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Continued from p. 88
leave the practice uncommitted to treatment.
For many, the information they need to
answer the "will I?" question lies in the team's
ability to minimize fear and maximize trust.
Fear is a strong emotion that motivates
action or inaction. For some patients, fear is
so strong they'll avoid the dentist for decades,
even if they're experiencing discomfort.
For some, solutions can be provided. From
headphones and a warm blanket to sedation,
teams should make all patients aware of the
options they have to reduce fear.
Trust is the patient deciding that you
and your team are the right ones to deliver
needed dentistry. If patients are referrals,
there's a built-in foundation of trust. If
they're new to the office, everything they
see, hear and experience will impact how
they answer the question "will I?" Before
they call or come into the practice, many
patients will look at your website.
In fact, in his book Becoming Remarkable,
Fred Joyal says, "Research has shown that
consumers are making judgments about your
clinical skills based on the appearance of your
website." According to a study, 38 percent of
patients went online for information, including
review sites such as Yelp and practice websites.2
They want to know your why-why they
should trust and choose you.
A one-degree change would be to ensure
your website includes your "why" or having
a proactive online reputation management
strategy.
Information to include on your
website:
* your mission
* your involvement in the community
* your team

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*
*
*
*

your credentials
your patients case studies/testimonials
your services
your convenient payment options
for patients

At a minimum, a proactive reputation
management strategy would include encouraging patients to post positive online reviews
on sites like Healthgrades.
"Mrs. Jones, did we exceed your expectations today? Great! Would you mind sharing
your experience with us today online? You'd
be surprised at how many patients talk about
all the great reviews we have on Healthgrades.
It'd only take a few moments of your time
and we would so appreciate it."

A one-degree difference
Small, one-degree changes can have a
dramatic and positive impact. Encouraging
patients to come in for ongoing care and to
accept needed dentistry may only take a small
change to the way your team communicates
with patients. Simply helping them answer
their key questions of "should I?" "can I?"
and "will I?" while they are in your practice
can significantly and positively affect your
patients' and practice's health.
If you want different results tomorrow,
you can choose to make simple changes
today. So, that leaves you with a question
to answer: What is your one-degree change
going to be? ■

References
1.
http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20
Research/HPI/Files/HPIBrief_0213_2.ashx
2.
Tauber, R. Consumers' Path to Healthcare Purchases Study.
Whitepaper. https://www.carecredit.com/assets/views/news/
files/13948_whitepaper_072315.pdf
http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Science%20and%20 https://www.carecredit.com/assets/views/news/ http://www.dentaltown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown September 2017
