The concept I’m about to share with you, when implemented, could become THE most powerful strategy you ever employ! But you need to stick with it, and it does take some effort to maintain your momentum. How’s that for a bold promise? Well, it’s true!
Often our own paradigms and routines get in the way of meeting or exceeding our goals and objectives. “The way we normally do things” can actually stifle growth, and it’s critical to constantly reexamine the systems in your practice and why you do things the way you do.
ADDITIONAL READING |The most common lies dentists tell themselves
Here’s the example that leads to this week’s nudge, and the 7 magic words that can lead to massive increases in production and collection. Usually when we discuss dental problems and treatment needs with our patients, they will ask us how soon they should “get it done.” Many times, it’s phrased quite differently, as in, “How long can I wait before getting this done?” Don’t you wish you had a dime for every time a patient asked you that?!
ADDITIONAL READING |The top 7 mistakes of high-performing practices: Part 1
Of course we all know that the best answer is, “As soon as possible,” but how often do we really offer that as an option? What I mean is, how often are you offering TODAY as a viable option for your patients? Not the first available appointment, but NOW. One thing’s for sure, the more you are able to offer SAME-DAY TREATMENT as an option for your patients, the more you will find your patients saying, “YES!”
As a result, your daily, weekly, and monthly numbers will most certainly bump up and likely jump up with continued implementation.
Here’s how you do it. Prior to every Morning Team Meeting (MTM), one key team member is responsible for finding potential “open time” or “work-in time” in the daily schedule. This task can be assigned to the same team member each day, or rotated among team members on a daily or weekly basis. You’re looking for any open time or “overlap” time when you could potentially “work in” a patient for same-day treatment. The doctors and entire team must be aware of these time slots each day.
Then, when an opportunity presents itself to discuss your patients’ dental problems and recommended solutions with them, you need to know what scheduling options you have with regard to offering same-day treatment. In other words, you first need to know if you can indeed deliver treatment for that patient’s problems today.
Assuming you do have schedule availability, and you’ve gone through the proper system of 1) Problem Discovery, 2) Problem Presentation, and 3) Treatment Options Presentation, the next step is to simply say the “7 Magic Words”:
“Would you like to do this today?”
That’s it! Do this and you’ll be surprised at how many patients will take you up on it!
Now, making this work on a daily basis does require some planning and willingness on everyone’s part to spring into action when the opportunity arises. Having a few specific instrument kits (restorative, periodontal, etc.) ready to go is critical. Being somewhat flexible and nimble with the daily schedule helps to manage the art of adding unscheduled treatment to the day. Lastly, when anyone on the team can comfortably close financial arrangements quickly, before commencing any same-day treatment, it becomes so much easier to get patients moving now, as you save the step of handing off the patient to your financial coordinator.
Please don’t wait, however, until your entire team is cross-trained if they’re all not yet ready to complete financial arrangements. Just get started and start asking the magic question:
“Would you like to do this today?”
One final note: Be sure to TRACK your results. This is easy to do, but you must do it to realize the true impact this strategy will have on your practice. A simple sheet of paper listing daily:
- Each patient to whom you’ve presented same-day treatment
- The total fees for presented same-day treatment
- The total fees of accepted same-day treatment
When you begin to add up the successfully presented same-day treatment daily, weekly, and monthly, you’ll be astounded by the difference it can make in your production and collection! But again, you have to JUST DO IT!
WARNING: Don’t be discouraged when patients decline your suggestions and say “No.” Usually less than one in three patients can and will complete treatment on the same day as it is discovered. But you must give everyone the opportunity to say Yes or No in order to get the “Yeses” that make the biggest difference in your practice!
