8 Steps to a Perfect Consultation by Ashley Latter

by Ashley Latter 

A proven approach to your consultations

If you follow these eight simple steps, you’ll not only have more patients saying yes to your treatment plans but also will be able to deliver the dentistry that you love to do—and most importantly, the dentistry that your patients want.

Many studies have been done about what makes a person successful. Here’s a simple exercise to do: Think about a person you know who’s successful in dentistry and develop a list of all of their skills, attitudes and attributes. Once you’ve done this, list them into skills, attitudes and product knowledge.

I bet on the list there are many skills such as good communication and listening skills, and the ability to build empathy with the patient. On the attitudes side, are there things like positivity and enthusiasm? Have you also got product knowledge?

Occasionally when I have a discussion with dentists, the technical skills are left out, even though studies at The Carnegie Institute of Technology reveal that about 15?percent of one’s financial success is due to technical knowledge, while 85 percent is due to skill in “human engineering”—to personality and the ability to lead people. In other words, your vast clinical knowledge can mean very little if a patient can’t trust and build rapport with you.

The amount of income that you’ll derive from dentistry and the ability to deliver the dentistry you love to do will depend on how good you are at communicating your ideas; only 15 percent is applicable to product knowledge. Yet many dentists spend most of their time developing technical skills and very little time developing communication skills.

What is the definition of “sales”?
A dictionary will tell you that sales is exchanging goods and services for money or kind to convince of value.

There is nothing in the definition that states that it’s about pushing people or forcing them into decisions. The key word here for me is value. I think value is about finding out what true value is to the other person. So what about changing your mindset from one of selling, or pushing, to:

• Finding out what patients think is value (wants and needs).
• Showing each patient how you can satisfy them.

There is a simple structure to follow. It really isn’t about selling, it’s about being the provider of significant value. To do this effectively, follow these steps:

1 Prepare for your appointment. Check the previous notes from your patient’s records. During your team meeting, ensure that you’re fully prepared and that you feel positive about your day. You are serving the public, so be excited and positive. If it’s a new patient, get as much information about the patient as you can from the reception team, because this will help you with the next step.

2 Build rapport. Spend just a few minutes building rapport and making patients feel important. Put them at ease! Talk about work and them, become interested in them and make them feel like they’re the most important person in the world. If you’re genuinely interested in your patients, they’ll will be more interested in what you have to offer.

3 Ask questions. After building rapport you can carry on asking questions, but this time about their clinical health: what they like or don’t like about their appearance and what they’d like to change. Find out their vision.

4 Provide a solution. Only when you fully understand the patient’s goals do you provide a solution. Use benefits and how your solutions can help the patient; avoid jargon if you can.

5 Provide evidence. Use evidence to back up what you’re saying, with before-and-after pictures, testimonials, videos and demonstrations. Once you’ve provided a solution, ask the patient if they’re happy with your suggestions and see what their reaction is.

6 Discuss fees. This is where you discuss the fees with the patient and communicate the value.

7 Ask for commitment. If the answer is positive, ask for commitment. Don’t send them home to think about it if you can get a commitment there and then. Once they agree to your treatment plans, you can go through consent with your patient.

8 Follow up and ask for referrals. Always follow up with your patients, particularly if it’s a significant treatment. This is a great opportunity to check in with the patient to see how they’ve benefitted from having your treatment, and also to ask for referrals and video testimonials.

There you have it—eight steps! Follow these and you should be able to create more opportunities to deliver the dentistry that you love to do and your patients want.