Imagine this.

Your current patient is in the chair. You’ve just discovered they need some major work.

You know it’s in their best interests to accept the treatment. But it’s expensive.

You’ve got to present the case to them in the best way possible.

In a way that they understand. So they can weigh up the risks, and the costs, and come to the right decision.

But it’s hard because what people really hear is the bottom line.

The price.

They want to look after their teeth, but they often balk at the cost of treatment.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re operating a high-end cosmetic practice, a specialist practice or a “garden variety” general practice. To stay in business, you need patients to accept treatment.

But how do you do that?

Psychological Hacks

There is a key psychological shortcut that all of us use in the decision-making process. If you employ it correctly, it will drastically increase case acceptance rates.

Regardless of the treatment offered.

I first stumbled across this technique by accident and didn’t know why it worked so well.

I’d provide different treatment options in different orders and got very different levels of case acceptance. I was puzzled but figured out that if I presented “the Fully Monty” treatment plan, patients were shocked.

When I then presented a toned down treatment plan, they seemed to relax into it and accept treatment more readily. This happened time and again and I didn’t know why.

Then I came across Dr Robert Cialdini who provided the psychological explanation for my success. It’s the principle of contrast.

Basically, human perception amplifies the difference between two options when presented one after the other.

According to Cialdini, “if the second item is fairly different from the first, we will tend to see it as more different than it actually is”.

So if you present two treatment plans, the patient automatically highlights the difference between the two plans. We’re all hardwired in this way.

I’m not saying this is the only way to present cases to patients. It is simply another skill to have in your toolkit, to provide you with options.

Mutual Diagnosis

For this example, let’s assume you have a middle-aged patient who grew up in the pre-fluoride era and has very heavily restored posterior teeth.

When I do an examination I don’t like to “tell” what needs to be done. I prefer to let the patient discover what needs to be done at the same time I do.

I use two primary tools; the concept of mutual diagnosis and an intra-oral camera.

This way the patient can see for himself that he has big, ugly amalgam restorations and there is only limited tooth structure remaining.

I sit the patient up and show them the photos. I ask them to tell me what they see.

I want them to say what they see because they “own” these words.

(This invokes another of Cialdini’s principles called Commitment and Consistency…more on that another time).

My DA will record this….this step is very important.

I then run through what other things are visible on the photos. Things such as wear facets, cracks, non-carious cervical lesions and so on.

I want the patient to understand that these posterior teeth are indeed heavily restored.

Using the combination of the camera and mutual discovery technique, the patient soon understands that it’s feasible that all molar and premolar teeth could need to be crowned.

Presenting Options

I then tell them that (in this example at least) they could quite feasibly have 16 crowns and at $1,500 each that’s $24,000.

Typically the patient will recoil and say something like, “I know I need to fix my teeth Doc, but I just can’t afford that”.

At that point I’ll say to the patient, “Mr Smith, in an ideal world we’d crown those 16 teeth. But in this instance, we can probably get away with just crowning the molar teeth and monitoring the premolar teeth.” Now we’ve suggested 8 crowns at $1,500 making $12,000.

The patient is usually not ecstatic at the thought of paying $12,000 but is far more accepting of that figure than the first.

To move things along a little further, I might ask our practice manager to go through some of our payment plans including a 5% discount for paying all of the treatment up front.

Suddenly with a $600 discount the treatment is now down to $11,400 and you’d be surprised how many patients will proceed with this

Best Interests

Yes, crowning everything in this scenario would be a Rolls Royce treatment plan.

But by crowning the molars they still have a Mercedes Benz plan that will do the job well. Without the contrast principle, the patient may not have got the Mercedes Benz treatment they really needed.

They may have ended up with the Datsun 180B which would not have served them at all.

This is just one example of the contrast principle. In this scenario, it’s not important whether or not you agree that the patient needed any given amount crowns.

It’s just the principle I’m trying to highlight. You can this technique in many different ways.

You can use it to down sell from a crown to an inlay, from 8 veneers to 6, from porcelain veneers to composite veneers.

If you can grasp the principle and apply your own standard of care to it, you can use it for promoting whatever treatment you feel is in the best interest of the patient.

Counter Intuitive

This approach to case acceptance may seem a little counter-intuitive, but it works.

My clients have had phenomenal success with it.

By employing these methods, their case acceptance has gone through the roof and so has their production.

Patients received great dentistry that they were happy to have.

And their practice blossomed as these patients told family and friends about how well they’d been cared for.

It’s a win-win situation for both you and your patients.

Happy patients who receive the best care, and a booming practice.

You’d like those results, wouldn’t you?

Is that a dirty word?

Not that long ago being an entrepreneur in the dental practice world was taboo and not regarded very highly.

“Dentalpreneur” was considered a dirty word.

Entrepreneurs were mavericks. Unconventional. Rebels, even, and often perceived as unprofessional.

I once overheard two dentists talking. One of them referred to another dentist as an “entrepreneur”.

They two dentists clearly didn’t see this as good thing. They even considered it unethical to a degree.

Why?

They believed that the entrepreneurial dentist wasn’t focused on the health of the patients.

In the old economy, that is before the GFC, dental businesses ran on the sheer fact that there were more patients than dentists … and dentists got lazy.

This was a problem.

But the bigger problem was that they never really learned how to run a business.

There were surplus patients so dentists could wallpaper over the cracks in their business.

They could hide the flaws in their dental management practices, systems and processes and even their dental marketing strategies.

Secrets of Dentalpreneurs

After the GFC, the market became tighter. Some dentists realised there were not enough patients to go around. And that’s when dentists realised they really needed to hone their business skills.

While entrepreneurialism was a dirty word, “dentalpreneurs” were adapting, changing their ways and doing things differently.

The shocking truth is that dentalpreneurs ran businesses that flourished.

An entrepreneur is not a cowboy. They may be unconventional, but more importantly – they’re successful.

Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are entrepreneurs. So is Sir Richard Branson, so is Gina Rinehart and James Packer.

Love them or hate them, they’re incredibly successful, savvy, business people.

Being an “entrepreneur” is a great thing, and we should embrace being a “dentalpreneur”.

Dentalpreneurs are visionary. They lead a team, seek to deliver wow customer service, and multiple moments of connection.

They run their own race, create value, and they build a profitable and successful business.

They want to create a dental practice that outlasts them and becomes their legacy.

So if technically that’s what an entrepreneur is, what’s so bad about it?

Great Dentistry Doesn’t Equal Success

It’s all very well to be a great dentist, but in today’s world it’s not enough.

We must adapt and embrace opportunities to grow and combine the best of what it means to be a health professional.

So what is a dentalpreneur? 

  • A resilient, forward-thinking professional.
  • Someone who is approaching the future with confidence.
  • A dentist who adapts as the market conditions change.
  • A professional who has creative and innovative dental practice management and systems.
  • A person who thinks outside the square.

In short, a dentalpreneur embraces the very best of what it means to be a health professional as well as the best in entrepreneurial thinking.

Step Into The Limelight

Now more than ever dentists should be proud of being dentalpreneurs.

Wear this title as a badge of honour.

Be one of the leaders of our profession.

Step up, and step into your role as a successful, strategic, professional dentist.

Because the world needs you.

Now.

The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day
find out why” – Mark Twain

“Finding your why” has been a popular catchcry since 2009 when best-selling author Simon Sinek coined the message: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it” in his book Start With Why.

Companies like Zappos, Lego, Apple and Virgin truly inspire. Businesses like these create movements, they are different and they change things.

Your “why” is about having vision not only for your business, team and patients – but also your community and industry.

You may not know it but as a leader you will already have a set of values you aspire to each and every day. Just say they are honesty, integrity and credibility. Every day you decide whether they come into play. You decide whether you will be truthful in your decision-making process and to yourself, whether you do the right thing by yourself and others, and whether you do it with the best intentions. That’s it, it’s that simple.

But some dentists I speak with about values, purpose, “why” and vision think it’s all a bit “woo woo” and it doesn’t equate to their bottom line.

However, purpose-driven businesses are not only more profitable but they are also more fulfilling to those in them.

You see, when you communicate your “why” (that is your purpose and why you do what you do), you will attract others who believe the same thing – including staff and patients.

If these people already believe in you, what you do and why you do it, they are already converted. If you hire by your values, you will get a team who is also dedicated to your business and cause.

And all of this means more ideal patients (the people who trust what you say, pay their bills on time and sing your praises to anyone who will listen) and a happier more productive team.

This is where you’ll see a boost in your bottom line.

So what is it about companies like Apple and Zappos that sets them apart? Let’s take a look.

Zappos

CEO Tony Hsieh is one of the most inspiring people in the world of business. Using the company’s values, Zappos became a thriving international online shoe store and in 10 years it grew from very few sales to more than $US1 billion in annual revenue. The company says it was driven primarily by repeat customers and word of mouth, but core values also played an integral part in its growth.

Zappos is known for its amazing customer service and their core value is to deliver happiness. They are not in the business of delivering shoes, but in the business of making people happy.

Apple

Those who have used Apple products say they will only ever use Apple products. The Apple “alliance” makes up millions of people around the world who share the same views on the successful company and revolutionary products. Of course, Apple products are so easy to use that an 18-month-old or a senior citizen can navigate them easily. But there is something else that ties these people together. It’s the belief that when you buy an Apple product you are buying a way of thinking and an experience. This is what binds the alliance together.

The company’s vision is to “think differently” and always challenge the status quo; that people with passion can change the world. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.

So what is your vision for your dental practice and how can you integrate your values into all that you do, including dental practice management and systems, and your dental marketing strategy?

To be a dentist is to be in a noble profession. But the market is, in effect, shrinking because more and more dentists are entering the marketplace.

Still, I believe there has never been a better time to build a remarkable dental practice – despite the market turmoil.

However, if you’re going to build a remarkable business, you need to create an uncontested marketplace and a virtual monopoly. That’s along with savvy dental practice management, dental practice systems that work, a simple and effective dental marketing strategy and business coaching.

Making your competition irrelevant is simply about standing out, attracting your ideal clients and creating multiple moments of connection with your patients.

It is about running your own race and making sure you’re not beige. It might have been great for Richie Benaud (the beige jacket was his was of standing out compared to the other commentators) but not for a dental practice.

This is what I have done to grow my dental practices and those of my clients. Let’s step outside the square and take a look at a business thinking differently. Cirque De Soleil.

The story with Cirque De Soleil is that a clever entrepreneur saw a gap in the market between the theatre and the circus…those who went to the theatre wouldn’t go to the circus and vice versa.

Enter Cirque De Soleil. It was expensive compared to the traditional circus. It doesn’t use star performers but instead places a huge emphasis on the actual “performance” as a story.

Unlike traditional circus they don’t use animals. The traditional circus used hay bales for people to sit and had a dirt floor. Cirque De Soleil feels like a theatre. It’s an experience. 

What happened? The circus as people knew it was flipped on its head because someone dared to think differently. And that’s what we need to do.

You need to decide to be a dental practice that innovates not imitates.

4 Ways To Blitz The Competition:

1. Identify A Void

This isn’t about reinventing the wheel, rather it is taking a look at your target market and finding a gap and filling it. Take a leaf out of Cirque De Soleil’s book and simply start with your dental practice management, systems and marketing plan.

2. Don’t Compete On Price

When you complete on price it can turn into a race to the bottom and that’s a race you do not want to win. Ever. This is the first rule from a dental business coaching perspective. If you don’t want to compete on price, you’re going to have to be the best. And create a brand that reflects it.

3. Create A Customer-Focused Practice

Develop a one-of-a-kind dental practice where customers feel appreciated, are rewarded for giving feedback and feel valued the second they walk in the door. Create a Disney experience every time in your dental practice from the management to the marketing to the systems.

4. Establish A Point Of Difference

Your point of difference is about creating multiple moments of connection because connection is the glue that will hold your dental business together.

 

Dear Netflix

I have some bad news. We have to break up. It’s not you, it’s … actually, it is you. This wasn’t an easy decision considering we’re still in the honeymoon period, but we categorically need to break up and while I really would love to say “It’s not you, it’s me” it’s totally you.

You see, ever since we started our whirlwind romance, something crazy has happened. I’ve stopped being productive! I know, I don’t how this could have happened either because you’ve been so good to me.

I have loved our time lounging on the couch together, watching Orange is the New Black, eating popcorn and all the new things you’ve taught me … remember the time we were watching House of Cards how shocked we were when Frank pushed Zoe in front of an oncoming train? Or that time when we rolled around on the floor laughing during The Hangover.

But I have to be strong. I’ve tried to break it off with you before but your accounts department “accidentally” gave me an extra free month. I know it was just your way of trying to keep me from leaving and I don’t l blame you. We are great together.

But you’ve been playing mind games and I can’t take it any more. Coercing me into watching just one more episode…and before I know it it’s 3am on a Tuesday morning.  You are a bad influence.

I know you love me but I just can’t do it any more. I’m tired, OK.

To be honest, lots of my friends warned me about you. They told me I’d fall hard and become addicted. But did I listen? No, I went ahead and fell in love with everything you had to offer, especially when you let me use my phone as the remote, let me watch Mad Max: Fury Road and notified me of new content I would like. Your presence is just too powerful and I am simply no match for your charms.

This time it’s for real. It has to be forever – well, at least the foreseeable future. (Maybe we can have a summer fling? My wife would probably be up for that too).

Anyway, I digress. See, you’re always trying to get me to stay. Let’s just cool it, hey?

So that’s it. We’re done. It’s over. I’ll pack your things and have you gone by 5pm tomorrow. I want to give you some time to get used to the idea – and it’s right after that last episode of Orange is the New Black.

Thank you for a fulfilling relationship.

Jesse