Simon Tucker explains how to take advantage of the valuable opportunity to facilitate buying.
Dental teams will say over and over that only a very small percentage of patients want to buy dental treatment. But is that true or is it just a matter of perspective? Whilst it may be the case that patients do not want the treatment itself, they invariably do want the outcome that the treatment brings. What most dental patients want is healthy teeth and gums, and they will buy what a treatment does for them and how it makes them feel about themselves.
The job of the dental team, therefore, is not to sell but to help the patient buy what they want. We need to ask the right questions of the patient and listen to the answers. All we must do is give the patient the opportunity to tell us how their teeth and mouth impact their life.
If the diagnosis and patient’s desire mean that there are several different treatment options you can offer, I would always consider presenting them options in a way which makes this simple to understand and reflects the patient’s aesthetic and oral health aspirations. Creating some form of presentation either in hardcopy or on screen will act as a guide to the options available and the pros and cons of each from a clinical financial and personal perspective. Your aim is to develop a natural conversation with the patient which constantly links back to the overall objectives they shared with you at their first visit to the practice which were captured in the personal dental assessment (PDA).
When you meet with the patient to present the treatment options I recommend, just like for any business meeting, setting out the items you are going to present in an agenda. This sets out at a high level what you are going to cover with the patient. Each item in the agenda acts as a prompt, to enable you to have a discussion with the patient and show them that you have understood what they want to achieve and are sharing all the available clinical options to getting there. Your agenda might include the following:
The current situation from the patient’s perspective: This is where you present the situation from the patient’s point of view. Break this down into the detail of what the patient has told you is important to them about their mouth and oral health. Remember to keep the patient engaged by asking clarification questions, to make sure you’ve got it right and so they can see that you have understood the problem, how they feel about it and what they are seeking to achieve through treatment. By doing this you are allowing the patient to re-state their reason for getting the treatment done and effectively they are ‘selling’ it to themselves.
The current situation from your perspective: Here you will want to paint the whole picture of the patient’s oral health, not just the immediate problem you are dealing with. Make sure to cover the colour, shape and completeness of teeth together with the gums, tongue, mouth and bone. Of course, pictures speak louder than words and although a patient may not actually be able to read a radiograph, showing them and explaining what you see from a clinical perspective, in ordinary patient focussed language will build trust and confidence.
The aim: Next present your understanding of what the patient wants to achieve both from a clinical and personal perspective. Relay back to the patient all that they told you the first time they came to the practice and everything you captured in their PDA. This shows you have listened carefully to their needs and wants and see it as important. This process subconsciously reminds the patient that they do really want to get the problem fixed.
The options: Next you need to run through each of the clinical options, for instance a missing tooth may be replaced by a partial denture, Maryland bridge, full bridge or implant. For every option you present ensure you ask the patient if they have any questions. This will help clarify their understanding of each option. Use pictures or, better still, models and if you have patient education software, use this too. Remember there is a lot for the patient to take on board so you will need to avoid using too much dentistry specific terminology if possible. Throughout, ask the patient how much they want to know about each treatment option – clearly the patient will want to know the cost of each. Once you have been through them all, ask the patient which one they believe would suit them best and let them choose.
Payment options: Now the patient has chosen their favoured treatment option, all they have to do is find the money to pay for it. When presenting financial options, try to use a visual tool to show payment options so the low-cost finance option in comparison to the full payment can be seen against each other. By offering a choice of treatment and payment options, you are allowing the patient to be involved in the process and therefore to be in control. We know that customers who feel in control of their choices are much happier with the decision to buy. And if the patient wants time to mull over either, that’s fine, but make sure to book an appointment to call them in a week.
Next steps: Now the choosing and buying part is over you are left with a conversation about suitable dates and times, taking a deposit if needed and getting the treatment underway.
This six steps approach is all about having good conversations with the patient and here the old adage applies; practice makes perfect. So use role play with a colleague or as a team to hone your style and tone to enable the conversation to be more natural. Even for smaller value treatments a quick walk through of the six steps is still appropriate. This way it is possible to ensure patients feel complete ownership for the treatment they have chosen and consequently, they are much happier to pay.