What order should dental treatment fees be presented in, and why pause after each one?
Highest to lowest, with deliberate pauses after each. The fees go on the slides next to the same option photos the patient has been looking at throughout the presentation. Starting with the highest fee establishes the anchor at the high end. Each subsequent fee then reads as a lower number against that anchor, which is psychologically easier than the reverse path. The pause after each fee is critical. The patient and support person need a moment to absorb the number, process its meaning, and form an initial reaction. Without a pause, the doctor rushes through three numbers in twenty seconds and the patient cannot react meaningfully to any of them. With pauses, the room slows, the patient’s processing has space, and any questions they want to ask can surface naturally. The pacing makes the fees feel respected rather than rushed past. Patients reading the room feel that the doctor takes the financial commitment seriously and trusts them to absorb it at their own pace.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.
