What's stopping you from getting all of the patients you desire? Is it your technique? Your office staff? Your reputation?

The answers are most probably no, no, and no.

What is it then?

Let's look at the historic facts that most people live with: they hate dentists. Historically, dental work has hurt - especially for us older folk who grew up with a very limited choice of care. So we either don't go to the dentist regularly, or go only when there is an emergency - and then don't return.

There are several issues here: finding patients, getting patients to return, and having referring dentists choose you to refer their patients rather than their other dentist friends.

PATIENTS DECISION FACTORS

Since patients don't like coming to dentists, they have to make a decision to visit one at some point - hopefully prior to having a dental emergency. And, while you can connect with referring docs, or place ads, or have a web address, the patient still has to choose you.

How do they choose? How do they know it's time to go to a dentist when they are not having pain? How do they know to choose one dentist over another if they don't have a regular dentist?

It's a choice they must make. What criteria do they use? Is it money? Is it pain? Is it proximity?

How do you find your target audience? Through current patient referrals? Through clicks on your website?

Here are a couple of Facilitative Questions you might use - on your site, in phone calls, in marketing materials - to help people choose you over your competition:

How do you know when it's time to visit a dentist? How do you know which dentist to choose?

Remember that it's a choice they need to make. Telling them you're wonderful is not only a difficult thing to do, it doesn't help.

REFERRING DENTISTS

One of the easiest ways to get new patients is through referring dentists. It's easy to get others to agree to refer you - take them to lunch, keep in touch, attend conferences with them and get to know them - but there is an inherent problem here: how do they decide to refer you over other dentists they know?

Again, here are a couple of questions you can use to help them:

How do you choose dentists to refer your patients to? How would you know that the way I work would serve your patients ethically and appropriately?

FACILIATIVE QUESTIONS

It's very difficult to tell others that you're wonderful. It's also tricky to tell current patients that they need cosmetic dentistry (Mary, you'd be pretty if you had white teeth.).

Using Facilitative Questions will teach your patients how to recognize and manage their internal criteria so they can make a decision based on their own beliefs - not based on any information you might direct at them. After all, decisions don't get made based on information.

How are you currently growing your business now? What is stopping you from getting all of the business you deserve? From getting the patients that deserve you?

Once you begin asking the appropriate questions to help your patients decide, then they will know how to choose you, get all of the work done that they need to have done, and decide collaboratively with you how to move forward to give them the best mouth and smile they can have.