How to Stay on Schedule with NP Consultations
A question that I frequently get from doctors is the appropriate length of time that the doctor should be in the room for an initial, new-patient consultation. From observing numerous client recordings, for a garden-variety case my answer is ten to twelve minutes. (This, of course, does not apply to more complex cases). I can also say from personal […]
Doctors, Ask for Feedback or Pay the Price
As I get more and more involved in helping doctors to improve their consultation skills, I continue to see things that have the potential to derail the start of an otherwise good patient start. An example of this occurred this past week, when reviewing a videotaped exam from one of my doctor clients. During the consultation, […]
Dealing With Divorce Cases
What should you do when a divorced family wants you to split the financial arrangements independently between the two parties? This is a question that I get asked frequently by TCs, including those at two different practices this past week. What follows is my opinion. As a TC, the first thing to remember is to NEVER […]
Protecting Your Flank: Structuring Financing vs Low-Cost Competitors
Those of you who have read my books or recently been through my training program know that the most important component of case acceptance is your ability to communicate the value of treatment at your practice during the initial consultation – a skill equally shared between the Doctor and Treatment Coordinator, with support roles by […]
How to Present Extended Terms to Patients
As I cover in detail in my book No to Lost Cases, your profession is facing pressure on financing arrangements from two fronts: technology that is reducing the treatment time for patients, and competitors who are offering financing options that are more budget-friendly than yours are. For both of these reasons, one of your three financing offers, along […]
Are You Charging Enough for Treatment?
How do you know if you are charging the optimum price for the services you provide? Should you raise fees? Should you lower them? Let’s take a look at each of these from a business perspective. When it comes to the issue of whether or not your fees are at the right price point, or should […]
When Meeting with Shoppers, the Best Advice is Impartial
Many of you have developed a document touting the strengths of your practice, usually titled “Why Choose ______ Orthodontics?” This is a useful document to you, but not nearly so much to your prospective patient families. That’s because the focus is on what is important to you, not what is important to the buyer. In other words, “Why […]
Being Smart about Discounting and Promotions
With increasing frequency I am seeing practices try a variety of creative efforts to get more visitors to commit to treatment; some of these efforts are well designed and effective, with others not so much. Such offers come in one of two forms: either a reduction in the fee, or a prize/reward for completing a desired action. Today’s post looks […]
The Problem With Sending Post-Consult Letters Home
A sales-related problem inherent to the orthodontic profession is the fact that, in many cases, not all parties are present for the consultation, and so what goes home to the family post-visit becomes very important to the decision process. In addition to the take-home packet of information that leaves with the patient, many of you also […]
The Importance of “Why”
If you are a follower of my weekly column, you know that I am currently “on the warpath” with regard to the need for improvement in doctor communication skills during the initial consultation. Today’s post focuses on one specific shortfall that has been present, to varying degrees, with every doctor that I am currently working with […]