Let’s have some fun, shall we? Do you? Everyday? I hope so because what you may not realize is the more fun you have the more your patients will say yes to you and have fun too!
Fun is never a “No.” When you have fun in your practice with your patients and with each other the energy is different, the vibe is contagious, the overall culture shifts in your practice and people want to be there!
In case you missed it (and I sure hope you didn’t), I laid out the keys to patient retention across the board just last week in my very special and advanced training.
You can still access it, for a brief time, right here – Watch the On-Demand Replay >>>
One of the most significant points I made and a really big shift in thinking, doing and being in your practice is to make the goal of the first visit to get them back not just to get them to say yes. You want that patient to leave a patient.
If the only objective is to get a yes, no or maybe and then move on, that patient feels like they just went through an a factory line or worse a sales process.
We don’t want that. We want it about something so much more than just the treatment. We want it to be about the patient and creating a relationship that lasts/ So whether they are ready today or not, they stay active in some action, some treatment, some next step.
Listen carefully for the special way I discuss and describe this subtle but profoundly effective difference.
Now, don’t you worry, I’m not talking about delaying treatment. Heavens, you know me better than that. So next week, we are going to dive into how to get your patients to buy more dentistry.
In order for them to do that though, they do have to be inside the four walls of your practice… more than once.
Back to having fun… here are four methods to have fun with your patients in ways that you probably weren’t thinking about.
1st – Whether they except dentistry or not (as long as you wish they would’ve, meaning you want them back), you have to follow-up with them in a memorable way.
This could mean hand written cards, flowers, a nice text message or a friendly phone call. It means doing something unexpected and something genuine.
Remember the key is to do this whether or not they said yes. Of course, you would have a different approach for new patients or existing patients based on their outcomes but there should be something relevant that sticks and makes the patient still feel a sense of belonging to you even though they didn’t accept the treatment.
2nd – You absolutely want to make sure you remember things about your patients so you can in fact make their visits personal. You know this because you are other people’s customers too. You want to feel like you are the only one, even though you know you aren’t. You want undivided attention when you are the one front and center.
Whatever it takes to do this with your patients. Prepping everyone the day before, have a running list in the chart, at the end of the day everyone writing something down about their patients that needs to be remembered. This makes an amazing difference and this is a secret factor not only to acceptance but to referrals.
3rd – This is the easy one and it sort of piggybacks off of the first point… Always remember to celebrate and reward good behavior. When your patients pay, finish treatment or refer someone you want to acknowledge this. On top of that though there are other ways to celebrate. You can share their story with your patient base or have a board where you showcase all of your new patients (and before you say anything about HIPAA, all you have to have is their consent). There is no reason not to show off your patients.
I really love when practices do appreciation days or months that rally your patients to become a bigger part of their lives than just their mouths. You can do a practice charity drive and donate every patient who moves into your perio program or in ortho or anything you can imagine.
Just remember to celebrate and reward. It’s fun and people really respond to it.
4th – Last but not least (and there are many others), everything I wrote about at the beginning of this week’s huddle is about… Creating a positive, uplifting, energetic, fun environment.
This can be with themes of the month or with Holidays or by having positive messages around the practice. Imagine removing your magazines and putting in place patient stories, motivational books and educational material.
This goes as deep as your attitudes and conversations with each other and especially how you start the day, everyday, right here with your huddle.
Brainstorm and have a blast. I would encourage you to embrace each other’s ideas and try things outside the box. You can keep your professionalism without being so dry and clinical that patients feel no sense of emotional attachment and relationship with you.
It is after all about the people – you and your patients.
Enjoy these ideas by putting them into action and getting everyone involved. Next, take time to study my training all about the 6 Steps to Mining the Gold of Your Patient Base by Your Mastering Patient Retention…
Watch the On-Demand Replay and Master Patient Retention >>>
