Today, we begin our journey through the clues that success leaves and that you should incorporate into your protocols for every aspect and facet of your practice.
I’m going to start out easy here and then give you an example.
If you look at your best patients (and to be even more specific, the best phone calls that turn into patients who actually show up and they actually proceed with treatment), there are many commonalities you find. The big one that I’m bringing to your attention here is…
INFORMATION
And I am talking about the more information you have about the incoming Patient, the more committed, serious, successful that patient will be.
Of course, there are outliers and exceptions which often get all of your attention, but the successful ones that come pre-determined to do business with you and become your patient are ones that had positive, engaging and informative phone calls.
I did not say the ones that you GAVE the most information to. I said the ones you GOT the most information from.
This is a very basic psychological principle that the more you share the more connected you are and the more trusting you feel.
I’m intentionally not going to go too deep on this one – for now. When you think about it though, you should see the obvious. If you ask questions and I give you answers then I have shared part of me with you. In order to justify that action, I want to keep sharing more and I want to follow through with my decision because I feel like you are talking specifically to me about me for me and with me.
This is why one of the most powerful SUCCESS CLUES you can have in your practice with all protocols is to have a culture and a standard that every single team member with every single point of engagement will be…
Curious.
Inquisitive.
Interested.
Attentive.
So that you can gather up as much information as possible and your patients will feel more and more connected to you.
Now, don’t misunderstand. You do not want to ONLY get information about dogs and kids and cats and vacations and other personal things that don’t have much to do with their mouths, health and dentistry. Still, it is inside of the personal parts and pieces of their lives that they will find their motivation to proceed with things they might otherwise not.
Of course, I am talking about relevant information but also personal connection too, which comes from knowing more about your patients.
It is very common for us to talk about ourselves instead of get the other person talking about themselves.
That applies to your phone calls, to your screening process, to your interviews and intake, to your clinical engagement and case building, to your doctor hand-offs and set-ups, to your triangles and your transfers, to treatment decisions and follow-up actions, and even to garnering and getting referrals. Every-single-thing.
Think about what you can do better when it comes to information gathering. What protocols could be adapted, expanded or enhanced? What information would you like to know more about, go more in-depth with and would find most helpful for our desired outcomes?
This results in getting more yeses, retaining more patients, helping more people, doing more meaningful dentistry.
