Pre-Screening is Essential

One of the biggest challenges facing our industry is a lack of education when it comes to selling. By nature, dentists are analytical, and we typically haven’t been in a position where we needed to sell our services. But you may want to consider a strategy to sell bigger cases. The biggest point to remember is that most patients require a fair amount of education.

Unless you have killer marketing, your new patients have probably been referred to you by recommendation but really don’t know what you can do for them. The more people know or understand about their condition, the better positioned they are to buy. The only limiting factor will be their budget, and you usually will not know what it is. When people make major purchases they generally have a good idea of what they are buying and how much it will cost. This means they are qualified to make their purchase. To qualify your patient you need to pre-screen them.

The Qualification Process

Qualification begins with your marketing. This starts with printed material provided in your website, newsletters, reception and treatment rooms. Next there is the dialog that always occurs in the form of discussions or stories you and your staff tell your patients. Lastly there is the discussion on the phone with the patient as they schedule the consultation. Your staffer in charge of this duty needs to spend time creating rapport, educating and throwing hints of possible fees. As you can see, this staffer has an important role and needs to have a vast understanding of the problems, procedures and fees. Don’t leave this to the first person to answer the phone. Train someone for this role. Have your receptionist refer the call to this key person.

Managing Expectations

Qualification even continues when the patient presents for their consultation. Take the patient into your consultation room and begin with some active listening. Engage them with questions that help you get a grip on the history of their concern and what they might already know about potential treatment options. If you know approximately what the fee might be, then throw out some hints that help frame the patient’s expectation. Use comparisons such as ‘it can cost as much as a new car or room full of furniture’ or anything else you think the patient may relate to. The key is that when you are ready to give the patient the actual fee they should not be shocked or surprised.

Practice Makes Perfect

This is a delicate process that needs to be nurtured and practiced. The patient may tell you early on that they know it will be expensive even before they know what the treatment will be. You can respond by agreeing and framing by giving an example. Always leave the patient with some options to suit their budget. Allow them to bow out gracefully. Don’t avoid discussion of cost. The more often you bring it into the discussion the less sensitive the patient will be when they hear the actual fee. Any major concerns that you hear from the patient will clue you into the level of qualification that the patient has. For instance, when they frequently mention dental insurance you know that they will be dependent upon it. This may actually disqualify the patient. Any disqualification is permission for you to throw out some estimated fees to check their reaction. Ask them if this will pose a problem. If it does, then you can quickly shift gears to a different plan and re-qualify them.

The Bottom Line

Qualification is the key to ensuring your marketing efforts continue to be cost-effective by generating long-term, happy customers.

Your Thoughts

How do you qualify your patients. Give some specific examples if you can in a comment below.

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