How I Know My Wife Does NOT Have Gum Disease!

If you have had any experience with me in a seminar or any other format, you know about my family. With seven children, there is always a lot to talk about.

This week I was relieved to discover a new way to know that Cheryl, my wife and mother of our 7, does NOT have periodontal disease.

A recent news story on Fox News reported the findings of a scientific study that correlates periodontal disease to fertility problems. The study found that women who have periodontal disease take on average two more months to get pregnant than women who are healthy. With as many trips as we have made to the delivery room, Cheryl must be pretty healthy!

To view the Fox News segment, log onto: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1039185715001/

This most recent finding, along with all the others, keeps pointing to the same thing: What we are doing in dentistry has more to do with overall health than we have thought. If you have been to our ToPS “Total Immersion” course, you will remember how we talk about “4^th Generation” patients. It is very clear to me that dentistry has moved from the 3^rd to the 4^th Generation…treating with the “whole” person in mind, not just their teeth.

Add to that the fact that patients today expect their dentist to address whole health issues, not just teeth issues. Patients get it. Medical research gets it. The media gets it. The profession as a whole needs to get it. “Getting it” means not only changing your mind set, but changing the way you interact with your patients.

One of the greatest steps any dental professional can take is to totally grasp the new paradigm of periodontal disease and its treatment. As mentioned in previous blogs, Dr. Tommy Nabors has spent most of his dental career and his childhood (really!) studying the nature of the disease. He and his team in Nashville have a unique perspective and approach that works. That’s why they are in the top 1% of offices nationwide in periodontal treatment effectiveness.

I begged Tommy to lift the lid on what he is doing and host a limited number of offices on August 26-27 at his practice in Nashville and share their “Secrets of Periodontal Therapy.” It will change the way you look at and treat your patients.

For more information and registration, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail, Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Make it Easy

Here is a simple leadership truth to live by:

Make it easy for people to do what you want them to

do and

hard for them to do what you don’t what them to do.

That simple truth can be applied to just about every area of practice and life and when you abide by it, it will make everything so much easier for you.

The best illustration of this is in setting up the systems in your practice to make it easy for patients to keep their commitments and hard for them to no show or cancel.

Here are just a few examples:

1. Separate the time of payment from the time of service so patients don’t get the “financial flu” on the day of treatment. (Easier to show up on the day of treatment.)

2. Change the message on your appointment card to emphasize their commitment to you and the appointment time instead of “inviting” them to cancel 24 hours in advance. (Easier to keep their commitment. See: “The Best Cancellation Policy.”)

3. And change your after-hours phone message to say: “If you have a dental emergency or a conflict with your scheduled appointment, please call the doctor at 777-7777. This system is not monitored for scheduling changes.” (Hard to cancel an appointment.)

There are many more specific applications in the area of cancellations, but let’s take a look at other areas of the practice where you can make it easier for patients do to what you want them to do and hard to do what you don’t want them to do.

Sometimes it is as simple as making small changes in the way you present things:

1. Instead of giving someone a “chance” to do something, give them a “choice” to do one of two things, either one of which would work just fine for you. For example, instead of saying, “Can you come in on Monday?” Ask would Monday at 10 AM or 2 PM be more convenient for you? Or instead of asking them “if” they want fluoride treatment, ask, “Would you like mint or grape flavored fluoride today?”

2. Make it easy to say “yes” with a clear plan of action. Instead of presenting multiple options with the pros and cons of each that will only give the person too many things to think about and weigh in their mind, you can say instead, “Can I share with you what I would do if this were my mouth that would be the best course of action based on what you said you wanted?”

3. Instead of making a request, ask for a commitment. Instead of the hygienist making a request when doing the homecare demonstration by saying “It is important to brush and floss every day,” the hygienist can ask for a commitment by asking, “Will you bush and floss every day?”

Finally, make it easy for the team to do what they ought to do and hard to do what they shouldn’t do.

1. Instead of having to go through the office rounding everyone up to come to the morning meeting, set an alarm clock for 3 minutes before the start of the meeting in a place that will be heard all over the office. Then everyone knows they have 3 minutes to get to the meeting and you don’t have to hound everyone. Plus, you will start on time.

2. Want the bathrooms in your office to be spotless throughout the day? Create the same chart log that many restaurants and airports use that is signed with the time by the person who cleaned and tidied up the bathroom last and then give a small reward each week to the team member whose name appears the most on the log. (The log does not have to be posted in the bathroom.)

3. Do you want every team member to come to the morning meeting with a more positive attitude with which to start each day? Make the first item on your morning meeting agenda “The best thing that happened in our office yesterday,” and let everyone know that they may be called on to share at any given day. That way, everyone will be thinking of the good things that happened yesterday as they drive to work each day.

If there is anything that you are trying to make work better, patients that you would like to be more cooperative, or a frustration with something or someone, just remember, “Make it easy for people to do what you want them to do and hard for them to do what you don’t what them to do.” It is a simple formula for success.

Make sure to join us for an upcoming special webinar with dozens of ways to make it easier for your patients to say “yes” on Tuesday, April 5 at Noon Central. It is FREE to all Crown Council member offices. For more information and registration, just e-mail us at Answers@TotalPatientService.com.

Why Didn’t My Previous Dentist Tell Me About This?

If you have ever heard that question from a new patient, you have probably wondered about the best response. While it depends on the patient, there are some clear things to do and not do.

Here’s some quick tips…

Any patient who asks this question is coming from one of two places.
1. They are questioning you and whether or not to trust you based on the good relationship they had with their previous dentist.
2. They are surprised and angry at their old dentist.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s say it is situation #1. Trust!

Trust in a “low trust” situation comes from understanding, not just from your clinical expertise. That is the first trap. If you immediately respond by justifying your diagnosis or bad-mouthing the other guy, your credibility immediately goes in the dumpster.

Instead, listen to what the patient has to say and make sure he or she knows you understand. It all starts with the questions you ask in response.

For example:
“It sounds like you are surprised at what you found out today. Tell me about that.”

“This was not the news you were expecting when you came in today. Am I right?”

“Based on what we looked and discussed together, what concerns you the most?”

As they continue to express their concerns, continue reflecting back what you hear.

For example:

“It sounds like you are concerned about all the potential damage that has been done when you had no idea this was going on?”

“So you would have done something about this had you known. Am I right?”

“You are wondering why this is coming to light now when you were just at your other dentist six months ago. Is that it?”

When you feedback what the patient is trying to communicate to the point that they know you understand, the dynamic changes. Until you can both agree that you have identified the real concern, there will be no real progress toward a mutual resolution.

So…before you jump in with your well-explained defense of your clinical background and expertise, lend a listening ear. Make sure you understand the real concern AND make sure the patient knows and feels that you understand him or her. Then and only then do you have the green light to proceed with a possible solution.

Natural Law of Cooperation

Life is full of what I call natural laws. The natural laws of human behavior are similar to natural laws in physics and nature. Gravity for example, is a natural law. What goes up must come down. In life, if you attempt to violate a natural law, there are consequences. You don’t break the natural law. It breaks you. The same applies with natural laws of human behavior.

So here is a critically important natural law of human behavior. It is what I call the Law of Cooperation. It says that someone needs to be the partner with whom that patient can work to get what he or she wants. In other words, someone needs to cooperate with the patient to be on his or her side to help facilitate a solution to whatever the problem or desire might be.

Sounds simple, right? WRONG!

Too often, there are huge barriers that stand in the way of abiding by the Law of Cooperation. Here are just a few:

Obstacles:

• Thinking that it is all about the teeth. It is easy to get trapped into thinking that dentistry is about teeth! No so. What patients want is a solution to their total problems, not just their dental problems.

• Lack of listening: Do you really hear what your patients are saying? Or do you just cut to the chase to go after whatever the diagnosis indicates that the patient “needs?” Remember, we all do what we want to do, but not necessarily what we need to do.

• TELLING instead of ASKING. Telling the patients what we have to offer instead of first asking them what they are looking for only leads to frustration and low acceptance.

The True Test:
If you want to know if you are abiding by the Law of Compensation, just ask yourself, “Am I helping the patient get what he wants, or am I just trying to get him to do what I want him to do.”

Cooperation starts with mutual understanding. If you literally feel like you are sitting on the same side of the table with your patient helping her get what she wants, they you are abiding by the Law of Cooperation.

For the most up-to-date skills to help every team member achieve the highest level of case acceptance, make the “Total Immersion” course by the Total Patient Service Institute part of your 2011 continuing education plan. For dates and locations, go to www.TotalPatientService.com

The Tale of Two Teams

I was in St. Louis, MO this week as well as Springfield, MA speaking at different dental meetings. I was struck by the contrast of two teams that I encountered:

Team #1: The doctor asked me how much the tuition was to attend our two-day Total Immersion course. When I gave him the fee of just a few hundred dollars per person, he was shocked. “That is a lot of money.” (He sounded just like the patients that so many dentists complain about!) I simply responded that it was only a lot of money if there was no implementation. $1 is expensive if you don’t implement.

Team #2: Contrast that with another team that was in the same room; the team of Dr. Michael Hoffman. I have known Michael for over 10 years. He has built one of the top sedation practices in the country. He is known all over the region for his expertise. Patients seek out his practice because he is one of the pre-eminent in his field. What sets Michael apart is his dedication to education, development of his team, investing in his practice, and IMPLEMENTATION. We see every new team member on Michael’s team through our ToPS Total Immersion course as soon as they are hired. He believes in his people and he invests in them. As a result, his practice continues to grow.

So what is the tale of your team? Are you stagnant and in retreat or progressing and developing? Any money you spend on your practice is “expensive” if you have no plan for implementation to get a return. Any investment is well worth it if you plan, implement and take action.

The course you take will determine the tale of your team now and in the future. You decide.

3 Secrets of the WOW! Experience

Everybody knows that the most powerful form of marketing in dentistry is word-of-mouth marketing: People telling people about your practice.

I am frequently asked how one can generate more word-of-mouth marketing or how they can get more referrals from their patients.

How?

With a Wow!

Create such an amazing experience that patients will be compelled to tell everyone they know about you.

Consider these three areas where you can make an every day experience in your office into a WOW experience that people will talk about:

1. Services. The dental treatment you provide and how you provide it. Clinical excellence that starts with dental work that looks good, feels good, and lasts a long time. That is the first step in the dental services you provide. Then consider how you deliver it: Painless injections, a gentle touch, sedation, etc. Do you provide the dental treatment people are looking for and do you deliver it in a way that is comfortable and easy?

2. Amenities. What do you provide your patients beyond what they expect? Relaxing chairs, warm towels, neck pillows, videos, or anything that makes the experience more comfortable. The amenities add an extra personal touch that makes the experience special.

3. Personal treatment. Far more powerful than anything you do to create a WOW! experience is the personal service you provide. It is what we call Total Patient Service. Total Patient Service is focused on meeting patients where they are emotionally, exceeding their expectations and then moving them forward toward life-time care. It is how you interact with the PERSON that will ultimately determine the WOW!

Consider this example that happened this week at one of the offices with which we work: I had personally referred a business acquaintance to this practice. It was close to her home and I knew the team would WOW her. And WOW her they did. Within moments of her departure from the office, I received a text message which said:

“They were awesome and definitely made me feel comfortable! I’ll send my husband and everybody else over there.”

That’s the ticket! If a patient walks out your door and immediately starts thinking of everyone they are going to tell about you, you have scored a WOW! And the referrals and word-of-mouth will come.

So how can you increase the WOW factor in your office?
• Services

• Amenities

• Personal Treatment

They all contribute to the WOW! It is the personal treatment is the multiplier.

Sit down with your team this week and review the three areas of the WOW experience. How can you improve in each area? Simple improvements in each department may yield huge returns in case acceptance, patient retention, and word-of-mouth.

WOW!

Your Market Position

If there is one thing that the last year and a half as taught us in dentistry, it’s that position matters. Where you decide to position your practice in the market can determine the degree of success you experience. Overwhelmingly, those who bought into the “boutique,” high-end, cosmetic practice model have learned by painful experience that the first thing to go when people shift into economic panic mode is elective, cosmetic procedures.

There is no question that things have changed in the market place. The biggest issue we see today is with practices that have a tough position in the market that are waiting for things to come back like they were 3, 4 and 5 years ago. Well, here’s a news flash: it’s not coming back. The demographics of five years ago are not the demographics of today. America is getting older. And as it does, the perceived needs and desires change along with it. The Baby Boom generation which fueled the rapid growth of elective dentistry for the last 15 years has changed as it has aged. It is common sense. What many in dentistry are failing to recognize is that the individuals in the target market have not changed over the last few years, it is just that what the people in that market want is changing. So is your practice changing with it or are you operating like you operated five years ago like nothing has changed?

Here’s an example: in meeting with a marketing team recently that had designed a direct mail campaign for dental practices, the topic of the mailing list came up. “Who are we mailing to?” The response was typical for the target market of the past: 35 to 50 year olds with higher household incomes. But wait a minute. The biggest segment of the population is now hitting 65. Are they no longer good prospects? As America has aged, we have been getting younger as we have gotten older. “50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50, and 70 is the new 60.” We’re are staying active longer, working more years, and wanting to stay younger looking the older we get. While marketing to the 60+ group may not have been an attractive target market 15 years ago, it very well may be THE target market of tomorrow. It’s just one example of how things have changed and we have to shift accordingly.

It is time to adjust, change, refocus, redefine your target market, determine what they really want, and move forward. The good news is that there is a HUGE market for dental services today in all parts of the country. The real question is if you are positioned in the right place for potential patients to find you because you are offering what they are looking for AND if you are approaching your current patients in a way that makes sense to them. Are you giving them what they want, or are you offering them what you hope they will buy?!

The Education / Income Perio Excuse

It is a strange dichotomy in dentistry. Just about any time I ask dentist or hygienist alike, “What percentage of the population has periodontal disease?” the answers always seem to center around a 70 to 80% range. Then I ask, “If 80% or so of the population has periodontal disease, and you are doing a good job of treating the disease, what should the ratio of total healthy mouth cleanings to perio maintenance appointments be?” It would stand to reason that if 80% of the population has periodontal disease, then 80% of what happens in hygiene should be perio treatment related. Right?

But when closer inspection of the numbers reveals something less than 80% or a lot less than 80%, the explanations start flying. “Our patients are different. We just don’t have a lot of patients with periodontal disease. Our town is more educated than most. We practice in a wealthier part of town.”

For quite some time now, I have been looking for the clinical study that proves that there is an inverse relationship between household income or education and periodontal disease. If there is one out there somewhere and you know about it, please let me know because I have not been able to find it.

On the other hand, I have yet to meet a dentist who could tell me of a trial attorney for example who is a patient who did not have periodontal disease. Maybe there is one out there somewhere, but more often than not, they have it. Why? They are educated. They get paid far more than the average person. But they have periodontal disease. They have it because periodontal disease knows no educational or income boundaries. It has more to do with a compromised immune system that it does education or income. A compromised immune system can be fueled by stress. People with a lot of education and income many times have a lot of that because of their occupations and complicated priorities.

So every time I hear the education / income perio excuse, it causes me to start looking deeper for the real cause of the lack of perio treatment in the practice. Is it a lack of diagnosis? How about failure to treatment plan? Or is it really “Approval Addiction?”

Whatever the cause of this type of supervised neglect, it is rampant. Maybe as rampant in some dental offices as periodontal disease itself.

So start taking a closer look at what is really going on in your practice. Are you really treating the disease? Or are your patients victims of supervised neglect because of the “Education / Income Perio Excuse?” The numbers rarely lie. So look at the numbers before you listen to the excuse.

Want more new patients?

If you are looking for more new quality patients, here are two “update” ideas that depend on daily execution to be successful. I call them “update” ideas because they are ideas we have discussed before, but we have some new data that might give you some additional motivation to act or make a greater effort to put them into action. Done correctly on a daily basis, they have the potential to increase new patient flow by 20 to 30%.

Update Idea #1: Ask for another new patient.

As you probably know, we always track the number of potential new patient calls that come into a practice every day. We also track how many of those patients schedule. Our standard goal used to be an 80% success rate until late last year when one of our appointment coordinators changed the game with a 130% success rate. She developed the habit of always asking every new patient who scheduled an appointment who else in the family needed a new dentist that she could schedule today. Roughly 1 out of every 3 new patients responded with another new patient!

Since raising the bar last year, we have had an on-going contest to see who can schedule the most number of new patients out of one phone call. The record to date is held by our own ToPS Practice Advisor, Pam Peterson with a total of 6 new patients from one in-bound call! Another new record was set this week in a slightly different area when Aimee, the business assistant at The Grapevine Dentist scheduled a total of 12 new patients out of 4 new patient, in-bound calls in one day. Congrats Aimee!

So if you are not in the habit of tracking calls and scheduled appointments, start doing it today. Then make sure to ASK each patient who schedules, who else needs to schedule an appointment as well.

Update Idea #2: After hours calls
Again, this is nothing new, but not many offices do it. Done right, it can keep your schedule in tact and increase your new patient flow.

Each day we print out the schedule for the next 5 or so work days. Someone on the team takes home the office after hours cell phone to which all office calls are forwarded. With schedule in hand, the team member is equipped to handle any call that comes in including new patient calls which can be scheduled on the spot. The team member can also personally handle potential cancellations if they call after hours.

The team member responsible also gets $10 for every new patient who schedules after hours and who shows up for their first appointment. Even if it is only 3 or 4 new patients a month that may have otherwise hung up or not left a message, those numbers start adding up over a year’s period of time. Think about it. It could mean 35 to 50 new patients in a year. If your average new patient value is $2,000 for example, that is a potential of $70,000 in production that may or may not have come into the office.

Now those are two very simple, easy to implement ideas that could have a combined result of over $100,000 or more result in a year!

Now that’s something to seriously consider!

The Law of 3

How many times have your felt that your patients just are not telling the truth when you hear things like:

“I can’t afford it.”

“I’m too busy.”

“That’s more than I was expecting.”

“I’ll do it next year.”

Whatever the “excuse”, it is rarely the real reason. Most patients, and most people including ourselves, are like a delicious, moist chocolate cake. Upon first inquiry, we will give the “frosting” answer which is the socially acceptable, easy escape route response. But rarely is this response the whole truth. Dig a little deeper and you might get a little more of the truth on the surface of the cake. But by the third inquiry in a different way, you’ll usually hit the tender, moist middle of the “cake” where the truth resides.

It is what I call the Law of 3. It usually take three inquiries (stated in different ways) before you get the real truth. For example, the patient might say:

“I can’t afford that.”

You ask: “You can’t afford it?”

Patient: “It is just more than I was expecting.”

You ask: “It sounds like you’re surprised by some information you were not expecting. Am I right?”

Patient: “Exactly. I thought I was just fine especially since I just went to my previous dentist under a year ago. I am shocked no one has told me this before.”

You ask: “I understand especially knowing how important your health is to you like you said. So based on what you have seen today, what do you want to do.”

Patient: “I need to get started. I’ll just have to figure out a way to make it work.”

Now, it may not go exactly like that because every patient is different, but the point is that the truth rarely comes out at first. It takes patience, empathy and persistence. Hang with them and you eventually hear the truth whether it is after the 3^rd inquiry or beyond.

The Law of 3 has numerous other applications. Here’s two more:

1. Patients don’t really “hear” you until the third repetition. The hygienist expresses concern over something she sees. That’s once. The hygienist expresses the same concern to the doctor when he or she comes into the room. That’s twice. The doctor reinforces the concern by talking to the patient about it in more detail. That’s three. By the time the doctor gets to the third expression, the patient will finally wake up and pay attention! (I know. I am that patient!)

2. Patients may not accept until the third opportunity. Give them a first opportunity to accept and they will :”think about it.” Give them a second opportunity to consider it and they will consider it. Give them a third opportunity and they will accept! Those three opportunities might be in the same visit or subsequent visits. You don’t have to be pushy or overly aggressive when you know that the Law of 3 is always at work. Just hang in there.

So give your patients a second and third chance in every area. Don’t give up on them so fast! They’ll get with the program if you will just stay with the program! Remember the Law of 3. You’ll usually get the truth, understanding, and acceptance by the third time around!

The Law of Enthusiasm

One of the most important natural laws of case acceptance states: “People don’t buy initially because they are enthusiastic about the service, but because you are.” Enthusiasm is contagious. Let me illustrate with an example from a most unlikely place.

No one is thrilled about jury duty. In fact, since it is the law, most enter the courthouse with a feeling of being there under duress. While looking around the courtroom this week anticipating the rapid completion of my civic duty, it was clear that most everyone who had been summoned for jury duty that day had other things on their mind. Then something magical happened that changed the attitude in the entire room.

When the court administrator walked in, no one expected much except to be told what to do. But when she stepped to the front of the room, her approach was different than expected. She stated her name, who she was, and welcomed everyone for the day. Then she gave us some background: degree in law, husband had cancer, she needed a job with better benefits and was fortunate to be hired as the court administrator. “Our family is so grateful for this position. It has made a big difference in our lives.” (A surprising, open and personal confession in an otherwise “sterile” environment.”) She continued with an explanation of why this was one of the best jurisdictions in the state of Texas and why that would make a difference to us during the day. Then she concluded by saying how much she loved the law, her job, and what she got to do each day. “Our system of law is one of the characteristics that makes our country great. Thank you for your service and for upholding and supporting The Constitution of the United States of America.”

By the time she got done, everyone felt like standing up and singing “God Bless America.” Attitudes were transformed and perspectives were changed all because of one woman…who loved her job.

Similarly, the attitude and enthusiasm of any doctor or team member can change the attitude and outlook of any patient. It happens every day in offices with enthusiastic team members. In most cases, patients do not tend to walk in the door overly enthusiastic about their dental visit. But brought under the influence of an enthusiastic team, their attitude changes and they adopt the same enthusiasm. Remember, the natural law states: “People don’t buy initially because they are enthusiastic about the service, but because you are.”

Take a moment this week to inventory your own enthusiasm. How contagious is it? One way to measure it is by the response of your patients. If they are not enthusiastic when they leave, maybe it is because you’re not!

“People don’t buy initially because they are enthusiastic about the service, but because you are.” Take your enthusiasm up a few notches this week. It will do wonders for your own attitude and the attitude of your patients. After all, if it can be done at the courthouse, it can be done anywhere!

Make it easy for patients to say "Yes"

Several years ago, Cheryl and I were looking to upgrade the “sorority house.” (With six daughters and a great wife, that is what I call our home!)

During the process, we ran into an exceptional salesman who was hosting an open house in a new development we were considering. Cheryl’s first impression of the house was positive so we went in. Within moments, she was taken with the floor plan, design, and décor. Then she started asking “buying questions” like these:

"Do you have a plan that includes an additional buffet in the kitchen?"

"I would prefer the front stairway to be hardwood instead of carpet. Do you have that?"

"The bay windows are beautiful. Can we have those all across the family room in the back?"

As I listened to his responses, I realized that he never once told her "NO" or that she could not have what she wanted even when she couldn’t. If there was something that was not available or a request he could not accommodate, he simply responded by giving her options of what WAS available. By never telling her “no” he gave her lots of opportunities to say “yes.”

He was a real pro. Not slick, just accommodating and very engaging. I really started enjoying watching him operate. It was almost like a tennis match. Cheryl would pitch him a question to which he would respond with alternatives from which to choose.

“Can I get the cupboards in boysenberry blue?” If they did not have that color, he responded, “Cheryl, we have several blues from which to choose. Do you think you would prefer Ocean Pacific or Deep Sea Blue better?” He always gave her something to which she could say “yes!”

After his spectacular performance, I complimented him on his communication skills and professionalism. Then I asked him where he learned to do that. “I am a former 6th grade school teacher,” he said. He told us that he learned early on with 12 year-olds that it was easier to give them lots of opportunities to say “yes” instead of telling them “no.”

There are many opportunities in the dental office where the immediate answer may not be “yes.” But with some creativity and quick thinking, you can always give the patient some options to choose from to which they can say “yes.” Here are some examples:

Patient: “Can you send me a bill?”

Team member: “We have several payment options available Mrs. Jones. Would it be easier for you to leave us with a credit card number or would you be interested in our third party payment program?”

Patient: “Are you open Saturday?”

Team member: It sounds like you have a busy schedule. In addition to Saturdays, what other times during the week to you have that might be a possibility so I can explore all the options?”

Every day there are temptations to say “no.” When those come up, give patients options to which they can say “yes.” Give them lots of choices and you’ll start hearing “yes” more often.

Looking for new patients?

Here is one of the most overlooked new patient opportunities that costs nothing and is just sitting there. Here are the exact things you need to do:

1. Track on a daily basis the number of potential new patient calls that come into your office each day. Anyone who answers the phone in your office just keeps a tally of how many calls they answer from anyone who makes and inquiry about the practice.

2. Track how many new patient appointments are scheduled each day. These two numbers should be recorded daily so that the team can see how successful they are at converting “inquiries” into scheduled patients.

In the past, we always thought that if we could convert about 80% of the prospective patients, we were doing OK. After all, you are not everyone’s dentist and you won’t be a good fit for everyone.

That 80% target changed not too long ago, thanks to a very perceptive team member who understands that the purpose of the practice is to always be creating happy, paying patients.

In looking at the statistics of one particular office at the end of a month, I noticed that the calls to scheduled new patients ratio was over 130%. I thought there was a mistake and that the two lines had been switched. Upon further investigation, I discovered that everything was totally correct. Not only was the new patient being scheduled, but each one was being asked, “Who else do we need to get scheduled today who needs to come in and see us?” or something similar. In other words, JUST ASK! If a new patient is calling your office, chances are that someone else in their life needs a dentist as well. So, just ASK who that person is.

So, the next step is:
3. Ask every new patient after he or she schedules a new patient appointment, “Who else do we need to get scheduled today?”

While we used to just shoot for 80% in the past, today we compete to see how many new patients can be scheduled in one call! The record so far…7! 7 new patients scheduled from one phone call. Just because someone asked!

It is a simple idea. But a very powerful and profitable idea to leverage your marketing dollar.