Why wait until Saturday to see new patients? Are Homeowners Association (HOA) newsletters and middle school soccer teams a good way to reach my target audience? Should I have extended practice hours every Thursday until 8pm? The difference between good and great is subtle. But what exactly are all of the great medical offices doing? Where are they doing it? In what order? If you've studied the operational and marketing habits of both good and great medical practices, you'll find the differences are minuscule. However, they're a stop light on the road to treatment for most patients nowadays. Many believe, the battle of marketing against your competition will always come down to one thing, who can spend the most to acquire a new patient? The doctor's office with the biggest wallet is NOT the practice who is going to win this battle. The practice who understands its patients' and executes a written plan even those with limited/no budget] to reach them will always win.We all search for shortcuts. We all secretly hope there is a backdoor strategy to acquire new patients. Maybe there's an advertisement we haven't used yet -there's not. The secret to marketing and acquiring new patients is that there is no secret. It's simple purchases, a written budget and a discerning marketing plan that involves knowing your audience, where they are, what they want, and how you can create informative pattern-interruptions that make you the obvious healthcare provider for them ...for life