Fred Joyal

Alfred (Fred) Joseph Joyal (born August 21, 1954) is an entrepreneur who partnered with Gary Saint Denis in 1986 to form the successful dental referral service, 1-800-DENTIST. Today he serves as the CEO of Futuredontics, Inc., which operates 1-800-DENTIST as well as several other brands, and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on dental consumer marketing.

1-800-DENTIST

Joyal was working as a junior copywriter at an advertising agency when he was asked to co-found Futuredontics by his eventual partner, Gary Saint Denis.^[1] The company began as a very small organization that served a handful of dentists within Los Angeles. Gradually, it grew to serve all of Southern California, and eventually all of the United States. Joyal has stated that his mission in building 1-800-DENTIST was to provide a consistent flow of screened patients to member dentists while encouraging millions of consumers to visit the dentist on a regular basis. “Up to that point, finding a dentist had mostly been a word-of-mouth process,” he said. “Our goal was to set up a trusted resource for consumers who want a real introduction to a qualified dentist with services that match their needs, rather than just an ‘I know this guy’ recommendation.”^[2]

In addition to heading the company, Joyal has also served as its spokesman since 2004. He has written, produced and appeared in over 200 television, print and radio commercials for 1-800-DENTIST,^[3] the most recent of which were a series of ads that took place within an elevator and revolved around Joyal humorously trying to convince a resistant female patient to visit the dentist.

Dental Marketing Expert

Joyal is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in dental consumer marketing.^[4] He writes regular articles^[5][6] for industry trade magazines on the subjects of marketing and advertising, and he has authored two detailed whitepapers and a book on dental marketing. Joyal is also highly sought after as a lecturer and has given marketing talks at many dental trade shows and seminars.^[7][8] In addition, Joyal operates GoAskFred.com, a complimentary website where he answers dental marketing questions submitted by dentists and provides free marketing tips to dental professionals. It includes a weekly blog and a series of short marketing videos.

Everything is Marketing

In 2009, Joyal wrote and published Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth, a book that draws from his two decades of marketing experience to explain the importance of dental practice marketing. It has since gone in for a second printing and has received much acclaim from industry professionals including Dr. Howard Farran, the publisher of Dentaltown, who wrote, “If you are looking for a way to maximize your advertising results and get your whole team working together with the right marketing mindset, you need to read Fred’s book. I personally can’t imagine any practice not gaining significant insight from it.” ^[9]

Television and Film

Joyal has appeared on television numerous times to promote the importance of good oral health, notably in a series of appearances on San Diego’s XETV.^[10][11][12] He was also interviewed by CNN as part of a piece profiling 1-800-DENTIST’s Los Angeles-based call center.^[13]

Outside the realm of oral health, Joyal served as executive producer on the 2000 film Gentleman B.^[14] and appeared as himself on an episode of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Series 1, 2006).^[15] In November 2009, Joyal appeared as a celebrity contestant on the FOX show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader — during which he answered every question correctly, except for the last one.^[16]

Education and Honors

In 2005, Joyal was awarded the Conrad Hilton Distinguished Entrepreneur Award by Loyola Marymount University.^[17]

Joyal attended the University of Rhode Island, and in 2006 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university.

Joyal’s passion for dental care has also earned him a seat on the board of directors for the Children’s Dental Center, a non-profit comprehensive oral health care and education center in Inglewood, California.

Sources

1-800-DENTIST: fred joyal. (2009). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from

Crowe, Deborah. (2007, January 8). Dial-a-smile: Futuredontics' seemingly simple dental referral strategy proving a success The Free Library. Retrieved March 30, 2010 from

References

1. ↑ Canfield, J., Hansen, M.V., McKowen, D., Gardner, J., Gardner, E., Hill, T., & Wilson, K. (Ed.). (2006). Chicken soup for the entrepreneur's soul. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.
2. ↑ Google adwords success stories. (2010). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
3. ↑ Joyal, F. (2009, June). Dental marketing makeover. Dentaltown, 10(6), 18-22.
4. ↑ New products. (2009, May). Dentistry Today, 28(5), 18.
5. ↑ Joyal, F. (2006, November). Who is Your competition?. Contemporary Esthetics, 12-15.
6. ↑ Joyal, F. (2010, February). Knowing what your patients want from you. Dental Economics, 100(2), 74-76.
7. ↑ Discus dental's las vegas extravaganza...it's back in 2010!. (2010). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
8. ↑ CEO, cofounder of 1-800-DENTIST launches dental marketing book. (2009, March 17). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
9. ↑ Farran, H. (2009, August). Five resources you must own. Dentaltown, 10(8), 12-16.
10. ↑ Difference between dental implants and dentures - xetv san diego living. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
11. ↑ New dental technology - xetv san diego living. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
12. ↑ Picking your dentist - xetv san diego living. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
13. ↑ The Exporting of America. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
14. ↑ Fred Joyal, imdb. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
15. ↑ Television without pity. (2006, July). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
16. ↑ Livedash. (2010, March 3). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from
17. ↑ Surepayroll's interview with fred joyal. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2010 from