This is an excerpt from our Ask Sabri column, where readers get to ask MGE’s Deputy COO, Sabri Blumberg, questions about marketing, practice management, staffing, and more.
Reader: Nine times out of ten, patients seem excited to go ahead with treatment after talking to me. Then I send them to the front, but I often don’t see them on my schedule later for the procedure we discussed. What am I doing wrong?
Sabri: If I had to guess what was wrong, I would say that things are breaking down around the financial discussion. For example, it’s easy to sell a Ferrari until you start talking about how much it costs!
Chances are you’re not discussing finances with patients before sending them up front. If that’s the case, this is the first change I would make: Start going over the cost of treatment with patients before passing them to your Financial Coordinator. Why? If anything, it will give you an accurate idea of how close a patient is to actually following through with treatment. Also keep in mind that:
1. As far as patients are concerned, you have the most authority on the subject (treatment). So, it’s easiest for you to convince them to move ahead, and
2. Patients consider you most qualified to answer any questions.
Once you mention the fee, the nature of a patient’s response will tell you “where” they are with relation to actually following through and how they feel about paying. From there, you can address their concerns accordingly. If a patient says “Oh, I could never afford this,” then you know you have some work to do before sending them up front.
If you want to see some real improvement in this area, I suggest doing the MGE Communication and Sales Seminars. As an MGE client, it’s pretty common to see someone go through just one of these and see at least a $10,000 a month increase. Even better though, our attendees improved communication skills enable them to help more patients and do the kind of dentistry they love.
I hope this tip has helped you and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me at sabrib@mgeonline.com. Otherwise, for more information contact us at (800) 640-1140.
Sabri Blumberg provides this general dental practice management advice to furnish you with suggestions of actions that have been shown to have potential to help you improve your practice. Neither MGE nor Ms. Fuegel may be held liable for adverse actions resulting from your implementation of these suggestions, which are provided only as examples of topics covered by the MGE program.