Get 40 Ideas In 40 Days…#2-5

If you remember, I sent you a message on my 40th birthday
(Saturday, Apr 19). In it I proclaimed that I would share
with you 40 great ideas for your practice in 40 days, as a
way to celebrate my 40th birthday with you. Also, I started
by giving you Idea #1: "Do The Opposite". Today I'll give
you Ideas #2 through #5, since today is Wednesday. Then I'll
continue at a clip of about 2 messages per week, each containing
the proper number of New Ideas in succession. Cool, huh?

[NOTE: Please do me a favor and FORWARD this message to your
dentist colleagues, with this link for them to sign up for future
messages from me: www.DentalInsiders.com. If they have a pulse
they'll immediately recognize the value in this message...and
they'll want to be in on the rest. Thanks!]

Idea #2 (Apr 20): Be SPECIFIC. This one's HUGE, and I myself got a lesson in this very idea yesterday. Remember the "40th Birthday" message you got last? Well, I asked my virtual assistant to send the message to my entire list. That may not seem to be a problem, BUT...I didn't specify that I meant my entire list of DENTISTS!

You see, recently I had my PATIENT list uploaded into my CRM
(client relationship management) software, so I can use it to
send them messages like I send you messages. I'm sure you can
guess what happened. That "40th Birthday" message was also sent
to ALL of my PATIENTS. OOPS! All because I wasn't specific.

At first I was worried that some of my patients might be a little
disturbed to see this type of a message, especially since it
contained content about "tactics and strategies" and "building
your practice". But the feedback from the few that commented
about it was actually GOOD!

Aside from a little ribbing I got from a patient who also owns
a successful business (he "gets it"), several patients mentioned
that they didn't know I coached other dentists...and they thought
it was GREAT. They were actually impressed that "their dentist"
teaches other dentists how to build their practices. WHEW!

This brings me to Idea #3 (Apr 21): Don't ASSUME without PROOF.
In this case I assumed that the reaction from my patients would
be negative, when in fact it has been overwhelmingly positive.
Now, there may be some patients who didn't like what they saw,
and they either haven't or won't mention it to me. But I'm certain
now....based on the positive feedback...that my error will have
little to no negative implications.

How many times have you assumed something about a patient that turned out to NOT be true? Me, too many times to count. Have you ever had a patient whom you thought would be a great patient, but he never completed any treatment? How about someone whom you were "sure" would be a complete deadbeat, but she paid IN FULL for ideal treatment and completed it all in a flash? We've all had both happen.

Bottom line is that it's DEADLY to make assumptions about anything without facts and proof to back them up. Doing so influences your handling of certain situations...and thus your outcomes. More often than not you'll end up with egg on your face if you base your actions on unsubstantiated assumptions.

Idea #4 (Apr 22): ASK for what you want! This one SEEMS obvious, but I see so many situations where it isn't practiced. Part of the reason may be Idea #3...you assume that your patients know what they are supposed to do. Problem is, they don't.

Ask if your patients understand the nature of their dental problems, and that they'll get worse if not treated. Ask if they are ready to begin correcting them NOW. Ask for the payment BEFORE the treatment is started. And...ASK for their REFERRALS!

Over 80% of your patients have NEVER referred others to your
practice...because you've never ASKED them! Many think you're
too busy...others think you don't need them, want them, or just
don't care. Still more don't even think about it, because you
didn't ASK them. God is right: "Ask and ye shall receive."

Idea #5 (Apr 23): Happiness Attracts Money. And vice versa.
Not long ago my wife Elizabeth and I spent a rare night away from
home, just by ourselves. It was a great little break from the
wonderful craziness that is our home with 3 kids under 5 years old.

We went to brunch at a great local restaurant...but the only problem was that the waitress was a 100% DOWNER. From the moment she approached our table, she made it clear that she was unhappy, and that we shouldn't be. So we got up and reseated ourselves in another section. I refuse to associate with unhappy people. They suck the life out of you.

So we sat in Jenny's section. Man, was she a TREAT! Upbeat,
friendly, just an all-around happy person. Jenny smiled the
entire time we were there, and it was clearly genuine. She made
our brunch experience very enjoyable. You think she got a big
tip? Yep...I left her $20 on $43! No, I usually don't tip almost
50%...but Jenny earned it simply by being a good, happy server.

Like it or not, doc, YOU control the mood in your office. If you
set a happy tone, chances are the team will follow suit. Show up
cranky, chances are the team will follow suit. Either scenario
will have a positive or negative impact on your patients' experiences in your practice, respectively. This in turn will impact their decisions, including those involving money.

All happy people want a happy environment. With so much negativity out there, it sometimes requires work to keep your office mood upbeat. But in the end it's worth it, because you'll attract more patients...and their friends...and they'll invest in you!

Stay tuned for more. In the meantime, share these ideas with your
team, and ACT on them!

All my best,
Chris

Dr. Chris Bowman
Dental Insiders Alliance

PS: $2173 Worth of FREE Resources Plus
2 Months FREE Preferred Membership at:
www.DentalInsiders.com/testdrive
o there now!