By Roger P. Levin, DDS
Orthodontists and their teams are obviously strong proponents of having an attractive smile. Yet many ortho practices lose potential production every day simply because their case presentations fail to fully capitalize on smile power.
Specifically, there are two smile-based presentation strategies that can help raise the case acceptance rate to 90% or higher. One relates to the content of the presentation, the other, to the manner in which treatment is presented.
1) Sell what parents and patients really want—a beautiful smile.
A fundamental principle of successful selling is to understand what people are interested in buying. For the treatment coordinator (TC) making a presentation, this means focusing on the end result of treatment. Whatever the skills of the orthodontist, the technical details of treatment, or even the affordability, parents and patients are mentally and emotionally focused on the ultimate “product”—a beautiful smile. The entire presentation should be scripted with this in mind so that it will be mentioned frequently and persuasively throughout.
2) Say it with a smile.
Most TCs smile when first meeting prospective patients and parents but often forget to do so after that. Smiling creates a powerful, positive impression. It communicates that the TC is friendly, caring, confident, and trustworthy—the very qualities that encourage parents and patients to accept her recommendations. Excellent scripting will enable her to make these points verbally as well, but words can rarely match the persuasive power of a warm smile. In fact, to ensure that the TC remembers to smile frequently, the scripts should include cues to “punctuate the conversation with a smile every two or three sentences.”
When entering the consult room, the orthodontist must also be totally focused on these two strategies—offering a beautiful smile, and saying it with a smile.
Go to www.levingroup.com/orthotc to learn about the Treatment Coordinator Online Study Club™, a free educational resource created by Levin Group to promote the professional growth of TCs and their effectiveness at influencing patients and parents to accept ortho treatment. You can connect with Levin Group on Facebook and Twitter (Levin_Group) to learn strategies and share ideas.
