Here’s More Of “40 Ideas In 40 Days”

40 Ideas In 40 Days...#18-24. This one's long, but worth it!

Before I start, I'd like to send belated Mother's Day wishes to
all the moms in your life! Yesterday I spent time on the phone
with my own mom, who lives halfway around the world in South Africa. We speak pretty frequently despite our 6 hour time difference. I also spoke to "Bestemor", my 93 year old Norwegian grandmother. She's quite frail now, and clearly has limited time ahead. Each time I speak with them I appreciate them that much more.

Then of course there's my lovely wife Elizabeth. One of my gifts
to her this Mother's Day was letting her SLEEP IN! I piled Reid,
Kenan, and Olivia into the car in their pajamas and Crocs, and we
all went to the store at 7:30am. There the kids did a great job
picking out all Mommy's flowers and Mother's Day cards...plus of
course some cookies to go with them. After breakfast, church, and
brunch, we all had a great day just playing. Hope you did too.

OK, let's get down to biz. Today I'm going to blow right through the halfway point in my commitment to you to share 40 Ideas In 40 Days. I want to help as many dentists as possible, so PLEASE FORWARD this message to any dentists whom you feel would like to be included.

I've been getting amazing feedback from many docs regarding the
sampling of verbal skills I shared with you last time. Because of
that, I'm including more today, along with an extra important tip
as Idea #20.

Idea #18 (May 6): "Sounds like you're looking for a new dentist...
am I right?" This the first part of my "magic bullet" method for
converting callers into new patients.

Every phone call you get from a POTENTIAL new patient is an
opportunity that can either be capitalized upon...or botched. All
too often I see it botched, and the new patient lost. This is
of course a very complex topic with more to cover than in this
message, but let me cement a major point for you

There is ONE (and only one) thing that EVERY potential new patient wants when they call your office. It is: A DENTIST. No matter what their other concerns are, they all want to find a dentist that's right for them. The above verbal skill is how we zoom in on that fact, and then move toward what's most important to them.

Yes, it sounds almost too obvious. But it's extremely effective because of its simplicity. We frequently get complimented on how we handle the initial phone call, which is the main reason why many of our patients choose our practice. This method that I developed after much trial and error has doubled our conversion rate since
we started using it about three years ago. Double the new patients from the same number of calls...not bad. Imagine when you increase the number of calls!

Idea #19 (May 7): "What level of health would you like to achieve?"
This is a variation on the old "how long would you like to keep
your teeth" question. Almost every time the answer is something
like: "I want to be as healthy as possible, of course."

This question is best asked early in the conversation with a new
patient. Their answer will instantly position them in terms of
their dental goals. Then as you go through the exam process,you'll
find problems that are inconsistent with the patient's STATED
goals, in that they deviate from optimal health.

When patients realize that their current dental conditions are
not moving in the direction that they just TOLD you they want,
they'll be more likely to take notice and do something about it.

Idea #20 (May 8): This is the halfway point, so I'm going to break rhythm and share a HUGE idea with you that will hopefully liberate you somewhat, as you move through this series.

You DON'T have to use ALL these ideas! Especially not all at once!

Here's the deal. I do want you to benefit from each and every one
of the concepts I share with you. However, I know that not all
ideas will resonate with you. Who cares...you've got 40...and it
only takes ONE killer idea to literally transform your practice!

Every once in a while I'll get a cancellation request from one of
my Dental Insiders Alliance members. With rare exception, the
reason is always the same: "It's TOO MUCH information, and I can't
possibly implement ALL the ideas I'm getting from you." Not smart. By cutting off the supply, they're missing out on the next ideas, and the next, each of which could make the biggest difference.

Once again, WHO CARES? Use the ones you want...use the ones you can. Push yourself and your team to use more, and BENEFIT from it!

Idea #21 (May 9): Tell 'em what's in GREAT condition too!
Let's face it, we're all trained to seek and find all that is WRONG
with our patients' oral conditions. "Problem List" we call it.
We tell them about how many cavities they have, the cracks, the
perio, the this and the that. It's all bad news. But rarely do I
hear dentists or team members spending any time focusing on what's going well inside their patients' mouths.

I'm not talking about the generic "everything looks fine", nor am I recommending that we sugar coat anything to make it seem better. But I am saying that it's important to acknowledge where there is good health, when appropriate.

For most patients, especially younger healthy adults, it'll instill
confidence that they do actually have some healthy teeth. More
importantly it'll serve as a good CONTRAST with the conditions
that are not healthy and need improvement!

Idea #22 (May 10): "It may not last the rest of your life...but
it has the best chance." This is a great little retort that I/we
use frequently when recommending our best treatment option. It's not a surprise that patients want to know how long their dentistry will last. After all, they're making a significant investment.

The above statement cuts through the fact that even the best dentistry doesn't last forever. You MUST bring this up. On the other hand, it positions your recommendation as the BEST one for your patient, and that all other options have less value.

Idea #23 (May 11): "I have NO IDEA how dentistry elsewhere could be so CHEAP." Now, this is not for the faint of heart. But it is perhaps the most powerful positioning statement you can make about your dentistry when being challenged about your fees!

I'd never recommend that you speak negatively about another dentist or dental office. In fact I've carefully worded the above verbal skill so as not to do so. However, if your fees are above average as they SHOULD be, you'll no doubt get asked why your fees are higher than Dr. So-and-so's fees.

This is all about SPIN. Instead of defending your fees by talking
about materials, lab fees, etc...move in the other direction.
Discuss all the benefits that you'd have to TAKE AWAY by cutting
your costs, and therefore your fees. You could use CHEAPER labs,
right? CHEAPER materials? CHEAPER equipment? CHEAPER facilities? CHEAPER (less skilled) employees? Get it?

By the time the patient realizes all that would be taken away in
the interest of cheaper fees, there's no way they would want that!
Also, you've just made them realize that quality is VARIABLE in
dentistry, and that some offices (yours!) are better than others.

Idea #24 (May 12): "It's a HEALTHY investment." You've got
to get your patients thinking in terms of investment, not expense.
This takes effort, and appropriate language.

"Cost" and "Expense" are present tense terms, while "investment"
is focused on the future. Patients need to realize that it's not
just about how much they're investing now, in TODAY'S dollars.
It's about how much they'll invest over a 20-year period or longer.

Plus, by using "healthy" you take advantage of the double meaning
of the word. Healthy does mean "big", as in a lot of money. It
also means "healthy", as in not UNhealthy. Don't underestimate
the importance of this, as it once again remonds patients of their
choices.

Well, we're finally wrapped up for this week.
Whew! That was a biggie...but I'm confident that if you put this
stuff to use, you'll immediately see the difference in terms of
higher conversions among your patients.

All my best,
Chris

PS: Give me some FEEDBACK...and share your successes with me!
I want to know that you're implementing, and succeeding. Simply
reply to this address with your comments.

PPS: Don't forget to FORWARD this message to other dentists, with
instructions to go to www.DentalInsiders.com so they can sign up
for this same series. You don't want them depending on you for
the forwards all the time, do you?

PPPS: Want more, at a higher level? Just go over to my "test drive"
page and sign up for 2 months free Preferred Membership in Dental Insiders Alliance. You'll get $2173.00 in free bonuses too:
www.DentalInsiders.com/testdrive