When you’d like nothing more than to start working with your dental marketing company only to find yourself facing the unsigned end of a contract, you have a major decision to make. Should you sign? Or should you keep looking for a different marketing company to do business with? This decision isn’t as easy as it sounds. There are many things to consider, such as these ins and outs of marketing contract signing that will help you make the best decision possible prior to committing.

The ‘Ins’ of Signing a Marketing Contract

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The Marketing Company Will Always Be There (As long as that contract is valid)

When you sign a dental marketing contract, you can have faith – under the law – that the company will come through with their promises. And it should simply feel good knowing that you can contact someone from the firm anytime you need something, such as a website edit or a Facebook post that you want to go out, and someone will always respond to you.

The company should come through for you and your dental practice no matter what, just out of sheer ethics and good business sense, but there’s something about having a contract in place that will ease your mind all the more.

The Terms are Clearly Established

Have you ever hired a contractor only to have years pass, then wonder, “How long have we been working with that guy?” With a signed marketing contract, you’ll never ask that question.
You’ll know exactly how long you’ve been working with the company in question, how long the relationship is likely to last, and how much you’ll be paying throughout the lifetime of the marketing agreements you sign.

Takes Your Mind Off Billing and Expenses

With a contract, the guesswork completely goes away when it comes to how much you’ll be paying and when the checks should go out. This is an ideal situation for auto-pay, which takes the money out of your account every month without you having to think twice about it.

And if there are any extra expenses to contend with, at least you’ll know what those charges are likely to be and how much you’re likely to be charged so that there are never any unwanted surprises when it comes time to pay your dental marketing bill.

Makes the Marketing Company Accountable

Every dental marketing contract should come with a complete set of goals. These terms will dictate what the marketing company will be working towards, whether it’s more website traffic, more patients walking through the door, higher incidents of case acceptance or more revenue, and the signed contract means that those goals will in fact be reached, or else.

The else in this situation is usually a dissolution of the contract. Which means, if the marketing company doesn’t hold up to its end of the bargain, you’re able to get out of the agreement free and clear.

The ‘Outs’ of Signing a Dental Marketing Contract

It’s Not So Easy to Switch Marketing Companies

What happens when the dental marketing company you signed the contract with stops performing as promised? What if the traffic dries up, the phone calls stop and the lobby becomes a ghost-town?

If you find yourself suddenly dissatisfied and there isn’t a contract in place, you could just decide to make the switch to a new marketing company who can perform the promised tasks and reach the assured goals.

However, with a contract in place, you’re pretty much ‘locked in’ until the terms run out or you decide to pay a cancellation fee (which we’ll discuss in a moment). That’s why it’s crucial that you do your homework and find the best dental marketing company available before you sign your name on the dotted line.

Late Fees Can Become a Revenue Drain

Just as a signed contract holds the marketing company accountable for the goals they promise, the inverse is also true. By signing the contract, the agency in question can ‘count’ on you to send your payment in each month.

If the payment isn’t received by the established due date, you could find yourself paying much more than you normally would. And if you’re too late, such as a month or two behind, you could find yourself in breach of the marketing contract altogether, which means that the company in question could theoretically send you to collections and, ultimately, take you to court over the unpaid balance.

Dissolving A Contract Can Be Tricky

Many dental marketing contracts come with a cancellation fee, which means that walking away from the agreement once you sign could get very expensive. In some cases, canceling the agreement can make the entire balance of the contract due immediately; and who wants to pay all that money at once? Not you, I’m guessing.

Make sure before you sign that you understand the terms, and what it will take to get out of the contract for any reason once the professional relationship commences.

You Might Not Catch All the Fine Print

It seems like every contract has it – that small print at the bottom that could act as a trap if you’re not careful – and you’d better ask about the fine print or at least read your marketing contract carefully if you hope to avoid said traps.

A dental marketing contract should have all of its terms, conditions, charges, expenses and all other details written in clear language that is easy for you – someone who doesn’t necessarily understand legal mumbo jumbo – to understand.

As you can see, the ‘Ins’ of signing a marketing contract far outweigh the ‘outs’. As long as you can keep your payments coming in on time and you’re sure that you’re not going to want to switch or cancel anytime soon, then signing a contract can be a terrific way to get your dental marketing started off on the right foot.