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How to Double New Patient Acceptance , Retention, and Your Bank Account
By Dr. Tom “The Gems Guy” Orent
You’ve likely taken one or more of the many high-level, well-known continuing education continuums: Reconstruction, occlusion, aesthetic, TMJ. There are many from which to choose. Most, if not all, deliver an amazing post-doctoral clinical education far beyond anything we learned in dental school.
to my office, I did exactly as I was taught. My new patient exams increased to 90 minutes and included all of the routine steps (FMX, full periodontal probing and charting, photographs, oral cancer screenings, blood pressure, history, etc.) plus models, 3 DeLar bites, mounting every new adult patient case in centric relation, use of the Centri-Check to verify we’d achieved centric, internal, and external muscle palpation, ROM measurements, even a TMJ ultrasound. Yep, every new adult patient! Not done yet … Then I explained that I’d need about a week to review everything and come up with the best possible plan … and of course recommended they bring their spouse or significant other with them to the “case presentation” visit since … “four ears are better than two!” So, what happened? Same thing that’s happened to many other dentists with whom I’ve spoken. New patients walked in my front door and ran out the back, never to return! Sure, we did a few amazing cases. But upon first meeting us, most folks thought we were just over-the-top nuts since their last dentist told them pretty much everything was fine. “Doc, I’m pretty sure all I need at this point is a cleaning and a checkup!” You look in the mouths of new patients who think everything’s “just fine” (because nothing hurts) and what do you see? Periodontal problems, recurrent caries, leaking margins on decades-old, failing- in-place amalgams … and more. Herein lies the problem. If we tell a new patient everything we see and all they need upon first meeting them, many will assume we’re in it only for the money. Remember the Reader’s Digest cover, “Rip Off!” That one article, supposedly an “expos é ” on how badly most dentists rip off their patients, did more harm than just about anything I’ve seen in the four decades I’ve been a dentist (except perhaps for their counterpart … a "60 Minutes" hack job on dentists designed to give the exact same negative impression)! So here’s the dilemma. If you tell an asymptomatic (i.e., unaware of any issues) patient everything you see upon first meeting them, many will never come back. You cannot help them if they don’t THE ETHICAL DILEMMA WE FACE
A FAMILIAR TALE OF POST-DOC WOE
I remember sitting in my very first session of a two-year continuum wondering if I’d ever understand, and more to the point … would I ever learn to apply occlusion and reconstruction to the level they were teaching? Turns out, like most anything else, it just takes time, practice, and perseverance. First I went through the consciously uncomfortable phase … that time when you realize there’s far more you’ve got to know to do right by your patients, yet you don’t really know how to accomplish that yet. A few more flights, hotels, and weekends of CE, and you get past that stage. Then it all becomes much clearer. Finally you return to your practice with the knowledge that you can perform amazing transformations for your patients. You are developing the care, skill, and judgment to seemingly perform (dental) miracles! After a few years’ practice, I chose to seek out patients who’d suffered undiagnosable, untreatable headache pain, and for many, I was able to give them relief from their suffering. Turns out many of us suffered a familiar post-continuum story. We learned some amazing clinical techniques. We became far better doctors clinically. But when we tried to implement what they taught us from a practice management point of view … many of us sent new patients running out the back door! “Once you have taken your new patient through these 17 steps, after your new patients have experienced the most comprehensive dental examination of their lives, they’ll know they are in a practice unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before!” Well, they got part of that right. The part about knowing that something had just happened unlike anything they’d ever experienced before! After I drank the Kool-Aid and upon returning ALL GOOD SO FAR, SO WHAT’S THE “WOE?”
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return to your practice. On the other hand, is it ethical, or even credible, to tell a patient they only need a couple simple visits of minor care and that all else looks great … when you can see that it’s not? Nope.
more visits. Limiting your initial Phase I plan to what can be done in one or two relatively short visits will help you ensure maximum retention of your new patients.
A SOLUTION IN YOUR MUTUAL BEST INTERESTS
20/20/20 NEW PATIENT EXAM AND THE BOBBLE HEADED DOG
It didn’t come quickly, and I lost many patients in the process. But over the years, after taking those continuums, I finally developed a system that ensures we retain the maximum possible number of new patients … is ethical and credible … and ultimately (when the timing is right) allows us to truly help our patients achieve their very best possible health and longevity. Who trusts you most and thus is most likely to say yes to your recommendations for care … the new patients or those who’ve been with your practice for a while? Of course, it’s a rhetorical question. With rare exceptions, you’ll achieve higher case acceptance with your recall patients than with those who are brand-new to your practice. If the only difference is time with the practice, why would that make any difference in case acceptance for the asymptomatic patient? Because with time and repeat visits to your office comes relationship … and with relationship, there is the development of trust. So, in my quest to crack this enigma, I knew I had to develop a protocol for new patients that would help me achieve the highest possible return visit rate. When speaking with Gems Family members, it’s at this point I often get the question “Tom, are you saying it’s okay to hurt your long-time patients?!” Of course not. But hear me out. Mrs. Smith has been with you for five years and has had many excellent experiences in your practice. Then, one day, you give her a mandibular block during which your needle hits the nerve and she jumps. She’s not going to leave your practice after that one unfortunate painful block (though you ought to be super careful moving forward!) Mr. Jones is a brand-new patient in for his very first filling in your office. He has all the lip signs of profound anesthesia. Yet as your bur passes the enamel and sinks into his dentin, he jumps up and yells in pain. There’s a good chance that your brand-new, first-time patient just had his last visit in your practice. For an asymptomatic new patient who assumes everything is “just fine,” telling them they need $5,000 or $50,000 worth of treatment will often have the same effect. You’ll see their backside as they run out of your back door. I can’t give you a magic number … but if their out-of-pocket expense is four digits, it’s likely going to be more than many would want to believe they need (or allow you to perform). If, on the other hand, their out-of-pocket is a few hundred dollars, treat them really well and you may have a patient for life. Down the road, you’ll have your chance to explain about the extent of the care needed to get them to long-term health. 2. You Can’t Take Much of their Money THREE RULES FOR THE NEW PATIENT 1. You Can’t Hurt them!
By now, it should be obvious how you can retain the highest possible percentage of your new patients. Yep, pretty much by telling them what they want to hear! BUT … it would not be ethical or credible to let them leave the exam visit thinking they didn’t need any care beyond what you’d described. It’s beyond the scope of a brief newsletter article for me to detail exactly what to say, how to schedule the ideal new patient exam (what I refer to as the “20/20/20” new patient exam), and how to then boost acceptance of your recommendations for best-option long-term restorative dentistry when presented at the appropriate time. I have detailed every step of what you’ll need to know in order to maximize new patient retention and eventually achieve your highest possible acceptance of your recommendations for the very best possible care in GoldMine Team Training Toolkit 053, “BOBBLE HEADED DOG ACHIEVES MAXIMUM CASE ACCEPTANCE.” I urge doctors and teams to all watch the video as soon as possible. Go to InsidersCircle.com SITE MAP GOLDMINE UNDERGROUND TEAM TRAINING TOOLKIT 053 BOBBLE HEADED DOG ACHIEVES MAXIMUM CASE ACCEPTANCE.
BONUS BENEFITS OF DEPLOYING THE 20/20/20 NEW PATIENT EXAM
During this Team Training Toolkit video, you’ll discover not only how to increase new patient retention and acceptance of your recommendations for the very best care, but you’ll also learn how to reduce initial exam time by as much as 66 percent while you significantly reduce your exposure (doctor time lost) to the dreaded new patient no-show.
3. Don’t Take Much of Their Time
This one goes hand in hand with No. 2 above. Patients who have experienced no symptoms and assume everything is just fine don’t take well to being told they need a plan of care that requires four, five, or
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FREE Marketing Tool Helps Maximize Revenue in the Next 12 Months
By Tom Rich, MBA, GG12 Senior Practice Analyst
One topic that tends to make most practice owners squirm is their marketing plan. A disturbing number of dentists run their practice off the “If you build it, they will come” philosophy, meaning they rely on drive-by traffic, word-of-mouth advertising, or — worst of all — insurance to attract new patients. The challenge with every one of these marketing methods is that they’re unpredictable. In other words, if you’re only marketing using these methods, where you’re allowing something to happen rather than making something happen, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. What does that mean for you? It means all the patients who could be coming to you end up going to someone else. Someone who is actually doing these things … is doing so because they planned it in advance.
Planning your marketing this way will also prevent missing important deadlines … because if you want to work on a New Year’s promotion, you have to mail it out the week of Christmas, which means it has to be printed at least a week before, which means it has to be designed the week before that, which means you have to decide on the promotion before that … Essentially, to have an effective New Year’s promotion, you have to be planning it in October. That’s what a marketing calendar does for you.
Today you’re going to discover a tool to change that. It may just be the most revolutionary planning tool ever created.
The part you’ll love most about Google Calendar is that it’s 100 percent free.
Now that you know about the tool … your next question is what do you do with it?
It’s called a calendar.
There are multiple options, from the low-tech wall calendar to the latest high-tech marketing planning software. We tend to recommend something in the middle.
You sit down and plan on at least one theme, one activity, and one promotion each month.
1. Decide on a theme: February is the month of love. March has St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras. April has April Fool’s Day and Easter. May brings Cinco de Mayo and Memorial Day … the list goes on and on. 2. Now focus on the activity: During the spring, summer, and early fall, you’ll want to look for street fairs. Seriously, they’re one of the most effective and least expensive ways of attracting patients. Then there’s back to school, senior picture promotions, etc. 3. Finally, the promotion ties it all together: For February, offer teeth whitening. For street fairs, raffle off a barbecue set or big screen TV. Your options are endless … but you have to do something. So, if you need help with your promotional calendar, whether you’re just starting off or need some tweaks, schedule a call with your Personal Gems Concierge or Gems Coach to do a screen share and to help you get started right away … because we all know if you don’t plan it, it won’t happen.
Our solution of choice is the Google Calendar.
There are several reasons for this … you can create events, send email invitations and reminders, create and keep track of assignments and tasks, and schedule follow-ups. There are also several free productivity plug-ins (like Boomerang, a FREE extension for Gmail) that will help you keep 100 percent on top of everything the year throws at you while preventing things from falling through the cracks and will help you maximize the major (and lesser known) holidays — like National Flossing Day (Nov. 23). Another great feature of Google Calendar is the ability to set an event as “recurring,” meaning if you have something that works this year, you can schedule to repeat it again year after year … and then email you one or more reminders a day, a week, or however long you want prior to the date.
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"7 Secrets to Double Implant Sales in 30 Days!" Dr. Jeff Anzalone, Board Certified Periodontist, GG12 Certified Coach
• #1 surprisingly easy crazy effective way to increase your implant sales & increase your practice value without ever lifting a finger. • How to use the psychological triggers of "Ethical Influence" to motivate patients to accept your recommendations for implants • How to magically transform an ordinary office phone into an IMPLANT SELLING MACHINE! • • 7 keys to create your own evergreen implant in-office public seminars to skyrocket new implant patient flow. In-office presentations are EASY, FUN, and result in highly motivated new patients! • • Secrets of Social media to attract new implant patients ready to accept and schedule care • How to leverage Google to increase your implant production • Learn the #1 way to get your patients to send you a seemingly endless flow of new implant patient referrals! COURSE OBJECTIVES: Following this presentation participants will leave with a robust set of tools for internal and external market- ing of implants in the general and prosthodontic practice… and will possess a working knowledge of the use of psychology in patient communications, specific to helping patients make the best and most informed choices regarding dental implants. “Team Motivation: Essential Techniques Guaranteed to Enhance Cooperation, Eliminate Drama, and Exponentially Increase Productivity.” Tom Rich, MBA, Senior Practice Analyst • #1 habit to ensure proper prioritization of effort and participation among the team
• 7 free/inexpensive communication and planning tools no practice can afford to be without • The 3 biggest pitfalls of motivation and how to avoid them • • The 3 most powerful ways of instantly inducing fun and camaraderie • The $40 strategy proven to break the vicious cycle of back-biting and in-fighting • The top-secret, black-belt persuasion technique so effective it should be illegal (but it’s not!!)
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This presentation will teach attendees how to create an atmosphere of cooperation and support specific to how dental practice team members work together to achieve common goals and to support the practice vision. Participants will learn employee motivation techniques are to be avoided and which have been proven effective and should be adopted.
We have a VERY LIMITED Room Block. You will not be turned away from the Retreat, but You MAY BE LOCKED OUT of our Block UNLESS You Register IMMEDIATELY! OUR Block is just $149/night, while the event hotel RATE for our dates is as much as $259/night! Gems Family members REGISTER TODAY! Join us for this potentially LIFE-CHANGING event. Arrive on Planet Gems Atlanta, Georgia, at anytime Wednesday 3/13/19. Program begins Thursday morning 3/14/19 and ends 5pm Saturday 3/16/19. Tuition includes Breakfast and lunch each day and Friday pm Dinner. Doctors, spouses and team members are invited. Exclusive GG12 Coaching member Reunion Dinner Thursday night.
KEYNOTE: “How to Turn Dental Sleep Medicine into a 6-Figure Profit Center Instead of a Hobby!”
Dr. Kent Smith is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and American Sleep and Breathing Academy and is President of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. In 2007, he was asked to start a sleep curriculum at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, and in 2012, he was the first in Texas to be award- ed a Dental Sleep Medicine Facility Accreditation. He runs two sleep practices in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and has been speaking on many topics related to sleep both nationally and internationally for the last 15 years.
"Breakthrough System Transforms that Boring Office Meeting Into an Adventure-Filled Curiously Profitable Highlight of Your Week!” COURSE OBJECTIVES: Following this presentation participants will have a working knowledge of how best to communicate sleep apnea issues with patients’ physicians, know how to build a dental team best-able to manage their sleep apnea practice, and how to make sleep apnea services a professionally and financially rewarding part of their practices. 1. The one hire you need to move the needle to build sleep medicine in your practice 2. The trick to making more from Medicare than any other insurance plan 3. The most common mistake you MUST AVOID when communicating with Physicians 4. How to identify the low hanging fruit in your own patient base 5. A powerful new use for your existing patient communication software 6. How to make more money with your technology than it costs to pay for it 7. How to BOOST YOUR INCOME using a sleep physician you will never actually meet 8. Working toward a debit card you can use for personal expenses, just by making appliances for your patients
Ira Hirsch, GG12 Certified Coach • Discover the 3 most critical components you need when creating your staff meeting agenda. • Unwrap the secret team meeting formula to determine how much time to give to each topic. • Discover how to craft your opening statement to ensure INTENDED RESULTS from every staff meeting. • • This mysterious (nearly addictive) incentive helps keep your team members ENGAGED and CONTRIBUTING during every meeting. • Discover the one tool Chet Holmes taught Fortune 100 Businesses guaranteed to elicit participation and an endless stream of ideas from each and every team member • Do this one thing to make dental practice issues vanish into thin air.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This presentation will prepare attendees to craft weekly team meetings which become the highlight of the week instead of an event to be avoided at all costs. Participants will learn the tools with which team meetings can become both fun and highly productive for team members and owner doctors alike.
• Wednesday Evening 3/13/19 - Arrive • Thursday Morning 3/14/19 – Keynote Dr. Kent Smith • Thursday Afternoon 3/14/19 - GG12 Coaches' Presentations • Thursday Night 3/14/19 - GG12 Coaching Members Reunion Dinner • Friday 3/15/19 Retreat Mastermind Sessions • Friday 3/15/19 Gems Family Retreat Dinner • Saturday 3/16/19 All Day Retreat Mastermind Sessions
What our Gems Family Members Are Saying About the Retreats I have been part of other dental groups and you have attracted a very kind, empathetic, and successful group. I have been practicing for 29 years and these three days were a real eye opener. You should be proud of a job well done and I can tell the group is full of quality growth because of your leadership. Thanks for the great hospitality from you and Elizabeth. Dr. Michael Bjornbak, Sherman Oaks, CA We are already putting 3 or 4 of the big ideas into play this week ! Really gave us some good time for me and my Office Manager to focus and get some things done! A+++! From the bottom of our hearts thank you so much for a great meeting and your hospitality! Dr. Sean Tarpenning, Eau Claire, WI The Gems Retreat was fantastic. Everyone learned so much and we have already begun to start putting things in place as to what we want to accomplish. I think this was the first meeting that I have ever been to where dentists were so eager to share what was working for them as well as what was not . It is great to see everyone working together to promote better dentistry all over the map. Linda Donley & Dr. James Donley, North Muskegon, MI
Register NOW for Your Gems Family Members’ Retreat, Spring 2019
STEP 1: Complete contact & attendee information requested below
Primary Doctor Attending:_________________________________________________ Spouse Attending: _________________________ Additional Doctors Attending:_______________________________________________________________________________________ Team Members Attending __________________________________________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________________ State:_______ Primary Doctor’s Cell Phone:_______________________________ Email Address for Confirmation Email ____________________________________________ Today’s Date ____________________
STEP 2: Fill in the five yellow cells
GG12 Other GIC
Gold Member Full Fee
Gold Register 1/1/19 to 1/31/19
Gold Register by 12/31/18
Platinum Member Full Fee
Platinum Register 1/1/19 to 1/31/19
Platinum Register by 12/31/18
Line Totals
Fill in # of Doctors and # of Non-Docs then Enter Total For Docs & Team Based Upon Your Membership Level and the Date by Which You Register
#
Members
Doctors
NC* $1497 NC* $1297
$1197
$997 $797
$897 $697
$897 $697
$697 $497
$597 $ $397 $ Total $
$997
Non-Doctor Team & Spouse
____ Thursday Keynote and GG12 Certified Coaches Presentations ____ Thursday Evening GG12 REUNION CELEBRATION Dinner ____ Friday GG12 Doctor and Spouse Mastermind Session ____ Friday GG12 Team Members’ BREAKOUT Mastermind Session ____ Friday Evening Gems Family Retreat Dinner ____ Saturday Gems Family Members’ Doctor & Spouse Mastermind Session ____ Saturday Gems Family Team Members’ BREAKOUT Mastermind Session STEP 3: Enter into each line, the TOTAL NUMBER attending EACH event
Please enter any special dietary needs here ____________________________________________________________ Upon registration, your tuition will be charged to your credit card on file. After registering for the event, you will receive a confirmation which will include a link to book your room(s) in the event hotel at our group rate if space within the Gems group block remains available. *GG12 & GG12 Alumni Members credit card will be charged a $200.00 REFUNDABLE Deposit, to help us properly plan for meals and retreat space. The FULL $200 will be REFUNDED the week after you ATTEND the retreat (or if you Cancel 30 days Prior to event) STEP 4: Fax completed form (or see Online & Phone registration options in YELLOW HIGHLIGHT below) In “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill introduced us to the power of the mastermind. The amazing synergistic power of the whole is far greater than the sum of the individual parts. Members will have a chance to present the one HUGE BREAKTHROUGH that has helped their practice to achieve enormous gains in profitability, and the one BIGGEST CONCERN/PROBLEM with which they’d like the group’s input. I have been a participant in business mastermind sessions for the last 16 years. I can point to multiple times when that participation led me to changes or improvements that have been directly responsible for making me a multi-millionaire. This portion of our Gems Family Retreat should prove to be a very powerful and profitable benefit of your Gems Insiders’ Circle Membership.
Presented by Dr. Tom Orent, Gems Insiders’ Circle & 1000 Gems Seminars SM Complete & Fax this Form to: 1-508-879-2468 OR REGISTER ONLINE at www.InsidersCircle.com Click on the ATLANTA 2019 Banner at top left of home page or Call 1-888-880-GEMS (4367) Outside USA & Canada 001-508-872-0066
Approved PACE Program Provider FAGD/MAGD credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement . The current term of approval extends from 1/1/2018 to 12/31/2021. Provider ID #210991
WEB FORM IC SITE & PORTAL
How to Take 27 Weeks Off Per Year and Make the Same Income From Your Practice !
If you’re a solo practitioner, on Week 1, you work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for slightly longer hours with no lunch break — a Straight 8. Week 2 you’ll take off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and you’ll have seven straight days off every other week with no adverse effect to your bottom line. That’s 27 full weeks off every year! If you have another GP in your practice, then, while you’re working the “Week 1” schedule, your associate works the “Week 2” days, then you switch. Whether you have one or two (or more) doctors, your patients will love this as you’re effectively increasing the days of the week during which you’re now available! If you’re interested in implementing this concept for your practice, reach out to your Gems Concierge to set up a call with your coach. By using this scheduling method, you’ll improve the lives of your patients as well as your own.
It sounds too good to be true, right? You can’t possibly take 27 weeks off and still make the same revenue. Well, not only can you make the same money, but if you add in a few other Gems, you can make more! Here’s how. STRAIGHT 6 Dr. Rick Kushner came up with an effective way of scheduling he calls “Straight 6.” Instead of working an eight-hour day with a one-hour lunch break, he recommends skipping the lunch hour and working straight through the day. The rationale behind his thought process is that the time before and after lunch is not nearly as productive as the rest of the day. From this idea, I spawned a way of scheduling that worked better for my patients and me. Rather than work the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., I scheduled my “Straight 6” (which was
actually seven hours) from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with no reserved lunch break.
Lunch can always be grabbed on the go or taken during a patient cancellation. However you approach lunch, it’s essential to ensure it’s not blocked out on your schedule. When I switched to this model, I worked only three days a week chairside, but I produced the same or better net profit as my prior four- day work week. 27 WEEKS OFF A good friend of mine, Mr. Allen Thornberg, came up with another way of scheduling that you can add on to your Straight 6. It will effectively give you extended time off. Rather than work the same three days in a row every week, alternate which part of the week you work.
GEMS INSIDERS’ CIRCLE™QUARTERLY Q&A WEBINARS: Four times each year, I’m available in the evening for up to 90 minutes to answer your questions about any topics of your choice regarding dental practice management. GEMS INSIDERS’ CIRCLE™QUARTERLY GLOBAL MASTERMINDWEBINARS: This is a unique opportunity, four times per year, for our Platinum and GG12 members from around the world to brainstorm and share ideas with each other. There is nothing else like this in dentistry. Don’t miss this! GG12 AND INSIDERS’ CIRCLE™MEMBERS’ SPRING RETREAT: The spring retreat is here! Doctors and team members often tell us they have never experienced anything like our retreats in all their years attending dental continuing education. Experience it for yourself and form a lifelong bond with other GG12 and GIC family members. Register now! January 9: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST — GG12 Office Hours January 23: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST — GG12 90-Minute Team Training Webinar January 25: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST — GG12 Office Hours January 28: 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EST — GG12 & GIC Platinum Global Mastermind Webinar
The Gems Family Members' retreat is in Atlanta this March! If you’re ready to experience a transformative time for both your practice and your life, head on over to InsidersCircle.com and click the retreat banner in the top left corner.
For the latest up-to-date information about what’s
happening on Planet Gems, go to InsidersCircle.com and click on “Calendar” (menu bar, top left
of homepage). If you have questions, please contact your Personal Gems Concierge or call 1-888-880-GEMS (4367).
Dr. Robert Garrison, OH
90-MINUTE GG12 TEAMTRAININGWEBINARS: GG12 Team Training Toolkit Dental Practice Transformation members, please block out this monthly program on your calendar. These occur just once each month, but they could easily be the most important 90 minutes you and your entire team will invest in. GG12 OFFICE HOURS: Twice each month, my office door is open for your virtual visits. This is an optional opportunity for GG12 doctors and team to reach me directly with questions about dental practice management.
Dr. David Vocal, ME
Dr. John (Huy) Nguyen, FL
Dr. Darrell Hedrick, MO
Dr. Thomas Sokoly, DC
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x $4,850 = $1,047,600!!! You may expect roughly one-fourth of that during their first 12 months with you … put another way, motivating just another 1 percent of your patients to refer each month could net you and EXTRA QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS in 2019! Dr. Robert Cialdini is a regents professor of psychology at Arizona State University. Dr. Orent has been studying Dr. Cialdini’s principles of persuasion for more than 20 years and has brought Dr. Cialdini to speak to the Gems Family on several occasions. Dr. Orent used Dr. Cialdini’s triggers of influence and persuasion in order to motivate more of his existing happy patients to refer their friends, family, and coworkers more often. Dr. Orent brought Dr. Chris Phelps to speak to our Gems Family at a recent retreat. Dr. Phelps is also an avid student of Dr. Cialdini. He shared with us a new patient referral boosting strategy worth its weight in Gems! Dr. Phelps’ strategy starts with Cialdini’s theory of reciprocity. If you do something for someone (for example, make a patient really happy with the outcome of a treatment), it’s hard-wired in their DNA that they will want to do something for you. You gain a moment of opportunity. In that moment you can ask for two or three things from the patient to return the favor. The verbiage I use goes something like this: “How did everything go today?” Assuming the patient expresses positive feelings about the visit ... “I’m so glad to hear that. We really appreciate having you as a patient.” Then I like to fan out a deck of gift cards, each ranging from $10–$15 from local stores — car wash, restaurants, liquor store, etc. They’ll take one or two, and then I have the opportunity to make sure I take action on two opportunities. I use one to schedule their follow-up appointment, and for the other, I use our mug referral strategy.
Certified GG12 Coach, Lisa Weber, RDH How to Double or Triple New Patient Referrals !
Your new patient referral rate from current patients is terrible!
I say this not to criticize but to point out where you have a huge opportunity just waiting for you to take advantage of it. Do the math.
I’m going to use some generic (but fairly typical) numbers. Grab a pen and paper and substitute your own numbers in order to determine your new patient referral rate. Let’s say you are a one-doctor practice and have 1,850 active patients (patients who’ve visited at least once during the last 18 months). You get 34 new patients per month, half of which come from your website, sign in front of your building, and other forms of advertising. The other half — 17 new patients — are referred by your existing happy patients.
NOTE: During Dr. Phelps' presentation, he explains exactly how to get $10 and $15 gift cards from local businesses and restaurants for
The Scary (Opportunity Laden) Math:
17/1850 = 0.009, which is less than 1 percent of your patients referring new patients to you each month! Okay, let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment. Let’s say I’m way off base. Maybe you’re getting 50 new patient referrals per month …
50/1850 = 0.027, so you’re still getting less than 3 percent of your existing patients to refer to you every month!
The good news is actually GREAT NEWS. Since 97–99 percent of your existing patients are not referring new patients to you each month, it’s really not that hard to move the needle by a significant amount!
If Another 1 Percent of Your Patients Referred
What would that mean to your practice financially if there were a way to get just 1 percent more of your existing patients to refer each month? 0.01 x 1850 = 18.5. 18 more new patients per month x 12 = 216 EXTRA new patients per year. The LAV (lifetime average value) of a new patient in a general dental practice is $4,850. Over the next six years, that’s 216
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less than 20 cents each! Watch the video in order to learn how Dr. Phelps applies many of Dr. Cialdini’s principles of persuasion including, at the end, his slam-dunk referral boosting strategy. InsidersCircle.com site map AUDIO/VIDEO PROGRAMS Retreat Presentations Cialdini’s Principles in Your Practice - Dr. Chris Phelps. There may be no greater referral strategy than what’s outlined in this video! We developed a “New Patient Referral Gift Bag” using our Gems coffee mugs, three local business gift cards for $10–$15 (the ones that cost us under 20 cents), a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc. — plus a $100 gift card off any treatment or service in our practice for the friend, relative, or coworker they refer. I show the patient the beautiful gift bag, then I ask the patient who they would like to refer. I write the name of the patient with whom I’m speaking on the gift card (so we can track and thank the referrer!) When the gift bag is complete, I tell them to give it to a friend, family member, or coworker they think could use it. There’s a 30-day expiration date to the $100 gift card, but there’s also the opportunity
for the patient to receive their own discount. That’s where part two of Cialdini’s principles comes in.
Commitment and consistency are crucial to making a tactic like this work. As I’m walking the patient out with their gift bag, I make a public declaration. I’ll tell my office manager, “I’m seeing (patient name) in six months and giving them this gift bag to pass on to (referral target name).” That’s when I tell the patient that if the referral target comes into the practice, they’ll receive $100 off too. A public proclamation creates a sense of commitment from the patient, making them more likely to follow through. A strategy like this has a lot of moving parts. I strongly recommend you watch Dr. Phelps' video. Then, if you still have questions, reach out to your Gems Concierge to speak with your coach on how to take maximum advantage of this Gem. We spend about $5 per gift bag, and if you factor in that the average lifetime value of a patient is $4,800 over six years, the return on investment is a windfall! Call us today to get your 2019 marketing calendar lined out to turn strategies like these into a reality for your patients.
An Email Marketing and Automation System That Works! How to Reach Patients & Prospects with Emails they ll Open ( and Read )! '
AUTOMATED EMAIL DESIGN AND CONTENT
Picture this: You just arrived to work after a busy but enjoyable weekend. You sit down at your desk, log on to your computer, and open your email. Then, bam! Your email inbox hits you like a brick wall. Amidst the unending list of promo offers, surveys, and spam, you struggle to separate the necessary information from the pile of cybertrash. The monotony that stems from an inbox chock-full of identical, run-of-the-mill emails often leads to mass deletion, leaving patients unaware of pertinent information companies need to share with them. For this reason, a lot of businesses have opted to use AWeber to better communicate with their clientele. AWeber is an email marketing and automation platform built for time-strapped content creators, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to help them grow their audience and readership. AWeber offers their clients some powerful features.
AWeber will help you create awesome emails by letting you choose from the perfect HTML templates to match your practice brand according to color scheme, layouts, designs, and more. In addition to overall aesthetic, AWeber’s automated system features a drag-and- drop editor, which allows you to click content elements from an easy- to-use toolbar, drag them into your email message, customize them, and then send away. AWeber also helps you analyze your marketing success through deliverability rates and tracking systems. The tracking systems will help you segment your email list based on how your readers engaged with your material. Through an easy-to-read mobile dashboard, you can see which subscribers clicked on what content, and then you can take those statistics and generate new emails tailored to patients’ likes and dislikes. This information will help you track your emails’ revenue and drive traffic to your website. Through these features and many more, AWeber can help you and your practice grow. Type AWeber.com/newsletterpro into your search bar to start your free 30-day trial and let AWeber help you craft good- looking emails that get real results! PROGRESS TRACKERS
SUBSCRIPTION GROWTH
If you already have a large email list, moving your patients and prospects to AWeber is easy. Then, using their form generator, you can create simple yet powerful sign-up or opt-in forms for any new patients. You can also create custom fields to learn more about your prospective patients and even use forms to tag and segment prospects to deliver targeted automated email campaigns.
6 InsidersCircle.com | 1-888-880-GEMS (4367)
The New Standard for Business
How Proof Eyewear Changes the Notion of Authenticity
The list of “Shark Tank” failures is longer than the Cleveland Browns’ championship drought. Entrepreneurs of all types head into the proverbial red zone of business that is this show — full of blind ambition — only to fumble the ball on the 1-yard line. A national TV audience watches as investors cut down the business model of these startups — and their hope of success right along with it. But while many pitches fail, never to be resuscitated, there are a few business owners who don’t look at Mark Cuban’s refusal to invest in their idea as the end of their dream. Brothers Tanner, Brooks, and Taylor Dame took their idea for handcrafted, sustainably made sunglasses in front of the “sharks” but came out empty-handed after failed negotiations. But their passion for their product and altruistic approach to business wasn’t going to be thwarted by a lack of funding. The brothers credit their unwavering resiliency to a deep- rooted family history. Proof Eyewear was founded in 2010 by these three brothers from Idaho. While the company is a venture among siblings, it’s not the first family business in the Dames’ history. As a matter of fact, Proof may never have happened had their grandfather not started a sawmill back in 1954. Drawing from his inspiration of working at the mill, Brooks developed an idea for wooden sunglasses frames. As his concept began to slowly take shape, Brooks moved his business to the most logical location for a startup with a great idea: the garage. But unlike other companies with similar origins, such as giants Apple and Amazon, Proof’s drive for growth never outpaced their passion for giving back. As Brooks expanded operations over the next eight years to over 20 countries and millions in annual revenue, he developed the one part that makes Proof truly unique. Wooden frames were revolutionary at the time, but trends come and go. What never leaves is the impact you can make on the world. Ray- Ban, Kate Spade, Maui Jim, Coach, and Oakley all create sleek eyewear that enhances an individual’s style. Proof does that but also uses their business as a platform to make a meaningful difference in the world. One-quarter of the world’s blind population resides in India. Each year, Proof comes up with an initiative to serve the people of the world in areas that matter to those who work for the company. In 2015, they decided to donate $25,000 to build two eye clinics in India aimed at helping those in need. That was just one of many projects Proof has implemented since 2013. In 2017 alone, they boasted the following achievements:
• • • • •
1,209 glasses donated
2 tons of garbage picked up
5,954 health and vision screenings 338 local community service hours
8 countries impacted
Proof built a brand that is centered around catering to a hyperspecific demographic by using very broad strokes that don’t threaten the sensibilities of the status quo. Millennials make up a significant portion of not just the sunglasses market, but the consumer base as a whole. This generation wants the products they purchase to stand for more than just vapid, aesthetically pleasing ideals. Proof’s socially conscious business model is attractive to the people they cater to, but what they do with their branding isn’t aimed at sales. It’s raw authenticity. If you spend time in their headquarters in Boise or engage with employees who work there, you quickly understand that sunglasses are just a vehicle. What resides at the core of Proof’s brand is simply human connection at all levels. That’s not something you can fake or manipulate. It comes from an incorruptible heart for people, and that’s what the world desires. Consumers no longer crave just the sexiest brands out there. Products need to be social, substantial, and sustainable to reach the newest echelon of buyers. You can’t fabricate authenticity. It has to come from a genuine place full of a heartfelt desire to create a bond, which is precisely where the Dame brothers have succeeded. Proof removes the plastic from not just their glasses, but also from how they approach business.
• • •
$73,385 donated from purchased frames
240 cataract surgeries
200 trees planted
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InsidersCircle.com | 1-888-880-GEMS (4367)
Gems Inside
p.5. GG12 Coaches’ Corner
p.6. How to Craft Emails That
p.1. How to Double New Patient Acceptance, Retention, and Your Bank Account
Clients Will Actually Open and Read
p.7. Proof Eyewear Sets a New Standard
p.3. From the Desk of GG12 Senior Practice Analyst
p.8. Learn How Dr. Jercinovic Used Gems to Save His Practice
p.4. Recently Unearthed on Planet Gems
Gems Not Only Saved My Practice, It Changed My Lifestyle
Dr. Ernie Jercinovic
used the tools that went with it and realized we were not using DIAGNOdent effectively.
You don’t have the relationship with new patients that will allow you to diagnose as effectively as a machine will. Until you have that rapport, using a device that can give quantifiable data to the patient gives you instant credibility. It’s an FDA-approved tool, so if your patient isn’t onboard with you just yet, they will be once you use a device proven to catch cavities and the protocol and verbal skills Tom shares in the video. We struggled with this early on because we weren’t consistent. Any new Gem to help improve your patients’ health and your bottom line requires repetition to implement consistently. I’m a procrastinator by nature, but the more structure I received from the Gems Team, the more accountability I had to succeed. Once we started consistently using DIAGNOdent, we understood how important it was for our practice because of the demographic we serve. About 95 percent of my patient population is 35 and under, so I don’t have a lot of the complications you see with older individuals. Because I’m seeing so many new patients, it’s essential to use DIAGNOdent consistently. Using Tom’s DIAGNOdent protocol (verbal skills, graphics, etc.), I’m currently diagnosing and treating in excess of $100,000 per year of one-surface pit, fissure, and groove restorations that I would otherwise leave untreated (continuing to decay). Practice growth often revolves around making sure your services match what your ideal patient needs. Once we grasped this idea, it became clear which Gems we needed to focus on. From there, our numbers have skyrocketed. While DIAGNOdent has been a significant factor, our practice has more than doubled overall since starting with Gems. Along the way, we’ve had to make difficult decisions about team members who didn’t fit the Gems culture … OUR culture … but each choice has paid off in growth. Everyone needs to be on the same page, and that starts with connecting with your Gems Concierge and your Coach. I can’t promise your practice will double, but you will enjoy positive results if you just take advantage of some of the Gems!
I’ve been with Gems for over 10 years now, and I have to say that without the help of Tom and his team, my doors would’ve closed long ago. Tom and his team are always there when you need them, and their guidance makes a big difference in my practice and my life. Tom’s stories and ideas … his Gems always help. It’s a true joy being part of the Gems Family! When I started all those years ago, the practice was on its last legs. My wife and I looked for solutions, and it came down to us going all-in on our last hope. We attended one of Tom’s courses, and we immediately put all our chips on Gems. If it worked, then we would be back on our feet in no time, but if it didn’t, I would be out of dentistry or onto a corporate affiliation. Here we are, 10 years later, and I’m able to send my kids to private school, I’m more relaxed, and my lifestyle is completely transformed. Note from Tom: Regardless of which of the half-dozen or more electronic caries detection systems you have (e.g., DIAGNOdent, SOPROLIFE, Canary, CariVu, etc.), the technique may differ, but the practice management Gem is the same. Read on!
ONE BIG GEMWE USED TO START WAS DIAGNODENT
Before working with Tom, DIAGNOdent was just a machine collecting dust. We rarely used our DIAGNOdent because I believed I could diagnose on my own just fine. During one of our weekly team meetings, we watched Tom’s GoldMine UnderGround video and
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InsidersCircle.com | 1-888-880-GEMS (4367)
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