Blog - Page 64 of 310 - The McAnally Selling System

Why You Need a Master Patient Testimonial Release

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

Should I get a master testimonial release from patients? Yes, and get one that covers audio, video, and written all at once, because the patient who gives you a great quote today may agree to a video next year. A single broad release means you actually own the rights to use that testimonial however it makes sense later, instead of going back hat in hand for a new signature every time you change format. I've watched dentists collect a wonderful patient story and then sit on it for years, too nervous about consent to ever post it. That hesitation costs you [...]

Why You Need a Master Patient Testimonial Releasejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Dental Practice

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

How do I get more five-star reviews on Google? You build a system for it instead of hoping happy patients remember on their own. Most don't, not because they're unhappy, but because life is busy and nobody prompts them. The whole point is to make asking routine and make posting easy, so it happens after the right visits without you personally chasing anyone. This is not a task that needs a doctor or even a senior team member. Any staffer with a basic high school education can run it once you've written the steps down. In a big urban market, don't [...]

How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Dental Practicejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Make a Painless Dental Experience Your Differentiator

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

How do I make my practice stand out as painless? Stop treating painless as a slogan and make it an actual system the patient feels at every touch point. That starts with technique, your injections and your hygiene visits genuinely shouldn't hurt, and it runs through your pharmaceutical choices for comfort. But it doesn't stop in the operatory. The patient's experience with your front office should be painless too, no friction on the phone, no surprise at checkout, no runaround on scheduling. When the whole interaction is engineered for comfort, you've got a real differentiator you can put in your marketing [...]

Make a Painless Dental Experience Your Differentiatorjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Do Dental Bonus Systems Actually Work for Your Team?

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

Do bonus systems actually work in a dental practice? Most of them don't, which is why I tell dentists to throw out whatever patchwork bonus scheme they're running. The common ones reward activity that has nothing to do with the practice actually winning, or they pay out no matter what, so the team stops connecting effort to reward. A bonus that fires every month regardless of results isn't a bonus, it's just delayed salary. The two structures I've seen genuinely move behavior tie the team's reward to outcomes they can actually influence, and they scale to the size of your practice, [...]

Do Dental Bonus Systems Actually Work for Your Team?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Real Barriers to Treatment That Block Case Acceptance

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

What barriers stop patients from saying yes to treatment? There are more of them than fear of cost, which is the one most dentists fixate on. Patients also stall over fear of the procedure, doubt that the work will last, confusion about what you actually recommended, distrust built up from a bad past experience, and the simple inertia of putting a big decision off. Each barrier has its own answer, and lumping them all under price is why so many cases die. If someone is scared of pain, a discount doesn't help them. If they don't understand the plan, dropping the [...]

Real Barriers to Treatment That Block Case Acceptancejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Case Acceptance Metrics Every Dentist Should Track

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

What metrics tell me if my case acceptance is actually working? Track where every patient sits in your sales process at any given moment, and track your acceptance rate as a real percentage, not a feeling. Most dentists tell me they're doing fine, then they look at the numbers and discover half their big consultations never decided anything either way. If you don't have a running record of who's in workup, who's been presented, who said yes, and who stalled, you can't tell whether a slow month is bad luck or a broken step. A simple spreadsheet does this. The point [...]

Case Acceptance Metrics Every Dentist Should Trackjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Why Phone Call Tracking Wins More Dental Cases

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

Why should I track every phone call at my dental practice? Because if you don't track your phone, you are guessing, and guessing is how good practices quietly bleed new patients. Start simple. Count how many calls come in, how many turn into consultations, and how many of those consultations turn into accepted cases. Once you have those numbers month over month, the broken link reveals itself. Maybe the phone rings plenty but almost nobody books, that's a front-desk problem. Maybe they book and never accept treatment, that's a presentation problem. Without the monitor you'll blame marketing when the real leak [...]

Why Phone Call Tracking Wins More Dental Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Charge Full Fees Under Dental Insurance Contracts

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

How can I keep full fees even under insurance contracts? It is more possible than most dentists assume, but it has to be done correctly and in writing. The mechanism is an insurance indemnity document combined with a proper patient release, reviewed so it actually holds up under your specific contracts. Used in the right situations, it lets a patient choose to pay your full fee rather than the discounted contract rate, and it documents that choice cleanly. This is not something you improvise at the front desk. It belongs in a leadership-level conversation with the patient, where you explain why [...]

How to Charge Full Fees Under Dental Insurance Contractsjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Dental Refund Policy for Large Implant and Cosmetic Cases

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

Should I have a written refund policy for large dental cases? Yes, and you should write it before you ever need it, not in the middle of an angry conversation. A large case refund template tells you and the patient exactly what gets refunded and at which stage of treatment. The dollar figure should not be the same on day one as it is after you've cut a single tooth. Tie it to where the patient is in the process. And customize it to your actual niche, because a full-arch implant case carries different lab and surgical commitments than a row [...]

Dental Refund Policy for Large Implant and Cosmetic Casesjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

How to Fire a Patient the Right Way as a Dentist

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

How do I fire a patient who is draining my practice? Stop calling it firing. You are not firing the patient, you are resigning from the role of being their dentist. That reframe matters because it keeps you professional and it keeps the patient calm. I tell them plainly that I can no longer serve them the way they deserve to be served, and that continuing this way would be unfair to them. No blame, no lecture. Then I have my office manager actually help them find another practice, not just hand them a referral line number and a fake smile. [...]

How to Fire a Patient the Right Way as a Dentistjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

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