Creating Trust With Patients [Part 5 of 7]

We are making our way through these incredible Trust Factors.  Who would think that trust is what leads a patient to say yes or no, or to commit to coming back or not?  You, probably, because you are smart.  That’s why you are here.

No gimmicks, no insurance, no discounts, no trickery, nor anything else is going to ensure you have success with your patients.  Your only chance is developing a real legitimate relationship with them.

In fact, many of those things listed actually do harm to a relationship that should be built on trust.

Just wait until next week and I tell you the real ultimate secret to making patients believe you – rightfully and ethically so of course.  It all comes down to this.

Now, here’s the thing, it’s smart to have help with this because you have such little time to actually engage your patients and get them to trust you.

Website…

Phone…

Intake…

Package…

Records…

Exam…

Treatment Plan / Presentation…

And out the door.

In all of these things combined there might be two to three hours of time actually invested by the patient into complete and total engagement with you and your practice in some way, shape or form.  That’s at best and for new patients.  Some much less, rarely much more.

This is why, if you are doing the big cases and really living a practice culture and clinical philosophy of comprehensive dentistry, you need more time to cultivate the big cases and to nurture the trust and relationship with someone.

Therefore, everything you can possible do to accelerate trust is a must.  This should be how you think of every decision, strategy and step in your patient engagement process.

Today, we are talking about the trust factor that is encompassing the resources you have at your disposal to showcase to your patients things that reinforce their good decisions.  I am summarizing it in one word, with the use of: EXAMPLES.

Trust is gained through examples.

If we go back through the list above of all the points of engagement that you make, you can easily come up with a list of examples that can be put in place at each point to help bring to light and nurture more trust from your patients.

Just like education is often put at the end after a patient asks for more information or they object to something; when it comes to examples they are used sparingly and insufficiently.  When in fact, a great portion of the patient experience should be built around incorporating examples.

This goes from plastic models showing teeth, jaws and implants, as well as videos that convey patient stories and even clinical consequences of not doing something.

Other examples would be reviews, testimonials, before and after’s, the use of the photographs and diagnostic tools to show the patient what is happening to them.

Another big use of examples are telling stories verbally and/or with pictures of other patients who have experienced what they are experiencing (of course, using your discretion with permission or stock examples).

The bottom line is this…

PATIENTS BELIEVE WHAT THEY SEE, NOT WHAT YOU SAY.

I am a broken record about this but it’s just true and there is no getting past it.  The whole notion of “seeing before believing” is within your total and complete control.  With something this humanistic that can be such an advantage, you would think more practices would capitalize on it more deliberately.

Your challenge is to have examples incorporated at every step of the way.  You will be amazed how it will create curiosity in the patients’ minds and desire for them to want to ask questions, move on to the next step and further their trust with you.

You can make your explanations, expectations, experience and education (the first 4 trust factors) all more elaborate and more effective with the 5th trust factor of examples.

Speaking of examples, I have some great ones for you myself.  They are hidden inside of my new book that I’m making available to you.  It’s a fantastic playbook for your success with your patients.

Get My Latest Book: Mastering The Lost Art of Patient Retention >>>

Next week, I let you in on the secret of all secrets that will (if you can believe this or not) make your life and success with patients infinitely easier!