The Power of "WHY"

“Don’t tell me to floss!” That was a common comment from patients surveyed in our most recent “Patient Perceptions of Dentistry” national public opinion survey.* That, along with other responses, let us know that you can’t tell patients WHAT to do any more – unless you first tell them WHY!

“So, Mrs. Jones, am I safe in assuming that you want to keep your teeth, have fresh breath, and avoid having unnecessary, avoidable health problems? Would you be interested in a couple of things you CAN do to make that happen?” Leading with an emotionally compelling WHY opens the door to the WHAT. But, until you have identified the WHY that your patients really WANT, no WHAT is going to interest them.

So, make sure to lead with the WHY. Your patients WANT to know. And they will be much more willing to DO when they know…WHY!

For a complimentary copy of the 21 page special report “What Patients Really Want” - the results of that national survey on public perceptions of dentistry, call us at 1-877-399-8677or e-mail your request to Answers@TotalPatientService.com.

What's Your Hook?

While eating in San Diego’s Gas Lamp District recently with two friends who are both in the restaurant industry, the conversation naturally turned to the secrets of success in food service. (Between them, they own over 400 restaurant locations.) “It’s simple,” one of them said. “You have to have a hook.”

A “hook” is something for which you are known, that your customers love, that keeps them coming back for more. Without it, you are just another place to eat. With a hook, you are one of the most talked about places in town. In my one friend’s case, his restaurant’s hook is “all the peanuts and hot bread you can eat served the moment you sit down.” In the other’s case it is “full plate service” at a high-end steak house chain instead of a la cart like most steak houses.

So what’s your “hook?” What are you known for that your patients love that keeps them coming back for more? What do you do that separates you from every other dentist? Without a hook, you’re just another dentist. But with a hook, you are “The Dentist.”