Open days are a great way to attract orthodontic patients – David Nelkin shares a systematic approach with eight simple steps to bring a 100% conversion rate.
I’ve just reviewed the results from an Invisalign open day we ran with a client:
- 18 consultation slots
- £87,000 in treatment commitments
- 100% uptake rate.
Six months earlier, the same practice ran an open day with only four conversions. What changed? A systematic approach was followed.
Here’s the framework that transforms open days from expensive experiments into revenue-generating engines.
‘Build scarcity from day one: limited slots, countdown timers, and day-only offers’
Plan like a conversion event, not a clinic day
Start planning at least six to eight weeks ahead. Block your entire diary – no routine appointments, just open day patients.
Choose a time when your target demographic can attend without work conflicts. Saturdays or weekday evenings tend to work well.
Build scarcity from day one: limited slots, countdown timers, and day-only offers aren’t just marketing tactics – they’re decision-making tools that move patients from consideration to commitment.
Design a patient journey that flows to ‘yes’
Welcome patients warmly. Their journey begins with your treatment coordinator (TCO) in a comfortable, non-clinical setting to build rapport. In this initial stage, the TCO will also take photos and scans. This seamless process allows for a more personalised and efficient clinical assessment later on.
Next, the patient will meet the clinician for a detailed treatment discussion. Show before and after examples to demonstrate potential results. The patient then returns to the TCO to discuss financial options and make a commitment.
Every patient leaves with confirmed next steps – either a treatment start date or a specific follow-up appointment booked.
Prepare your team for conversion success
Hold a planning meeting six weeks beforehand covering patient journey, responsibilities, and objectives. Run weekly huddles, tracking enquiries and campaign performance.
The week of the event, rehearse the patient experience and role-play difficult scenarios. Consider staff incentives – when your team has personal investment in success, conversion rates can improve significantly.
Call every patient the day before and send a Whatsapp the morning of the event expressing excitement.
Market to existing patients first
Your patient base often delivers the highest conversion rates. Use email, Whatsapp and SMS campaigns, plus referral incentives for previous Invisalign patients to fill slots before starting paid advertising.
For new patients, run targeted Meta and Google campaigns; they work best together. Use this opportunity to re-engage cold leads; open days are perfect for bringing dormant prospects back into your conversion process.
Don’t forget to include video testimonials – social proof from patients with similar concerns builds trust more effectively than generic marketing.
‘Remember: 10 qualified prospects will always outperform 20 casual browsers’
Qualify every single enquiry
Your qualifying calls with each prospect should last 15 to 20 minutes. Understand motivation, check treatment suitability, discuss estimated costs and finance options and confirm genuine attendance commitment.
Remember: 10 qualified prospects will always outperform 20 casual browsers.
Nurture before and after
Pre-event
Send Whatsapp sequences, personalised video messages, and clear guidance about what to expect, what to bring, and how to find your practice.
Post-event
Call non-committed patients within 48 hours while the experience is fresh. Begin nurturing sequences with testimonials, finance reminders, and friendly check-ins.
Significant dental investments typically take weeks or months to decide. Patients who don’t commit immediately aren’t lost opportunities, but if you prepare in the right way, they’ll come to your open day with a different mindset, ready to start their journey.
‘Consistent improvement comes from treating each event as a learning opportunity’
Track everything for continuous improvement
Monitor enquiry sources, show-up rates, same-day conversions, and seven-day follow-up conversions. Understanding which marketing channels delivered the highest-quality leads optimises future events.
Hold team debriefs within a week. Celebrate successes, identify improvements and document changes for next time.
Consistent improvement comes from treating each event as a learning opportunity.
Avoid the conversion killers
The most common failures:
- Not qualifying enquiries (poor attendance, unsuitable prospects)
- Failing to take deposits (weak commitment, cancellations)
- Insufficient existing patient marketing (wasted high-conversion opportunities)
- No systematic follow-up with non-committed patients.
The bottom line
At Xcelerator Dental, we’ve seen practices achieve these results consistently by treating open days as conversion systems, not extended consultation sessions.
When executed systematically, orthodontic (Invisalign or not) open days become reliable revenue generators rather than expensive experiments.
The transformation lies in recognising that success comes from conversion optimisation alongside clinical excellence.
You need both working together to maximise your results.
Xcelerator Dental is a specialist dental marketing agency that helps practices grow through digital marketing focused on new patient conversion.
Learn more about Xcelerator Dental.
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