Setting Expectations for Painless Dental Referrals.

Posted March 1st, 2008

We’re all aware of the “placebo effect.” Researchers have found that expectations can indeed effect the outcome.

By Chuck McKay

When a patient already has had a positive experience with your practice, she’s much more likely to refer other people to you, too. And we know that referred patients are six times as likely to accept your treatment recommendations as those brought in by your advertising.

Wouldn’t it seem that the easiest way to increase the number of dental referrals would be to improve the perception of the experience?

Lessons from wine marketing to improve dental patient satisfaction.

A new study at the California Institute of Technology indicates that telling people how good the experience is going to be can improve their perception of the subsequent experience. A so-so experience could be remembered as “good,” or even “excellent,” when the mind is prepared for such a good experience.

The study involved the tasting of various wines. Nothing was revealed about them except the price of the bottle. Two of the wines were presented twice, with different prices. And, some of the prices were modified – a $90 Cabernet was marked $10, and a $5 wine was marked $45.

Then the subjects brains were scanned with a CT to measure the impact of their beliefs.

Result?

People’s expectations about the quality of a wine changed the way it tasted, and the enjoyment they got from it. The wines the subjects believed to be more expensive actually lit up the pleasure centers of the brain.

How does this help your patient referral effort?

You raise the expectations of every patient. Then you ask every patient for a referral. Here’s how it works:

As you’re explaining the treatment to your patient, say something like,

“Mrs. Johnson, I’m going to be filling this cavity in a slightly different way than you may be used to. There are several layers of tooth material, and we’ll be going only as deep as necessary to remove the decayed portion, which means you’ll be more comfortable during the drilling process. Then, the new filling material actually bonds to the tooth, to not only fill the cavity, but also to anchor it firmly, and permanently, in place. You’re going to be so pleased with this filling that you’ll be bragging about it to your friends.”

See what you’ve just done? The patient is now psychologically prepared to feel less pain, be more satisfied with the procedure, and to talk to her friends about this experience.

Don’t forget the final step.

When you’ve finished, and handed Mrs. Johnson the mirror, ask. “Are you pleased? It wasn’t as uncomfortable as it might have been, was it?” Wait for her response, which will be positive.

Then, word the referral question as I explained in How to Explode the Number of Referrals From Your Patients:

“Mrs. Johnson, if you like what my staff and I have done for you here, I’d like you to send me someone we can help in the same way we’ve helped you. I’m sure they’ll be appreciative, and I’ll be pleased, too. Will you do that for me?”

The key to any referral program is a consistent implementation. Do this with EVERY patient, and watch how quickly word-of-mouth, your patient count, and your top-line grows.

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Setting Expectations for Painless Dental Referrals. Copyright © 2008 Chuck McKay and AdvanceMyPractice.com. All rights reserved.

Chuck McKay is a business consultant in the practice of health care. Questions about effective referral programs for your health care practice may be directed to ChuckMcKay@ChuckMcKayOnLine.com.