Monday Morning Meeting: How to Handle Hard-to-Talk to Patients – The Tired and/or Distracted Patient
As you know, not every patient you speak with is going to be responsive and excited about their dental care. Knowing how to handle these hard-to-talk to patients will help you succeed in communicating. We recommend picking up Robin Wright’s Tough Questions, Great Answers: Responding to Patient Concerns About Today’s Dentistry. Here are some tips Wright recommends… This week’s patient is The Tired and/or Destracted Patient
The Tired and/or Distracted Patient
This patient has a million things going on. Not only does she have three kids and a full time job, she also has to deal with carpool and a sick father. She’s stressed, tired, and distracted. But, she still cares about her teeth (hey, she did make time for a cleaning!). She just may not care that much at the moment because she’s thinking about her grocery list…
The only tactic that will work with the Tired and/or Distracted patient is to plant seeds and wait for a decision later.
Do This:
- Speak animatedly and passionately
- Discuss key points
- Emphasize the key points you want the patient to remember
- Give the patient something to take home and refer back to later
- Set the expectation that you will ask for decisions at the next visit
Don’t Do This:
- Don’t mumble or speak softly
- Don’t overwhelm the patient with details
- Don’t be vague about expectations
We highly recommend picking up Tough Questions, Great Answers: Responding to Patient Concerns About Today’s Dentistry by Robin Wright. In this book, Wright goes in depth into the best and most effective methods for handing customers and their questions. How to answer your patient’s questions is one of the most invaluable tools you and your staff can have. Tough Questions, Great Answers can be found on Amazon; Here is the link to purchase! http://www.amazon.com/Tough-Questions-Great-Answers-Responding/dp/0867153202
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