Five Great Occasions for Initiating Patient Conversations
1. An upcoming life event.
People who are about to retire may be in a position to think about using their remaining dental insurance benefits before it’s too late. People who are getting married or about to celebrate a son’s or daughter’s wedding are naturally inclined to think about appearance enhancements. Be ready to have these conversations when the time comes.
2. A career event.
A job search, starting a new job and/or getting a promotion are times when a perfect smile is considered a competitive advantage. And this is when you can offer to help.
3. A noticeable change in their oral health condition.
Sometimes changes can be hard to see from one hygiene visit to the next. If you have a good record of clinical photos on hand that can clearly show the difference in staining and wear over the course of several years, you can use that visual evidence to make a very powerful and motivating point.
4. An urgent care need.
A broken tooth or lost restoration are the kinds of emergencies that bring the need for quality dental care to the forefront of a patient’s mind in a dramatic way. That makes it a good opportunity to have a “maybe it’s time we think about a full reassessment” conversation. And don’t forget, the so-called emergency patient is really a new patient who happens to have an urgent need, and should be approached that way.
5. A celebration opportunity.
A patient’s anniversary with the practice, for example, should be an occasion worth celebrating. It’s also a perfect time to review their progress and talk about their oral health goals. You can also use noteworthy events in the practice, such as the acquisition of new technology or the completion of advanced CE as a way to celebrate progress and talk about the new abilities you have to deliver ideal contemporary care.
These are just a few examples of natural opportunities for you to use meaningful milestones in a patient’s life as a chance to have a personalized and timely discussion of how you can help them. There are many more natural conversation-starters that present themselves all the time. You just have to be on the lookout for them and seize the moment when it comes.
Good !