Should returning dental patients skip steps in the selling process because they already know the practice?
No. Run them through the full process anyway, with the same attention given to brand-new patients. The temptation to skip steps with returning or longtime patients comes from a reasonable instinct: they know the practice, the practice knows them, and going through a full intake feels redundant. The reality is that things have changed. The patient’s circumstances have shifted since last time. Their dental health has changed. Their financial situation may be different. Their priorities have evolved. Technology and procedures have advanced. Costs have moved. The full process surfaces all of this fresh information and produces a current snapshot the practice can work from. Update records, run a new Complete Dental Physical (with the fee waived if that creates appropriate reciprocity), ask the same motivator questions asked of any new patient, and walk through the selling sequence respectfully. The returning patient feels valued by the attention. The case work that results reflects who they are now, not who they were three years ago.
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.
