james, Author at The McAnally Selling System

About james

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far james has created 3065 blog entries.

Help Your Staff Present Big Dental Cases Without You

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

Why does my staff struggle to present big cases without me in the room? Because of what you are handing them. A treatment plan straight out of your insurance software is more technical and more clinical than your team can comfortably discuss, so they freeze and wait for you. And if the plan only lives in your head with a fee scribbled on the chart, there is essentially zero chance anyone presents it without you. That is a bottleneck you built. A case report fixes it. When the document is laid out in plain language and in a logical order that [...]

Help Your Staff Present Big Dental Cases Without Youjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How First Purchase Amount Affects Patient Spending

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

Does the first fee a patient pays affect how much they will spend later? Yes, and the retail world has the data to prove it. The size of someone's first purchase sets the ceiling for what they will spend after. Make that first purchase tiny and the next ones stay small. Make the first purchase substantial and the additional spending climbs to match it. That is exactly why I do not want your diagnostic exam priced like an afterthought. A 150 dollar exam anchors the patient to small numbers, and then you are fighting that anchor the whole way through the [...]

How First Purchase Amount Affects Patient Spendingjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Scheduling the Next Step Before the Patient Leaves

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

Why should I always schedule a next-step appointment even if the patient hasn't decided? Because the worst thing you can say is let me know when you're ready. That hands the entire decision to the patient and they'll sit on it forever. I always set a next step, usually a question and answer appointment within two weeks. I'll say, Mrs. Smith, I'm sending you home with everything we discussed, questions are going to pop up, and because our schedule fills fast I want to reserve time for you now. No matter what they say, I book something. Plenty of times that [...]

Scheduling the Next Step Before the Patient Leavesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Presenting DMO Treatment Options the Ethical Way

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

How do I present treatment options to a DMO patient ethically? Treat the DMO patient exactly like any other patient, with one honest twist. Start at the initial exam or at hygiene and give them a real choice. Frame your out of pocket fees before you ever get into a major presentation, so the number isn't a shock at the end. Show before and after digital preview images. If you're presenting two or three crowns, the patient has to see what the finished result looks like, or you're shooting yourself in the foot. Then lay out the best option, the very [...]

Presenting DMO Treatment Options the Ethical Wayjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why a Dentrix Treatment Plan Printout Loses Big Cases

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

Should I just print the treatment plan from Dentrix to present a big case? No. I know it is one click and zero work, and that is exactly why it hurts you. What spits out of your management software is an itemization of foreign terms with a price next to each one, plus the procedure codes most softwares attach automatically. Hand a patient that and you have not informed them, you have confused them. Confusion does not produce a yes. Our natural tendency when confused is to do nothing. Worse, you just gave them a research tool to price shop you [...]

Why a Dentrix Treatment Plan Printout Loses Big Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Using a HIPAA Privacy Release on Insurance Fees

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

How does a HIPAA privacy release help with insurance fees? This is the quiet solution most dentists never think to use. The federal privacy act hands the power over disclosure to the patient, both clinical and financial. The patient gets to decide which parties learn anything about their care, no matter what relationship they have with that party. So a patient can sign a privacy document instructing your practice not to report a given treatment, billing or clinical, to their insurance company. Once nothing is reported, you're outside the contract, because the privacy act supersedes it. That means you can charge [...]

Using a HIPAA Privacy Release on Insurance Feesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Out-of-Pocket Treatment for a DMO Patient Explained

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

Can I offer out-of-pocket treatment to a DMO patient? Yes, and most dentists never read far enough into their own contract to realize it. Check your provisions. Almost all of them say that once you have told the DMO patient which option the plan covers at no cost to them, you are free to present every other option at your regular out of pocket fees. If you can't find that language, write the plan administrator or president directly and get it in writing. They almost always say go ahead, because if the patient elects something better, the plan pays nothing and [...]

Out-of-Pocket Treatment for a DMO Patient Explainedjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Case Presentation Documents Every Patient Takes Home

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

What should a patient leave the office with after a case presentation? More than a handshake and a hope. By the time a patient walks out, they should have a copy of the signed case report, the initialed payment options sheet, the what will your friends and family say document, and your practice warranty and promise. That stack does work for you after they leave. The case report and options sheet keep the decision concrete instead of fuzzy memory. The friends and family document braces them for the doubters. The warranty reminds them you stand behind this. And before any of [...]

Case Presentation Documents Every Patient Takes Homejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why Complexity Hurts Dental Case Acceptance

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

Why does complexity hurt dental case acceptance? Because confused people do not say yes. I keep a simple maxim: the less complex you make things, the more treatment gets accepted. That is not a slogan, it is how decisions work. When you bury a patient in technical jargon, a fee itemization, and seven different options, you have not impressed them, you have paralyzed them. Most competitor reports do exactly this. They line-item the codes, drown the patient in choices, and leave out every motivator that would actually move someone to act. Complexity is the enemy of a decision in your favor. [...]

Why Complexity Hurts Dental Case Acceptancejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Stop Patients From Price Shopping Implant Cases

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

How do I stop patients from price shopping my implant cases? Stop handing them a price list. The moment your treatment plan is a line-item printout of codes and fees, you have trained the patient to call three other offices and compare numbers. You become a commodity. Instead, give them a written case report that ties your solution back to their specific problem in plain language, with the reasons why baked in. Now there is nothing to match. Your competitors will not take the time to build something like this, they will not learn it, and they will not produce it [...]

How to Stop Patients From Price Shopping Implant Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Previous 565758 Next