#873: Create Lasting Impressions With Your Patients

The Dental A Team Podcast

Focusing on relationship-building with your patients is a surprisingly effective way to establish long-term success in the practice. Tiff and Dana discuss why these relationships are such difference-makers, the two methods most critical to creating connection, and how to start implementing that success today.

Episode resources:

Reach out to Tiff and Dana

Tune Into DAT’s Monthly Webinar

Practice Momentum Group Consulting

Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast

Become Dental A-Team Platinum!

Review the podcast

Transcript:

The Dental A Team (00:01.71)

Hello everyone. I'm so excited to be here today. Dana, thank you for being here. You completely rearranged your schedule for me today. Moving all things around, I know you had kid stuff going on. It's kind of the beginning of the school year for us here on the West Coast. I know East Coasters, you guys have a different timeframe that you work with, but here in Arizona, we start really early and my kids been in school for almost a week now. Dana, I know your kids are in school and you've got all this stuff happening. So thank you so much. How are you today? I know you rushed.

to get here with me and we rescheduled it and all the pieces to fit my schedule. So thank you. How are you doing today? How are the kids? Are they ready for school?

Dana (00:39.79)

Doing good, I'm doing good. Thank you so much for being willing and flexible. I know you know all about this time of year. Kids are doing good. I think it's mixed here in my house. I've got some that are ready to see their friends get back to more of like the social aspects of school and then I more focused more on the learning aspects and not super excited to get back.

The Dental A Team (00:54.953)

Absolutely.

The Dental A Team (00:59.533)

You've a mixed bag over there. You've got so many personalities in your household. You probably pretty well fit every every genre you possibly could on most things in life. So I love that Brody is like whatever. He's like whatever. He's been super proactive because he's a junior this year and he's got to start thinking about college and he's being super proactive. So I'm a mom that's like cool. Take care of that. Tell

tell me what I have to do later. So I'm in the lucky stages of life and praying for you over there with all your littles. Good luck. Today, I really thought it would be fun for us to chat about relationship building and what that looks like in the dental practice and how that can positively affect long term success in general. I know we've chatted about this before and you and I had a good conversation about it a couple weeks ago.

But really looking at all of the pieces that encompass what a good relationship looks like within the dental practice. I think for us in the dental world, it's hard to differentiate health from, you know, relationship and mixing those two things can be a little bit difficult because we want to stay professional. I want to stay super like, you know, I kind of think it's a little cold or icy or medically, right? We want to be seen as a medical professionals that we

So it kind of can be difficult to mix those two things together, but I really wanted to chat about how that positively affects long -term success in the dental practice. So I think, Dana, from my perspective, I think relationships affect long -term success in general. And I think in the dental practice, our patients are really looking for that. I think in the dental world, you know, we're not really seen as the medical professionals all the time. We're not always seen as the same space as your PCPs and your pediatricians and all of

primary care physicians are seen. We're looked at in a different realm and I think we need to remember that. We need to take that to heart and we need to see what we can do with that information. It's very easy for that medical side to gain new patients and to gain recurring patients because there's just not a lot of places for them to go and they follow their insurance. But in dental, people are looking to understand. They're looking to feel seen and feel heard. So I think that relationship aspect makes a huge difference. Dana?

The Dental A Team (03:21.604)

I know you've got a ton of clients that you work with all the time on things just like this. A lot of the systems that you work on with practices are wrapped around the idea of relationship building. What are some of the key tips and takeaways I think that you've been working on recently with some of your clients that have really turned the corner for them on that relationship piece?

Dana (03:43.32)

Yeah, and I think that that's truly what makes dentistry unique in the medical profession is the relationships that we get to build because not only do we get to see them multiple times in a year, oftentimes it's for decades and it's that relationship piece I think that keeps patients coming back and they send their family and then you end up having generations all in one practice, which I think it is just highlighting that to teams that this is really a special unique place where we get to take care of our patients but also build

relationships with them. And so I think it is something in the health industry that's super unique to dentistry. I think other professions see them maybe when something is wrong or, you know, once a year or for a short term. And we get to see them again throughout decades of their lives. And so it is truly unique and I think it has to be purposeful. And so that's really what I highlight with teams. is finding those systems and finding those ways to make building that relationship purposeful in a practice.

you know, adding personal pieces to the handoff, making sure that we're asking personal questions as we seat the patient, making sure that there's a spot in our software system to put notes about patients and the things that we learn so that we don't forget to touch base on it when we see them again, because we've got lots of patients and we always want to make it seem as if we remember the last time you were here, we're just jumping off from where we left off with you. So it is one, getting team members to understand that that's what sets you apart. All the

really focus on the big things. It's the practices that well, that focus on the little things and relationship building is one of those things that is a big thing, but little things that we do make the magic there.

The Dental A Team (05:24.378)

Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. I love that you said the word purposeful. think that's huge. And I think getting the team buying in on that is something that we overlook and allow that to be overshadowed by other pieces and other like busyness within the dental practice. And really it's just all of those busy things, all of the things that we don't have time to get done in a day, all of the things that we're complaining about or saying we need help with, those are distractions from the ultimate goal.

And I think we get lost in that. So I love that you said purposeful. And I think to me, when I look at my practices and just Dental A Team practices in general, and the practices that are really thriving in this purposeful space of building that relationship and maintaining and keeping that relationship, they also have happier team members. Because I know for me, one of my favorite pieces of my entire day was when a patient walked in the door and we could have a conversation. took me out of

and put me in this like social aspect that didn't require my team members to fulfill and satisfy that social piece for me. I was really able to just be like, my gosh, Ms. Newman, I'm so excited to see you today. Tell me about your grandkids. What Lego set did you buy? I know you had a birthday, whatever it was. Like I would recall these things and it was fun for me to know my patients. And it made me feel like I was making a bigger impact on the people that were coming to our practice than if I were sitting in a position where

I couldn't do that or at a practice where they didn't allow it. So I think purposeful was like such a perfect word for you to use because not only are you putting purpose behind what you're doing with a relationship, but you're making people feel as though they have purpose in their positions and in their jobs and in what they're providing. So purpose was absolutely perfect. I think that flows into retention too, right? When we have a purpose and we have a place to be and we understand.

the impact that we're making on a community, we're much more likely to stay where we're at. With that comes the other side that you talked about, the systems behind it that make it purposeful, that keep those lines very clear and keep it very clear as to what your objective is. Because I can sit and chat with a patient all day long, but still not accomplish what I set out to as far as my job. So,

The Dental A Team (07:42.227)

You noted some awesome things, making sure that the notes are in there, making sure we're asking personal questions. And I think to make it easy on people, because we definitely overcomplicate it, we could give some recommendations or some examples of things that just make it really easy. And I usually I tell practices and I know you work on this too with your practices, Dana, to look for three non dental questions that you can ask. I have to remind people Dana, you probably

go through this too, I have to remind people that you don't have to have 20 different options or 21 options of three different questions because you're asking each person as if it's a new conversation because to them, they've not had this conversation yet with you today. So my clients oftentimes get caught up in the minutia of trying to make things harder than they need to be. So that three question thing can kind of stump them. I tell practices, just make sure

Whatever information you gather from your patient, you're then passing off to your doctor because when it becomes repetitive is when your three questions are the same as your doctor's three questions. Your doctor comes in the room, you don't share your information and they're like, are you going back to work today? And that's what you just asked. So have variations for sure, but have at least three non -dental questions that you can ask your patient when they walk in. Have a really solid

from you to your doctor or the next team member that's gonna be working with them. Oftentimes we'll have patients that have exam and x -rays or fillings or whatever on doctor side and they're with a dental assistant first and our dental assistant knows their entire weekend plans and then hygiene comes in, grabs the patient and the patient has to repeat themselves and have that conversation. So even if you're passing off to another team member and maybe not you're providing doctor.

still have that handoff ready to go with that personal information, that personal touch. I think that was brilliant, Dana. And I think that's something that oftentimes we're missing. So keep that going. What are some non dental questions? Like I think there's some easy ones, right? What are you doing this weekend? I say it's Wednesday. When it's Wednesday, it's like, we can ask about last weekend or next weekend, which way are we going to go? So there's last weekend, next weekend, are you going back to work? Any fun vacations coming

The Dental A Team (09:57.449)

What are some other good questions, Dana, that you've heard that are easily transferred in a personal

Dana (10:03.374)

Yeah, I mean, one thing I always like to say is what have you been doing with your free time? Right? Like just a general question. Done anything fun or been to any new restaurants lately, right? Anything that you can ask as far as like, what do people do day to day? That's just an easy open space for them to start opening up.

The Dental A Team (10:20.785)

I love that. And that kind of takes you into like the hobbies section as well. Right? I know, Brody and I got our cleanings at one of my practices I was just at in North Carolina. And this was his first time having his cleaning there and the first his first time really meeting the specific hygienist. He's a new team member to that practice. And Brody, I when I got back from consulting that day, he says, my gosh, I didn't know the hygienist Justin.

that he did rock climbing. And I'm like, that's a random conversation for you to have. He's like, Yeah, he asked me if I want to go rock climbing with him. And I'm like, What are you talking about? But he asked Brody that question, like, what do do in your free time? Like, what do you like to do? You know, what do you like to do for fun? I think is what he asked Brody. And so Brody starts talking about what he likes to do for fun, and they get on rock climbing. And I'm like, that was I told Brody in that moment, I was like, that was brilliant. Because this guy has no relationship to you at all. He has relationship with

no relationship to Brody, but Brody was bought in. Brody felt like he could go rock climbing with this hygienist, right? And I was like, gosh, you don't have to invite your patients to a rock climbing, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying it was very easy for him to find a space to have a solid conversation with Brody the entire duration of that appointment. They talked about rock climbing, they talked about mountain biking, they talked about all of the pieces that go into those types of hobbies for the whole appointment, and Brody was amped up and excited. And this is a 16 year old.

Not super easy to get a 16 year old amped up and excited about anything. So I felt like, gosh, that's one of those easy questions that you ask. Like, what do you do in your spare time? What have you been doing? I love the new restaurant question. gets you invested and involved in your community. And it allows people to give you a recommendation. We love as human beings sharing the things that we know. We love telling people what we know. We love giving them advice. We unsolicited or solicited. And we love telling people the things that we enjoy.

So when you ask a question like that, even the hobbies question, right? Dana can really spur some new activities in your community you didn't know about, or just conversation in general. Now, when we see this with practices, and Dana, I agree or disagree, when we see this with practices, I really see, like I said, the team unify. I see the team just excited to have a purpose individually and as a unit, but I see doctors more excited. I see practices more excited, and I see

The Dental A Team (12:42.923)

the goals we're aiming to hit are a little bit easier because we're in that relationship space and we're having more fun getting to know each other than driving towards goals. So the goals actually come more naturally. Dana, do you see that as well? And what do you feel like are a couple of systems? We talked about the questions and we talked about making the notes in the system of those questions, passing it off. What are some systems really that you feel like solidify and dive into?

that space where it's like these goals are easy to meet because we're doing these things.

Dana (13:15.342)

Yeah, and I think that it's easy as we're getting to know our patients to get to know each other. So if we say, Hey, Mr. Smith shared this new restaurant, it's great for the doctor to jump in and say, my gosh, I love Italian food. Do you? Right. And it's a three way engaged conversation. So we start to get to know our team members while we're engaging and getting to know our patients. You asked about systems specifically, and I do feel like morning huddle is a really good space here to kind of add on to those things when we're bringing personal pieces about our patients to morning huddle to make sure that team members

hitting on that. Hey, don't forget, know, Mrs. Jones just had a baby, right? Don't forget to touch on that or hey, it is Bob's birthday, right? So just making sure that when we bring those things up, it gets us excited for the day. And so I think that that's a really good system that ties that in. I think if you have something that you do to celebrate patients birthdays, where it comes to like sending out cards or sending out little video messages from the team or posting on social media, those pieces are systems that

us engage with our patients, get to know our patients, build relationships, but it also gets our team excited. And when we're excited about taking care of patients, when we're excited about building relationships and getting to know them, it for sure makes hitting goals easier because we know why we're there.

The Dental A Team (14:30.518)

Yeah, I totally agree. I love that. I love that. So I think key takeaways, things that we can really look at for implementation wise that make this easy, you guys, because like we said at the beginning, the relationships really are the key to long term success, I think in anything that you do. Solid relationships are a solid foundation. So I think some key takeaways, gosh, guys, morning huddles is

the best place to start at the start of your day. So I think really just make sure that you're all unified as a team. You all have the same goals. You all are looking for the same things and you're sharing information about your patients that you guys may know. Two, make sure everybody is just like ready to go and you're armed with three non -dental questions and a system for passing off that information. I think if you do those three things, you're gonna see things really spear and change in your practice. Doctors, if you're not getting those handoffs from your support team,

or support team if your doctors aren't hearing the handoffs, okay, if it's a two way street there. If we're not able to accomplish those handoffs, break and say, hey, let's tackle this. We've got to make sure that this works. This is a huge piece of what we're trying to accomplish. And I want to make sure that our patients feel seen and feel heard as well as our team. So make sure that you really break your perfect handoff. We've talked about it before, and this is not NDTR. This is something completely different. But your perfect handoff is really going to have

that personal touch you're going to introduce, whether the doctor or a team member has met them before or not, you're introducing them to the room, not necessarily just the person. So make sure they're introduced to that party because you've been having this little dinner party without them. You've got to invite them in there. So make sure that there's an introduction. Make sure we're complimenting something. We're bringing that vibe up. We're saying something is fantastic. I like to get it towards them, so if you can. And we're recapping what we did, which is also

your time to co -diagnose and we're passing off something personal. And that personal piece comes from the conversation that you've had. So like Dana said, this is the restaurant that they recommended. This is the vacation they just had. They love going to the Bahamas. They just had a grand baby. There are so many things. They just had a baby. There's so many things that you guys can pass off to make a lasting impression where the patient feels heard by you, feels remembered and feels seen.

The Dental A Team (16:42.797)

And it makes it that much easier not only to retain that patient, but to diagnose and get the case acceptance that you're looking for on those pieces. So if you don't implement anything else, I would implement at least three non -dental questions and a handoff. Morning huddle is strongly advised. For my ladies and gents who are sitting front row, front lines of the dental practice, you're the people when they walk in, make sure you've got some solid systems for acknowledging your patients when they walk in. How are you gonna know who they

I can't tell you enough, I don't know how to say this gently. I hate when I'm in a practice and I hear somebody say, what was your last name? Or who are you? Or what's your name? Like just make an educated guess. Just like you can ask, but guys, it's just not that hard. I used to look at the schedule, I was that position, and I used to look at the schedule and I'd evaluate. I'm like, all right, I've got four people, six people coming in at 10 a Four out of the six are male.

This is a female walking in, one of my females, age range, I don't know, 60 plus, the other one, 22. How old does she look? I'm gonna use deductive reasoning to figure out who the patient is that's walking through the door. And I cannot tell you how many times my patients walking through that door were like, Tiff, how do you do it? How do you always know who I am? And a couple of times I'd be like, I'm not gonna lie, I'm really good at deductive reasoning, and you're the only man coming in right now.

and they would laugh. They're like, that's brilliant. And I'm like, but I really do care. And I really do know who you are, right? But use your deductive reasoning skills, you guys figure it out and be more invested in the patients and that relationship than you are to whatever it is that's distracting you. So pass off that information, make sure you've got a solid system for handoffs. Make sure you've got three non dental questions, get your morning huddle going if it's not.

And ladies and gents on the front lines and that front facing, make sure you've got some really good systems up there to be present, to be with your patients and be super aware. Dana, can you think of anything else that we may have missed or something you want to dive in further on that has come up in practices recently? I feel like this is pretty dang solid right now, but what else do you have, if anything?

Dana (18:56.951)

I think we hit it from a lot of different angles and I think just jump in and get started and make sure that patients always know that you're the top priority when they walk in the door.

The Dental A Team (19:06.459)

I love that. I totally agree. I totally agree. You guys, we do this with practices all the time. We have group coaching that people are eating up this information right now. These are the systems that we're teaching in our group coaching courses and our online platforms. So reach out to us. Let us know how we can help. If you want ideas, if you need questions, you need whatever, reach out. [e-mail]. You know, we're always open and willing to help. And remember it's typically consultants

Dental A Team professionals always on the other side answering those questions. If it's something that our admin team doesn't know, it comes straight to us. So please reach out, drop us a five star review so we know that this was beneficial for you. And guys, we can't wait to catch you next time. Bye.