Practice Management Toolkit

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Opportunistic Marketing

David Schwab, Ph.D

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First impressions are important because they set the stage for long-term relationships with patients. To make a great first impression, the dental team needs to understand the experience from the patient's point of view. When the patient enters the office, the receptionist has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to greet this new patient for the first time and to make a positive, first impression. It is important, therefore, to give the patient a warm, extended greeting.

RECEPTIONIST: (Greeting new patient at the front desk). Mrs. Smith? Hi, my name is Betty. We usually send these forms out in advance, but since you just called yesterday we didn't have time to mail them. So, I need you to fill these out now.

The problem here is that Betty has missed an opportunity to make a terrific first impression. She is attentive and polite, and she does introduce herself to the new patient. But she is also jumping right into the mechanics of her job—making sure that Mrs. Smith fills out the patient registration forms. Betty makes it sound as though it is the patient's fault that she called yesterday and is being seen in the office today. Betty has only spent ten seconds saying hello, but she should spend about a minute giving the patient an extended greeting. Then, Betty can ask the patient to complete the registration forms. (People do not like to fill out forms, so it is important that they be asked to do so very politely.)

Here is an alternative scenario.

RECEPTIONIST: (Greeting new patient at the front desk). Good morning! You must be Mrs. Smith.

PATIENT: That's right.

RECEPTIONIST: Mrs. Smith, it's a pleasure to meet you. We spoke on the phone. My name is Betty (shaking hands).

PATIENT: (shaking hands). It's nice to meet you, too, Betty.

RECEPTIONIST: Mrs. Smith, I want to be the first person to welcome you to Dr. Smile's practice. I've been working here for five years, and I can tell you that Dr. Smile is a wonderful dentist. He is not only thorough, but also very caring and gentle. We have many loyal patients, and we're pleased that you have chosen our office for your dental needs. If there are any questions I can answer for you, please let me know

PATIENT: Thank you very much.

RECEPTIONIST: Mrs. Smith, if you would like to have a seat and make yourself comfortable, Dr. Smile will be with you in just a few minutes. And, if you wouldn't mind, we would really appreciate your completing these forms for us.

The warm, extended greeting is not rushed in any way. The goal is to make the patient feel welcome and to engage her in a brief introductory conversation. Throughout this greeting, Betty should smile and make eye contact with the patient. She should not try to do four other things while she greets the new patient. If Betty is on the phone when a new patient enters, she should do one of the following: a) smile at the new patient and indicate through gestures that she will be with the new patient in just a minute, conclude her phone call, and greet the new patient; or b) ask the caller if he or she is able to hold for just one minute, place the caller on hold, greet the new patient, return to the caller within one minute, thank him or her for holding, and finish the phone conversation.

Notice also that in the second scenario, Betty is not only exhibiting friendliness and warmth, she is validating the patient's decision to visit this doctor's office. Many patients are apprehensive about going to the dentist, especially a dentist they have not met before. While some patients speak openly about their concerns, others appear outwardly calm but may still be ill-at-ease. It is natural for patients to feel some anxiety, especially when they enter a dental office for the first time. Betty's reassuring tone and manner helps to allay any anxiety that Mrs. Smith may have felt when she entered the office.

In the suggested dialogue, Betty states that she has worked for Dr. Smile for five years. Whenever a receptionist has worked in the same dental office for several years—or many years—that information should be communicated to the patient. It indicates that the office is stable, and that Dr. Smile must be a good and fair employer. Longevity on the part of the staff also lets the patient know that the dental team member knows her job thoroughly, considers herself to be a professional, and takes her job seriously.

Betty also takes the opportunity to let the new patient know that Dr. Smile has a wonderful reputation among his patients. She uses reassuring words, such as "wonderful dentist," "thorough," "caring," and "gentle." She goes on to say that the doctor has "many loyal patients" and she offers to answer any questions the new patient may have.

At this point, although the new patient has been in the office for only about a minute, much has been accomplished in terms of internal marketing. Already, the patient knows the following about Dr. Smile:

• Mrs. Smith thinks that Betty is a very friendly and engaging person because she smiles, looks directly at her, and uses her name throughout the conversation. Because Betty has such well developed interpersonal skills, Mrs. Smith feels comfortable in this new dental office from the outset, and she expects to really like Dr. Smile.
  
  
• Mrs. Smith is also impressed that Betty has been with Dr. Smile for five years. She feels that Betty will be able to answer all her questions, such as those regarding dental insurance.
  
  
• She is pleased to hear that Betty is so openly enthusiastic about Dr. Smile. She is reassured that he has a reputation of being gentle and caring, and of course she wants her dentist to be thorough.
  
  
• She appreciates being asked politely to fill out the forms. She knows that as a new patient, she has an obligation to provide certain information, but in many offices she wonders whether, after going through the trouble of filling out the forms, she will like the doctor and feel comfortable returning to the office on a regular basis. In this office, however, she has already formed a positive impression of Dr. Smile, so she gladly completes the forms and looks forward to meeting Dr. Smile.

When Dr. Smile is ready for Mrs. Smith, the dental assistant should enter the reception area, walk up to Mrs. Smith, and escort her to the consultation or examination room. Consider this scenario:

DENTAL ASSISTANT: (Standing in the door to the reception area). Mrs. Smith? Hi, I'm Debbie. (Turning her back on the patient and starting to walk). Right this way.

In this scenario, Debbie has also missed the opportunity for one minute marketing.

Consider this alternative scenario:

DENTAL ASSISTANT: (Walks into the reception room and reaches out to shake hands). Mrs. Smith? Hi, I'm Debbie, Dr. Smile's assistant. It's a pleasure to meet you.

PATIENT: (Shaking hands.) It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Debbie.

DENTAL ASSISTANT: Thank you for choosing our dental office—and thank you so much for completing the registration forms

PATIENT: You're welcome.

DENTAL ASSISTANT: Please come with me and I'll introduce you to Dr. Smile. (Escorts the patient to the consultation room.)

In the first scenario, Debbie barely greets the patient before she turns on her heel and starts heading for the consultation room, with the patient obediently following behind her. In the second dialogue, however, Debbie does a great job of one minute marketing, and reinforces the terrific first impression made by Betty.

At this point, staff have done an exceptional job of preparing the patient for what comes next. They have truly made the doctor's job much easier.

And in both cases, all of this good marketing took only a minute.

David Schwab, Ph.D., Lake Mary, FL