james, Author at The McAnally Selling System

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So far james has created 3065 blog entries.

Should I Compliment a Dental Patient in a Consult

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I compliment a patient during a dental consultation? Yes, and not as flattery. Tell the patient they made a smart decision coming in to see you, and mean it. They did do something smart. The research on this is not soft opinion. Studies going back forty years and right up to the last decade show that a genuine compliment boosts compliance, meaning people are more likely to take the next step you suggest. The trick is it has to be true. "You made a smart decision to see us today" is honest, because they did. Pause after you say it [...]

Should I Compliment a Dental Patient in a Consultjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Dental IQ Questions to Ask Big Case Patients

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What dental IQ questions should I ask a big case patient? Skip the brushing and flossing quiz. With a big case patient you do not care how well they clean their teeth, you care how much they grasp the bigger picture, because that tells you how deep to go in your treatment discussion. Ask them true or false on a few things that matter. Your teeth can make you feel better or worse. Problems with your teeth and gums can affect your whole body. How your smile looks changes how other people treat you. The severity of dental disease is often [...]

Dental IQ Questions to Ask Big Case Patientsjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What Is a Unique Reason Why Tour in Dentistry?

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What is a unique reason why tour and why does my practice need one? It is the short, deliberate story you tell a patient as they walk from your front office to the consultation room, and it answers the only question that matters to them: why you instead of the practice down the road. Most offices skip this entirely. The patient gets marched to a back room by someone grumpy, and nothing about the experience stands out. Now picture the patient who is shopping three practices. The one who handed them a gift at the door and then walked them through [...]

What Is a Unique Reason Why Tour in Dentistry?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I Charge a Dental Diagnostic Fee?

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I charge a diagnostic fee for big implant cases? Yes. The free consult is the front door, but the diagnostic visit is where money should start changing hands. You do not charge at the consult, you charge a diagnostic fee for collecting the diagnostic data, because that is real clinical work that produces real value. Moving from free to paid is the point. It filters for patients who are serious and it respects your time. I introduce it as part of scheduling the next step, so it is no shock. There will be a diagnostic fee associated with gathering the [...]

Should I Charge a Dental Diagnostic Fee?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

When Should a Spouse Attend a Dental Consult?

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

When should the spouse attend a dental treatment consult? On a major case, the spouse or financial partner has to be there early, not just at the presentation. I want that person at the complete dental physical too, because a fifty thousand dollar decision is not made by one person in a vacuum. The veto holder, the one who controls the money, needs to see the problem with their own eyes. The way I preface it is honest. I tell the patient that what stands out today are some serious problems, and because of that, their spouse should come along to [...]

When Should a Spouse Attend a Dental Consult?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

When a Patient Asks Dental Fees During a Consult

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How should I handle a patient who keeps pushing for fees? Defer first, and only frame a range if they will not let it go. In a free consult, the honest answer is that you cannot quote accurately before you have a diagnosis, so tell them you would prefer to answer once you have looked at everything. If they keep pushing, it is okay to give a rough range. But be up front that it is rough, because without diagnostics you are far less accurate and you owe them that disclosure. The rules change at the diagnostic visit. There, fee framing [...]

When a Patient Asks Dental Fees During a Consultjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What Counts as a Major Dental Case by Fee?

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What counts as a major case in implant dentistry? You have to define it for yourself, by fee. For me and my practice, anything larger than fifty thousand dollars was a major, major case. In a niche where fees never climb that high, your number is lower. The point is not the exact dollar figure, it is that every type of case has a threshold where the decision gets big enough that the patient cannot make it alone. Once you cross that line, your acceptance rate drops unless you change how you run the process. So sit down and decide your [...]

What Counts as a Major Dental Case by Fee?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Set Patient Expectations After a Consult

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How do I set patient expectations after a free consult? Tell them exactly what happens next, in order, before they walk out. Vague patients get disappointed, and disappointment loses cases. So I spell out the path. The next step is a complete dental physical where I look at everything. After that I spend about a week building options. Then we sit down together to review them. Three beats, stated plainly. I also tell them up front who needs to be in the room for those visits, so nobody is surprised when I ask for a spouse to attend. Think of it [...]

How to Set Patient Expectations After a Consultjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Using Rewards for Dental Staff Retention

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I give my long-term staff expensive rewards to keep them loyal? It works, and it works for a reason most owners miss. I have a private client in Florida who buys a Rolex for staff who hit a certain number of years with him. Sounds extravagant. It is actually one of the cheapest things he does, because those people will not leave him for anything. Part of that is that he treats them well. But part of it is the same debt obligation that drives patients. A meaningful, unexpected reward creates a bond that a raise on a spreadsheet never [...]

Using Rewards for Dental Staff Retentionjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Introduce Yourself to a New Dental Patient

james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How should I introduce myself to a new implant patient at the consultation? Never let the doctor just wander into the room. That throws away every bit of expert status you built up in your marketing and on the phone. Have someone formally hand the patient off to you. Something like, this is who you have been reading about, I am pleased to introduce you to Dr. Smith who is going to ask you a few questions and take good care of you, and I will still be right here helping. That handoff does real work. It tells the patient you [...]

How to Introduce Yourself to a New Dental Patientjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

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