The Dental MeTaMorphosis - The Profitable Dentist

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10 #2 Your practice doesn’t offer what they want. They’ve heard about Invisalign®, lasers, one-day restorations with CEREC® machines, or they saw ZOOM!® whitening on Extreme Makeover® – the problem is that you don’t offer these things. So they go somewhere else to get it. #3 They don’t know what you do. You may have done 600 hours of cosmetic C.E. with the top clinicians in the country. Perhaps you offer I.V. sedation and place implants. But this doesn’t make a difference unless they know that you do. Don’t assume that you or your staff have mentioned it or that they know because you have brochures available in the waiting room. The reality is that patients spend most of their time in your office looking at the ceiling. So unless it’s written up there, they most likely don’t know about it. More importantly, telling people what you can do for them once is not effective. Most patients are only listening if it’s something that matters to them right at that moment. Effective practice marketing means repeatedly telling your patients in a variety of ways about the services your practice offers and the benefits of those services. I’ve heard dentists mention having a long-time patient show up for a recare appointment with a full set of veneers. When asked why they went elsewhere for the procedure, the story is always the same: They saw an ad for a great “cosmetic” dentist. When the dentist explains that he also does veneers, the patient says, “Oh, but cosmetics is the other dentist’s specialty!” Now their “general” dentist gets to do prophys on that smile for the next 20 years. Communicate what you do to your patients repeatedly – this is your greatest resource for increased production. #4 They haven’t budgeted for dentistry, so anything more than zero is “expensive.” One of the most common complaints we hear from consumers is about fees for dental care. They’ll say, “He charged me $1,000 for a root canal!” And we’ll calmly answer that this is a reasonable fee. Let’s face it, most people don’t understand what dentistry costs because it hasn’t been fully explained to them. In fact, cost is one of the main reasons why people avoid the dentist in the first place. They think it’s expensive (and insurance doesn’t pay for it, they lament!) and all they’re paying for is discomfort. Many believe that six-month recall is a myth created by the ADA. The truth is, in order to bring patients into comprehensive care, they have to appreciate the value of what you do. This means your staff, office environment, technology and you as the doctor have to communicate to the patient why they should value the care you provide. Remember, 80% of what you do in dentistry is elective. And people spend their discretionary income on things that they want, not things that they need. So it’s up to you and your staff to demonstrate how what you have to offer can improve their quality of life, build their confidence and enhance their looks – you’re not just providing scheduled maintenance. #5 Their insurance changed, and you don’t take it. There’s not much you can do about that, right? At 1-800-DENTIST, we ask consumers if they are willing to go out of their plan for the right dentist, and often they will. People want good dentistry, not necessarily the cheapest. For those patients who are contemplating leaving because of an insurance plan change, let them know you would still like to treat them even though they’re on a closed plan. Hopefully they will find value in the relationship and some will stay. Others will come back when they don’t like the care they’ve gotten somewhere else. #6 They are embarrassed about how long they’ve put off their recall. This may seem strange, but people feel uncomfortable about being chided for neglecting their exams and cleanings. Some people would rather go to an entirely new dentist rather than face a dentist they’ve avoided for a long time. Don’t make your patients feel guilty. Let them know you’re there to treat them when they are ready, and ask how you can make it more convenient for them. #7 They don’t think you care. Many patients think you don’t care about them personally. It’s very easy for you to get caught up in the clinical side of things and very often your staff is multi-tasking and doesn’t pay proper attention to the patient. But it only takes a moment to let your patient know that you understand their fear and their discomfort – and suddenly they feel cared for. They don’t expect dentistry to feel good, which is all the more reason to take the time to acknowledge what they’re going through. Otherwise you’re just telling them that all they represent is income to you. And no one likes feeling that way. Successful practices make their highest priority ensuring their patients know they care. This can often take as little as a minute of your time, or your staff’s time, asking about their kids, telling a joke or sharing a story. My dentist was doing a rather long and unpleasant crown restoration on me and right in the middle he stopped and said, “Why don’t we let your mouth calm down a little bit since we’ve been doing a lot of work here? So, what’s new?” After two minutes of talking, he resumed and completed the treatment. Instantly, he showed how much he cared about my comfort. With a little effort, it can take only a few minutes to turn someone into a long-term, loyal patient. The simple solution most often is communication, the kind of interaction that shows patients that they are in a relationship with you about their lifelong oral health. Show them you care, relate to them, equip your office with the latest technology and for goodness sake, tell them what you do. Getting new patients is tough enough. It’s worth the effort to keep them. Fred Joyal co-founded 1-800-DENTIST® in 1986 to provide screened patients to member dentists while emphasizing the importance of oral health to millions of consumers through national commercials, which feature him as the spokesperson. Their internal marketing program, Patient Activator, also helps educate patients, improving recall and treatment acceptance for member dentists. He can be reached at fjoyal@1800dentist.com or (310) 215-6400. S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 www.TheProfitableDentist.com
Learn Jay Geier’s Practice Building Strategy That Has Changed the Lives and Practices of 2,322 Dentists Across the Country! “Jay has a unique approach to new patient generation and practice expansion that is truly amazing. I am so impressed with Jay’s results that I have hired him to work with my MEGA coaching group & my Excellence in Dentistry team.” - Dr. Woody Oakes, Editor-In-Chief of The Profitable Dentist “Jay, I want to relay to you the incredible influence you’ve had on our office. It has been a practice-altering experience! In the last year, our New Patients have increased 145%. Our practice growth has been incredible as well. This is a remarkable statistic as I have been in private practice in the same location for 25 years and we have always been busy and successful.” - Dr. Edward G. Johnson, NJ “When we started with the Scheduling Institute we were averaging 198 new patients a month with a conversion rate of 64%. In the last three months we have averaged 358 new patients a month with a 91% conversion rate.” - Dr. Michael Abernathy, Texas “From our first month back in April, we have been up anywhere from 60 to 75% each month in our new patient volume compared to the previous year. That was just incredible for me and that also meant a great return on investment because our practice also jumped about 20 to 25% over the last six months. And so we’re just thrilled.” - Dr. Ron Senn, WA “The doctor who sold me on Jay and the Scheduling Institute had just seen his new patients increase from 200 per month to over 350 per month in just 30 days. I was blown away! Since then, we introduce Jay’s program into every office we service!” - Greg Stanley, Whitehall Management “The $12,000 a month we were spending on advertising was performing less and less. We made the bold decision to discontinue our paid advertising at the same time we started working with Jay. BINGO! In the first month our office saw an immediate jump from 175 to 250 new patient appointments. Jay’s wisdom and ‘keep it simple’ strategies are refreshing and can be implemented economically and immediately.” - Dr. Roger W. Abbott, Georgia “Working with the Scheduling Institute has actually been a mini miracle in my life. My new patients have increased effortlessly 30%. I was averaging 35 to 40 new patients a month and now I see about 65 or 70 new patients a month.” - Dr. Larry Kaplan, New Jersey v Ready to Enroll in Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute Today? Call 770-518-7575 for Express Enrollment—Guaranteed 5 Minutes or Less! v Want More Information? Jay Will Send You a FREE Custom Analysis of Your Staff 1. Call 770-518-7575 2. Visit www.JayTeachMyStaff.com, OR 3. Copy this page, complete the form below, and fax it to 770-518-7577. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Your Name Email Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address *The information we will be sending you is confidential and should only be reviewed by you, the dentist. Therefore, we ask that the mailing address you provide is an address where you are the ONLY one who opens the mail. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Office Phone Fax For Express Enrollment—Guaranteed 5 Minutes or Less—Call 770-518-7575 1 - 8 0 0 - 3 3 7 - 8 4 6 7 2 0 0 8 S P R I N G 11
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The Dental MeTaMorphosis - The Profitable Dentist

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