In Mark Fisher’s book, The
Instant Millionaire, the millionaire asks someone wanting advice, “Why
aren’t you rich already?” If you aren’t
already rich, answering is the first step in figuring out how to get there. Not sure how to answer that question? Try this.
Get the paper you wrote down your goals for the year on and
under each goal write down the word “Obstacles.” Now write everything you can
think of that is preventing you from achieving what you want. Go ahead, don’t be shy, write it all
down. Fill up an entire page with
everything you can think of. Let’s say
one of your goals is to add 40 new patients per month. You might write as obstacles, “There are too many dentists in my area
competing for the same patient base, there are not enough patients to go around. The economy is so bad people do not want to
come to a dentist unless it’s an emergency.
With everyone concerned about money, most people are shopping around for
the best price or hopping from dentist to dentist using coupons. I don’t have a big enough marketing budget to
do anything about attracting new patients”
Now that you have all of the obstacles identified sit down
and read them all out loud to yourself, or read them aloud to a loved one. What you have created is “your story.” You’ve
heard the expression, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!” It’s true; many of us tell ourselves a story
based on our perception of ourselves and the world around us. Pretty soon we
start to buy into it. Then we may begin to identify with it. Sometimes we
actually become so comfortable with our stories we define ourselves by them.
What parts of your story have you bought into, or simply accepted as truth?
What parts are self-limiting? These stories often contain fears,
rationalizations, justifications, doubts, excuses and thinking errors. It’s a
little more revealing to see it written down on paper, isn’t it?
The way you think changes the way you behave. The way you behave causes results. When you believe your patients cannot afford
treatment because of the economy, you present the case differently than if you
were thinking in more positive terms. You are applying a thinking error called
the “externalization of blame.” If the
problem is due to external causes, it follows that it is out of your control,
which follows that it is not your fault.
The logical conclusion is that you can’t do anything to change the
situation. And this means you are not responsible for your results. People who think this way frequently feel
their lives are out of control thus making them victims of their situations.
Consider the way you present options for treatment to your
patient. If a patient claims to not be able to afford treatment, it may be that
he or she believes the expenditure is not as important as something else. Your
job is to make sure you present treatment in a way that creates a desire or
“want,” as well as clearly communicates potential health risks of refusing the
procedure. If you approach a patient and say, “We need to take a pano x-ray
today; its $100 and your insurance may not cover it,” the patient will most
likely say no. Change your presentation
to “We will be completing your oral cancer screening today. Since one person dies every hour in the USA
from oral cancer, we would like to take an x-ray that allows us to see if you
have any abnormalities that might be of concern.” The patient, who is now informed of the
actual facts, will most often desire to have the treatment even if insurance
doesn’t cover it. If you feel the need
to add the financial information please say, “The fee is $100 and some
insurances cover it.”
Be aware of the use of “limiting terms” in your life and
practice. “It’s just a cleaning,”
minimizes the importance of the treatment.
Create importance by saying, “It’s your cleaning and oral cancer
exam.” Some dentists try to minimize
fear by saying things like, “You have a tiny cavity.” But think about what the
patient may wonder when presented with the bill. If this was a tiny filling then why doesn’t
it have a tiny price tag? Think about
the words you and your team use and what they can imply to your patients. Perhaps you could say, “You have an area of
active decay.” What do you think of when
you hear the word “active?” Think of the difference between a volcano and an
active volcano. One certainly gets my
attention more than the other.
Replace your negative thinking cycle with one of
abundance. Say to yourself, “There are
more than enough patients to go around.”
“Everyone wants a healthy beautiful smile.” And it’s true. Everyone does want a healthy
beautiful smile. There are enough
patients to go around. You are your own
competition, stop worrying about the dentist next door. If you create a positive, healthy, environment
of abundance for your patients to enjoy they will stay with you and refer to
you. Exceed your patient’s expectations
instead of just meeting them.
We all want to be around positive, happy people who build us
up and give us a reason to smile! Recognizing that your results are affected by
the stories you buy into, how you think, and how you present yourself gives you
the power to choose, the power to control your own outcome. Think in abundance!
Lenora Milligan is a
coach consultant with Salt Dental Practice Management.
Original Article published by
Tri-County Dental Society
No comments:
Post a Comment