The Dental Jungle - Conversions

By Dr. Bill Williams

In the dental jungle there are 101 stories; this is the fourth in a series of these stories. We follow Dr. Alex Middleton, The Guide, as he again gives sage advice to his dentist friend, Dr. Jack Mudd.*

TEAM - CONVERSIONS

Wondering what would most impact the growth of his dental practice, Dr. Jack Mudd asked Dr. Middleton the following. “I realize that I’m not really good at selling dentistry so how can I get my team to do it for me?”

“A key aspect of attitude is the concept of ‘team,’” Alex replied. “Dentistry is a partnership between all members of the team. To build for today, every team member should focus on filling every other team member’s schedule for productive procedures. Imagine the synergy if 5, 10 or 15 team members were focused on filling your daily schedule.

Alex explained how conversions require that team mentality. “Conversions are all about moving a patient from one position to another, moving them up the ladder of treatment. That might look like taking a phone call and turning it into an appointment, taking a new patient exam and turning it also into a productive same-day treatment with the dentist. In the case of a patient with a dental hygiene recare appointment, they may be converted to also include treatment with the doctor that same day after their hygiene visit. And vice versa, a restorative patient could move into an open hygiene operatory after their restorative appointment. Any time an opening occurs in the schedule, it is the job of the team to announce it, recognize it and fill it.

“How many times would a patient wish to start perio treatment after their consultation with the Patient Treatment Coordinator? Well, we don’t know until we ask. When a patient is in the office getting a crown prep done and the schedule falls apart, have you ever offered to extend the current patient’s appointment and work in three quadrants, not just one? How are your communication skills in dealing with this scenario? If you have scripts and have practiced them, your team can convert many times a day when the need arises. A script is simply a pre-written and memorized set of lines that fit into a conversation where appropriate. Scripts are used most commonly in dentistry to answer the most common questions that patients ask. They may also be useful in sales and conversions as in this conversation.

“Conversions strike at the most costly of all overhead items: broken and failed appointments. Conversions often save the day and create massive profitability. With the mindset of conversions being a good thing, you can break past average and become the superior practice. Most of my doctors in my masterminds become $10,000 A Day Dentists because they have learned how to convert and so have their team members.

“Conversions occur because of superior communication. Your skills with scripts determine your upside. A well delivered spiel from the heart will enhance your conversion ratio. Remember, when a request is made to a patient to do something, there is a 33% better chance of them saying “yes” if there is a “because” following the request. People respond to requests at a higher rate when a reason is attached to the request.”

A good an example of a “because statement” would be, “Mrs. Jones, my belief is that this tooth is in need of a crown to keep it safe and pain-free because there is a fracture running across the top and down the side of that molar which could allow the cusp to break off and expose the nerve just from eating on it.” The because at the end gives the reason for the decision to be made, the “why.”

What is your team’s conversion rate? Does everyone on your team contribute to filling gaps in your daily schedule, filling in replacements for cancellations, preplanning their own schedule as well as yours? 

Have you considered how a Mastermind experience for you can provide the tools to help your team excel? The team that converts well always hits their goal.

*Excerpt from The $10,000 A Day Dentist Author: Dr Bill Williams Director of the 5M Mastermind

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1. Webinar Replay Available Now from our Oct 27th, 55-minute webinar on "How to Create the Perfect $10,000 Day" and the "Say Yes Campaign" by Clicking Here

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