I would say the best part of “The Patient’s Mission” in your practice is the best news of the day every single day. Before I tell you what it is, let’s talk about what they and even you might think it is initially.
Any patient on the face value of their initial perception and expectation of their mission at your practice might very well be…
…you guessed it…
To do as little dentistry as possible.
And for the primary reason, though there are others, …
To pay as little money out of pocket as possible.
Now, on the surface, that is what most patients come in thinking no matter what type of practice you have (even if patients are coming to you for a specific reason and they know there will be money exchanging hands). It is human nature for the majority of people to think about getting out of your practice with as much of their money in their pockets and your hands in their mouth the least amount of time with the least intrusion.
This is not the case unless we let it be the case.
In fact, the lesson I’m going to share with you today, that ties into our most recent discussion, if simply applied to your patients is a true game changer. However, to make it as powerful as it has the capability to be, it has to be rooted deep down in your culture and embraced as the overall objective of everything you do.
You already know what I’m going to say.
The greatest power you have and what I believe is the single greatest ‘first’ responsibility of your relationship with your patients is to…
Help your patients clearly identify what their Mission should be through your direct guidance, influence, education, and encouragement by telling them what your practice is all about and why patients come to see you.
Some of our best Practices give it a name such as ‘the patient’s victory.’
We often refer to the treatment plan as the Pathway to Health so that the patient feels like they are accomplishing something.
The bottom line is, just like you defined and determined your Mission for your Day which keeps you from just going through the motions instead of actually achieving something of significance, this is the same for your patients.
Do you want them going through the motions, happy to just end the visit, doing as little as possible, and “spending” as little as they can get away with?
Or do you want them ON A MISSION, accomplishing something, investing in themselves, and desiring some achievement.
Obviously, there is power in being on a mission. When you take the responsibility to get your patients not just involved in and on yours but committed to and on their onw, you make magic happen. It makes your day, you objective, and your mission so much easier because they will be working with you not against you. You will both be working towards the same big picture purpose that they may or may not have ever thought about (or believed in) before.
That’s special, my friend. And it is really what your mission should be all about – helping the patient on theirs.
So, how well are you doing at helping your patients establish their own mission? What can you do better to lead patients in the right direction?
Let’s really take time to identify and go to work on how you and your team can help your patients define and then complete their missions inside of your practice.
This is fun stuff here. I’ll be back next week with even more to share.
