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So far james has created 3065 blog entries.

Informed Consent Versus Selling: Not the Same Job

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Is informed consent the same thing as case acceptance or selling? No, and confusing the two gets doctors in trouble. Consent has nothing to do with the sales conversation. The options discussion, the fee, the takeaway, all of that is about helping the patient decide they want treatment. Consent comes later, going into the actual doing of the procedures. At its core, consent is headache prevention and legal-problem prevention, nothing more romantic than that. The better you set realistic expectations as part of obtaining it, the better off you are both short term and long term. So don't try to bundle [...]

Informed Consent Versus Selling: Not the Same Job2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How a Patient Sense of Control Drives Case Acceptance

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why does a patient's sense of control matter in case acceptance? Because perception of control drives the decision. The research is clear. When people feel they are in control, they are far more likely to make a choice, and more likely to make a positive one. The moment anything casts doubt on success, their perceived control drops and so does their ability to decide. So I only put predictable treatment options in front of a patient, and I say so out loud during the discussion. I will tell them plainly that I would only do this for a friend or family [...]

How a Patient Sense of Control Drives Case Acceptance2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should You Quote Implant Prices Over the Phone?

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I quote implant prices over the phone? No. The minute you give a number over the phone, you have put yourself in the exact same bucket as every practice competing on price. And someone out there will always be cheaper than you. That is never going away. People are already searching for implant costs online before they ever call, so a price on the phone just confirms you are one more commodity to compare. I would rather give them a reason to come see me than a figure to shop around. Think of it like a surgeon quoting a fee [...]

Should You Quote Implant Prices Over the Phone?2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

The Funnel in Dental Case Acceptance, Explained

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

What is the funnel in dental case acceptance and why does it matter? The funnel is just an honest picture of reality. The top is wide and the bottom is narrow, because not everyone who interacts with your practice is right for your services, ready for them, or able to afford them. That's fine. Chasing every caller as if they're all full-arch cases is how you exhaust your team and your budget. So you screen. You qualify. Some of that qualifying is done by your staff, some by the materials you put in front of people, and some by the questions [...]

The Funnel in Dental Case Acceptance, Explained2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Spending on Marketing but Few Callers Book? Fix This

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

I spend a lot on dental marketing but few callers book. What's wrong? Your problem almost certainly isn't the marketing. It's the close on the phone. If you're investing serious money to make the phone ring and you're not investing in making sure those appointments actually get booked, it does not end well. You stay even at best, and staying even while you're bleeding marketing dollars is just slow failure. Worst case, you get nothing and you quit chasing the big cases entirely, convinced they don't exist for you. They do. The leak is between the ring and the booked appointment. [...]

Spending on Marketing but Few Callers Book? Fix This2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Presenting Fees to Patients Without a Desk Barrier

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I sit across the desk from a patient when presenting fees? No. The desk-across setup is one of the quietest case killers in dentistry. It puts a physical barrier between you and the patient and casts you as the authority delivering a verdict, which drops them straight into a child or defensive state right when you need them thinking like a calm adult. The data backs this up. Facing off across a desk lowers trust and makes the decision harder, not easier. Instead, sit beside the patient or at the corner of the table so you're both looking at the [...]

Presenting Fees to Patients Without a Desk Barrier2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Review Case Presentations to Improve Closing

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How should I review recorded case presentations to improve my own? Listen with a transcript in front of you, not just the audio. When you can read the words while you hear them, you catch the structure: where the dentist sets up the problem, how they hand off to the financial piece, where they keep it simple instead of over-explaining. Match the recording to the actual case photos so you see what the patient saw while those words were spoken. That's how you learn the framework instead of just admiring it. Don't try to copy the lines verbatim. Pull the moves, [...]

How to Review Case Presentations to Improve Closing2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Present Treatment Options: Big to Small First

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Should I present treatment options from biggest to smallest or smallest to biggest? Present the largest option first, then work down to the smallest. The order changes how the patient decides, and most dentists get it backward. If you start small and build up, every step feels like an upsell and the patient braces for it. Start big and the smaller options read as a relief, a way to meet them where they are, not a push. This holds whether it's a full-arch case worth a fortune or a single tooth. The anchor you set first is the frame everything after [...]

How to Present Treatment Options: Big to Small First2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How Office Priming Influences Patients to Say Yes

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How does the look of my office and team affect case acceptance? More than you think, because priming sells. Visuals create a stronger response and more decision making, and any stimulus can work on a patient subliminally even when they are not consciously paying attention to it. So do not undervalue the priming of your office, or the appearance of you and your team. It feeds the patient's automatic deciding before you say a word. I also put the image of the final smile on every single case presentation slide. Whether that registers consciously or not, I want it in front [...]

How Office Priming Influences Patients to Say Yes2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Using Loss Aversion With Patients to Cut Hesitation

2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How should I frame the cost and risk of treatment to reduce patient hesitation? Frame around the loss, because losses loom larger than gains in everyone's mind. The research shows potential losses feel far bigger to us than equivalent gains. So when I write up and discuss the options, I always minimize the loss and tie the choice to a promising, consistent pattern of a solution. I am not hiding anything. I am pointing the patient at what they keep losing by waiting, the further dental breakdown, the benefits expiring, the function slipping away. That fear of continued loss is real [...]

Using Loss Aversion With Patients to Cut Hesitation2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00
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James McAnally,
DDS,FAGD,FICOI,FMII
Founder, Big Case Marketing
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