Louis Malcmacher DDS MAGD Printer Friendly Version

People Love To Buy

Recently, I was lecturing to a group of more than 300 dentists and we got onto the topic of selling dentistry. It seems that there still are plenty of dentists who are pretty vocal about how the word “sell” is a four-letter word, and how that really diminishes the respectability of being a professional health care provider.

I started coaching some dentists on the west coast a couple of months ago who felt that they had to spend most of their day selling dentistry and were just sick and tired of it. They had taken lots of dental continuing education about treatment presentation, long initial comprehensive examinations and how to sell dentistry, but they did not feel they were making any headway with their patients.

I have taken sales courses in other industries and sales courses from nationally renowned sales people. I have found that dentistry’s perception of what it means to sell is based on outdated concepts from the 1990s. I would like to help dentists understand current thoughts about sales in the general world and see how they can be adapted for dentistry.

The “hard sell” is a concept that has been around for many years. It is mostly associated with people like used car salespeople, insurance salespeople and people in the home repair industry. We, as consumers, generally don’t like to be pushed into a sale, but to a certain extent, this tactic does work. I don’t think, however, that anyone likes to be intimidated into buying something of uncertain value.

The “soft sell” approach generally is closer to most current thinking about sales. This approach originally was based almost entirely on educating the consumer (in our case, educating the patient). We have certainly seen a proliferation of this in dentistry with low-tech and high-tech patient education materials that teach (in sometimes excruciating detail) what a crown is, how an implant is done or how veneers are placed. The thought is that an educated patient will make the obvious, wise choice when selecting dental treatment.

Education certainly helps patients understand treatment but it is not necessarily the key to getting patients to actually go ahead with treatment. We respond to patients with more education—which still does not give us the result we want.

Most of the purchases that consumers make are not based upon education. They are based on emotion. Let me give you one example. My beloved Cleveland Browns may have just turned around their season by beating the Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants, in a Monday night game. Because of this, a good friend and patient of mine finally decided to buy a big screen TV. He then did Internet research and identified the best big screen TV that he could afford. The educational process came after he made the emotional decision to buy. Education clearly is not the reason for his decision—it was based purely on emotional factors. Education is not the key to deciding to buy, but rather helps define what we are going to purchase once that decision has been made.

Now let’s turn to the concept of “closing a sale.” I know that there are some consultants in dentistry that teach all kinds of closing techniques and questions that will force patients into making a buying decision that they really may not want by backing them into a corner. A lot of the methods for overcoming objections with scripts for quick comeback answers generally are viewed by consumers as argumentative and not respectful of their feelings. When I ask these dentists if these systems work, they usually say no, but they don’t know what else to do.

One of the best descriptions that I’ve heard recently about what sales should be is this: “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” To have a successful dental practice in this day and age, you want to have patients “buying” dentistry as opposed to you and your staff “selling” dentistry. No one likes to be sold anything.

Patients love to buy things and they certainly love to buy themselves a new smile or buy themselves freedom from pain and freedom to function and eat better than they ever have before. You want to create situations in your office where people will want to buy from you. You want an office where it is easy for people to buy from you with financing plans like CareCredit. Big posters of before and after cases, beautiful white teeth, a beautiful veneer case… these kinds of things should be on the walls all over your office. What I want to happen in my office is for a patient to walk in, sit down, and point to a picture and say, “Can you do that for me?” Create situations where patients know what we do in the office, and they will come in because they want to buy. Dentists become trusted advisors, consultants and friends who help patients get what they want.

By the way, companies like 1-800-DENTIST understand what makes people call dental offices and buy. These are advertising and marketing professionals who understand that people have their choice of dental providers and they understand how they choose their dentists. This is why they receive 2.5 million patient contacts a year from consumers.

Selling in the year 2009 is about building an emotional relationship with your patients, and giving them opportunities to buy health, happiness, a great smile and more self-esteem. Most dentists shy away from this because they think that establishing relationships with patients takes a long time or they don’t think they can do it. Creating a bond with a patient takes only minutes and you can do it no matter what personality type you are. Start by talking from the heart to your patients. Oh, and those dentists that I have been coaching? They have really improved their practice with the above approach. They are much happier spending their time doing dentistry for people who are asking for treatment and who want to buy from them instead of trying to “sell” and pressure people into accepting treatment.

It’s been estimated that approximately 60% of American dollars spent in dentistry today are for elective esthetic procedures. It is time to get rid of these outdated concepts on selling and become an advocate and friend in your office so that people will want to buy healthy and esthetic dentistry from you. Let’s bring trust and professionalism back into dentistry, both from the clinical and practice management perspectives. Dentistry is a noble profession and it is high time we start raising the bar.

Dr. Louis Malcmacher is a practicing general dentist in Bay Village, Ohio, an internationally known lecturer, dental consultant and author, and consultant to the Council on Dental Practice of the ADA. Interested in knowing more about how to truly enjoy dentistry? Click here.

Interested in having Dr. Malcmacher speak to your dental society or study club? Click here.

To reach Dr. Malcmacher, email him at DrMalcmacher@thedentistsnetwork.net or call 1.800.952.0521.

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Dr. Lorne Lavine Dental Technology Consultants Printer Friendly Version

Upgrading, Part #1

Over the past few years, there have been a number of changes throughout the dental industry. Nowhere has the change been more pronounced than in the area of practice management software (PMS). Recent consolidations and alliances have created the need for new and updated products. Many dentists have found that the software they purchased just a few years ago is now either outdated or was bought out by another company and is no longer supported.

In both of these cases, dentists need to consider changing or, at the very least, upgrading their current software. Although it might seem like an easy process, there are many potential pitfalls. This article will explore a number of considerations that should make the process a bit less painful. This is a two-part article, so look for the second part in the next issue.

1. Should You Make the Change?
Often this first decision is the most difficult. If you are using a program that is not being supported, my advice is that you switch now. You will have difficulty getting technical assistance if a problem develops, and your software will not have updates, such as new CPT codes. The tough choice comes when your current software has released an update. In many cases, dentists pay for yearly support that includes any updates that are released. Dentists need to know exactly what an update provides and evaluate for themselves if the change is worthwhile. Keep in mind that PMS programs are complex and new versions will almost always have bugs or other issues that need to be worked out. Sometimes keeping with your current, stable version will make more sense.

2. The Importance of Backing Up
If you go ahead with an update or new software, there is nothing more important than backing up your data. Many practices back up either too infrequently or their back-ups are corrupted and would not restore the data in the event of a catastrophic loss. The best way to test this is to install the program on a separate computer and import the back-up data to test for integrity. Even when not considering a software upgrade or installation, offices need to develop systems of consistent, reliable back-ups that store the data at another location. A back-up won’t do you any good if it is in the office and the office is vandalized or affected by some disaster like flood or fire.

3. Back-Up Options
Dentists have many established and easy methods for backing up data. The most popular for years, tape drives, has fallen out of favor recently. The tapes are easily damaged and the drives are very costly. Newer options include re-writable DVD drives. It’s difficult to buy a computer today that doesn’t have a DVD-RW already installed. You can also consider using a portable hard drive to back up data; these come in all shapes and sizes and many of them are larger than the hard drives you currently have. A newer option, for offices that have broadband connections, is online back-up. Data is sent over the Internet to secure, off-site servers. Back-ups can be scheduled during lunch or after hours so that they don’t interfere with the practice schedule. (Don’t even consider this option if you only have a dial-up Internet connection, because the data back-up would take days to complete.)

4. What to Back Up
The basic rule of thumb is to back up anything that you could not easily replace. In many cases, it’s not necessary to back up the PMS program files, since all that you need to do is re-install the program with the original discs (you did keep the discs, didn’t you?). To conserve space, you can archive and remove images for patients that are rarely used, such as for patients no longer in the practice.

5. Avoiding a “Gotcha”
One problem that can often happen is when a program changes its main file name. In a networked office, the typical set-up is to have a main server and the workstations “map,” or point to, the folder or filename on the server. In some cases, updating or installing new software changes the name of the file or folder. In this case, all the network mappings would be lost. Dentists should check with the software company before upgrading and work with a networking specialist if necessary to minimize their down time.

Lorne Lavine, DMD is the Founder and President of Dental Technology Consultants. Dr. Lavine holds two prestigious certifications, the A+ Certified Technician designation and the Network+ Certified Professional. These designations demonstrate proficiency in computer repair, operating systems, network design and installation. Dental Technology Consultants provide dentists a full range of services relating to the implementation of technology.

Dr. Lavine can be reached at drlavine@thedentistsnetwork.net.

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Sally McKenzie, CEO McKenzie Management Printer Friendly Version

Tell Your Patients What The Insurance Companies Won't

It’s getting to be that time again. The trees are turning, window displays will soon be sparkling with holiday treasures and your team will be busy talking about plans for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s.

Yes, the “distraction season” is nearly upon us, that time of year in which virtually everyone is preoccupied with holiday gatherings, shopping, decorating, baking, etc. The wonders of the season take hold, while practice productivity tends to grow cold. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the holidays as much as anyone, but it’s a lot more enjoyable when your bottom-line continues to jingle all the way. This year, plan ahead to ensure that while you’re celebrating your practice isn’t suffering. And give your patients the gift of unused dental funds.

Many dental insurance plans are just sitting there with benefits poised to go to waste as soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. But insurance companies certainly aren’t going to encourage customers to use benefits, and most patients are too busy to sift through their policies to determine what might remain on them. So it’s up to dental practices to get the word out to patients and fast because the last thing you want patients to do is throw away their insurance coverage. Follow these steps and plan to have some very grateful patients.

1. Generate an “unscheduled treatment plan report.”
2. Identify those patients who still have unused insurance benefits.
3. Merge the letter below into your database.
4. Add a P.S. that says, “Take your insurance dollars further with interest-free patient financing. Ask [Financial Coordinator’s Name] in my office for all the details.”

Dear [Patient’s Name],

Did you know that each year insurance companies make millions of dollars off patients who forego necessary and preventive dental care? Many individuals who are paying for dental insurance do not realize that their plans provide coverage up to a certain dollar amount annually. Consequently, some patients are not scheduling the dental treatment they need and have insurance to cover. Thus, the insurance revenues allocated to pay dental claims on many patients are never used and, unfortunately, those dollars cannot be carried over year to year. The bottom line: What you don’t use you lose.

Our computer estimates that you still have $ XXX.00 in unused dental benefits. Give us a call today, and together let's make sure you are in excellent dental health. In addition, we are offering a XX% reduction on dental treatment completed by January 1, 2009. Give [Name of Appointment Scheduler] a call at 555-5555. I look forward to seeing you again and sharing some of the many innovative means we now have available to provide you with superior dental healthcare.

Sincerely,

Dr. Best Dentist in the USA

P.S. Find out about additional interest-free financing options for dental care. Check with [Financial Coordinator’s Name] in my office for all the details.

The letter is a good start, but don’t stop there. I encourage practices to also consider follow-up through email, text messaging and phone calls. This is where Dental Senders comes in. I’ve talked about the many patient communication options available through the Dental Senders before, and this system is the perfect tool for informing patients of unused insurance benefits. It’s fast, efficient and, best of all, FREE.

With the help of the Dental Senders Patient Communication System, the office sends a brief message to the patient about their unused benefits and encourages them to schedule an appointment.

For example, “Our computer estimates that you still have unused dental insurance benefits available to you. Unfortunately, you will lose those benefits if you do not use them by the end of the year. This is an excellent time to take care of any hygiene visits or dental treatments that you might have been putting off. Give us a call today, and let's make sure you get the treatment you need in time for the holiday season. Please call 555-5555 to schedule your appointment.”

The emails, texts and phone messages appear to come directly from your practice, but, after recording the telephone message, the doctor and staff need to do absolutely nothing, which allows everyone to enjoy the many celebrations of the season and patients to enjoy the benefit of your care.

Interested in speaking to Sally about your practice concerns? Email her at sallymck@mckenziemgmt.com.

Interested in having Sally speak to your dental society or study club? Click here.

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