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Win Patient Loyalty by Jay M. Geier

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If you could know the number-one secret to winning patients for life - the secret that would increase your net income, your team's engagement and the overall success of your practice - would you listen?

In my 25 years of experience turning practices into thriving, successful businesses, there's one thing I've seen time and time again that dramatically uncaps potential and growth. The secret is you absolutely and unrelentingly need to learn how to make the patient your first priority. This is much easier to say than do.

The problem is most teams think they are patient-focused, but really they are far from it. Until there is tangible evidence that you actively put your patients first (before the staff, before the doctors, etc.) then you don't really know what it means to make patients your number-one priority. Putting your patients first means delivering an outstanding experience to every patient who comes into your practice. Sounds great, right? But how do you make that happen?

First, to win patients for life, you have to build a superstar team. There's no way around it. This means you need to think critically about who is running your office. Many of you have what we call a "home grown" office manager - someone who has been with the practice a long time and has, by default, become the office manager. If you have ambitious goals and really want to transform your practice into a successful business then "growing" an office manager is not the way to do it. Too many dentists just grow the practice to the capability of their most talented staff member. If that's what you currently have and it's not profitable or in line with your vision, then you need to make some changes. Remember, finding someone skilled to run your office doesn't mean you can't keep the office manager you have. He or she could possibly take on a team leader role, or other type of role, within the office.

Also, keep in mind you can't be in charge of seeing the patients and running the office, all at the same time. If you try to do this, you will be unsuccessful. You need to focus on treating patients, and you need to hire someone great to run the business end of your practice. When you fill the position with the right person - someone who has the time and ability to place the necessary attention on management - operations in your office will automatically improve as a result.

It's also important that you learn how to surprise and delight patients in order to make their experiences in your office memorable. You need to exceed their expectations and learn how to over-deliver by design and with intention. This part of the process doesn't have to be a burden. Get creative! Make a habit of giving "welcome to the practice" gifts. These don't have to be elaborate, but make sure they are branded with the name and contact information of your practice. Include a handwritten note from the doctor for a nice personal touch. Offer as many comfort options as possible such as headphones, TVs on the ceiling, blankets, etc. You could hand out a carnation to every woman who leaves your office, send birthday cards or provide chilled beverages or light healthy snacks in the waiting room. And, of course, be sure to call them by their names when they walk in the door and always have someone ready to greet them at the front desk. If answering the phone consumes a lot of your front desk staff 's time, consider creating a call center not located in the front office.

I'd also like to encourage you to make a guarantee about something and to stick with it. Whether it's guaranteeing sameday care or guaranteeing the patient will be seated at the time of the appointment. No matter what it is, you need to have consistent, reliable and professional service. People like to know what to expect, and if your patients can expect to have an outstanding experience in your office time after time, then I guarantee they will keep coming back.

Another benefit to making guarantees is that it forces everyone in your practice to step up their game a little. Guaranteeing something instantly creates a much higher degree of accountability to the patients. Think about it like this - when you set a goal, how much more likely are you to achieve it if you start telling people about it? Making guarantees will make the patients much more comfortable and will hold your team to a higher degree of customer service. Positive changes will naturally occur in your office because the team has to work together to stay on track with their goals. It's a win-win situation for everyone, especially the dentist.

You also need to go out of your way to be authentic and honest with your patients. In your treatment presentations make every recommendatio n as if it were to someone very important in your own life. Use verbiage like, "If you were my father, I would recommend you do this..." This deals with some people's tendency to prejudge your motives and lets them determine what it is they want, or what it is they don't want. If you put yourself in that position to always be making that recommendation, you never have to worry about any ethical violations. It's just a consistent presentation, no matter what. Sometimes you'll tell people, "You don't need to worry about this." However, you certainly would tell your brother, your sister or your mother what could happen if they didn't get it taken care of.

Another way of putting your patients first might be a little unexpected in terms of customer service. However, you need to make an effort to be known in the community, particularly by your patients, for having a certain level of generosity. A lot of this foundation can be built on holding yearly Dentistry From the Heart events in order to give back to the very community that supports your business. Also try and say "yes" to everyone who comes by needing a sponsorship for a little league team or other local organizations. This helps build rapport within the community and ultimately leads to a stronger bond with your existing patients. Give them reasons to be proud to be a loyal patient and they'll keep coming back.

A practice that puts its patients first has happy patients; but to have happy patients you must also have to have a happy staff. It's impossible for grumpy, tired people who feel underappreciated to successfully maintain a positive, professional office environment. So how do you keep your team members happy? A great step in the right direction is putting in place some kind of incentive program. Make sure it makes sense for you - so when they're making more money, you're making even more. It's exciting to have unlimited opportunities and to be able to feel like you're somewhat in control of your own income. You can start incentivizing your scheduling team on new patients per month, your front desk staff on referrals, same-day production incentives for the back office or treatment plan acceptance for your hygiene team. Anything that can be quantified can be incentivized, and this will further excite and motivate your staff to grow the practice and reach goals.

Also, to maintain a great working environment within the office you need to understand your role as leader of the organization. Everyone who wants to have a great business doesn't necessarily have to be a dynamic leader, but they do actually have to be a leader. People want to work for employers who bring enthusiasm and vision to the job. A good leader has confidence and they are creative, not competitive. There are tremendous lessons to be leveraged in every bad thing that happens. As a great leader, you'll need to tap into your creative nature when bad things happen. Always try and think of what you're learning from negative scenarios rather than letting it just be a frustration to you. This will keep you moving in the right direction.

Finally, in order to keep it all up you need to have a compelling vision for your practice that your team can really get behind. It's crucial that you're able to effectively communicate the goals and the path to your staff. You always need a growth plan beyond where you are at the moment to keep your team motivated. I can't begin to tell you how important that is for an organization. You need to map out a vision that's bigger than where you are today. As a recent or soon-tobe graduate, now is the time to map out that vision for success.

Have you been thinking about how you will win over your patients with outstanding, patient-focused service? It won't be enough to just get them in and out the door! Don't miss the opportunity to over-deliver to your patients; it will make all the difference in the success of your dental practice. I challenge you today to make a list of all the ways you will put your patients first in your practice, and the three strategies you will implement in the next 90 days in order to generate the loyal, growing patient base you need to achieve your practice growth goals and to consistently win over patients for life.

  Author's Bio
Jay M. Geier, Founder & President of the Scheduling Institute, is a well-known coach and speaker and has helped more than 11,000 dentists nationwide grow their practices and change their lives. For more information on Jay's programs call 877-317-6514 or e-mail info@schedulinginstitute.com or go to www.schedulinginstitute.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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