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Earn Trust, Then Compliance by Jay Geier

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Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Earn Trust, Then Compliance 

Building rapport helps you persuade patients to do the right thing—for them and the practice

by Jay Geier

You should always work to grow your practice using three strategies: increase new patients, increase visit frequency, and increase average purchase through case acceptance and new and add-on offerings.

Most of our clients admit they and their teams aren’t as good as they could be at the third item, presenting treatment plans and cost options and gaining case acceptance. Yet, they tend not to apply the attention and intention necessary to improve in this area until they calculate how much more revenue they could generate annually by doing so.

 Running the numbers

To determine how valuable an improved process of communication and compliance could be to your practice, use this basic equation.

First, insert your gross collections and new patients for the past 12 months into the formula below, then calculate your average revenue per new patient. As an example, ABC Dental grossed $800,000 in collections and brought in 500 new patients last year, for an average revenue per new patient of $1,600.

Earn Trust, Then Compliance
         

Now, insert what you believe your average revenue per new patient could be if you and your team were better at explaining treatment plans and costs and influencing patients to make advantageous decisions about their health.

In the case of ABC Dental, let’s say it was able to increase average revenue per new patient from $1,600 to $2,400. Gross collections would increase by $400,000 in a single year—from $800,000 to $1.2 million. And that assumes they ignored the No. 1 strategy for growing the business, which was to increase new patients.
Earn Trust, Then Compliance
 

The impact this can have on your bottom line is undeniable. Factor in the new patient growth you should always be working toward, and you can see why these strategies make for such a powerful one-two punch when it comes to building your business.

However, if you’re thinking this kind of increase can be achieved only by learning to be an aggressive salesperson, you’d be wrong. Case acceptance must be earned. You must build trust in the relationship and the quality of care you provide through an influential end-to-end process that demonstrates excellence, genuine care and compassionate concern.

 Building and earning trust

An effective case presentation that results in compliance starts long before you begin presenting it. From the moment a patient calls or walks into the office, everything they see, hear and feel communicates a message that will begin to shape their opinion of you, your team and the quality of care they can expect.

Be intentional about building trust from the earliest interaction through the case presentation and with every detail in between, including all the little things that add up to a big impact on a patient.
  • From the very first call, the phones are handled with intention, efficiency and care.
  • The building’s exterior and signage make a great first impression.
  • The lobby and treatment rooms wow new patients.
  • Everyone on your team looks, dresses and behaves impeccably; paperwork and check-in/ check-out processes are handled flawlessly, and the doctors and other providers are set up as approachable and knowledgeable authority figures.
  • New patients are greeted by name immediately upon arrival, are given an office tour and welcome gift, and are formally introduced to you. You want them to feel comfortable in your place of business and to like you before they even meet you.
  • Beneficial services or products are presented to every patient at every visit.
  • Patients are regularly asked for referrals.
  • The doctor spends the first few minutes building a relationship with each patient before even asking about their dental issue. Get to know them so that you can make appropriate treatment recommendations and learn about opportunities to attract new patients, such as family members or colleagues.
This trust-building process also drives the second growth strategy, to increase visit frequency, because patients are more likely to schedule timely hygiene appointments, come in at the first sign of discomfort or return for whitening treatments.

 Wielding influence—in the right way

If your process of earning trust is working well to this point, the likelihood of treatment plan acceptance is greatly improved. Yet, many doctors and team members fall short of the end goal because they can’t bring themselves to sell when the time comes to explain needed treatment and costs and gain acceptance. But that’s one reason why you are in business—to sell your services at a reasonable profit.

Remind yourself why you went to dental school: to help people. Constantly reinforce in your mind and with your team that many patients come to your office because they are in pain or discomfort. They want and need to buy something from you to feel better, look better or feel better about themselves. Selling is unscrupulous only if you’re like the stereotypical used-car salesperson, lying to a buyer and badgering them into accepting something they don’t really need or want, or if you’re price-gouging.

Assuming that’s not the case, instead of “selling,” think of it as influencing people to make the advantageous decisions you know they should make to look and feel their healthiest. Everyone involved with case presentations should practice and master these techniques to influence patients to make informed, beneficial decisions—which is why they came to you in the first place.
  • Present any downsides first, then turn the discussion positive by presenting advantages and benefits.
  • Explain what the patient stands to lose by not agreeing to recommended treatment. You know it’s in their best interests, so be influential. By really listening during earlier conversations, you’ll be in a better position to anticipate and preempt potential objections.
  • Present high-priced options first. If higher than they expect, hearing this first gives them time to emotionally adjust. Then present a lower-cost option if necessary. Also be willing to offer creative payment terms, too.
  • Frame lengthy timelines (e.g., six months) within the context of the patient’s age by pointing out how much better they will look and feel for their many more vibrant years. If the treatment extends 12 or more months, then present the plan as several shorter milestone treatments before disclosing the final end date.

Doing what’s right for patient and practice

A great patient experience starts with the first phone call and encompasses every subsequent interaction and detail. An effective and influential end-to-end process that builds trust in you and your team and compliance with recommended treatment plans is in the patient’s best interests. It is also in the practice’s best interests because happy, healthy patients lead to more referrals, more new patients, and the increased revenue that comes with “selling” more of the essential products and services your patients need and want.

The beginning of a new fiscal year is the ideal time to set bold new goals that get you and your team excited about growth potential. Dislodge your team’s postholiday blues by engaging them in training on how to work better together to execute the type of end-to-end process that delivers a superior patient experience and the additional revenue that comes with it.

Author Bio
Author Jay Geier is a world-renowned authority on growing independent practices. His passion is in turning practices into businesses, doctors into CEOs, and employees into high-performing individuals and teams. He is the founder and CEO of Scheduling Institute, a firm that specializes in training and development, and coaching doctors how to transform a private practice into a thriving business that they can keep for a lifetime of revenue or sell for maximum profit. The phenomenal growth of Scheduling Institute is a result of Jay practicing what he preaches and helping those around him live up to their full potential. To hear more from Geier, subscribe to his Private Practice Playbook podcast at podcastfordoctors.com/townie.

 

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