The contour of the buying experience

I have been thinking a lot about what it takes to create an environment where people are likely to buy a treatment plan that carries a significant price tag. And if you think about the times that you personally have made a big decision about spending or donating money. And it is all about the emotion, isn't it?

Why do we forget that? Why do most of us as dentists, or logical people think that we can win our game with the force of facts? That if we tell someone that they have this disease or problem or has this opportunity, that the actual facts of the situation will carry the day.

Perhaps, as rational dental school graduates, we have gotten ourselves through undergrad school and dental school with our mastery of facts and regurgitation of facts and figures. And then we get to our practices, and we dealing with people who aren't impressed with data, but are swayed by emotionally appealing behavior!

Think back to when you fell in love and decided to get married. Was that done on the basis of a fact analysis, of doing a risk/reward analysis on this person versus any others? I don't think so.

When you go and buy a car, and you sit behind the wheel of that new BMW or other fine car, and you are flooded with positive feelings, of expectations and visions of driving, owning and enjoying this car, and you aren't really thinking gas mileage, or length of the warranty, you are saying: "This is just so cool!" Admit it, that is true, isn't it? But then, when you are getting serious about it, having those facts and figures are a good way to rationalize your emotional decision.

We have all probably heard this before, but how many of us have thought about how to apply this to our patients, and our practices? Just like we need some expert help in deciding to buy that BMW or Macbook pro, our patients need help in honoring their emotional brains to buy what they want and need. They need emotional support, not facts about occlusal prematurities or fracture lines.

What I propose is that your dental practice success depends on how you create a great buying environment, a great emotional atmosphere where people FEEL GOOD about buying the services and actually the benefits of your care. They have to feel good when they call the office the first time, they have to feel good when they walk in the door, and they have to feel good all the way through the whole examination and consultation process, feel like their needs are being addressed, their questions being answered, and their comfort being assured!

It all starts with your intent, your design of the whole process, and your vision in making sure it follows the contour that you intend. And your team is so much more important in doing this than the dentist, no question. The dentist isn't the most valuable or most effective communicator on very many teams, and it is doubtful that yours in an exception.

My next blog will focus on the actual steps you might take, sequentially, to make this happen.

Have a great Holiday season!

The wisdom of insecurity

Actually, Krishnamurti wrote a book with that title, but I think I want to tickle your mind about the idea, as applied to the dental office.

We are finding that many of our very good patients, the ones who sit and ASK for treatment, our best treatment, are the ones who we often go slow with, and actually don't present treatment too early, or even act too eager to provide care. It isn't really game playing, but there certainly is a lot right about keeping someone in an orthotic, or NTI and gaining their trust through several visits, knowing that your office is helping them to get where they want to be.

It is totally against my nature not to act confident, but I am not talking acting as if I don't know what I am doing. The idea here is that: " We really don't know how you will do with this splint, but I think you will get a lot more comfortable and we can schedule treatment after you are comfortable and know what sort of improvements you want." The patient realizes that they are in charge and are taking part in their treatment.

Certainly, the restorative dental world has a lot to learn about handling people, and Neuromuscular Dentistry has done a great job with having people wear an orthotic to allow repositioning to occur - as have the Bioesthetics dentists, using their MOGO appliance. What I am saying is not that these appliances are the same, but they can act in a very similar way to create a solid bond with the patient and office. There is more trust and friendship, and the patient feels no "push" to get things done tomorrow afternoon! There are therapeutic and psychological advantages to applying these treatment modalities.

My point? That if your patients seem to be less ready to jump on care, instead of pushing harder, why not think about creating systems that allow them to progress to treatment at their own desired rate? For the good patients, or the people who can become good patients, this works wonders, I think. And for the insurance driven, bargain hunting patient who wants those crowns cheap, well, you might not hang on to them, but the other, more grateful and supportive patients will more than make up for it!

What do you think?

Rick

Dental Business models

It is really amazing to hear about all the different models of dentistry that are successful, and it bears some examination, I think.

Perhaps the success of a model isn't the result of a superior model, but a decent model well executed, just like a particular offense in basketball isn't a guarantee of success, it is the matching of the plan with the people skills that the team brings to the effort. If a dental practice is seriously underperforming (all of us are underperforming in some degree, right?), then you ask questions about the people, their skills and training, or the model they are running. But it should be clear that just because a model worked ten, twenty or thirty years ago, that doesn't mean it will be successful today, as Detroit and the newspapers are finding out. 

I think that too many dentists are worshipping at their image of LD Pankey, GV Black,  or Pete Dawson as if their system was the holy grail, when looked at logically, those systems were fabulous adaptations within the business environment of that day! But we all know that any change, or new tweak can get adopted and pretty soon is no longer new. And remember, those dentists were not particularly popular in their day, because they challenged the existing systems of care!

Isn't is a great time to be a dentist when there is so much demand for what we can do, and where people are willing and able to pay us for our efforts?

As Michael Gerber likes to say, the time we spend working ON the business is often more important than the time we spend IN the business!

What services do you think your patients might enjoy enough to pay for? What services or options could you offer that would introduce a "Wow" factor to give the office image some juice? Those sorts of questions should be on your mind all the time, especially now as business conditions seem to change more rapidly than ever!

We are seeing some very interesting developments within dentistry and there are so many things we can add to our menus- six month braces, sleep appliance therapy, spa services, botox and the like. But I would caution any of us that we cannot forget the core values of our practice and that any addition has to be evaluated for relevance as well as profit potential. 

Better Presentations

If you have ever sat in a meeting where someone was droning on about a subject, and doing a powerpoint with about a thousand different bullet points, you begin to understand the concept of "Death by Powerpoint".  And having done a few presentations like that myself, I know how much work goes into that process, and it is discouraging that so often your work has such a limited result.

Postman and Weingarten, in the old book Teaching as a Subversive Activity said once that "All learning is reflected by behavior change", so if people's behavior doesn't change after you make your presentation, you just wasted everyone's time!

A great book to read is Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, he really has some great ideas about engaging emotions to get people interested before just pumping them full of factoids. He thinks that Steve Jobs, of Apple Computer, is one of the best presenters ever, and his techniques use simple, but powerful photos that grab your brain, and he will then speak on his preferred subject for several minutes at a time, of course, a subject that involves the photo in question.

For instance, I found some great photos on a website called www.bigstockphoto.com, one of which was an aerial view of an apple orchard, where all the trees were greening up, but one beautiful tree was fully blossomed out. Great, impactful photo. If I am talking to dentists, I will put that photo up, and just ask the question :"Did you ever wonder why in every town, there seems to be one or two dental offices that have really taken off, and why some still haven't bloomed?" It can be a very powerful image. That is, I think, what Garr Reynolds was talking about.

Seth Godin has become one  of my favorite writers, he sends out a daily blog and they are often full of great information. Here is one of his blog posts that I think is so good about presentations:

The hierarchy of presentations

A presentation is a precious opportunity. It's a powerful arrangement... one speaker, an attentive audience, all in their seats, all paying attention (at least at first). Don't waste it.

The purpose of a presentation is to change minds. That's the only reason I can think of to spend the time and resources. If your goal isn't to change minds, perhaps you should consider a different approach.

1. The best presentation is no presentation at all. If you can get by with a memo, send a memo. I can read it faster than you can present it and we'll both enjoy it more.
2. The second best presentation is one on one. No slides, no microphone. You look me in the eye and change my mind.
3. Third best? Live and fully interactive.
4. Powerpoint or Keynote, but with no bullets, just emotional pictures and stories.
5. And last best... well, if you really think you can change my mind by using tons of bullets and a droning presentation, I'm skeptical.

A presentation isn't an obligation, it's a privilege.

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I really recommend that everyone subscribe to Seth's blog, it is that good!

How often do you present and realize how great a privilege it is to do this?  Some good things to remember the next time you are asked to speak!

Rick

Ending the Conversation

The new phenomenon of the internet conversation has truly taken hold, and instead of reducing the interactions that people have with each other, I feel that it has increased the number of interactions a person might have during any given day. That's good news AND bad news.

Good news because the places of contact, the meeting places, like an email list, Facebook, or even just email have greatly increased the scope of contact, the number of people (friends and customer and patients) that you can interact with. Whether you are plumber or politician or dentist, the number of people you have who call you their friend directly affects your business life and your personal life. It can be greatly enriching. Or disappointing.

The bad news is that rules and assumptions and implied agreements are often unrecognized. It is very easy for big fights to break out on some of our dental email lists, based on some words or phrases that mean one thing to the writer, but something entirely different to the reader.  Anyone who participates regularly in an email list needs to learn the stuff they were trying to teach in English class so long ago. Sentence structure, grammar, spelling- these things are truly important for clear communication, no matter how we might wish it was different.

When you add chat to the mix, the issues still are there, and you add in the idea of a quick retorts and the normal non-listening mode we mostly employ, where we use a pause in our talking to think of the next things we might want to say, instead of listening to the other person. It can be a lot of fun, but also it can be frustrating and unproductive, if you don't understand the rules of engagement and follow them.

Here are Coker's rules of internet communication, from what I have observed over the last fifteen years or so:

1. Don't assume that any other person knows you are smiling or laughing when you throw off some bon mot that seems so clever. Often it can be confusing, hurtful or simply opaque. Write more clearly and simply, until you are on solid communication grounds.

2. Don't even talk politics or religion. Seriously, don't. Just can't get the nuances and implied meanings right.

3. Don't drink and post. You will live to regret it.

4. Resist the urge to get angry with what someone says. Make sure you understand before you get all wrapped up in righteous indignation. If you don't correct somebody even today, what is the difference? There is usually more to the story.

5. Think about being helpful. When you hear about a situation or a concern, think just a moment about what that person is saying and ask yourself if you might be able to help them, with a word of encouragement, an insight or just a friendly ear (even if it is electronic). Even an offer of help is just so welcome, we often just forget how many people feel lonely and uncared for. (yes, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition, you english teachers out there!)

The point I really want to make here is that, in a way, life is an extended conversation with others, and the main point is to figure a way to continue that conversation, that interaction. We all know people who, as they age, start shutting down their contacts and conversations, because of the deaths of friends and loved ones, life's challenges or whatever. But my thesis is that it is up to us to continue that effort, that conversation until our time is up. The end of conversation is a little death.

So, we can continue our play with each other, or retract back into our safe zones, and  limit our growth, change and interactions. Doesn't seem to be a hard choice, but I see people everyday who are contracting and isolating themselves, either purposefully or accidentally. But growth is always a choice, and no matter what profession or role a person has in life, they will be happier, more productive and more attractive when they are actively growing and interacting with others. No question in my mind.

So, if you get into a social network, or an email list, you have to remember that words can hurt or heal, can enrage or encourage, and can attract or detract from your life's quality. Why would anyone choose to not be part of the conversation? 

Rick

The facebook Metaphor

Facebook and Twitter are big deals right now, perhaps indicative  of how fractured and isolated that many of us feel about our connections.

But I want to introduce an idea here: That Facebook can represent  a really ideal model for how one can accumulate and enmesh themselves with other people with whom we might share values or even share arguments. But it is the connection that is important.

My friend Mac Lee, said in the heat of some spirited debate a year or two ago this very profound thing: "My daddy taught me never to trust anybody who didn't have any old friends!" and the truth of that is just so apparent to me. It makes a huge difference when you know someone has a friendship roster behind them, it makes them infinitely more trustworthy!

Two of my really close friends here in Tyler are consummate friend makers, who can go back 40 something years and talk to people they have connected with throughout their lives, and maintained those connections. It sometimes makes it hard to play golf with them, since they get calls all the time! But those connections are such an incredible storehouse of help, advice and interest that it is hard to overestimate that importance. Think about the people who you trust and admire!

And my point is that the skills necessary to accumulate friends are those skills that help almost every person in their lives and professions, no matter what that profession happens to be. Being able to listen and interact with another. Saying please and thank you, often. Remembering names and times and things of interest to that other person. Being willing to talk about their grandchildren when yours are much better looking!

My prescription here would be this: This is not a race, and having a million facebook friends isn't a great thing, in itself. But all of us deep down, realize that we want to create meaningful lives, and that involves other people, no matter how you look at it. Learn facebook skills, and then start applying those things to how you live and run your business. Create a friend any chance you , it will surprise you how much easier it is to do business with friends. And your life will be so much richer!

Paying too much attention?

There was a story this week in a British newspaper that showed some research that indicated that golfers really need to defocus on their swing in order to play well, that concentrating and thinking about the swing technique needed actually worked against them.

I think the same thing goes for a dental practice. Whether it is doing a complicated procedure, or experiencing a slow down, when the dentist starts to get too focused and too intent on what's gone wrong, he/she will often makes things worse, actually interferes with the necessary learning and improvement.

My advice is to go back to basics: Be available, attractive, and accomodating. Welcome people into your practice and appreciate their being there with you. Think more about their experience in your office than what new tool or technique you can learn.

People are buying value today, and that means YOU MUST HELP ESTABLISH that value. 

But you don't have to get all introspective and paralyzed through overanalysis. Just concentrate on what they want, and listen to them!

The breathing effect - the economy and you

I was just visiting with a good patient and she was telling me how things were slow in her business, (the oil business is way down now), and how she was sort of enjoying it.

It just seems to me that we have been going crazy the last few years, nobody taking much time to enjoy things, we just are working ourselves crazy. Often we are too busy to be productive, I think.

A good analogy might be breathing- you can't just keep breathing in all the time, you know? A normal person breathes in, and then breathes out and both things are necessary. 

I think that we have all been holding our breath for too long, and we need to take advantage of a lull, if we have it, to really think about what our business model actually is, and how it might be better. Can't really do that when things are booming, can we?

Dentists have such blessings from an economic standpoint, truly. But it doesn't save us from the consequences of not thinking or applying what we know.

Have a great day.

The Capital Grille Effect

We had a great time at the Capital Grille the other evening in Tampa, and amidst all of the revelry, I was really looking over everything about the business, their menus and service and their evident business model.

After studying the menu for a long time, I realize that there was one page for the food, and three pages for wine and drinks. Food choices were well described and tempting, but the wine list was really pretty involved, with two pages of fine print describing the different wines available.

It became clear to me that their business model really doesn't depend on food sales for profit, but wine and spirit sales. So in essence, the platform of the business model is getting people in, offering a good meal at a fair price, and then tempting them into buying some good (and marked up significantly) selections of wines and drinks. The leverage or true profit is in the back three pages. And there is nothing wrong with that, since they do a great job of serving, and the surroundings are plush and tasteful.

It made me start to think- how many dentists really think about the "platform" of their practice? Is it hygiene and continued care, or cosmetics, or pain relief, or what. How many truly understand what their "sweet spot" actually is in what they offer on their menus?

It appears to me that in our practice we are changing that platform to one of "positive health" rather than just cosmetics. In other words, we want to get people  here to get health affirming services and information, and then, once they are part of the family, after being  ATTRACTED by this platform, they will hopefully choose the things we have on our menu.

I challenge you to think of what your platform really is, and how you are making that attractive enough that people want to take part in experiences with you and your team.  What an advantage it is to be clear on this part of your business model!