If my favorite part of creating A-Patients is the end when they write the check, swipe their credit card, enjoy the benefits of their life changing dentistry, then my second favorite step is this one right here.
The acceleration of trust is the absolute most essential component, though it is made more valuable and significant by all of the other ones.
Undoubtedly, your patients have been through many dental experiences or maybe just a few. Either way, what you are going to do is, should, and must be remarkably different and distinctive so they don’t fall back into the mindsets of typical dental patients that have no interest or awareness of optimal health, preventative care and cosmetic enhancements to their smile and mouth.
Every step leading up to this one helps to prepare the patient to hear the truth and to be open to and accepting of trust in the relationship you are forming with them.
This goes for every team member and your practice in general, not just the doctor.
I probably don’t need to go into why trust matters. The point of it all is they must believe what you say and that you actually care. Those things are the result of trust.
Now, the absolute best way to build trust is through transparency. These two things link directly together and they really can’t be disconnected and never should.
However, trust must occur before transparency is given.
Transparency, as you know, is truth telling about their mouth. Transparency is about selling the problem, showing the proof and illustrating to your patients what their initial needs are. That means you are not pulling punches or holding back, you diagnose what you see, plain and simple, nothing more and nothing less.
What you do not do is feel guilty about it, try to justify it, give the patient a way out in order to delay, make your job easier or prejudging them to assume they won’t accept the treatment.
Your responsibility is transparency. Period.
Many more patients are A-Patients, they are just never given a chance to be. This is your fault and is a direct result of your habit, complacency, passiveness or any other word you want to use.
I could not imagine how it would feel to go to the doctor and walk out without all of the information. Many feelings go through a person when this is the case: a waste of time, lied to, devalued, misled.
If you want more A-Patients, then give more patients the chance to be “A’s” by telling the truth about their health and the current state of their mouths.
Why do I love this step the best, simple, it’s the easiest. All you have to do is do what you do best: diagnosis and educate the patient. This is where we build the foundation of all cases, first on the state of ‘need’ by providing all the necessary information to your patient so they see what they need in a very complete way.
The best way to convey transparency is through the P’s that I teach: pictures, proof and pain.
Now, let’s go back to trust for just a minute.
Trust must be earned, but it can be accelerated and it will be if you follow the A-Patient process exactly the way I have laid it out for you, step by step.
If you want to gain trust with every patient then follow this approach …
1. Control expectations
2. Ask questions
3. Listen to answers
4. Restate answers and dig deeper
5. Express genuine concern and care
6. State very clearly that the patient’s goals are your goals and give permission to ask questions at any time
7. Provide the patient with all the information necessary to make an informed and confident decision about his/her health
8. Finally, tell the patient you will always do what is in his/her best interest, exactly as you would do for any patient, family member, or yourself
Now the great news is I have created this process of cultivating A-Patients so that you would automatically earn trust; it will also be enhanced by integrating and practicing the 8 steps when you verbally engage your patients.
At this point, all you have to do now is diagnosis and get the patients interested in and responsible for their own health and treatments.
Transparency sells. Try it and you’ll see.
After transparency comes the very special step that you will learn about next week where we put all the pieces together and we fully convey to your patients what you are capable of doing for them.
This is where it gets exciting and how bigger cases and comprehensive dentistry gets built. You are going to love this next stage of A-Patient development.
In the meantime, please get to work on improving your trust and transparency in your new patient (and really all patient) experience and process.
Those A-Patients are just waiting for you to show them the way.
