Tag: David Schwab Ph.D.

Five Great Ways to Answer the Cost Question

Many patients are shoppers and they often raise the cost question.  They want to know why it costs so much or they say they can get it cheaper somewhere else.  Here are five great responses.

  1. It’s never cheaper to do it twice. In our office, we are often called upon to give second opinions or to re-treat patients who were initially treated in another office.  Our goal is to do it once and do it right.  When you come to our office, you get the benefit of our time, our expertise, and the best dental materials available.
  2. Dentistry is an art and a science, and all treatment is unique. You can get similar treatment in another office, but just as every original work of art is one-of-a-kind, the care we provide is unique to this office.
  3. We occasionally lose patients because of fees, but we never lose patients because of quality. It’s always possible to shop around and find a lower fee, and we do not claim to be the lowest priced dental practice in our area.  However, we offer quality dental care.  We have many loyal patients who want only the best dental care possible.
  4. We invite you to review our testimonials. We understand that patients have concerns about fees, and we think that our best ambassadors are previous patients who have had extensive treatment in our office.  We have many happy patients because we have high standards and we truly care about our patients.
  5. Don’t compare apples and oranges when you ask the cost question. Sometimes patients are told that they can get “it” cheaper in another office, but that begs the question—what is “it”?  Be sure that you are comparing the exact same scope of treatment.  Ask about experience and follow-up care.  Savvy shoppers often choose us not because we have the lowest fee, but because we offer the best value.

When you are prepared for the cost question, you can confidently address patients’ concerns and reaffirm your commitment to quality dentistry.

 

www.davidschwab.com

 

Great Interview Questions to Help You Hire the Right Person in Your Dental Practice

Great interview questions, also called “killer” questions, were the subject of a previously published article.  You can see that information by clicking here.  Here are 10 more essential questions to help you find the right person.

My comments to you appear after each question in square brackets [like this].

  1. What marketing strategies should the practice use to attract new patients? [This one is on the list of great interview questions because marketing is everyone’s job.  You should not expect someone to give you a complete marketing plan, but everyone who works in a dental office should have ideas about practice growth.
  2. How will you help implement these ideas? [You want to know how your prospective employee will help in this regard, not just give you advice.]
  3. What are you looking for in a boss? [If the person gives a bland answer such as “nice” or “fair,” probe more deeply.  How does the person define those terms?]
  4. What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you? [Interviews can be stressful.  This question is designed to lighten the tone and let you find out if the interviewee has a sense of humor.]
  5. Someone who has not decided on a career asks you about opportunities in dentistry. What would you tell that person?  What pros and cons would you bring up?  [Prepare to be enlightened.  This answer will reveal whether the interviewee is truly dedicated to the dental profession and whether they are an optimist or a pessimist.]
  6. What are your interpersonal strengths? [The word “interpersonal” is key. Someone might talk about a specific skills, such as organizational ability, which is commendable, but you want to know about interpersonal strengths.  You are looking for someone who can get along with many different personality types.]
  7. No one is perfect. What are your weaknesses?  [There are people who try to spin this answer.  Someone might say, “Sometimes I work too hard” or “I have a tendency to be a perfectionist.”  You are looking for an honest self-assessment.]
  8. Describe a high pressure situation related or unrelated or unrelated to dentistry that you dealt with in the past. How did you handle it?  [Dealing with stress is an important skill.  This answer to this question will be very revealing.]
  9. Who has been the most important person in your own self-development? [Most people have mentors, role models, heroes.  You want to know about these key people who helped shape the interviewee.]
  10. Why do you have a passion for dentistry? [Of all the great interview questions, this one may be the best.  It assumes that the person does indeed have a passion for dentistry.  Be wary of the person who searches in vain for an answer, or the person who describes their “passion” in very flat terms.]

Caution: Do not conduct an interview with a prospective employee without using this list of great interview questions.  You and your practice deserve the best, and this list is a valuable aid.

www.davidschwab.com

 

Five Ways News Releases Help Your Dental Practice

News releases help your dental practice in five major ways:

  1. News releases are a great way to boost your website search engine optimization (SEO). When a news release is published nationwide through a news distribution service, it will likely appear on the websites of various newspapers and television stations.  Your practice website URL is included as a link in the release, so you will have what are called “backlinks” to your website on those media sites.  Backlinks are very valuable for SEO because if your website is important enough to be included as a link on another website, then Google will rank your website higher for search purposes.   It does not matter if your release appears on a news website in another state.  It is true that if you are in Chicago you will not get patients from a local television news station’s website in Dallas, but Google is still likely to reward you for the link with a higher search engine ranking.
  2. The release may be picked up by your local media. It’s not a given, because competition for news release placement is strong, but a media outlet in your area could either choose to publish the release on its website or—best case scenario—contact you for an interview.  While you cannot expect your release to appear on page one of your local newspaper, the goal is to have it published on many media websites, and your local media outlets are logical targets.
  3. A professionally done release looks impressive. The release can be printed in PDF format.  You can frame it and put it on a wall, include it in patient information packets, or pass it out at health fairs.  Specialists can distribute the release to referring dentists.  You should also, of course, publish the electronic version on your own website.
  4. News releases have “legs,” which means that releases show up in Internet searches for a considerable period of time. I have written news releases for doctors and found them by doing a Google search for the doctor’s name eighteen months after distribution.  The more hits for your name or your practice’s name on Google, the better.  In addition, it is impressive when someone finds a news release about you on the Internet, because it makes you look important and newsworthy.
  5. The news release is searchable content on the Internet. If you practice in Nashville and the release is about your work with dental implants, for example, then someone may find your name because they are searching for “dental implants Nashville.”  The release pops up on a media website, you are positioned as the expert, and the release has a link to your practice website.

Opportunities for news release content abound.

You may have great material for news releases if:

  • You have won an award or received other recognition.
  • A new doctor has joined the practice.
  • You have opened or renovated a dental office.
  • You have lectured at a major dental meeting.
  • You have introduced a new treatment modality into your practice.
  • You are the first or only doctor in your area to incorporate certain equipment or modalities into your practice.
  • You have published an article in a scientific journal and you want to share the information with the public in laymen’s terms.

Writing and publishing news releases will require a degree of experience and expertise.  If you have an idea for a release or questions about the process and would like some guidance, please contact me.  Sending out a news release is a straightforward project that requires very little of the doctor’s time and has the potential to significantly benefit the practice.

www.davidschwab.com

Social Media Content–An Unlimited Source in Your Dental Practice

Social media content–as much as you’ll every need–is right in your own practice.  Your patients provide unlimited content for social media, because you tell their stories.  I write social media content for doctors as a turnkey service, but whether I write it or  you do it yourself, the stories from your practice are unique.

I always use an attention-getting headline.  Listed below are three excerpts (not the full blogs) of stories from three different practices that really grab the reader’s attention.  These constituent great social media content.

  1. “If you hurt me, doc, I’m going to throw  you out the window.”

A patient who was a professional football player came in to see me.  He had known that his upper teeth in particular were failing for a long time and also was told that he was losing them and that he would have to wear a denture.  He said that he just could not wear a denture because it was not in his personality and he was a tough guy.  In fact, he threatened to throw me out the window if I hurt him.  We are on the second floor with shatterproof glass, so I knew that was not going to be a pleasant experience.  [The blog ends with the story of how the patient was very happy with treatment.]

  1. Patient Too Embarrassed for Years for Photos Now Smiles for the Camera with Her Son

I had a patient had never had another picture taken with her then 13-year-old son after the day he was born.  She had only one picture taken when her son was born. She lacked confidence due to her dental issues, and she did not have any more pictures taken until, literally, the day that we delivered, not only her implants, but her immediate fixed teeth.

That was actually the first time in almost 13 years that she had a picture taken with her son.  I had no idea that we were making that kind of an impact.  I thought I was simply helping a woman who was having trouble chewing due to failing dentition.  The implant dentistry treatment gave her confidence and changed her life in more ways than one.

  1. “Wow!”  That’s What Patients Say After Dental Laser Treatment

The comment I get most often from patients after laser surgery is, “Wow!  It was so much easier than I expected.”  Patients tell me that they hardly have any discomfort.  They may take an over the counter product such as Motrin or Tylenol for two days at the most and then they report that they feel fine. 

As you can see from these examples, your social media content should be interesting and educational.  When the content is about your practice and your patients, it is customized and compelling.

davidschwab.com

 

How to Write Killer Content for Social Media

Wanted: killer content.  In my last blog I talked about how to fill up your blog “bucket” on your website with content and send that content out to social media.  (Click here to see that post.)  Here are some tips for writing killer social media content.

  1. Start with a compelling title.  If you are writing about dental implants, for example, here’s a sample title:  Dental implants Give Woman, 85, New Lease on Life Says Dallas Dentist Dr. John Smile.  The opening provides a success story in just a few words. There is an 85-year-old woman who is now very happy with dental implants, so the reader is thinking that, yes, older adults can have dental implants.
  2. Put key words in the title. “Dental implants” is a good choice.  Notice also that the phrase “Dallas dentist” is included.  Some people search for that exact term.  The doctor’s name is also included in the headline.  You want to be very visible on the web.  The more times your name is mentioned in a professional context, the better.
  3. Limit the title to no more than 70 characters, including spaces. There are different authorities who will give you a slightly lower or higher number, but 70 characters maximum for a blog title will work out fine.  If the title is longer, it will likely be cut off by the search engine results page (SERP).
  4. Make the blog interesting and informative. Here is an excerpt from the body of the blog:  “When I first met her, the patient was unhappy.  She could not eat the foods of her choice and she thought she was too old to have dental implant treatment.  Now that her dental implant treatment has been completed, she never stops smiling!  She eats all her favorite foods, she has a terrific smile, and she does not have to worry about traditional dentures that slip, click, or cause embarrassment.  She says she feels young again thanks to dental implants, and she certainly acts that way.”  Now that’s killer content!
  5. Include a link to your website at the end of the blog. Some people will click and be taken right to your website.  Your content is not only about your practice; it leads back to your practice.
  6. Use different authors. When I write blogs and social media content for dental practices, I interview not only the doctor, but team members as well.  The result is that there are blogs from the doctor and also some from the unique perspective of the team
  7. Include an image to make the blog post memorable.  An image helps give the blog credibility and may induce someone to spend extra time looking at your blog post and reading it.  A great site for finding free images is pexels.com.

In Part 3, I will discuss how to find a never-ending source of killer content for your blogs and social media accounts right in own practice.

www.davidschwab.com

Three Reasons Your Practice Will Grow in 2017

Your practice will grow in 2017 unless you lock the doors and put bars on the windows. Patients are going to demand dental services in the coming year for three very solid reasons.

Consumer Confidence. In late 2016, consumer confidence hit a 15-year high. This confidence index is a psychological snapshot. When people feel more optimistic about their economic well-being, they spend more money. When they spend more money, the economy grows. When the economy grows, people then feel even more confident and the cycle repeats. As Hamlet says, “as if increase of appetite had grown by what if fed on.”

Economic Vibrancy. The U.S. economy grew at 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016, its best showing in two years. The country’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9%, the first time this important measure has been below 5% since 2008. Because more people are working and the economy is growing, people have more money to spend on personal care such as dentistry. Your practice will grow in the coming year, because a rising tide raises all ships.

Demographic Destiny. Every day in the U.S., 10,000 people reach the age of 65. Many people in their 60’s are still working, or retiring and deciding to travel, dine out frequently, and spend money on themselves, especially for services that improve the quality of their lives. As these Baby Boomers continue to mightily influence the economy, the Millennials are on the cusp of their peak earning years. Larger than any other group and driving social media and consumer trends, the Millennials are starting families, buying houses, and becoming an increasingly important part of the dental population.

These factors are coming together to create a perfect storm for production growth in your practice in 2017. With the external factors all moving in the right direction, the challenge is to position yourself to take full advantage of these trends.

Throughout the coming year, I will be writing about how to ride the wave by seizing on trends, running the practice efficiently, motivating the team, and finding creative ways to tap into a growing market for your services.

Happy New Year!

 

www.davidschwab.com

Three Things Never to Say to a Patient

Verbal skills in a dental office are very important. Here are three things never to say to a patient in your dental office:

1. We will be happy to make an appointment for your initial visit. The term “initial visit” sounds somewhere between bland and boring; it certainly does not communicate value. A better phrase is “comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.” Example: We can see you on Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. for your comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. The doctor will conduct a thorough examination, including x-rays, and answer all your questions. Patients sometimes complain about the high cost to walk in the door. Let them know that their first visit is not just to get acquainted but that the doctor will use his or her skills to make a professional assessment of the patient’s oral health.

2. I know it’s expensive but we have a financing plan. The word “expensive” to some people carries a connotation of “over-priced.” A much better alternative: The proposed treatment will never be more conservative, more cost-effective, or less invasive than it is today. We work with an independent financing company that allows patients to spread out payments over time with a low interest rate. Banish the word “expensive” from your vocabulary because it makes communicating value for the dollar more difficult.

3. I’m new. Everyone has to start somewhere, but when you say that you are new, you are telling the patient not to listen to you because you are trainee and you have no idea what you are talking about—at least not yet. It’s better to say, let me check for you and then proceed with the conversation. If you have been in dentistry for many years but you are new to the practice, then you can say,I recently started working here and it’s a great practice, and I have a number of years of prior experience. If you have no prior experience, impress the patient with your great work ethic and commitment to customer service and do not be afraid to ask your colleagues for help, but do not emphasize your lack of experience to patients if you can avoid it.

By having verbal skills at the ready, you will avoid pitfalls.

www.davidschwab.com

Taking Problems to Your Boss’s Boss Fraught with Peril

Dealing directly with your boss’s boss can be hazardous to your workplace health, something I know from experience.  I used to work for a very large organization. The CEO was a whip-smart and affable guy. In my first few weeks on the job, I would banter with him on the elevator, but I did not have much direct contact with him. There were many layers of management between me and the CEO.

One day just before closing time, the CEO unexpectedly appeared in my Dilbert cubicle and sat down in front of me. Heads turned. Why was the CEO on this floor? Why was he talking to one of the new hires? Was he going to fire the new guy (me)?

It turned out that he wanted my advice on an issue. We had a five-minute discussion and he seemed pleased with my input. He gave me an assignment that would take me about two hours to complete. I told him I would have it done by the next morning. Always pleasant, the CEO stood up, thanked me, and walked away.

About thirty seconds after that impromptu meeting ended, my boss called me into her office. She was not amused. She gave me a dagger-like stare and demanded to know how I could have had the audacity to “go over her head.” I explained that the CEO had come to me; I had not initiated the meeting.

However, my boss did not believe me, instead implying that there was some conspiracy afoot. She suspected that I had been secretly speaking directly to the CEO for some time in an attempt to subvert her authority. I explained that there was no plot to overthrow her. I was just sitting at my desk when the CEO dropped by. While this explanation did not sound plausible, it happened to be true.

She must have subsequently talked to the CEO because her paranoia later subsided. However, I learned a valuable lesson: appearances count and one must always be keenly aware of the chain of command.

When there is an office manager in a dental practice, employees are often unaware this business etiquette. If they do not like the answer they get from their boss, the office manager, employees quite cavalierly go over that person’s head and ask the doctor the same question, hoping for a different response. The doctor is not an appellate judge who is standing by to overrule someone else’s decision. If the doctor reverses the office manager’s decision, then the office manager no longer has any authority.

To make the system work, employees need to know that going to one’s boss’s boss is not acceptable. The doctor has to back up the office manager almost all the time. When the office manager’s word means nothing, then the doctor has the worst of both worlds: paying an office manager who is not allowed to manage. If the office manager makes mistakes or handles situations inappropriately, the doctor has to coach the office manager to help that person grow, or, in some cases, replace that individual.

The good news is that many dental practices are substantial businesses. With good managers in place who keep the practice running and allow the doctor to take care of patients, the business can survive and thrive.

www.davidschwab.com

.

10 Value Propositions to Increase Case Acceptance

How do you help patients understand the value propositions behind the dental services you provide in order to increase case acceptance? Your 10 value propositions in dentistry should include:

1. You use only the finest dental materials. Crowns, for example, are replacement body parts. You do not use discount parts but only the best materials because they are long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing.
2. You do not claim to be the lowest priced dentist, but your fees are an excellent value for the dollar. It is never cheaper to do it twice.
3. Your practice is patient-centered. That means that every decision, every recommendation is first seen through the prism of whether it is good for the patient.
4. You have the very best equipment that allows you to diagnose and treat patients using state-of-the-art dentistry.
5. You have been in the community for x years, and you plan to be there for many more years. Continuity of care is very important.
6. You are concerned about the patient’s overall heath. If you routinely take the patient’s blood pressure or do oral cancer screenings, explain the critical importance of these services.
7. You have exceptional diagnostic ability. The solution you propose will work in large part because you can accurately diagnose the problem in the first place.
8. You are an artist and a scientist. The treatment you provide in your office is unique. Patients can get similar treatment somewhere else, but they can only get your artistry in your office.
9. Dentistry is a customized service, not a commodity. People can buy mass produced items in a store or online and shop for the best price. However, a crown, for example, is a custom-made restoration for that fits one tooth in the mouth of only one of the 7 billion people on the planet.  Your dentistry is one of a kind!
10. You spend time with patients and get to know them. Patients are individuals, not numbers, and they are never rushed out of your office. You genuinely like your patients and they appreciate your gentle manner. In sum, patients can trust you to keep them comfortable and provide them with excellent dentistry.  Your loyal patients know that they get their money’s worth in your office.

These 10 value propositions are very powerful. While some patients want only the lowest price, no matter what, there are many good patients who are searching not for the lowest possible price, but the best possible value. That is what you deliver.

http://www.davidschwab.com

What’s Luck Got to Do with It: Creating Your Own Success

Are successful people just the beneficiaries of good luck or do they seize good fortune in the form of opportunities and also overcome adversity? President Barack Obama commented on this issue in a commencement speech at Howard University on May 7, 2016. “That’s a pet peeve of mine: People who have been successful and don’t realize they’ve been lucky. That God may have blessed them; it wasn’t nothing you did.” (The entire speech transcript can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/Obama-speech-Howard).

It is certainly true that some people are more blessed than others at birth. If your family is enormously wealthy, then you may feel that you were born on third base. If your family is desperately poor, you may feel that you are not even in the ballpark. However, the arc of life of the fortunate and the unfortunate is not predetermined.

Pick up any issue of People magazine to read about people whose God-given talents propelled them to fame and fortune—until they squandered it all due to poor choices they made in life.

The problem with ascribing success to luck alone is that it invites a corollary: failure is a result of bad luck and the unlucky among us are victims, not masters, of life. This “victim mentality” can be insidiously self-fulfilling if one wallows in self-pity.

However,there are many inspiring stories of people who overcame adversity to become highly successful. For example, there was a man who:

  • Failed in business at age 21.
  • Was defeated in a legislative race at age 22.
  • Failed again in business at age 24.
  • Overcome the death of his sweetheart at age 26.
  • Had a nervous breakdown at age 27.
  • Lost a congressional race at age 34.
  • Lost a congressional race at age 36.
  • Lost a senatorial race at age 45.
  • Failed in an effort to become vice-president at age 47.
  • Lost a senatorial race at age 47.
  • Was elected President of the United States at age 52.

His name was Abraham Lincoln. Many historians consider him the greatest U.S. President.

To be blessed with good fortune is one thing; to take advantage of good fortune and to persevere in the face of setbacks is quite another. Success is achieved not by talents bestowed but by using those talents wisely and well.