If you ask any honest doctors what they wish to have more of or if there is one thing they would change about their practice, most would say (aside from not being screwed by insurance; which is their choice by the way – I promise there are full fee for service practices doing just fine in your very city, I probably know them – but we can make a practice very profitable in-network you just have to decide to not be a victim); they would answer that they wish for better patients.
And I always reply, “What does that mean?”
Better patients? Maybe you mean a better city. I mean you are only going to get the people who live or work in and around where you practice. But is that really the issue?
The problem is with the perspective, not the patient. The solution is inside of the practice experience, not changing the patient.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of patients you should fire. No question. But I can promise you this, if you can’t make money with all types of patients on any level of income, then it doesn’t matter who the patients are (the wealthiest, the smartest, the most health conscious, the most educated, the most appreciative, the nicest). You just haven’t created an experience that makes what you are offering to them more valuable than the money they are going to part with – in their own minds.
And that is where the battle lies…. In the patients’ minds.
You have to go to work on this, not on their wallets. Their minds.
No patient says yes to money before they say yes to treatment. Most practices push money in front of everything they do. Often this is giving in to the “how much does it cost” question too early or worse yet diagnosing on a level of income that you expect or even asking the patient how much they plan to spend.
Let me tell you how much – in all cases – zero.
Unless they are beyond A Patients and are A+ Patients that have already decided on their treatment and goal of their smile. That means someone else has already done the hard part for you. Please don’t screw it up by insulting them thinking they are going to make a money decision instead of a desired outcome, health-based smile decision.
How do you make your patients better… for you and for them? There are many ways…
1. Caring phone call with questions and discovery.
2. Pre-appointment materials that educate and set expectations.
3. Your entire brand and messaging that tells the patient what you are about.
4. What happens when they enter, where they sit, what they do, what they see, etc.
5. Language and dialogue inside of the four walls of the building by each team member involved in the new patient experience.
6. How you illustrate photographs and discuss them.
7. How you diagnosis, when you diagnosis (what you say and how you say it matters).
8. The exact flow and steps of presenting treatment.
9. And of course the inevitable discussion about insurance and money.
10. Then you have follow-up and that is an entirely different situation and requires great control, strategy and consistency.
These are just the major points of engagement for your patients. At each point there is the simple question to ask yourself: are you moving the patient closer to or farther away from your desired outcome for them – total and complete care.
Remember that, if done right, there is no selling. Not in the way you think of it or your team members try to avoid it. If you are providing the patient what they want, you don’t have to sell at all – they will ask for it.
If this isn’t happening or if the patient isn’t wanting the treatment, then you have a problem – not the patient – you.
I can give several examples. Today I will give just one.
One of my good friends, great clients and a top owner operator in the country is hovering around the five-six million mark as a single owner with three-ish doctors (not sure I would consider all of them working a full time schedule but none the less it’s a nice number in front of the six zeros).
His message to all patients ( including on his voicemail, on-hold music, everything), is that we believe, “Every patient deserves the smile they want.”
Those seven words hold power and magic. Deep psychology. That is seduction at its finest of setting expectations in the patient’s mind.
The word ‘every,’ that means you. The word ‘deserves,’ who can argue with someone telling you that you deserve something. The word ‘smile,’ is specific and intentional. How often do you tell patients they deserve the smile they want (not the cavity fixed, not the cleaning, not the insurance crown, the smile)?
You’d be surprised how many patients never thought that they could actually do something with their smile; otherwise they would have already done it.
And then you have the two words that make all the difference: ‘THEY WANT.’
This is empowerment. This is permission. This is personalized, so much so that it totally puts the patient back in control of the decision.
Now, you aren’t selling, because they deserve to have what they want and you are helping them do it. You are the hero, not the bad guy. Big difference.
You think about your language and assess every step of the way from start to finish; phone and website through treatment acceptance and completion on into long term relationships with hygiene patients.
I have been thinking about doing an in-depth look-behind-the-scenes into every tiny little important detail of the actual experience the patient goes through – in their mind. Something you have never been told or taught or shown before. I know everything is done from your perspective; imagine if you had this type of insight with everyone in your practice understanding the psychology the patient goes through at each point of engagement.
If you are seriously interested in a training like this, please let me know.
This week I will just leave you with one sentence that should resonate…
I believe every Dentist deserves the Practice they want!
