Do you every feel like the days just fly by and pretty soon the scheduled day is done and everyone is gone and you look back at 8, 10, 12 hours and wonder “what happened” or where did it all go or why didn’t it add up…we sure seemed busy!?
It’s one of those things, if you don’t prepare for the day in advance, have a plan going into it, and a system for managing what comes up and adjust accordingly, your days end quickly your weeks move fast and your month comes to a close.
Here we are nearly half way through the first month of 2015…
I began a new Program for my clients this year call the Proactive Production Planning Meeting, where we take more responsibility over a Patient’s success, compliance, completion, and acceptance of your suggested treatment. Most Practices are “too busy” to pay attention to OUTCOMES where the real dollars and the real success for your patients adds up.
I always say, when you do what’s best for your patients it will also be what’s best for you and your practice and your profits.
If you resonate with any of this I suggest you take advantage of my “Happy New Year to You” complimentary copy of my newest Book, Practice Prosperity Package and Profit Blueprint Strategy Consultation… www.DentalPracticeShift.com
You know that saying, “the definition of insanity, doing the same thing expecting different results…” CRAZY! You can test drive my thoughts and strategies without risk, why not, it’s the new year and if you’re smart, you’re always working on doing better.
Here’s this week’s Monday Huddle and the continuation of our Series.
Patient Service Series #2…
The Magical 24 Hours
I talk a lot about Trust and have before, probably, given you the top 5 ways to create trust. Today I will talk about Your Team and how to build rapport with your Patients and make their 24 hours before, during, and after their appointment special.
There are 5 tactical things you can and should do in the 24 hours revolving around a Patient Visit and I don’t care if you have 1 new patient a day or 10 or 20 new patients a day. If you do these things you can afford as a wise investment in the human power to be able to make it happen.
1st – the Day before pre-appointment phone call, NOT reminder Call, but actual dialogue, welcoming, exciting anticipation of their visit, to relax and make them comfortable…greet them before they walk through the door.
2nd – the obvious, shaking their hand, looking them in the eyes, standing next to them personal greeting when they arrive…covered last week was “never leave the patient alone”
3rd – introducing people the Patient Meets, treating them like a Star and VIP by formally introducing your Team Members, not only does this builds up the Team Member it also makes the Patient more comfortable.
4th – Checkout “thanks for coming – great to see you” gift…in every place in life you get a gift when you leave, a Party Favor, a Wedding Farewell, a Graduation Gift, a parting shot to say we’re glad this happened, most of you (unless you are already my client) are not doing a post-visit letter, gift, or acknowledgement, so this is the next easiest thing to do and you should do both…
It can be a simple piece of “healthy candy” or a small gift from a dollar store or something more meaningful, it could be a bookmark, or a saying of the month…it doesn’t have to be the same and it doesn’t have to be junk, just something to send them on their way as a pick-me-up.
Look, you don’t have to like what I say, it doesn’t mean that it won’t make your patients happier, here’s a thought: throw your opinion out the window, what matters is the PATIENTS’ Opinion and you want to help keep their mind positive and memory of you a happy place. This is after all the last thing they will remember.
One of my ‘favorite’ clients and good friends has a Teddy Bear as the mascot of their practice, they could put the Bear in 12 different places and take pictures and create postcards with the Dentists favorite sayings or healthy tips or MOTIVATIONAL positivity quotes on them and every month give every patient one of these, that’s personality based, not cookie cutter, and means something.
So what if they throw it away, at least they read it, and at least the last thing they do before they leave isn’t give you money, schedule an appointment, or think about anything else.
5th – finally…the day after, especially if it’s a new patients, just give them a phone call, and THANK THEM again, personally, if you are a smaller practice the DENTIST SHOULD DO THIS, and for sure after days of the Treatment being completed or some more invasive procedure for sure, just tell them how you feel and make it personal. These have so much impact…and most people won’t answer so you just leave a message your are done in 3-5 minutes if you have 2-3 new patients a day, if you have more than that then have your New Patient Concierge or Treatment Coordinate do the follow-up 1st Visit calls, then You can do your calls after they have completed treatment.
Talk through these 5 ideas with the Team Members you can involve in this process, but, even though we are talking about 24 hours of the Patient Visit, this is a cultural feeling inside of your Practice that will drive referrals and production, there are no two things disconnected from each other.
If the patients feel happy…they will tell others, bring their family, accept treatment in larger amounts and for higher dollars and otherwise be the lifeblood of your practice.
“How do you build and grow a practice” the struggling Dentist asked, “ONE VISIT at a time, every-time, every-day”… install a protocol and expectation and create a culture of making magic happen and wowing your patients with service they would never expect, go above and beyond and realize the POWER and OPPORTUNITY of using the 24 hours before, during, and after their visit.
Reminder, go here now, today, get this complimentary New Year Practice Success Package, why would you not…there is no reason if you are ambitions and success minded you are constantly on a journey of discovery for that “one” thing that will make all the different, the best always want to get better. I’d like to help you in 2015, beginning with this – www.DentalPracticeShift.com
