Page 20 - GP FALL 2009

Communication as a Powerful Marketing Tool

Soothing Your Patient’s Fears
By Diana Hartley
o you want to attract the best and as a result, the cost of going to really busy, is that patients are not
patients to your practice, the the dentist also increases. As you coming to your office because they
Dones that appreciate your well know, most of these procedures want to. They are coming because
work, pay your fees without com- are out-of-pocket and not covered by they have to. They have problems
plaining and refer others to you? Do dental insurances. Now you are deal- that they cannot fix or they are
you want to build deep values into ing not only with the fear of the pro- proactive about their hygiene
your office experience that will set cedure but fear of the cost as well. appointments. I doubt whether any
you apart? If your answer is “yes”, These fears cause people to ignore patient really wants to be there,
then you need to create a practice their dental health, opting to believe except those who have experienced
that is committed to effective com- they can live with a broken tooth, freedom from pain or the embarrass-
munication with your patients. bleeding gums or substandard bites. ment of cosmetic meltdowns. Never
We speak, write and communi- Inwardly, they know they cannot get take the reason for a patient’s visit
cate all day in so many different away with this forever. But their fear for granted. If they could be on the
ways that sometimes we become rote of the financial burden makes them golf course or out shopping, they
in our response to people and situa- postpone the treatment until it gets would be. The awareness of this fact
tions. Beyond crafting and broad- worse. It is a vicious cycle but you can will focus your communication on
casting the most focused branding help them by practicing effective com- engaging and soothing their discom-
messages, communication is the munication. Let’s answer a few ques- fort and fears. It will also build a
most powerful way to build a rock tions to get you started thinking strong bond of trust for future visits.
solid practice. The run of the mill about the ways you can use effective When everyone in the office is
marketing people will tell you other- communication in your office. aware of their responsibility to make
wise, but once their programs are the patient feel good throughout the
done, do the results remain? How do you relax your patients entire process, the patients will see
Meaning, when you spend the and address their fears of pain, the office as the place where they
money, it should pay you back for procedure and cost of treat- will continue to seek treatment and
years. A lasting sweep through all ment? refer others.
the communication modalities in Take the time to talk with your
your practice will pay off big time. patients. It is a great investment in What perspective do you hold
The people that come through building long-term relationships. from the first patient to the last
your office will not realize why it feels Ask more and more questions each day?
different, but when you use effective until you see them relax and open You hold the perspective that you are
communication, they will feel more up, recognizing that when they there to provide real comfort, not just
relaxed and empowered. They will smile, they are relaxed. Your good physical comfort, but psychological
feel seen and heard. Since building intention to make them feel comfort- comfort as well. Using communica-
long-term relationship is the key to able will cue you to ask as many tion to comfort your patients during
any successful business, creating an questions as it takes to help them each step of the process, from the
excellent and consistent communica- feel safe in your office. People hide moment they open the door to the
tion methodology goes a long way to their feelings about money and pain moment they leave, will also further
setting you apart from your competi- because they have been taught that lead you to create educational hand-
tion. In your field, one of the best it is not safe to ask for help in these outs or information filled websites
ways to distinguish yourself is how areas. This can result in cancelled and talks to the community about
you address your patient’s fears. appointments, delayed procedures important health issues. No patient
It is a fact that most people are and a variety of excuses for not com- should be ignored and no patient
afraid of the dentist. Sometimes it ing in on time. When you create safe- issue is too small to be addressed
can be obvious but most of the time, ty around these subjects and help with respect.
it can be buried underneath a brave your patients work through their
smile, a tough exterior or the white fears, you are serving them at the How can you use your communi-
knuckled fingers gripping the arm- deepest level. Creating trust at this cation skills to create equanimi-
rest of the dental chair. We can all level helps them to build a long term ty and help your patients trust
recall our childhood visits to the den- relationship with you because you you?
tist - being put into that big, cold make them feel safe. You might even Watch and listen to everything
chair and told to “open wide” and help them make the tough choice of they say and do before speaking or
trust those adults in scary masks having the procedure now instead of taking action. The best communi-
and white coats. They usually said it delaying it. cators always pay a great deal of
wouldn’t hurt but it did and our den- attention, with all of their senses, to
tal fears were off and running. Fast How can you help your patients who is in front of them or who is on
forward to now. recognize that your practice is the phone. They are not afraid to ask
As more and more patients reach truly outstanding? questions when they see someone
middle age and beyond, their need The thing to always remember, squirm, see a facial expression that
for restorative procedures increases which can be difficult when you are is flat, or when their words don’t
www.nysagd.org | Fall 2009 | GP 20