Top 5 Secrets to Treatment Plan Acceptance

While it's true that there is somewhat of an art to sales, when it comes to treatment plan acceptance, there are five big secrets that will help you get that "yes," even if your patient's first response was "no."

Secret #1: Review the Treatment Plan

Don't automatically assume that your patient fully understands the treatment plan that you are presenting. Before you discuss money, downtime, and scheduling, it is crucial to ensure the patient first understands what the treatment plan is and why it's needed. This is also a great way to build some rapport with the patient before diving into everyone's least favorite topic... cost.

I personally love to start the conversation off super casually. After my initial greeting, I continue with something along the lines of, "So, it sounds like Dr. Smile recommends a new crown on that upper right front tooth. Did he show you those areas of decay on your X-ray?"

This opens up a conversation and gauges how much the patient currently understands about the treatment.

Secret #2: Learn the Procedures

When I started as a treatment coordinator, I already had an extremely strong dental assisting background, but not everyone presenting treatment will have that experience, and that's okay. What's not okay is for them to blow a treatment presentation by not preparing accordingly.

Let's say a patient asks what type of metal is used for a dental implant. The last thing they want to hear is, "Well, I'm not too sure." A better response would be, "Let me confirm with our assistant while you're here, but I do know we use the highest-quality dental implants manufactured here locally." Then, ask on the spot and return with new knowledge for both you and the patient to learn from.

Office Tip: If multiple team members are unsure about the procedures performed in your office, plan a series of lunch-and-learn events to clarify those otherwise seemingly complicated questions.

Secret #3: Don't Ignore the "No"

It's true; no one wants to be told "No," but we cannot go on ignoring it if we want to turn it into a "Yes." Understanding your patient's objections is actually a critical part of treatment acceptance. Without it, we would never know what is holding them up from proceeding. Dare I say that a "No" can actually be a turning point in the conversation?

I do dare, and here's why:

Patients want to be heard. I'm going to say it again, so it resonates. Patients want to be HEARD.

Providing a space where your patient can explain to you what is causing them hesitation is a beautiful thing. Not only do things become easier to rationalize when you speak them out loud, but you are also building trust without even realizing it. Not to mention, hearing common objections will only help you improve your presentation skills in the future.

Secret #4: Make It Make Sense

Treatment plans are almost always rejected due to 1 of three "C"s:

1. Cost

2. Comprehension

3. Concerns

If you can discover a way to make each of those make sense to the patient before even beginning your treatment presentation, you're way ahead of the game.

For instance, when it comes to cost, you can have financing options already prepared, with examples of monthly payments.

For comprehension, again, ensure the patient understands the importance of this treatment, and give gentle examples of very possible outcomes if treatment is declined. For example, "I completely understand wanting to wait, and I know you weren't expecting a dental filling today, but decay unfortunately doesn't reverse itself, and it seems to be nearing the nerve in your tooth. We'll never force you to do treatment you don't want to do, but prolonging this filling could result in a future root canal, which is a lot less fun than a filling."

And as for concerns, well... those are patient specific. Are they worried about needing time off from work? Experiencing discomfort? Thinking, if it's not broke, don't fix it? Think of all the possible objections before they arise, and you'll be helping ease your patients' concerns before they even realize.

Secret #5: Practice

The pros in sales didn't become pros by chance; they practice. For some, practice looks like getting out there and presenting treatment until it feels more natural. For others, that means recording yourself or holding mock presentations to try to calm the nerves before the real deal.

The biggest thing to remember is that every single interaction with a patient, every single treatment presentation, and every single acceptance or denial is a learning and growing experience. While it's totally normal, try not to be so hard on yourself during the process of building confidence in presenting treatment. The more you do it, the less scary it becomes.

Conclusion:

Whether you've presented one treatment plan in your career or thousands, there is always something new to learn from each patient interaction. No matter your level of confidence, the best way to boost success in presenting treatment plans is to prepare, practice, and listen intently to patient concerns. With these 5 secrets to increasing treatment plan acceptance, you'll be on your way to your next yes in no time.