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Special Dental Report
by Walter Hailey & Steve Anderson
Walter Hailey & Steve Anderson talk about...
What To Say After "Hello"
Trouble on the Line What is the most important marketing tool your dental team needs to build the level of practice you've always wanted and knew you could achieve? It's something you already have; something that you too often take for granted.
The telephone.
Though it is the major means of communication between the team and the outside world, the telephone remains the most misunderstood and misused instrument in the entire dental office. It doesn't command nearly the same degree of concern - and planned presentation - as just about every other procedure dental teams are responsible for; in fact phone skills in dentistry are mostly nonexistent.
How do we know? We phoned around! Our callers picked dental offices from all over North America at random, asking, "How much do you charge for a cleaning?" Here are some of the results:
- 100% of those called did not ask for the caller's name;
- 100% did not thank the caller for phoning;
- 92% did not have a planned presentation for getting the caller to say "Yes, I'll take it!";
- 75% gave prices immediately (only encouraging the caller to continue to price-shop);
- 65% gave price and nothing else about the practice;
- 20% gave a long (and confusing) list of diagnostic procedures and prices;
- 15% sad prices were higher for new patients!
- 15% said fees would depend on the amount of work;
- 10% said they didn't know the price;
- 10% put the caller on hold for a minute of more;
- 10% answered only after the third ring;
- Only 10% asked if they could set up an appointment;
- Only 10% asked if the caller was a patient of record;
- Only 10% asked how long since the last cleaning;
- 5% had a busy signal.
These percentages were so atrocious that we have been asked to write this special report in order to prevent dental teams from losing money when they pick up the phone. But we want to go one better. We want to help you make the telephone the valuable tool that it can be for a practice. When you consider the public's lack of knowledge about dental health care - and the number of people who have had a bad experience at the dentist before - it becomes even more imperative to develop responsive telephone habits. What is the highest goal that we can set for the phone? That each incoming call conclude with a scheduled appointment for a full and comprehensive dental examination.
In spite of the full exam being in everyone's best interest, few callers will ask for one outright. Even if the caller only asks the price of a cleaning, that does not automatically mean the caller is a price shopper and not ultimately a patient of quality. You just cannot know until you ask. Learning how to ask makes all the difference.
What to Say and How to Say It
• Be personal.
Always answer the phone announcing the name of the practice. Ask for the caller's name by giving your name. Fully 100% of the calls we made broke this single most important rule for doing business with someone. Know their name. It's also common courtesy - and good business sense - to thank the caller (and mean it) for phoning your dental team.
• Establish a consistent method of information gathering.
We at DentalSuccess have devised a personal patient profile worksheet to help record the necessary information from the telephone. Not only can it help guide the appointment coordinator in covering all necessary steps, but it can also be distributed in the morning huddle the day that the patient is scheduled to arrive for an appointment.
• Determine how the patient found your office.
So much depends upon whom the caller is: a new patient with whom there is no prior connection; a new patient who has been referred by a mutual friend or patient; or a patient of record. The best question to ask is, "How long has it been since you've been to our practice?"
• Build rapport.
The skilled communicator is like a detective solving a case. Listen actively to what the patient tells you. The caller should do 80% of the talking. Ask questions in a friendly manner. Be authoritative yet non-judgmental.
• Avoid getting into a bidding match on the phone.
Dentistry is a highly skilled health care service that is personally tailored to the individual patient. Don't fall into the trap of treating it as if it were a bargain-basement sale. Why quote prices? It only encourages the caller to price-shop. Let the caller understand the degree of care he or she ought to expect from your office. If all you give is price and nothing else, on what other basis can the caller make a buying decision? Likewise, long lists of diagnostic procedures and prices are confusing. Blurring out numbers keeps the conversation controlled by the caller. Instead, show interest in the caller's reason for phoning you. How?
• Get more information.
The truth is that most people don't know enough about their own dental health to know what they really need! When do people generally call a dentist? When they've lost a filling or think they need a cleaning. They may resent having to call in the first place or be reluctant to tell you exactly what's going on. You can't al- low the patient's lack of knowledge to interfere with their health care. In almost every case, what the patient actually needs is a full comprehensive exam. By the time the team discovers that the patient sitting for a cleaning has advanced gum disease, it's too late to change the appointment.
• Never, ever end the call without explicitly asking the caller for an appointment.
This is so important we left it for the end of the section. Most people will not buy if you don't ask them to buy. Nine out of the ten calls we made failed to do this! Phrasing the question is important as well. Since we all have trouble making decisions, don't say, "When would you like to come in and see us?" People find it easier to make choices. Say, "Would Monday or Tuesday of next week be better for you?" Now you're helping patients get what they called for - a personal, caring reception to their needs which ends with the only thing that will make their worries go away - an appointment with the dentist.
What to Do Before the Phone Rings
• Think Courtesy
Since you can never know if the person on the other end of the line in not a million dollar patient, treat every caller AS IF he or she is the best patient you'll ever have.
• Think Professionally.
The person who answers the phone reflects the image of the entire practice. Make it clear from the cheerfulness in your tone that you enjoy working for your dental team. It already says volumes about the dentist. Never forget you're in the business of health care. Concern, compassion and conscientiousness ought to be the attitude you seek to deliver to the caller. Warmth and sincerity help convey, particularly to new patients or those who are in pain, the likelihood of their being treated warmly and sincerely when they come into the office and sit in the dental chair.
• Keep a Mirror by the Phone
Watch yourself in the mirror, making sure that you remember to smile and look pleasant. Act as if you are talking to someone who is looking at you. Whenever possible, stand up when talking on the phone. This will help give your voice energy and conviction.
• Be Organized
Respond before the third ring. If you have to put the caller on hold, be brief (no more than twenty seconds) about it.
How to Deal Expertly with the Three Types of Callers
It is incumbent upon you to direct the conversation accordingly once the caller has answered, "How long has it been since you've been to our practice?"'
• The patient of record.
Whether the caller last visited your office eight years ago or only eight months ago, you are now saved the embarrassment of having forgotten the name. Particularly with a large practice, it's difficult to remember everyone. The new patient who has been referred. The caller may say that he or she has been recommended by a colleague, friend or patient of record. The value of knowing this is that it helps establish rapport much more easily because you now have a common connection.
• The new patient with whom there is no prior connection.
The caller may say that he or she saw your sign, read an ad or passed your office on the way to work. For the new patient, the next question you must ask is, "How long has it been since you last saw a dentist?" If the answer is six months to a year, say, "That's great. Would you happen to have had some X-rays taken at that last dental office?"
If the caller hasn't been to a dentist in over a year, you need to slow the pace of the conversation down and probe a little. "Going to the dentist is not one of your favorite things, am I right?" or "Have you had a bad experience with a dentist in the past?"
If the caller has, demonstrate empathy, and reassure the caller that this won't be the case in your office. Always show surprise in your voice when you hear about infection or pain. It helps emphasize the seriousness of the problem.
Asking the caller where he or she works is a good idea for three reasons: you may have other patients at that company; you can determine if the caller has dental insurance; and you will relate with more skill once you know what someone does for a living. When closing, make sure the caller knows how to get to the office and where to park.
Make the Outgoing Call to Thank Referrals
The best thing a dental practice can do when it discovers that a colleague, friend or patient of record has referred a new patient is to get on the phone.
The dental team member closest to the referring party should make the call. This is crucial for two reasons: one, a sincere thank-you is in order and a call expresses this much more personally than a card or flowers;second, the referring person knows more about the new patient than you do.
Encouraging the referring party to tell you about his or her friend is not an intrusion of privacy but a demonstration of the team's concern and interest in your new patient.
On the same personal patient profile worksheet that we discussed earlier, the new patient's needs, wants and fears can be recorded so the entire team is informed as to how to best serve the new patient before he or she arrives.
A great team and a great practice take time to build. Don't allow a lack of attention to phone skills to undermine inadvertently the success of your dental team
Call DentalSuccess Today
Ask us about:
• Dental Tele-Pro, our audio tape cassette series designed to train the entire dental team on how to take incoming calls;
• Your Key to the Practice, 12 Easy Steps to Great Emotional and Financial Security, our "owner's manual" for the dental team member, written in collaboration with industry specialist Linda Miles;
• ESP: The Everybody Search Plan, 40 Common Sense and Easy- to-implement Ideas to Get Every one in Your Company Focused on Creating More happy Paying Customers, Clients, patients. Buyers or Whatever You Call the People Who Do Business with You, our survival handbook for the Nineties, written by Walter Hailey and Steve Anderson;
•Speak and the Money Will Follow, The No Fear Guide to Promoting Your Business and Yourself Through the Power of Public Speaking, our audio cassette program in collaboration with Bill Gove, Founder of the National Speakers Association;
•How to Form a MasterMind Alliance, Coordinate Knowledge & Effort in a Spirit of Harmony to Multiply Your Effectiveness Produce Richer Results, written by Steve Anderson;
•Breaking the No Barrier, The Billion Dollar Battle Plan for Getting Everyone You Want to Say Yes to Your Proposition, written by Walter Hailey.
Our Other Special Reports in This Series:
- Getting Permission, How to use the Permission Statement to Increase the Patient's Acceptance of the Full Treatment Plan;
- Getting That "Yes," The Five-Step Formula to Turn Patient Objections into Opportunities for Case Acceptance;
- The Secrets Of The Close, Getting Your Patients to Commit to the Total Comprehensive Dentistry They Need
- Riches In Niches, How to Use the NEER Marketing System in Dentistry to Build Your Patient Base;
- Referrals, How to Ask for Referrals from Your Existing Patients;
- Stop Cancellations, How to Prevent Patients from Canceling Dental Appointments;
- Working Magic,How to Achieve Balance in Your Professional and Personal Life.
Don't forget to ask about our Dental Boot Kamp seminars as well!
For more information about any of the above products simply send an email to gregs@dentalsuccess.net and type the product name in the “Subject” line. Or call Greg Sneyd at 800-460-3838 x106.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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