The Growth Engine
How marketing drives practice value
How patients find you now (hint: AI), where they slip away before they book, and how to turn growth into value a buyer can verify. In 30 minutes, with live Q&A.
AI is the new front door.
Patients used to compare ten links. Now more of them ask AI and get one answer.
If ChatGPT or Google's AI doesn't name you, a growing share of patients never know you exist.
patients say AI tools influenced their choice of doctor.
Up from 17% a year earlierAI adoption among patients aged 45 to 60, the highest of any age group.
won't book a provider rated below 4.0 stars.
walked away from at least one doctor after researching online.
Up 15 points from 2025Source: rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report (almost 1,000 U.S. adults), via CXM, June 2026. Practice names are illustrative.
What you'll learn in 30 minutes
The three stages every patient, and every practice, moves through. Plus what to do tomorrow.
Found
Win patients where they search now.
- What AI reads before it recommends you
- The one-liner test your brand must pass
- Reviews as a system, not a lucky month
Booked
The easiest practice to book wins.
- The 4 leaks that cost you new patients
- Why your PMS is your cheapest growth
- Trace every dollar to a patient in the chair
Valued
Turn growth into enterprise value.
- How a buyer sees your marketing
- What raises risk, what builds confidence
- Brand: the asset that compounds
Tomorrow
5 moves. Under 2 hours.
- Mostly no new software
- Start the morning after
- Plus live Q&A with Sonia and Dr. Tony Stefanou
The big idea: built in, not bolted on.
Marketing isn't a bill you pay. It's the growth engine for the whole practice.
Fix the leaks before you add fuel.
More ad spend feels like growth. But most practices lose patients between the first call and the second visit. Sonia shows you where, and the cheap fixes.
Pour more ad spend into a leaky engine and you just get a bigger leak.
Is your marketing bolted on, or built in?
The practices that get the most from every marketing dollar run it as the growth engine for the whole practice.
Filed under overhead
- Handed off to an agency, out of sight
- Judged by clicks and posts
- Nobody inside the practice owns it
- No link to what it produces
Run as the growth engine
- Tied into your practice management system
- Judged by new patients and production
- The whole team has a hand on it
- Every dollar traced to a patient
5 moves. Under 2 hours.
Mostly no new software. Sonia walks through each one live.
Audit your listings
45 MINWrite your one-liner
15 MINName a reviews champion
10 MINAdd a referral-source field to your PMS
15 MINTurn on online booking for one appointment type
30 MINBuilt for practice leaders
Practice owners
See which dollars produce patients, and what your growth is worth.
Group & multi-location leaders
One listing standard, one review process and one dashboard across every location.
Office managers
The handoffs from phone to schedule to checkout, and the weekly numbers that matter.
Planning to sell, partner, or add a location? Or none of those?
Same work. What makes a practice run well today is what makes it valuable later.
"Buyers don't pay for marketing. They pay for patient growth they can verify and repeat."
Sonia Hounsell · Co-CEO, SERP Dental™More than doubled. Groups invest heavily in brand. A clear brand is how you stand out instead of blending in.
Source: TUSK Practice Sales, Dental Market Report, via Becker's Dental + DSO Review.
A brand builder and a dental dealmaker
Sonia Hounsell
30 years in brand marketing and entrepreneurship. Sonia led brands at Pfizer, Bayer and McKinsey & Co. and launched 25+ CPG products across healthcare and consumer goods.
She co-founded the oral care brand FunkkOFF!® and closed a deal with Robert Herjavec on Shark Tank (2023). The business tripled in size, earned coverage in NBC, Travel + Leisure and the LA Times, and was later sold to private equity.
Dr. Tony Stefanou, DMD, CBI
A Tufts-trained dentist who practiced for about 20 years, Tony now works on the business side of dentistry. He is a Certified Business Intermediary who has advised on dental company and practice deals from $100K to $25M+.
He developed the OPA (Objective Practice Appraisal) system, has completed hundreds of practice appraisals across the U.S., and founded the Dental Sales Academy. He sees every day what buyers, DSOs and partners actually pay for.
Dental M&A, practice valuation and DSO matching. New York, NY.Format: Tony opens and introduces SoniaSonia presents Found, Booked, Valued (about 30 min)Tony moderates live Q&A
Real practices. Real growth.
Best new-patient month in 15 years
CR SmilesSERP Dental client
Ranks #1 for "dentist near me"
River's Edge DentalSERP Dental client
Hired an associate 5 months early
Encore Dental StudioSERP Dental client
58+ new-patient opportunities a month
Tabor DentalClient for 5+ years
Individual results vary. Figures reported by each practice.
Your Practice Growth Package
3 free reports built for your practice. No strings attached.
Ranking Report & SEO Review
Where you rank, where you leak, and what to fix first.
SEO Visibility Scan
Your visibility score across listings, directories and local search.
AI Visibility Analysis
How ChatGPT and Google's AI see your practice.
Powered by AscendVu™Claimed on a free Patient Growth Strategy Session. Sonia explains how at the end of the webinar.
Quick answers
Is it free?
Yes. The webinar is free, and so is the Practice Growth Package for attendees.
Will there be a replay?
Yes. Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send you the replay.
How long is it?
About 30 minutes, plus live Q&A. Sonia Hounsell presents and Dr. Tony Stefanou of Connect the Dents co-hosts and moderates your questions.
Is this only for practices planning to sell?
No. The same work that makes your practice stronger today makes it more valuable later, whatever your goals.
Who is hosting?
SERP Dental™ and Connect the Dents are co-hosting. Sonia Hounsell (Co-CEO, SERP Dental) presents. Dr. Tony Stefanou, DMD, CBI (Founder & CEO, Connect the Dents) co-hosts and moderates the Q&A, bringing the dealmaker view of what makes a practice valuable.
Is it a sales pitch?
No. It's practical, and you can use all of it without us. At the end Sonia briefly explains how to claim the free Practice Growth Package.
Do I need special software?
No. Most of the 5 moves need no new software. You'll join on Zoom from any computer or phone.
How do I join?
After you register, Zoom emails you a personal join link. We'll also send a reminder before we start. Join Wednesday, November 4 at 1 PM ET.
Be found. Be trusted. Be booked.
And be able to prove it.
Join Sonia and Tony live on Wednesday, November 4 at 1 PM ET. Leave with 5 moves your team can start the next morning.
The Growth EngineHow marketing drives practice value
Wed, Nov 4 · 1 PM ET / 12 PM CT / 10 AM PT
