Enhancing Sales Skills in Dental Marketing
undefined
Introduction To Sales
Grace Rizza
Identity Dental Marketing
Identity Dental Marketing
Spend time and effort to get the phone
to ring
Noticed that most of the teams we work
with are nice people, but almost all
teams lack sales training
Tip for you
Phone recording helps because
you can hear how your team is
improving and how new patient
calls are handled and what new
patients are calling and asking.
Hear how hard it is up front
Introduction
Name
Position
What you want to get from
today
The Value of a New Patient
$5,000-$10,000
Job Security
Helping people
Some Basics
Tracking
New Patients Scheduled
New Patient Seen
New Patient Leads
Production
Collection
What does tracking tell us?
Where new patients come
from
How many new patient calls
we received vs. scheduled
This gives us a closing rate
What else to track
Pending treatment vs.
Accepted treatment
Allows for follow up
Shows us how we’re doing in
case presentation
Tracking means finding how
patients heard of you
When is the best time to ask a
patient how they’ve heard
about you?
Why we’re here today
What does it mean to be a
sales person?
Who in the dental team is a
salesperson?
How is dental sales
different than most sales
jobs?
Team Sales Means
Follow up systems in place
Carry baton
Communication about patient
insight, treatment & more
What sales is NOT
Lying
Misleading
Overpromising
What’s the most important
factor in being successful at
sales?
How to not believe what you’re
selling in the dental office?
Think the dentist is
recommending unnecessary
dentistry
Don’t know anything about
dentistry
Other ways?
Sales Tip Assumptive Tone
Talk to the patient as if
assuming they will want to
schedule an appointment with
you.
Reasons why we talk fast
1. We’re in Chicago
2. We’re busy, busy, busy at
the front desk.
3. We’re nervous about not
messing up
Sales is a transfer of emotion
Be confident on the phone about
your services in order for others
to believe what you are saying.
If you are unsure, they will be
unsure.
If you are nervous.. You guessed
it!
This is where scripting and role
play can help
If you find you get stumped
with certain questions from
patients, practice OUT LOUD
with someone you work with a
short
script on how to answer
difficult questions.
If you feel like you’re being
“sold”…
If you feel like you’re being sold,
the person “selling” isn’t that
great at his job.
Conversation should flow
naturally.
You should lead the conversation
instead of chasing it.
Greeting
Your greeting matters.
It is your first chance to be
liked
Consider tone, pitch & words
used
Example of excellent greeting
Thank you for calling Amazing
Dental Center, this is Grace
speaking, how may I help you?
(note that I ask a question to
lead the conversation)
Example of chasing a call
How do you answer a caller
who asks, “What do you
charge for a cleaning?”
Need a volunteer to be the
patient
If there’s only one thing you learn
today, this is most important. With
this skill alone, you can increase
sales.
ASK QUESTIONS.
Example & Exercise
Need a volunteer
Flow of your conversation
Listen
Answer /Acknowledge
ASK
What should you say when
someone calls and asks,
What do you charge for a
cleaning?
Example of how to do this
Thank you for calling Amazing
Dental, this is Grace, how may
I help you?
What do you charge for a
cleaning?
continued
Can I ask who’s calling please?
This is James.
Hi James, I understand you are
looking to come in for a
cleaning? Have you been here
before?
continued
No. I just want to know what a
cleaning costs.
James, our prices are very
competitive and our doctors are
excellent. Do you have insurance
that you’d be utilizing for your
visit?
continued
No, that’s why I’m trying to find out how
much a cleaning is.
Well James, since you are a new patient,
I can offer you our new patient special,
which covers an exam and X-Rays for
only $69. At that time, we’d be able to
determine which kind of cleaning you’d
need. If you only needed a simple
cleaning, we could include your
cleaning that day as well.
New Patient Special
Give your team a weapon to
stop shoppers and get them in
your office.
Many times, these patients
will need more dentistry than
a cleaning.
Loss Leader
Ink Cartridge/Printer
It’s only a loss if it isn’t a leader
Success depends on the whole
team’s ability to sell and convert
patient to a loyal regular patient
But these patients don’t have
money
This brings me to my second
major tip.
DO NOT MAKE
ASSUMPTIONS
Why people price shop?
They are nervous
They don’t know dentists are
different from one another
They don’t know what else to ask
Looking for an excuse not to go
FEAR
More Difficult Questions
Do you accept my insurance?
Yes and we will help to
maximize your benefits.
Where are you located?
How do you answer this
question?
A little tip
This does not mean we are
answering a question with a
question.
1. Listen
2. Answer/Acknowledge
3. ASK
Always be selling
Always be selling.
Dress appropriately
Consider your attitude
Always be nice and likeable
Ask others how you sound
Record yourself on the phone
Be confident, yet concerned
Always be selling - Referral
Learn when and how to ask for
referrals
Best time
after a compliment is given
After you’ve built rapport
How to ask
Memorize a script for this
“Thank you Kathy, I’m so glad
you enjoy coming here. We are
always looking for more
patients like you, so if you
know of anyone, please feel
free to pass along our card.”
Why people hate salespeople
1. They aren’t good and feel
as if they are being pushy
2. Sales people aren’t
connecting and seem phony
3. Sales people sometimes
sell bad products/services
Why we LOVE salespeople
They sell us something that
changes our lives for the
better
They educate us and are
trustworthy
We like them
Not selling a thing, you are selling
yourself
Tone of voice
Ability to listen and
acknowledge
Let the person talk
Transfer positive emotion
Unique Challenges for Dental team
Team Sales : Multiple people
need to carry the torch
One person may drop it and ruin
it for everyone
Systems, like follow up book are
important
Notes in patient accounts are
very important
Follow-Up Book
Keep a binder that tracks
patients that leave the office
without an appointment
Also track who cancels and says
they will call to reschedule
If too much time passes, they
become inactive and don’t
return
BREAK/QUESTIONS
Treatment Planning & Case
Presentation
If you got this far, your team
has now passed you the baton.
The team has got the sales
process rolling
Don’t drop it
What not to do
DON’T
present a treatment plan
to a patient while he is in the
dental chair.
The chair puts patients in a
vulnerable state.
Best: sit next to the patient, this
initiates collaboration
What not to do
DON’T
bring up financial
options unless the patient
expresses a concern about the
price/cost
What not to do
DON’T
talk more than you
listen.
What not to do
DON’T
present objections or
bring up concerns if the
patient doesn’t
Things to do:
Show photos
Intraoral Photos
Similar before and afters to
show improvement and your
abilities
Be prepared
Things to do
Schedule separate treatment
planning appointment
You need time to build rapport
You need time to get patient talking
& presenting you with objections
You need time to build value in your
services
Schedule at LEAST 30 minutes for
treatment presentation
Tip for schedule treatment
appointment
Invite a spouse to be at the
meeting. This will help your
odds of the sale because both
decision makers will hear the
advantages of receiving
treatment from you
How to Present Treatment
Invest a little more time in
organizing your plan in plain
English
Unless it’s only a couple small
procedures, do NOT present the
way the computer prints the plan
Why not?
Dental jargon annoys patients
Patients don’t need to see what
they cannot understand
Explain why you recommend
treatment
Explain options
Example part 1-available for
download
Example part 2
Example part 3
How to present
Present in a folder with images, and
next step options and brochure
Consider a tooth chart that shows
the number of the tooth with
marked decay
Reference Smile Survey from 1
st
visit
Components of presentation folder
Tooth Chart
Fill in where
Treatment is
Needed
-Color code
Smile Survey
Finds out the patient’s
perceived needs
Determine if there’s an
interest for cosmetic
procedures (elective portion
of treatment plan)
Smile Survey Questions
Is there anything about your
smile you’d like to change?
(Questions will depend on the
services you offer)
Components of Folder
Easy to Read Treatment plan
Break down by emergency,
urgency, elective (E,U,E)
Photos
FAQ Sheet
Components of Folder
Fees
Insurance portion/Patient
portion
Components of Folder – Marketing
Materials
Brochure –
explains high quality dental
materials
Work guarantee
Doctor credentials
Patient testimonials
Your comfort is our main concern
Include a sheet that reminds the
patient of all of the measures you
take to make sure he/he is
comfortable
Include info on:
Nitrous, sedation, numbing
protocol
IMPORTANT
Learn the dental curse words:
http://identitydental.com/den
tal-curse-words/
Dental Curse Words
1. Drill –
Instead say: “remove decay”
2. Probe/Probing –
Instead
say: “evaluate gums” or “complete
examination”
3. Inject/Injection/Shot –
Instead
say: “provide anesthesia” or “numb”
Dental Curse Words
4. Procedure –
Instead say:
“Treatment” or “Care”
5. Pain/Hurt –
Instead say:
“Discomfort”
6. Rot/Rotted Out –
Instead say:
“Infected Area”
Dental Curse Words
7. Needle –
Instead say:
“
numb”
8. Pull the tooth
– Instead say: “Remove”
9. Incision
– Instead say: “treat” (They
often don’t want that many details
.)
10. Technical Jargon –
such as
“abutment”. Instead say, “neighboring
tooth/teeth” Using jargon confuses and
frustrates the patient.
Treatment Presentation
Show all services being
recommended, time to complete
& pricing
Show the patients insurance
benefits & explain how you will
help them maximize their
benefits
Case Presentation
Organize treatments by most
important
Emergency, Urgency, Elective
Explain what will happen if
these services are not received
Emergency
Emergency
- Broken
- Infected
- Decayed
- Urgency of situation needs to be
stressed to the patient
- Doctor Driven Urgency
- Hygienist should always have
discussed Mandatory treatment with
patients.
Urgency
Urgency
- "Watches"
- Old amalgams that could be improved
- Questionable margins
- Gray areas
- Missing teeth
- Sealants
- Nightguards
- Larger old fillings
Anything that might prevent a future
problem by fixing it now
Elective/Cosmetic
Cosmetic
- Anything to improve appearance
of their smile
- Veneers
- Replacing discolored anterior
fillings
- Whitening
- ZOOM
- Replace older looking crowns
ASK QUESTIONS
“How are we doing so far?”
“What are your plans for your
smile?”
LISTEN
If a patient wants to tell you
his horror story of his past
dentist who hurt him, LISTEN.
This will help you sell him and
help him get the treatment he
needs.
Horror Story 1
“My last dentist did treatment and I
wasn’t fully numb! It was horrifying and
I’ve been afraid ever since.”
You say:
We have a test to make sure you are numb.
Some people are more sensitive, but I will
be sure you are completely numb before
we start any treatment. Does that sound
good?
Horror Story 2
“My last dentist told me
services would be covered
and then nothing was covered
and I didn’t like that he wasn’t
honest.”
What you can say:
I’m sorry to hear that happened
to you. It’s unfortunate that you
had a bad experience like that.
Before we start any treatment,
we’ll contact your insurance and
get an estimate. Does this sound
good?
EARN TRUST
Taking time to listen to your
patient’s concerns will build
trust. It’s up to you to make the
time for these conversations.
Sales Tip
Build in a guarantee for your
work
Explain that dental work isn’t
the same from every dentist
Consider materials & labs &
durability
Why patients price shop
They think all dentists are the
same.
Why do they think this?
Dental offices lack branding
Imagine if every restaurant had a
fork for a logo and the only
signage said “RESTAURANT”
You’d have no way to tell their
differences
Consider defining your brand with a
logo & strategic business name
How to build value in your services
A simple flyer or brochure can
explain:
Not all dentists are the same
We use high quality, durable
materials whereas some
offices outsource to cheapest
materials
Create FAQ’s Sheet
Topics should reflect services listed
Each sheet should answer
questions about one service
When you treatment plan someone
for implants, provide an implant
FAQ sheet in his/her treatment
folder
Benefits of FAQ Sheet
Show patient that you are an
expert in particular services
(build trust in your skills)
Answer questions from patient
or patient’s spouse that may
come up later
Sample FAQ’s Sheet
Due Diligence or Dumb Move?
Patients may leave your office
and say “ I want to think about
it”
They may then call other
dentists for quotes and 2
nd
&
3
rd
opinions
Real Reasons Patients Don’t
Schedule
They don't believe they need the
treatment.
We have done a poor job of
discovering what it is they want
No one has explained the
consequences of non-treatment
We have not overcome the
objections
Try this strategy from phone skills
Listen, Acknowledge/Answer,
ASK
What about when they ask…
How long will this take to
complete?
Will my insurance cover this?
Will it hurt?
PLAN it out!
When you sit down with a patient to
discuss a treatment plan, you must
have a plan and have your
background information already
done.
Hiring someone for treatment
planning and financial
arrangements can drastically
increase your sales.
Make an incentive
If you have someone in the office
that is in charge of presenting
treatment, give them a reward or
incentive for increase in case
acceptance
Make sure she believes in what
she is selling 100%
What sales is not
Sales is not charity.
Some doctors get too
comfortable with giveaways
There is a benefit to having
another person in charge of
presenting treatment
The work starts when you
hear “no”
or “not right now”,
or “I have to think about
it.”
What are objections?
You aren’t allowed to bring up
objections.
BUT, you
want
to get them to
bring them up.
If someone says, “ok, let’s move
forward.” STOP TALKING &
BOOK THEIR APPOINTMENT!
NEVER EVER EVER
Place any kind of blame on the
patient for his condition
(important for hygiene dept)
No. 1 Reason people buy
something from you….
They like you!
QUESTIONS FOR GRACE
Download this presentation at:
www.identitydental.com/ttw2013
(available after today)
-
SMILE SURVEYS
-BROCHURES & FLYERS
-MARKETING
-TEAM TRAINING PROGRAMS
Free Office Consultation
Thank you for joining us!
Free 1 hour office consultation
for you.
Dive into the world of dental sales with Grace Rizza Identity Dental Marketing. Learn the importance of sales training for dental teams, the value of new patients, tracking patient data, and implementing effective follow-up systems. Discover tips for improving communication and patient engagement to drive success in dental sales.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
+ Introduction To Sales Grace Rizza Identity Dental Marketing
+Identity Dental Marketing Spend time and effort to get the phone to ring Noticed that most of the teams we work with are nice people, but almost all teams lack sales training
+Tip for you Phone recording helps because you can hear how your team is improving and how new patient calls are handled and what new patients are calling and asking. Hear how hard it is up front
+Introduction Name Position What you want to get from today
+The Value of a New Patient $5,000-$10,000 Job Security Helping people
+Some Basics Tracking New Patients Scheduled New Patient Seen New Patient Leads Production Collection
+What does tracking tell us? Where new patients come from How many new patient calls we received vs. scheduled This gives us a closing rate
+What else to track Pending treatment vs. Accepted treatment Allows for follow up Shows us how we re doing in case presentation
+Tracking means finding how patients heard of you When is the best time to ask a patient how they ve heard about you?
+Why were here today What does it mean to be a sales person? Who in the dental team is a salesperson?
+ How is dental sales different than most sales jobs?
+Team Sales Means Follow up systems in place Carry baton Communication about patient insight, treatment & more
+What sales is NOT Lying Misleading Overpromising
+ What s the most important factor in being successful at sales?
+How to not believe what youre selling in the dental office? Think the dentist is recommending unnecessary dentistry Don t know anything about dentistry Other ways?
+Sales Tip Assumptive Tone Talk to the patient as if assuming they will want to schedule an appointment with you.
+Reasons why we talk fast 1. We re in Chicago 2. We re busy, busy, busy at the front desk. 3. We re nervous about not messing up
+Sales is a transfer of emotion Be confident on the phone about your services in order for others to believe what you are saying. If you are unsure, they will be unsure. If you are nervous.. You guessed it!
+This is where scripting and role play can help If you find you get stumped with certain questions from patients, practice OUT LOUD with someone you work with a short script on how to answer difficult questions.
+If you feel like youre being sold If you feel like you re being sold, the person selling isn t that great at his job. Conversation should flow naturally. You should lead the conversation instead of chasing it.
+Greeting Your greeting matters. It is your first chance to be liked Consider tone, pitch & words used
+Example of excellent greeting Thank you for calling Amazing Dental Center, this is Grace speaking, how may I help you? (note that I ask a question to lead the conversation)
+Example of chasing a call How do you answer a caller who asks, What do you charge for a cleaning? Need a volunteer to be the patient
+If theres only one thing you learn today, this is most important. With this skill alone, you can increase sales. ASK QUESTIONS. Example & Exercise Need a volunteer
+Flow of your conversation Listen Answer /Acknowledge ASK
+What should you say when someone calls and asks, What do you charge for a cleaning?
+Example of how to do this Thank you for calling Amazing Dental, this is Grace, how may I help you? What do you charge for a cleaning?
+continued Can I ask who s calling please? This is James. Hi James, I understand you are looking to come in for a cleaning? Have you been here before?
+continued No. I just want to know what a cleaning costs. James, our prices are very competitive and our doctors are excellent. Do you have insurance that you d be utilizing for your visit?
+continued No, that s why I m trying to find out how much a cleaning is. Well James, since you are a new patient, I can offer you our new patient special, which covers an exam and X-Rays for only $69. At that time, we d be able to determine which kind of cleaning you d need. If you only needed a simple cleaning, we could include your cleaning that day as well.
+New Patient Special Give your team a weapon to stop shoppers and get them in your office. Many times, these patients will need more dentistry than a cleaning.
+Loss Leader Ink Cartridge/Printer It s only a loss if it isn t a leader Success depends on the whole team s ability to sell and convert patient to a loyal regular patient
+But these patients dont have money This brings me to my second major tip. DO NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
+Why people price shop? They are nervous They don t know dentists are different from one another They don t know what else to ask Looking for an excuse not to go FEAR
+More Difficult Questions Do you accept my insurance? Yes and we will help to maximize your benefits.
+Where are you located? How do you answer this question?
+A little tip This does not mean we are answering a question with a question. 1. Listen 2. Answer/Acknowledge 3. ASK
+Always be selling Always be selling. Dress appropriately Consider your attitude Always be nice and likeable Ask others how you sound Record yourself on the phone Be confident, yet concerned
+Always be selling - Referral Learn when and how to ask for referrals Best time after a compliment is given After you ve built rapport
+How to ask Memorize a script for this Thank you Kathy, I m so glad you enjoy coming here. We are always looking for more patients like you, so if you know of anyone, please feel free to pass along our card.
+Why people hate salespeople 1. They aren t good and feel as if they are being pushy 2. Sales people aren t connecting and seem phony 3. Sales people sometimes sell bad products/services
+Why we LOVE salespeople They sell us something that changes our lives for the better They educate us and are trustworthy We like them
+Not selling a thing, you are selling yourself Tone of voice Ability to listen and acknowledge Let the person talk Transfer positive emotion
+Unique Challenges for Dental team Team Sales : Multiple people need to carry the torch One person may drop it and ruin it for everyone Systems, like follow up book are important Notes in patient accounts are very important
+Follow-Up Book Keep a binder that tracks patients that leave the office without an appointment Also track who cancels and says they will call to reschedule If too much time passes, they become inactive and don t return
+ BREAK/QUESTIONS
+Treatment Planning & Case Presentation If you got this far, your team has now passed you the baton. The team has got the sales process rolling Don t drop it
+What not to do DON T present a treatment plan to a patient while he is in the dental chair. The chair puts patients in a vulnerable state. Best: sit next to the patient, this initiates collaboration
+What not to do DON T bring up financial options unless the patient expresses a concern about the price/cost
+What not to do DON T talk more than you listen.
