Advertising Verbiage Does Make a Difference

A client called me last week in a panic. “Deb”, he said, “I’ve been running an ad for a couple of weeks and we have found that the majority of those who respond don’t fit our needs and the few that seem like possibilities once invited in don’t even show for their interview. Out of the 3 that had some of the qualifications I’ve been looking for, one called hours before their interview was scheduled to inform us that she has accepted another position and the other two just plain didn’t show up, and this was with confirmation calls! I’m so discouraged and can’t figure out what the heck I am doing wrong.”

I began by reviewing the verbiage and approach they used with their advertising,

I said, “Doctor, you need to ask for what it is you are hoping to find”, and with this I proceeded to explain how I craft ads that send the message to those that you are wanting to attract and GRAB.

When I asked him if he could pinpoint what he felt was lacking from the few that did respond he said that none of them were sincere. I would agree 100%, so I suggested that we take things in a new direction.

Here’s the ad I crafted for him:

“Sincerity” is the key word for us when it comes to filling this position. Are you “sincere” about continuing your current experience within the dental field? Do you “sincerely” appreciate making a difference for others? Is your interest in managing your responsibilities a “sincere” one? Is the dental profession one that you are “sincerely” proud to be a part of? Are you “sincerely” interested in learning new systems and perfecting your current skills? If any of this resonates with you and if you come with some significant experience as a *true dental professional*, then we would really like to hear from you. The most important qualities are that you bring:

* A strong desire to contribute to a “sincerely” devoted team

* That you have been responsible for various dental business office duties

* That you pride yourself in your attention to detail and your ability to prioritize as needed

Locating that perfect employee is much like selling a home, it only takes one! Tons of resumes may seem impressive, but what good are they if none of them are appropriate for your practice and requirements?

Sure enough, within the first few hours that the ad ran I received 2 resumes. Both “appeared” (I never use the resume as the beginning and end of all to make that hiring decision) to show me some of what I’ve been hoping to find. They both included cover letters that responded to my ad and were well constructed resumes with what seemed to be valuable backgrounds, but it was still too early to pop the champagne.

I conducted my first phone interview today and was pleased to say that so far all is good. I always ask why the job candidate responded to my ad, it’s interesting what I hear.

Some will say “what did your ad say?” I hear the imaginary alarm go off… Noooo! The ones that remember and share with me why they responded continue to get my attention.

This particular candidate couldn’t wait to share with me before I even asked. “Deb”, she said, “I read your ad and then I read it again and again and couldn’t respond fast enough. You wrote this to find me! I’ve been working in a corporate environment since I moved to town, and although I’ve lasted almost a year, I just know this culture is not for me. I am sincere and I do care so much, yet the style of this practice is holding me back from developing the wonderful relationships that I was able to create and nurture in my other practice. I really could relate to the message you were sending with your advertising.”

It’s early in the process, but so far so good and once again it’s like I always say: “Ask for what you are looking for!”