Silence is deadly in dental case acceptance. How to deal with it in patient interactions.

In dental case acceptance silence can be deadly when dealing with case presentation.

To the untrained silence results in discomfort.  It is human nature to fill uncomfortable pauses and silences in conversation with something else.  Usually that something else is to simply “talk AT” people instead of initiating some form of meaningful interchange. It is important not to race to fill the void and alienate the patient.

Anyone wanting proof needs to simply monitor practice phones where untrained staff are taking incoming phone calls OR listen to what the doctor or treatment coordinator is saying during their treatment presentations. Dentists and staff not trained properly in how to correctly present will derail their dental case acceptance numbers.

To truly deal with silence responsibly you will need systems or check-steps in place and some training.  This applies to your phone and front office team before anyone even meets a prospective patient and to in person (doctor/treatment coordinator) interactions where the rubber truly meets the road once that prospective patient is present at consultations. The more training you and your staff have on the phones at the front line through to the presentation of the case the higher the rate you will yield with dental case acceptance. You can learn more tips from my number one selling book on Amazon.

Now, for the 95% who refuse to embrace business systems for selling, be they phone related or for in person interactions, here’s a simple tip.  To fill awkward silences and to not say stupid things that damage patient decision making, ask questions.  Do this and you’ll get to help more patients each year as a side effect of this one tiny change in behavior. If you really want to know how to correctly present and learn about my checklist and strategies go here.