Blog - Page 29 of 310 - The McAnally Selling System

Long Term Patient Satisfaction in Long Implant Cases

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

Will my patients stay happy with their implant decision months later? Do not assume so, because we are all terrible at predicting future feelings. People wildly overestimate how they will feel down the road about something decided today, both good and bad. A patient thrilled at the decision point is not guaranteed to feel that way a year into treatment, no matter how clean your work is. And big implant cases run long, months at least, sometimes a year, with plenty of emotion swirling around the finish. You have no control over that drift. So plan for it. Set ticklers in [...]

Long Term Patient Satisfaction in Long Implant Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Using Loss Aversion With Patients to Cut Hesitation

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

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 Hesitationjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Emotions Beat Logic in Dental Case Acceptance

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

Why do other people's stories affect whether a patient accepts treatment? Because emotions beat logic, and other people's emotions beat your patient's logic. The data is consistent. We remember things far better when there is an emotional component, when something hits the senses, than when it is dry facts and statistics. On top of that, someone else's emotional experience, conveyed to your patient, can override that patient's own logical thinking. That is powerful. So when I review options, I tie them to pain motivators and happiness factors, not just clinical features. And I deliberately bring in a friends, family, and others [...]

Emotions Beat Logic in Dental Case Acceptancejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Make Your Personalized Treatment Plan Feel Just for Them

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

How do I make a dental treatment plan feel personal to each patient? You name it after them and you talk about it as theirs. Every person believes they are unique, even though after enough years you know full well the cases fall into the same handful of patterns. The patient does not care about that. They want to feel this plan was built just for them. So I put the patient's name right in the case report and in the options we review during the presentation. It is their name on the slide, their photos, their solution. Look at how [...]

Make Your Personalized Treatment Plan Feel Just for Themjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How a Patient Sense of Control Drives Case Acceptance

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

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 Acceptancejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Informed Consent vs Selling a Dental Case Explained

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

What is the difference between informed consent and selling a dental case? They are two separate things and confusing them gets dentists in trouble. Consent has nothing to do with sales. Consent happens going into the actual procedure, and at its core it is headache prevention and legal problems prevention. The better you set realistic expectations as part of that consent process, the better off you are both short term and long term. Selling is the earlier conversation where you help a patient choose a predictable treatment that fixes their problem. If you try to use consent paperwork as a closing [...]

Informed Consent vs Selling a Dental Case Explainedjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why I Never Force a Same Day Decision on Implant Cases

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

Should I push a patient to decide on a big implant case the same day? No. Build a next step into every presentation instead. I tell the patient we will schedule a return visit in about two weeks for their questions, because if they are like most people they will think of more once they leave the chair. That is not weakness, it is design. Same-day pressure works against you over the long run. You burn the relationship, you scare people who would have said yes on their own, and you wear yourself out chasing closes you never needed. The pushy [...]

Why I Never Force a Same Day Decision on Implant Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why a Written Case Report Wins More Treatment

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

Why should I provide a written case report at the end of the presentation? Because no patient remembers everything that happened in that room, and the ones who try to recall it for their spouse get it wrong. So you tell them plainly: a lot went on today, there's no way you'll hold all of it, so here's a case report, and your financial coordinator will walk you through it. The report carries your recommendations, the options, the photos, and the fees out of the room intact, in your words rather than the patient's fuzzy memory. It's also the natural handoff [...]

Why a Written Case Report Wins More Treatmentjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Presenting Dental Fees: Anchor High to Low With Photos

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

How should I present the fees once the patient is ready to hear cost? Reframe back to the range you already gave them. At the earlier visit you told them, based on patients like them, the cost would fall somewhere between A and B, and now confirm that's exactly the case for their situation. Then present highest to lowest, each fee paired with the same photo you used in the options review, and pause after each image. The pause matters. It lets the number settle next to the picture of the result instead of hanging in the air alone. Expect more [...]

Presenting Dental Fees: Anchor High to Low With Photosjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Using a Dental Fee Warranty to Win Bigger Cases

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

How can a fee warranty or promise help me win more big cases? A clear promise about what happens after care sets you apart from every other practice the patient is shopping. Most of you already stand behind your work, you just never put it in usable terms. So make it explicit, tied to the patient returning for prevention, and stated in language that's both legal and ethical for your state. Tell them the fee is the fee, and it won't change unless they do something truly out of the ordinary to interrupt care. Patients are used to estimates that creep [...]

Using a Dental Fee Warranty to Win Bigger Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

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