Dental Case Acceptance|Dental Phone Training Archives - The McAnally Selling System

Calls Coming In But Not Booking Consultations? Read This

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

My marketing brings in calls but consultations are not getting booked. What is wrong? I lived this exact problem. The phone was ringing constantly, money was going out the door on marketing, and the consult calendar stayed thin. I assumed the marketing was weak. It was not. The booking was breaking on the phone, and I did not see it until we started tracking what actually happened after the ring. The cause was simple once I admitted it. My staff had the wrong tools. They were running phone habits built for insurance check-ups and basic-needs patients, then trying to use those [...]

Calls Coming In But Not Booking Consultations? Read Thisjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Why You Get Blindsided by a Big Dental Case

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

Why do I keep getting blindsided by huge cases at the exam? Because the case escaped your process earlier, usually on the phone. When someone shows up and the extremity of the case catches you off guard, that is a sign your phone step missed it. The fix is on your checklist for major cases, the rule that says you bring the spouse or financial decision maker to the diagnostic visit. If you catch case size early, you never get surprised, and you never present a life changing number to a patient sitting there alone. So I do not want to [...]

Why You Get Blindsided by a Big Dental Casejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Setting the Stage at the End of a Consultation

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

How do I end a consultation visit so the next appointment goes well? You set the stage, and you do not rush it. The end of that exam visit is one of the most important moments in the whole process. Tell the patient plainly: we got everything we need today, next time we will review what I found and walk through your options, and we will see you that day with your husband, John, as well. Then ask if they have any questions for you. That last line cleans up anything left hanging. Notice what you just did. You defined the [...]

Setting the Stage at the End of a Consultationjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

When a Patient Refuses to Bring a Spouse

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

What do I say to a patient who refuses to bring their spouse? You escalate your reasons, calmly, one at a time. The first reason is simple honesty. This is going to be a complex discussion, and the best way for everyone to understand the problems and the solutions is to sit down together on the same day. If that does not land, get blunt and financial. Tell them this is a significant decision and it is good that anyone affected by it is present. For the rare hard holdout, I use an analogy. Would you buy a house, or go [...]

When a Patient Refuses to Bring a Spousejames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Presenting Payment Options: What the Coordinator Should Say

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

What should the financial coordinator actually say when presenting payment options? Speak plainly and walk them down the sheet, option by option, after the doctor has handed it off. I might say, Peggy, since you have no questions on the presentation, let me go over the payment options we offer. If you go with option one, the fee is this. We'd like to offer you a five percent testimonial discount if you'll share your story at the end, because we think this will be life changing and we'd love to have it. Pay at the start with cash or check, another [...]

Presenting Payment Options: What the Coordinator Should Sayjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

Scripting the Patient Office Tour: Do It?

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

Should the unique reason why tour be scripted or left natural? Scripted, but not stiff. I am not telling you to recite a paragraph word for word like a robot. I am telling you that if the tour is left to chance, it will come out brilliantly one day and fall apart the next, depending on who is walking the patient and what kind of morning they had. That is not a process, that is a coin flip. So script it well enough that the general sense always lands. The story about what makes you special should be memorized to the [...]

Scripting the Patient Office Tour: Do It?james2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00

The Right Way of Introducing the Doctor to a Patient

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

What is the right way to introduce the doctor to a new patient? With a deliberate, formal handoff that makes the patient feel something is about to happen. The wrong way is the common way: the doctor just wanders into the room, and all the expert status you spent the whole visit building quietly evaporates. Do not let that happen. The assistant should set it up like an event. This is the doctor 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 very good care [...]

The Right Way of Introducing the Doctor to a Patientjames2026-06-16T00:00:00-04:00