, AI receptionists, dental marketing, and practice management. If you want more new patients without overwhelming your team, this episode is for you. Subscribe for more tactical dental marketing strategies, real case studies, and growth systems from Gary Bird and SMC. ✨ Timestamps ✨ 00:00 - Introduction to AI & Automation in Dentistry 02:04 - Enhancing Diagnosis & Calibration with Overjet AI 07:12 - Automating Back-Office Tasks with Overjet (Insurance, Charting, Notes) 10:00 - AI for Internal Processes & Document Optimization 12:32 - AI Agents for New Patient Acquisition 14:22 - Team Empowerment & Personal AI Productivity Connect with our Guest, Here ⤵️ Website: https://carolinapinesdentistry.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwinglerdds/ Connect with our Host, Gary Bird, Here ⤵️ SMC: https://bit.ly/4fxFOTI Personal: https://bit.ly/4vAdu7F Want the strategies we talk about delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Dental Marketing Digest: https://bit.ly/4uku2zu ➖➖➖➖ Dental Marketing Goat is the go-to podcast for dentists who want to grow faster, market smarter, and build practices that thrive in today’s competitive landscape. Hosted by Gary Bird, the Dental Marketing Goat himself and founder of SMC National, recently named Best Dental Marketing Agency by over 60,000 dental professionals. Each episode unpacks the real strategies, marketing frameworks, and operational shifts that high-performing practices use to attract more patients and increase production. Whether you're a solo practitioner or scaling a DSO, you’ll learn how to align your marketing, team, and systems to drive predictable growth. 🚀 Want to see how SMC can help you grow? 📱 Book a call here:➡️ https://bit.ly/4aAtM8x 🎙️ Check out our 3 Dental Podcasts ➡️ https://smcnational.com/podcasts/ 📅 Upcoming Events ➡️ https://smcnational.com/events