by Des Dearlove
Not all dot-com wannabes are twenty-somethings in combat
trousers. Some answer the description of respectable middle-aged professionals.
It seems that the new economy is a bandwagon anyone can board. Among those
taking the leap is London-based Smile-On.com which aims to take the dental
profession into the Internet Age.
The idea behind Smile-On.com is simple, explains co-founder
and CEO Noam Tamir, "We want to change people's feelings about dentistry
to something more positive than cost and pain. We want to move beyond
the focus on treatment, to create something that makes people smile, and
is simple to use. After all, 60 percent of first impressions of people
are to do with your smile."
As is often the case, the business came about by accident.
One of Noam Tamir's friends is Laurence Jacobs, a dentist who has specialized
in educating school children about dental health. "The level of sophistication
demanded by today's kids makes fun, web-based content the only way to
go," says Dr. Jacobs.
Tamir, a successful serial entrepreneur, was involved
in computer-based training. He sniffed synergy in the air, "We thought
we could combine Laurence's professional knowledge with the technical
knowledge of my company. We talked to various potential sponsors, looked
at the market, and thought about how we could use Web technology. After
six months of research, we felt that we could be first in the market with
an original and interesting offering."
The duo remain together. "I can contribute gray hair
acquired from my experience of building and running a business," says
Tamir. Laurence Jacobs is in charge of the web site's content.
Smile-On.com is unusual in a number of respects. First,
it is not an attempt to take an existing American idea and adapt it for
a U.K. or European audience. "There are two sites in the United States
mostly targeted at dentists," explains Noam Tamir, "We are European-based,
but intend to expand country by country. The dental profession differs
from one country to the next in France, for example, it is commonplace
to find single dentists practicing. In the U.K. they are usually in groups
of two or three. What we offer has to reflect these differences."
The second aspect of Smile-On.com, which is different,
is its ambition. It aims to target both the dental community and the public.
On the public side, the company will provide information for teachers,
educational games, and a variety of other resources. The professional
side will include information for dental professionals on the latest conferences,
lectures, and job opportunities, among other things.
One problem facing the fledgling company is that dental
firms are not usually linked to the Internet. Give them a phone line and
an appointment book; and, they are up and running. At the same time, dentists
tend to have Internet access at home so they are not technophobes.
The solution offered by Smile-On.com is a complete
system with software and flat screen monitor which can be used in the
surgery to entertain and educate clients, as well as provide the latest
dental information to the professionals. One thing the system does not
do at the moment is to replace the traditional appointment book market
research found the dental community preferred its own systems. "The idea
is still evolving," says Noam Tamir, "We refine and test what we are offering
all the time. You have to get continual feedback so you know whether you
are heading in the right direction."
The over-riding intention is community building. "We
will enable professionals to communicate with each other. There are 4,000
dental hygienists in the U.K. who have a professional association, but
nothing else to bring them together,” comments Noam Tamir, ÀWe are identifying
a range of other different communities. The needs and concerns of teenagers,
for example, are very different to those of young children or adults."
As a result, Smile-On.com's site targeted at teenagers deals with issues
such as your first kiss.
Eight full-time staffers are now developing Smile-On.com's
constantly evolving offering. Profits are anticipated late in 2001. "Portals
which simply have an audience and which rely on traffic and banner advertising
are very risky. The trick is to have regular visitors and to produce from
them a regular and growing stream of revenue," concludes Noam Tamir. And
if the revenues fail to materialize? "From everything we"ve seen
and heard so far, we"re sure that they will," he adds.
Des Dearlove is author of The Ultimate Book
of Business Thinking (Capstone, 1999).
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