25 Dental Patient Trust Builders - Part 5

We have reached the end of our 5-part series on 25 trust builders. These are the last 5 needed to complete the series. If you missed any from this series, then scroll to the bottom of our blog and click on any of the blog posts you may have missed.

Trust Builder #21: Introduction

The way you are initially introduced determines the beginning balance in your “trust account.” This is why referrals are always the best source of new patients. Referred patients come in already trusting you a little bit because they trust the friend or family member that sent them your way.

Introduce yourself by...

Generate Referrals. What referral programs do you have in place? Consider identifying two patients per day to ask for referrals. Let them know that you really appreciate having them as a patient, and want 3 more patients just like them. Give them something they can pass on to their friends.

Welcome Tour. What will your new patients experience as their first introduction to you when they show up for the first time? One practice we work with has a special room set aside just for new patients. Consider giving each new patient a “new patient tour,” performed by an assistant or front desk team member. The tour would include a quick orientation of the practice, the accomplishments and qualifications of the doctor, anything special about the practice, and what the patient can expect when visiting.

Trust Builder #22: Confidentiality

You may take patient confidentiality for granted, but “the assurance that personal information will be kept confidential” actually ranked quite high in a survey of what patients expect from their dentists. Do your patients know that their information is safe with you?

Keep Patient Secrets Through...

Privacy. How can you let your patients know that their information is safe with you? New patient tour, on your website, etc...

Trust Builder #23: Communication

“Patients have more confidence in dentists who have the ability to communicate with care and compassion.” It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. How are your communication skills these days? Are you able to successfully communicate with patients, uncovering what their primary interests and concerns are when it comes to their dental health? How about communicating back to them that you understand those desires and matching what you can do to what they want?

Increase Communication With...

Communication Audit. Where are places that patient communications break down? (Hint: Passing the patient off from the front to the back and then to the front again. Conflicting messages from different team members. Failure to ask the patient what they want...)

Language. How can you better communicate care and compassion to your patients in a style you are comfortable with?

Trust Builder #24: Enthusiasm

The Law of Enthusiasm says that “At first, people buy from you because you are excited, not because they are.” Trust declines when you or your team members aren’t excited about your work or about seeing patients. If you aren’t enthusiastic and confident about the work you do, how can you expect your patients to be?

Be Enthusiastic By...

Stay Up. What keeps you motivated and excited about your work? What burns you out? Make a list of ways to stay up and excited. How can you help your team do the same?

Mirror. Consider putting a mirror by the front desk where the team makes phone calls. This will remind them to smile on the phone so patients on the other line know you are happy to talk with them!

Trust Builder #25: Risk Reversal

We tend to buy with emotion and then justify our decision with logic later. If the “what if it doesn’t work out” questions are too much for us to handle, we may decide to say “no,” or we’ll say “yes” now but cancel, no-show, or postpone treatment. Risk reversal is the 25th trust trigger that removes the fear of the unknown by providing clarity so patients know what to expect in those “what if” situations.

Help Risk Reversal...

Explain Risks. If there are risks associated with a procedure, clearly explaining them will build trust.

Warranty. The way you stand behind your work earns big trust points. Hyundai has rocketed to be the fastest growing car company in the USA riding on the power of the strongest warranty in the car industry. If you aren’t using a warranty in your marketing, case presentations, and retention efforts, you are missing a valuable opportunity.

Using Dental Warranty for Trust and Acceptance

If you are serious about building deeper trust with patients, Dental Warranty can help you deliver dentistry’s highest peace-of-mind while adding thousands of dollars in production and profit to your practice each month. Your patients will have dentistry’s strongest warranty, protecting them nationwide, no matter the cause of failure, and during insurance wait periods where they would otherwise be on their own to pay for a redo. Your practice will get paid full fee for redo and repair work, improve hygiene consistency, and add significant revenue each month.

For more information about how Dental Warranty can provide peace-of- mind to your patients, call us at 800-691-7234 or send us an email at Answers@DW-Corp.com.

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