Guest User Guest User

Asking Questions to Differentiate Case Acceptance

AdobeStock_164816248.jpeg

BY DR. MARK MURPHY, DDS, FAGD

Uber relieved pain from the typical cab experience. No waving your arms at passing drivers. Comfortable cars and communicative drivers, and most important - pre-arranged payments and fares. Ebay created an online auction model that allowed us to buy and sell things in a safe, but somewhat anonymous network. How can we differentiate the education and consultation that leads to case acceptance, so we can enjoy some of that success? Simple. Innovate and differentiate your new patient experience. Different can be good or bad, so let’s focus on ways that improve the chance of a patient saying YES!

ASK more when teaching patients about their health and disease, and tell less. A.S.K could be an acronym for Always, Share Knowledge, but do so by ASKING, not TELLING. “How can we help?” This simple but favorite phrase starts 95% of my conversations with a patient. It let’s the patient take control and begin to tell you what they want or why they are here. They may bring up something that gives us insight and helps guide us towards, or away, from sensitive topics.  Answers like, “My wife made me come, she wants me to get my teeth fixed,” helps me position the conversation in the context of what did the spouse want fixed and why? How can I satisfy that need as part of the overall plan and not just do a routine examination? 

Asking questions about what the patient sees or thinks about the intraoral camera display on the screen, creates better ownership of the problem. “Telling” rhymes with “selling,” and patients seem more cynical than ever today. When they own the situation and ask what the options are to fix it, they are much more receptive to our plan. Their curiosity is fueled when we ask about that gum or broken filling and how they feel about it. Co-discovery was powerful for us kids, and that energy continues as adults.

If we ASK more and TELL less, will everyone say YES? No, of course not. We only need a few more people to be engaged by this differentiating style of examination. If one more patient said yes per week to one more crown - we would help more patients have healthier mouths, do more of the dentistry that fulfills us, and generate an additional $60,000-$75,000 in production. With our current schedule capacity and fixed overhead already paid, the variable expense (lab and dental supplies) could not exceed 18%. That would make this some of the most rewarding (financially and emotionally) dentistry we do.

Dr_Murphy_2018bk2.jpg

Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD

Read More
Marketing Communications Marketing Communications

Special Forces Dentistry?

AdobeStock_233980826.jpg

BY DR. MARK MURPHY, DDS, FAGD

When it’s easy, complacency can set in. When success is everywhere, we often just celebrate. But what about those challenging days, weeks and months? When reimbursements decline, patients cancel or a key team member leaves for seemingly no reason at all what should we do? Call in the Special Forces!

Recently I have been helping a friend of mine who is a Navy Seal. He wanted to transition from his ‘regular’ job to coaching, consulting and public speaking. I am pretty sure I have learned at least as much as I taught him.  His perseverance and unwavering focus on a goal is a trademark of the Seals. Never Quit, there is always a way to get it done, improvise, innovate, plan B, C or whatever it takes. Here are a few Navy Sealisms I have taken away from being around him. When the going gets tough in practice, think like a Seal. Persevere.


“The Only Easy Day was Yesterday”

This is the motto of the US Navy Seals, it means don’t sit around too long complaining or celebrating about whatever just happened. Instead, get ready for what’s next to come. Dentistry is tough. Patients, procedures, striving for excellence and our own OCD personalities make this profession tough. Each day, take a moment to find what went right yesterday, celebrate and get ready for today. There will be new challenges and obstacles to overcome. The preparation that got us here is unlikely to be enough to get us to the next level. 


“Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable”

The selection training for Navy Seals eliminates over 75% of the well qualified candidates because they cannot endure the discomfort of the training. Not physically, rather the mental discomfort can be so great that they just quit. In practice, our challenges can pile up in such a way to create unbelievable discomfort. How well we endure often depends on whether we quit mentally.  I have coached so many dentists who have given up on their dreams in dentistry because it got so tough. Some people quit just before they would have experienced success. Edison failed dozens of times to create a commercially successful light bulb. Lincoln lost elections for Congress, Senate and the Vice Presidency before becoming one of our greatest presidents.


“In the Absence of Clear Orders, I will Take Charge and Lead my Team “

The structure of dentistry and the current milieu is far from ideal as a platform that supports comprehensive care.  Declining reimbursements, maintenance benefits that masquerade as insurance, patient perceptions, and more are the “orders” of the day.  If your practice vision is on a tangent from your vision, you must innovate, find a way and improvise. In the absence of a clear path, make one! Practices that are thriving today have figured out a different path to take their team on to a promised land. Creating a value proposition that resonates with the right patients and collecting a fair fee is a worthy goal. Like a sailboat, set your sails and go where you will. The journey may be longer and slower, but also, far more rewarding.

Dr_Murphy_2018bk2.jpg

Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD

Tagged: Dr. Mark Murphy

Read More
Marketing Communications Marketing Communications

A Warm and Inviting Smile...

MicroDental_Marisol_B29A7053.jpg

A warm and inviting smile is the perfect way to bring some sunshine into a cold winter day. We love Marisol's smile! Dentistry by Dr. Kiran Rapal, Saratoga, CA. Restorations by Macstudio by MicroDental Laboratories. See more inspiring smiles at www.macstudio.com

Read More
Marketing Communications Marketing Communications

Better Case Acceptance with F.A.B.

MDL_AdobeStock_198931131_negcyan.jpg

BY DR. MARK T. MURPHY, DDS, FAGD

Getting patients to ‘YES’ is a challenge, sometimes because we are so forward with telling them what they ‘NEED’ instead of waiting until they ‘WANT’. One technique I have personally used and coached hundreds of others with remarkable success is, to “play hard to get”. Let me explain. If we remain patient and refrain from telling them the answer, the path is easier. By asking questions about what they see or think about the problem we engage their curiosity and co-discovery. These are natural tendencies in patients that are often squelched by our well-intentioned urge to tell them what they need right away. Talk about the problem, ask them questions, show them images using the intra-oral camera and hold off moving to the solutions discussion until they…wait for it…ASK YOU what you think. If we stay in the question with them, they will eventually ask us what we think they should do. Their curiosity gets the best of them and they truly want to know. That is when I play hard to get.

After successfully engaging them about the image of a failing MODBL, showing them the open margins, describing the decay process, asking about percentages of tooth versus material and advising them about the inevitability of this tooth needing a root canal if left untreated, they succumb to their curiosity and ask the inevitable question, “what do you recommend?” This is where it gets fun. Instead of simply answering them, I put on my sales and marketing hat and FAB (features, advantages and benefits) the crown they need. Marketing 101 reminds us to never sell the thing, rather sell the Features, Advantages and Benefits of the thing.

I explain that there are several different clinically acceptable ways to fix that tooth, but I need some information from them to make the recommendation. First, would they prefer a solution/material that will last several years or one that with some luck, might even last the rest of their life? Most folks go for longevity. Then I ask if they prefer the material we use to be tooth colored, silver or gold metal? Most choose the esthetic alternative. Without ever saying they NEED a crown, I simply asked them what features, advantages and benefits they WANT! This improves the odds of completing their treatment significantly, but not to 100%.

One more crown per week or bite splint, or periodontal treatment or implant etc. can have a significant impact on production. Just think, at $1,200 per unit, and 50 weeks you would increase production $60,000 and help fill your schedule. The same can be said for chair time in hygiene as well. No communication skill, script or technique is foolproof, but by shifting the odds in our favor we will get more yesses, fill our schedule and help patients have healthier mouths.

Dr_Murphy_2018bk2.jpg

Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD

Read More
Guest User Guest User

A winning smile!

MicroDental_Yones.jpg

We love how the World Cup unites cultures from around the world and gives us all something to smile about. Yones is ready to let the games begin with his energetic smile, dentistry by Dr. Alex Naini of Aesthetic Dental Spa in Vienna, VA. Macstudio restorations by MicroDental Laboratories. See more winning smiles at www.macstudio.com

Read More
Guest User Guest User

Small details, big difference!

MicroDental_Dr_Slate.jpg

Macstudio restorations fabricated by our talented #MicroDentalLaboratories technicians are an excellent option to restore function, and to rejuvenate the appearance of teeth. Dentistry by Dr. Darce Slate, Rocklin, CA. See more successful smile transformations at goo.gl/Ynxe2q

 

Read More
Guest User Guest User

20 Years of Unforgettable Macstudio Smiles!

The celebration continues at MicroDental Laboratories with our new ad on the back cover of the Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry! Here’s to many more years of partnering with dentists to enrich patient's lives through healthy and rejuvenated smiles! Macstudio, a smile for every story. www.macstudio.com

Read More