WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Welcome to Bite Size Dental Marketing. My name 00:00:02.299 --> 00:00:05.400 is Ian de Jong and today we are talking to Dr. 00:00:05.459 --> 00:00:07.960 Christopher Phelps, a general dentist, entrepreneur 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:11.939 and internationally recognized expert in patient 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:14.759 reactivation, behavioral economics and influence 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:18.579 marketing. Now I'd had a lot planned for this 00:00:18.579 --> 00:00:21.559 episode today, but when we got into Caldini's 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:25.559 six principles of influence, the podcast kind 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.879 of took on its own legs and we really got into 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.100 how these six principles and now the seventh 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:35.219 which is unity can be applied in your practice 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:38.799 to make small changes that are actually going 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:41.460 to make a difference in the new patient acquisition 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:44.299 treatment acceptance and overall production of 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:53.399 your business enjoy so Dr. Phelps, the first 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:56.899 question that I have is one I love to do for 00:00:56.899 --> 00:01:01.079 all of my guests because your story to me is 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:03.880 just as important as everything that you're going 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:05.680 to be sharing with us today because it gives 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:08.719 our listeners an understanding of why did Christopher 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:12.180 Phelps choose this journey in dentistry and not 00:01:12.180 --> 00:01:15.760 just dentistry, but then go beyond and understand 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:19.140 it in ways that many dentists... often don't 00:01:19.140 --> 00:01:20.859 really do. Like I know you have a background 00:01:20.859 --> 00:01:23.120 in marketing and you look at behavioral economics 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:26.200 and of course you went on, you became a dentist, 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.799 you have the Phelps Institute. That's a long 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:32.060 list of things. And I would love if you can just 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:35.519 get into where this all started for you. You 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:39.060 know, it all started, flashback, when I was in 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:41.620 seventh grade, so in middle school here in the 00:01:41.620 --> 00:01:45.319 States. And my buddy and I were sitting around 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:48.260 his house playing video games. And his mom was 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:51.299 tired of us doing that. So she was looking for 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:53.760 extracurricular activities to sign him up for. 00:01:54.180 --> 00:01:57.280 And somehow she found out about a Future Dentist 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:00.540 of America club meeting that was going on in 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:03.599 our area in Greensboro, North Carolina. And she 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:05.519 signed him up for it. And he looks to me one 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:06.959 day and he goes, hey, my mom signed me up for 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:10.060 this dentist thing. Do you want to go? Because 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:11.460 he didn't want to go by himself. And I was like, 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:13.199 yeah, sure. What am I doing? I'll go with you. 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:15.759 So now I'm at this event and this dentist is 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:19.139 taking us around his office. He's doing a traditional 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:23.060 carousel slideshow, showing us pictures of smiles 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:25.000 and his happy patients and how he takes care 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:28.120 of people. And I looked in the corner of his 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.020 office and kind of right under our light was 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:32.699 a table with all these shiny instruments. Like 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:35.479 they look brand new. And so like a moth to a 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:37.060 flame, I was kind of drawn to him like, ooh, 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.400 what's all this stuff? And he was one of the 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.900 early implant pioneers doing blade implants. 00:02:43.189 --> 00:02:45.610 implants that look like uh the bottom of a uh 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:49.569 skate like an ice skate uh when you put a tooth 00:02:49.569 --> 00:02:52.849 on it kind of thing and so you would build a 00:02:52.849 --> 00:02:55.930 drill basically a trough in the bone put this 00:02:55.930 --> 00:02:57.729 blade down in there and the bone would kind of 00:02:57.729 --> 00:02:59.229 grow around it and you'd have a post sticking 00:02:59.229 --> 00:03:02.129 up to put a tooth on it and i was just like oh 00:03:02.129 --> 00:03:04.810 my god so you do what to people's jaws like you 00:03:04.810 --> 00:03:06.449 do surgery and use all these instruments he was 00:03:06.449 --> 00:03:08.639 like yeah that's what i do and i was like For 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:11.780 whatever reason, just really drawn to that aspect 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:14.180 that he not only did smiles, he did the surgeries 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:17.659 and kind of more complicated things. And I can't 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:19.879 explain it, except I had this overpowering feeling 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:22.319 in that moment where I was like, yeah, this is 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.199 what I'm going to do when I grow up. And so I 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:27.360 literally made the commitment then. And it set 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:30.020 me on a path, right? I became a better student 00:03:30.020 --> 00:03:32.719 because, you know, my mom said, well, you know, 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:35.919 you got a D in this class right now. You know, 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:38.120 you can't go to dental school with D's. And she 00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:40.300 was like, well, lucky for you, they don't count 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:43.599 until high school. So figure it out now. So when 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:44.979 high school comes, you're ready. And I was like, 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:47.680 yes, OK, I still got time. So and I did. Right. 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:50.479 I did well. So that kind of set me on the dentistry 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:57.479 path. What I hadn't realized was that truly at 00:03:57.479 --> 00:03:59.479 my core, I'm an entrepreneur that happens to 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:03.860 be a good dentist. So I go through school, graduate, 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:06.879 join my wife's dentist who'd been her dentist. 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:11.060 since she was 15. I joined him and bought into 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:14.360 his practice in 2003. And what was interesting 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:18.079 is we had quite the monumental ride of growth. 00:04:18.199 --> 00:04:20.819 It was almost like my career at this time was 00:04:20.819 --> 00:04:22.660 like a tale of two cities. So it started out 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:25.560 unbelievable and we couldn't lose. Let's put 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.779 it that way. So my first year on practice, we 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:31.439 doubled the revenue of the practice without increasing 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:34.639 the overheads. So as a new owner, that was a 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:38.970 great place to be. It allowed me to buy a house 00:04:38.970 --> 00:04:42.350 and pay down my debt for what I bought in for 00:04:42.350 --> 00:04:46.230 fairly quickly. It allowed us to build multiple 00:04:46.230 --> 00:04:49.410 offices. So we did a startup office from scratch. 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:53.449 It was probably about eight miles up the road 00:04:53.449 --> 00:04:56.689 from the original practice. And same thing, had 00:04:56.689 --> 00:04:58.569 a million dollars in revenue the first year and 00:04:58.569 --> 00:05:00.129 two million dollars in revenue the second year. 00:05:01.129 --> 00:05:03.889 So just, again, a phenomenal start. So we bought 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:06.790 a third office, right? And we brought on some, 00:05:06.829 --> 00:05:08.370 we let some of the searchers that were with us 00:05:08.370 --> 00:05:10.870 come in as partners. And then we got a fourth 00:05:10.870 --> 00:05:15.730 office. And so literally from 2003 to 2010, we 00:05:15.730 --> 00:05:19.269 10 times the revenue of the practice. Was that 00:05:19.269 --> 00:05:23.009 just the timing was right? The area was right? 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:24.769 Or were you guys just doing something different 00:05:24.769 --> 00:05:27.629 that just sparked? Yeah, here's what we were 00:05:27.629 --> 00:05:31.990 doing that nobody was doing. Marketing. At that 00:05:31.990 --> 00:05:34.519 time, it was kind of this. old boys club where 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.339 it was uh negatively viewed upon you if you were 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:41.620 marketing okay they were like the tradition was 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:43.959 you just hang a sign with your name on it and 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:47.079 hope people will come or you sign up for an insurance 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:49.660 plan and that's how you get your patients they 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:53.600 send them to you right uh we were a true fee 00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:55.800 -for -service practice for all of our practices 00:05:55.800 --> 00:05:58.199 so we weren't in network so yeah we weren't getting 00:05:58.199 --> 00:06:00.639 those people coming to us like all the other 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:03.329 docs in town were So we needed to do something 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:05.970 different. And the fact that nobody had marketing 00:06:05.970 --> 00:06:08.550 in the past and that we might be viewed negatively 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:12.470 by our colleagues did not shy me away from doing 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:15.930 it anyway. I was on the radio. I was doing direct 00:06:15.930 --> 00:06:18.149 mail. I was doing newspaper inserts. I was in 00:06:18.149 --> 00:06:21.569 neighborhood newsletters. As many places as I 00:06:21.569 --> 00:06:23.430 could put our message, that's where we were. 00:06:23.589 --> 00:06:26.310 So we benefited from that because it was a time 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:28.910 when not many were marketing, if any. And my 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:30.550 colleagues were like, oh, no, they're marketing. 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:32.689 What's going to happen? They almost thought it 00:06:32.689 --> 00:06:34.709 was illegal for dentists to market, right? And 00:06:34.709 --> 00:06:37.370 then they found out, oh, geez, they doubled the 00:06:37.370 --> 00:06:39.550 business. They just had a new location. They 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:41.629 had another location. Oh, crap, maybe I should 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:44.990 market. Maybe I should start marketing. And the 00:06:44.990 --> 00:06:46.930 next thing you know, several years later, now 00:06:46.930 --> 00:06:49.910 everybody's marketing. I think that was a big 00:06:49.910 --> 00:06:52.970 catalyst for us. We had a blue ocean. Nobody 00:06:52.970 --> 00:06:54.949 out there was doing it, and we were the first 00:06:54.949 --> 00:06:58.810 to do it well and heavily. That catapulted our 00:06:58.810 --> 00:07:01.189 growth, 10x growth in that seven -year period. 00:07:01.999 --> 00:07:05.639 And it was great. But then I decided at that 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:09.779 point that, you know, as one of my mentors calls 00:07:09.779 --> 00:07:13.620 it, buy back my time. Because I had not realized 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:19.040 that being the CEO of these four companies, as 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.899 well as being a clinical dentist, is a major 00:07:22.899 --> 00:07:26.980 competition for my time. So it became clear that 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:30.579 I needed to simplify my life. and buy back my 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:33.100 time. So me and my original partner decided to 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:36.120 take over the two struggling practices, the two 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.180 worst ones of the bunch. And we sold the two 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:41.139 best practices to our other partners, right? 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.300 So we could kind of consolidate and get back 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:45.980 to doing things our way. Well, what's interesting 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:47.959 is when you take over your two worst practices 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:50.980 is that you don't have the buffer of the good 00:07:50.980 --> 00:07:53.959 ones to supplement the challenges of the weak 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.839 ones, right? So one of these practices, now our 00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.379 second cold start office, Again, a tale of two 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:02.139 cities, meaning the first one we did, the first 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:04.720 cold start office, did $1 million the first year, 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:07.040 $2 million the second year. We basically tried 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:09.199 to replicate that a second time, and this practice 00:08:09.199 --> 00:08:12.300 is struggling. It's collecting $35 ,000 a month 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:14.560 in revenue with a full -time associate, full 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.899 -time hygienist, five chairs fully ready to go, 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:20.779 just like we did the other one. But it's costing 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:24.250 us $70 ,000 a month in expense. So you don't 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:26.410 have to be a marketing expert or a business major 00:08:26.410 --> 00:08:28.129 to realize that's not a good check to write every 00:08:28.129 --> 00:08:30.930 month. When you've got three other practices 00:08:30.930 --> 00:08:33.509 and three other partners, it's an investment. 00:08:34.450 --> 00:08:37.909 When you want one partner in one practice, that's 00:08:37.909 --> 00:08:40.730 a problem. So it was a powerful motivator for 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:44.289 me to dig into the challenges and not procrastinate 00:08:44.289 --> 00:08:46.389 on solving them anymore, one of which was in 00:08:46.389 --> 00:08:48.649 marketing. So our marketing was really successful 00:08:48.649 --> 00:08:51.429 from the get -go to fuel that growth up until 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:54.350 this point. But now I've got these two worst 00:08:54.350 --> 00:08:57.830 ones, and I'm spending $36 ,000 a month in marketing 00:08:57.830 --> 00:09:01.549 to get 60 new patients for my efforts. So 30 00:09:01.549 --> 00:09:03.309 at one of my offices and 30 at one of my other 00:09:03.309 --> 00:09:06.830 offices. What efforts within that were you doing 00:09:06.830 --> 00:09:08.909 at that time? Because this was still probably 00:09:08.909 --> 00:09:12.269 before, I mean, what we know internet marketing 00:09:12.269 --> 00:09:14.710 as it is today, right? Right. Yeah, there really 00:09:14.710 --> 00:09:18.669 weren't. Google AdWords was very basic in most 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:22.440 of it. So we're talking like 2012. So was it 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.240 mostly, as you said, like the mailers and the 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:26.500 banners and the billboards and that type of stuff 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:30.120 that was costing that much? Yeah, radio ads we 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:33.899 did with the drive home from work celebrity crew, 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:37.620 if that makes sense. Direct mail, newspaper inserts, 00:09:38.019 --> 00:09:40.980 any kind of neighborhood magazine. There was 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:43.899 a lot of community magazines we ran. So a lot 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:47.940 of traditional offline external marketing, right? 00:09:48.980 --> 00:09:51.559 was really spending a lot of that money on that. 00:09:51.940 --> 00:09:55.399 And so I knew that we weren't getting a return 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:59.600 for that investment, but I didn't know why. So 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:03.179 as you said, that's when I got curious. And now 00:10:03.179 --> 00:10:04.779 that I had gotten rid of the other practices, 00:10:04.840 --> 00:10:07.779 I actually had the time to focus on this problem 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:09.559 and step out of the chair and go, all right, 00:10:09.580 --> 00:10:10.960 I can't ignore this anymore. We've got to deal 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.159 with it. And in my case, I realized that it wasn't 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:18.000 the leads not coming in. Lots of great leads 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.480 each month. But my team didn't answer the phone 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.580 254 times a month from new patient phone calls. 00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:26.340 From marketing sources, I paid for the phone 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:29.100 to ring and we didn't answer. When they did answer, 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:31.019 we only made an appointment 24 % of the time 00:10:31.019 --> 00:10:35.320 with a 17 % no -show rate. So then I had to dig 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.139 into the why of that to kind of turn it around. 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.639 But flash forward now, maybe four months later. 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:45.700 On the other side of this, and I'm spending probably 00:10:45.700 --> 00:10:48.940 six months by this point. I'm spending $9 ,000 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:51.960 a month in total in marketing. And I'm getting 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:56.360 300 fee -for -service patients. So $170 a month 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:58.440 at one office and $130 a month at the other office. 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:02.659 So night and day difference in that result, right? 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:05.299 So that really kind of set me on the path to, 00:11:05.419 --> 00:11:09.000 I already was doing marketing in the early days, 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:11.299 but I can't tell you that I understood marketing. 00:11:11.710 --> 00:11:14.970 It was really studying these pain points in the 00:11:14.970 --> 00:11:18.830 struggling practices that forced me to become 00:11:18.830 --> 00:11:21.789 an expert in it and figure it out. Is that what 00:11:21.789 --> 00:11:25.110 pushed you into this love for behavioral economics 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:27.470 and understanding the psychology of marketing 00:11:27.470 --> 00:11:30.710 in that way? What did you understand about the 00:11:30.710 --> 00:11:32.669 behavioral economics and these principles that 00:11:32.669 --> 00:11:35.090 you put out there through your institute that 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:37.789 really mattered in that moment to turn things 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:42.500 around for the practice? first and major pain 00:11:42.500 --> 00:11:45.100 point for most practices, even to this day. But 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:47.200 the second one is if they don't come back for 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:51.600 treatment, right? It's going to cost you more 00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.259 in marketing to make up for that inefficiency. 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:56.679 You know, if you are converting treatment at 00:11:56.679 --> 00:11:59.480 a 20 % rate, then if you want to hit a certain 00:11:59.480 --> 00:12:02.279 number, you need more people to reach that number. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:04.940 So I realized we had all these pain points with 00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:06.940 our patient behavior. Why weren't they returning 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:10.500 for treatment that they needed? with myself and 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:13.139 the other doctors that worked for me. I noticed 00:12:13.139 --> 00:12:17.620 my team struggling here. Why is it that, because 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:19.659 I did two days at each office, so I would rotate 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:22.179 between the two offices. So when I was there 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:25.279 at that location, people did their job. If I 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:28.279 was not at that location, when the cat was away, 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.879 the mice would play. And that's what these old 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:33.220 adages about human behavior usually speak to 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:35.059 the principles of persuasion behind them, right? 00:12:35.179 --> 00:12:37.899 Why they stand the test of time. Why do I have 00:12:37.899 --> 00:12:39.639 to keep telling my team to do their job? Why 00:12:39.639 --> 00:12:42.480 don't they just do their job? My associate doctors, 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:44.860 why am I paying for their education? And they 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:47.059 don't come back and use the education. They don't 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:49.059 create new services that they learn, new things 00:12:49.059 --> 00:12:51.840 they can charge forward patients, right? So what 00:12:51.840 --> 00:12:53.860 did I really pay for? So I had all these pain 00:12:53.860 --> 00:12:57.059 points and behavioral issues going on that I 00:12:57.059 --> 00:12:58.919 couldn't put my finger on the root cause of why, 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:02.159 and which is why nothing happened, right? So 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:03.620 when your brain doesn't feel like it understands 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:05.820 the root cause, and if it doesn't understand... 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:07.919 If it doesn't feel like it has the capabilities 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:10.700 to solve the problem, it does two quote -unquote 00:13:10.700 --> 00:13:13.779 helpful things to protect you. Number one, it 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:16.779 ignores the problem altogether, right? What problem? 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:19.340 There's no problem. Or it procrastinates on the 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.500 problem. I see it, but I don't have to deal with 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:23.840 it now, right? And that's kind of what I was 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:25.399 in. I was stuck in that procrastination mode. 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:27.259 I didn't know what to do with it. So a friend 00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:29.039 of mine invited me to a business conference, 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:31.639 and Dr. Robert Cialdini was the keynote speaker 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:34.210 at that business conference. And at the time, 00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:36.350 he talked about his six principles of persuasion. 00:13:37.090 --> 00:13:39.009 We have seven of them now, but back then there 00:13:39.009 --> 00:13:41.870 were only six. And I remember one of those principles 00:13:41.870 --> 00:13:44.090 in particular being my light bulb moment, like, 00:13:44.090 --> 00:13:48.149 aha, that one right there, that one is the root 00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:50.809 cause behind every one of those pain points. 00:13:51.429 --> 00:13:53.269 Why aren't the patients coming back for treatment? 00:13:53.710 --> 00:13:55.830 Why do I have to keep telling my team to do stuff? 00:13:56.190 --> 00:13:58.509 Why are my doctors implementing the education 00:13:58.509 --> 00:14:00.929 I paid for, right? I said, all right, this guy 00:14:00.929 --> 00:14:04.299 knows his stuff. I got to find out more. And 00:14:04.299 --> 00:14:06.200 then so I immediately got his book, Influence 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:10.220 the Psychology of Persuasion, not realizing the 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.639 world leaders and experts that had recommended 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.740 that book. Warren Buffett today still says that's 00:14:15.740 --> 00:14:17.379 his number one business book on communication. 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:21.279 Okay, so I read Influence, digest it, talk about 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.000 the history and the studies, behavioral science 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.419 studies. So again, now it's not somebody's opinion 00:14:25.419 --> 00:14:27.860 on ways to turn things around in your life and 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:30.419 your communication. It's science behind it. It's 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:32.519 study after study and why people do what they 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:35.700 do. So to me, that's more objective. And I like 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:37.879 to make strategies around objective things because 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:39.639 then I can, they're predictable, right? I can 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:42.879 count on them. So I then found out he does a 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:45.440 two -day training once a year in Phoenix, Arizona. 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:47.879 So I immediately signed up for that and took 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.220 my operations manager. And we spent two full 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:52.240 days with Chelsea and his team learning, going 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:55.000 deeper into these things. And then at that event, 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.620 I found out about their certification program 00:14:56.620 --> 00:14:59.220 that you can train under him directly for over 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:02.220 a year and be a certified trainer. And I don't 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:04.519 know, I mean, they get thousands of people apply 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.899 every year, but I threw my name into the hat 00:15:06.899 --> 00:15:09.159 and said, hey, it never hurts to try. And they 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:11.100 selected me and I got to train with him directly 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:14.320 for over a year. I get certified him and took 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:16.500 all this behavioral science research that I learned. 00:15:16.580 --> 00:15:19.059 And I went back to my two struggling practices. 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:22.259 and tried to make strategies, not around the 00:15:22.259 --> 00:15:24.340 excuses people were giving me after they said 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:27.580 no, right? So an excuse a patient might say is 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:29.039 you're too expensive. That's why I'm not doing 00:15:29.039 --> 00:15:31.960 it. Or my insurance doesn't cover it. So your 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.740 strategy around the excuse is, well, if it's 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:37.000 too expensive, I got to discount it. If it's 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:38.519 because of the insurance, I guess I have to take 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:41.139 the insurance or get in network, right? Well, 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:43.620 I realized that's not actually what the reason 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:45.720 was behind their decision. It was these other 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:47.779 things leading up to that moment beforehand. 00:15:48.509 --> 00:15:50.629 That's where we really dropped the ball. So when 00:15:50.629 --> 00:15:53.269 I implemented these principles and created systems 00:15:53.269 --> 00:15:55.850 in the patient experience process leading up 00:15:55.850 --> 00:15:59.350 to the ask, suddenly treatment acceptance blew 00:15:59.350 --> 00:16:02.870 through the roof for everybody, right? And within 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:05.470 three years' time of me selling the two best 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:07.970 ones and taking over the two worst ones, between 00:16:07.970 --> 00:16:10.110 fixing the marketing, pumping in an unlimited 00:16:10.110 --> 00:16:13.529 quantity of quality due patients, and more people 00:16:13.529 --> 00:16:15.970 come back doing something with treatment instead 00:16:15.970 --> 00:16:19.309 of choosing to do nothing, Well, we had million 00:16:19.309 --> 00:16:21.710 -dollar growth at each of those clinics, okay, 00:16:21.769 --> 00:16:25.309 three years in a row. And by that time, that 00:16:25.309 --> 00:16:28.110 means the two clinics were doing more in revenue, 00:16:28.210 --> 00:16:30.909 profitability, and my free time than when I had 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:35.250 four in total, okay? All because of figuring 00:16:35.250 --> 00:16:38.129 out the marketing and figuring out the psychology 00:16:38.129 --> 00:16:40.629 of why people do what they do and making some 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:43.649 small changes in how we presented things that 00:16:43.649 --> 00:16:49.120 resulted in big results. Even as I just listened, 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:51.960 I was thinking about so many dentists saying, 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.139 I want my time back. I don't want to work Fridays. 00:16:54.220 --> 00:17:00.840 I want to do the higher cases and I want to not 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:02.779 have all of these insurance patients coming in. 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:04.519 I'm tired of working so hard and I'm not seeing 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.779 the bottom line. And you just painted a case 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:09.900 study that you went through. This is your case 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:14.160 study of it is possible. to love dentistry, to 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.279 love going into work, to make the money you want 00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:18.720 to make, but there's certain sacrifices and certain 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:20.859 changes that need to happen. So the one that 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:23.559 you said now is marketing is a no -brainer. Was 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:25.940 that one for you? You said the six principles. 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:29.059 Can you take us through those principles so that 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:32.539 we can actually make dentists aware of these 00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:34.319 are the things that you should be thinking about? 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:37.079 Yeah. So the first principle is the principle 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:40.059 of reciprocity. which basically states that if 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:42.500 someone has given you a gift of value and significance 00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:45.720 to you, an obligation is created inside of you 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:49.079 to give back to them in kind. So example, somebody 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:50.740 gives you a gift on your birthday, you're more 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:52.359 likely to give them a gift on their birthday. 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:54.940 Somebody does you a favor, you're likely now 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:58.480 to do them a favor in return, right? So reciprocity 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.119 is you feel indebted to that person because of 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:03.700 this gift. That's the obligation. Therefore, 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:05.980 it goes on your to -do list to give back in kind. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:11.119 Liking is based as a simple principle. Dale Carnegie 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:13.640 wrote a whole book on how to amplify this principle. 00:18:14.079 --> 00:18:16.740 But at its core, liking is we like to do business 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:19.220 with people we like. If it's a friend asking, 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:22.500 it's hard to say no. If it's an enemy asking, 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.900 it's easy to say no, meaning a non -friend. But 00:18:25.900 --> 00:18:29.880 true liking is about not trying to get others 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.019 to like you. It's showing them that you like 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:36.079 them first. If you're the first to show them 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:38.980 that you like them, then the reciprocity principle 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:41.599 kicks in and they like you back. So how do we 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.859 show them that we like them? Well, we like those 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:48.000 who are like us and take the time to discover 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.480 that they are like us. Meaning we like people 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:53.599 with commonalities, similarity, common interests. 00:18:54.019 --> 00:18:58.059 I can hear Dale Carnegie's from How to Win Friends 00:18:58.059 --> 00:19:00.460 and Influence People. We're reading that as an 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:02.900 agency now. And as you're saying that, it's about... 00:19:03.109 --> 00:19:05.609 Having real interest in other people, finding 00:19:05.609 --> 00:19:08.210 similarities. And in that way, the more you are 00:19:08.210 --> 00:19:10.650 interested in them, the more they will like you. 00:19:10.829 --> 00:19:13.950 It's as simple as that. So leveraging that, finding 00:19:13.950 --> 00:19:16.750 that commonality with them before you get down 00:19:16.750 --> 00:19:18.170 to the business of dentistry, whatever they're 00:19:18.170 --> 00:19:20.849 there for, automatically means more people say 00:19:20.849 --> 00:19:23.230 yes to something that you presented to them versus 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:24.990 choosing to do the worst thing, which is choosing 00:19:24.990 --> 00:19:29.079 to do nothing. Social proof. is another principle. 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:31.740 That principle basically states that oftentimes 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:33.660 we look to the evidence of what others are doing 00:19:33.660 --> 00:19:36.660 or have done to show us what we should do. So, 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:39.039 for instance, if you were walking into a building 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:42.119 for the first time and 50 people run out of that 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:44.079 building screaming in terror and running in the 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:46.440 opposite direction of you, the odds are pretty 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:48.279 good you're not going to go into that building 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:50.539 to find out what they're running from. Right? 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:53.140 You just figured out in that moment, oh, this 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:55.019 might be a dangerous situation. I should probably 00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:58.359 go with the crowd. Okay? This is a reason in 00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:00.319 the animal kingdom that birds flock together, 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:04.720 animals herd, fish school. So we have learned 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:07.119 evolutionarily that there's safety in the crowd. 00:20:07.299 --> 00:20:10.900 We as humans, even though we're more evolved 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:13.299 thinkers, so to speak, we are still susceptible 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:16.779 to that pull. So yes, we want to be unique individuals 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:19.000 different than everybody else, but we want to 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:20.819 be unique individuals that are still part of 00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:24.180 a tribe, part of a group, part of a community 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:26.980 in some aspect. So if we associate ourselves 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:29.240 with others and we see them moving a certain 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.460 direction, there's going to be a pull for you 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:35.400 to go the same way. So if I've seen, you know, 00:20:35.460 --> 00:20:39.299 I'm at dinner at a restaurant and the waiter 00:20:39.299 --> 00:20:41.859 says, here's our specials. And our most popular 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:45.019 dish is kind of relaying evidence of what the 00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:48.380 majority have done before me. Studies show that 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:51.240 increases acceptance of that item by over 24%. 00:20:51.710 --> 00:20:53.630 Again, we can leverage the same thing. If you're 00:20:53.630 --> 00:20:55.630 presenting something that the majority of your 00:20:55.630 --> 00:20:58.730 patients have actually chosen, don't hide that 00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:01.910 fact. Lead with it. Let them know this is what 00:21:01.910 --> 00:21:04.049 the majority of my patients have chosen. If you 00:21:04.049 --> 00:21:06.569 can put a number to it specifically, this is 00:21:06.569 --> 00:21:10.650 what 96 .7 % of my patients have chosen. It sharpens 00:21:10.650 --> 00:21:13.410 the effect even more, right? So social proof 00:21:13.410 --> 00:21:15.230 is powerful information to get people to move. 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:18.900 The authority principle fits us well, but basically 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:20.839 the authority principle states that we look to 00:21:20.839 --> 00:21:24.160 credible, trustworthy experts to tell us what 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:27.160 we should do. So credible means you have to have 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:30.339 some kind of expertise and training and experience 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:33.119 in the matter and be somebody people can trust. 00:21:33.319 --> 00:21:35.180 That's really what we're looking for. An expert 00:21:35.180 --> 00:21:38.740 we can trust. We look to those people to tell 00:21:38.740 --> 00:21:40.380 us what we should do because, truthfully, we 00:21:40.380 --> 00:21:41.539 don't have time to be an expert in everything. 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:44.559 It doesn't mean we can't to be an expert. We 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.940 just physically don't have time. So if I've got 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:49.359 a plumber that comes to my house and they tell 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:52.400 me I need a new toilet, okay, I don't know anything 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:55.160 about plumbing. They got reviews, people trust 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:57.859 them. I guess I'm buying a new toilet, right? 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:00.700 So that's all that is. Someone with more expertise 00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:02.779 in the matter than you, that can be trusted. 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:04.740 We look to those folks that tell us what we should 00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:07.799 do. We have some authority built into us just 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:11.789 because of our title, doctor. Patients know and 00:22:11.789 --> 00:22:14.190 they're going to take our advice more to heart 00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:17.529 than even our team members because we have that 00:22:17.529 --> 00:22:19.589 title. To them, that means we have training, 00:22:19.670 --> 00:22:23.650 we have expertise as a result. So authority is 00:22:23.650 --> 00:22:27.869 a big one. Consistency. Consistency was the principle, 00:22:28.049 --> 00:22:30.650 my kind of light bulb moment, if you will, that 00:22:30.650 --> 00:22:33.950 I mentioned earlier. But at its core, simply 00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:38.210 put, consistency is about commitments. If you 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:43.359 get people to commit, Then they do. If you get 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:45.059 people to commit, they usually follow through 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:46.799 with the commitment that they made and do it. 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:50.400 So if you're not seeing the results like I wasn't, 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:54.440 what's missing? I realized I wasn't getting a 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:56.619 commitment out of any of those people to do any 00:22:56.619 --> 00:23:01.039 of those things. That was my harsh reality. Once 00:23:01.039 --> 00:23:04.319 I realized that and I made a point to get better 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.039 commitments out of my patients to do their treatment, 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:09.289 my team to do their job. my doctors to get education 00:23:09.289 --> 00:23:10.690 they're actually going to come back and use. 00:23:11.589 --> 00:23:14.970 Everything changed. So consistency is probably 00:23:14.970 --> 00:23:18.029 one of the most powerful of the principles. If 00:23:18.029 --> 00:23:20.529 people commit, they do. If they're not doing, 00:23:20.730 --> 00:23:22.910 you're not getting them to commit at its core. 00:23:24.410 --> 00:23:27.609 Scarcity. Scarcity means, it's really about resources. 00:23:28.150 --> 00:23:30.789 So if resources are dwindling or about to run 00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:33.650 out, then it motivates you to want that thing 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:37.240 more and do more to get it. Even if you didn't 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:40.079 want it to start with. So we see that effect 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.099 all the time. If there's like a storm coming 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.119 into town, a big storm that they broadcast over 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:47.539 the news and whatnot, there's a run on bread 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:51.200 and milk at the stores historically. Economics, 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:55.000 the law of supply and demand is scarcity at its 00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:01.500 core. FOMO is scarcity at its core. So if I told 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:03.480 you the oxygen was running out of the room you're 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:05.789 sitting in right now. Most of you would probably 00:24:05.789 --> 00:24:08.089 want to know that before it runs out versus when 00:24:08.089 --> 00:24:10.710 it runs out. Because if you know before it runs 00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:13.329 out, what's it going to motivate you to do? That's 00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:16.170 where scarcity pulls us, okay? So if things are 00:24:16.170 --> 00:24:18.089 limited or about to run out, it motivates you 00:24:18.089 --> 00:24:19.930 to want that thing more and do more to get it. 00:24:20.329 --> 00:24:22.150 And then the seventh principle, which is the 00:24:22.150 --> 00:24:24.109 newest principle, which came out in the book 00:24:24.109 --> 00:24:26.789 Presuasion about seven years ago, eight years 00:24:26.789 --> 00:24:31.049 ago, I think. It's called unity, okay? Unity. 00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:37.609 It's not a you versus me situation. It's a we 00:24:37.609 --> 00:24:41.569 situation. So sometimes we unite ourselves with 00:24:41.569 --> 00:24:44.730 others under a banner, under a category of things, 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:47.410 something that we uber associate ourself with. 00:24:47.529 --> 00:24:50.730 And if we find somebody else associates in the 00:24:50.730 --> 00:24:54.609 same way, it takes it beyond liking. Liking is 00:24:54.609 --> 00:24:57.490 we have a commonality. Let's say Ian and I, let's 00:24:57.490 --> 00:24:59.529 say we're both from the same hometown. Okay. 00:24:59.950 --> 00:25:02.990 We were both born in the same place. That's similarity. 00:25:03.089 --> 00:25:07.319 That's liking. But if you absolutely love that 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:10.019 town, you're like the poster child for that town, 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:12.299 always talking about it, love everything about 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:14.920 it. And I hate that town and couldn't get out 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:17.599 of there fast enough. Do you see how the similarity 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:22.160 stops right there? Versus if we both love that 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:24.339 town and unite ourselves under that banner, we 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:29.220 are this town. That's unity. That's sports teams. 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:32.299 Sports teams can create unity. You're family. 00:25:32.910 --> 00:25:37.650 is a unity kind of unit. Culture, religion, geography, 00:25:37.829 --> 00:25:39.490 there's all kinds of things we can unite under 00:25:39.490 --> 00:25:43.289 from this. But if somebody is asking you a request 00:25:43.289 --> 00:25:47.329 and they're united with you, it's hard to say 00:25:47.329 --> 00:25:51.069 no. Okay. So unity is the seven principles. I'll 00:25:51.069 --> 00:25:53.269 summarize quickly again. It's reciprocity and 00:25:53.269 --> 00:25:56.809 then commitment and consistency, social proof, 00:25:56.990 --> 00:26:01.710 authority, liking, scarcity. And then the last 00:26:01.710 --> 00:26:03.369 one that you said, the seventh one that's been 00:26:03.369 --> 00:26:07.009 added is unity. You touched on it briefly, but 00:26:07.009 --> 00:26:10.329 I want to break down for dentists now. We understand 00:26:10.329 --> 00:26:14.890 these principles now. Within a dental practice, 00:26:15.349 --> 00:26:17.390 what does this actually mean to me? When you 00:26:17.390 --> 00:26:21.390 say reciprocity in my dental office, what does 00:26:21.390 --> 00:26:23.970 that mean to me? You said that consistency really 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:27.640 denote and change things for you. Is it fine 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:29.579 with you if we break it down just in terms of 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:33.279 examples so that we can relate it back to within 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:37.519 the dental practice? Yeah, definitely. So reciprocity, 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:39.660 for instance, how do you know if you've given 00:26:39.660 --> 00:26:41.740 someone a gift of value and significance to them? 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:45.359 Well, there's usually two key words people say 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:48.539 to let you know that's happened. And they generally 00:26:48.539 --> 00:26:52.759 go out of their way to say, thank you. So when 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:54.940 somebody thanks you generally for something you 00:26:54.940 --> 00:26:57.420 or your team have done, If they go out of their 00:26:57.420 --> 00:27:00.200 way to praise or compliment you for something 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:03.319 that you have done, whether you realize it or 00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:07.059 not, and even if it meant nothing to you and 00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:09.420 they just paid you for it, if they're bringing 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:13.440 it up, you're in a reciprocity moment. They feel 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:17.519 obligated to give back. Okay? If a patient sits 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.960 up from their chair and goes, Oh my God, Doc, 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:21.019 I didn't feel that shot. You're amazing. I can't 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:22.880 believe we're done already. That was fast. You 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.000 didn't hurt me. That's a reciprocity moment, 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:29.000 okay? So if you ask for something in that moment, 00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:31.279 you're likely to get a yes to it. So one of my 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.519 favorite things, we're giving these gifts away 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:36.359 to patients all day long because they're complimenting 00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:38.799 and praising us, but we're bungling it by not 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.759 seeing it as a moment of power that we could 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:42.380 ask for something in that moment if we wanted 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:44.839 to. So my favorite thing to ask in that moment 00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:47.299 is, hey, my pleasure. I'm so glad you had a great 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:49.519 experience. Would you mind helping us out by 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:52.109 doing a five -star Google review? Airing that 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:54.549 story on Google will help not only us, but help 00:27:54.549 --> 00:27:56.630 others who need a good dentist. And they say 00:27:56.630 --> 00:27:59.150 yes. Now you've got a commitment for them to 00:27:59.150 --> 00:28:02.170 do the review. And then they feel the pressure 00:28:02.170 --> 00:28:04.509 on them eventually, so they are more likely to 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:06.430 do it because they want to be a good person. 00:28:06.509 --> 00:28:09.190 They want to reciprocate what you have done for 00:28:09.190 --> 00:28:13.190 them. Yes. You have allowed them to scratch off 00:28:13.190 --> 00:28:15.869 this obligation off their to -do list. Oh, great. 00:28:16.390 --> 00:28:18.349 I feel indebted. I've got to do something for 00:28:18.349 --> 00:28:20.960 Ian. You are amazing. Oh, I can do this review? 00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:24.660 Scratch it off my list. Okay. And you're saying 00:28:24.660 --> 00:28:26.859 that dentists don't take that opportunity enough 00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:29.200 where the signal is there that there's a moment 00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:32.039 for reciprocity, but we let it go. So therefore, 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:34.319 we miss out on the patient referral. We miss 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:37.480 out on that review. We miss out on the testimonial. 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:40.700 Yes. And in fact, not only do we miss out on 00:28:40.700 --> 00:28:44.019 it, we often completely bungle it, us and our 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:48.200 teams, by saying two other words that stomp it 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:51.230 to death. Oh, no. The two words we usually say 00:28:51.230 --> 00:28:56.230 are, no problem. Well, number one, technically, 00:28:56.329 --> 00:28:58.910 you're not being ethically true in saying that 00:28:58.910 --> 00:29:01.390 if you put any level of effort or energy into 00:29:01.390 --> 00:29:05.869 making that experience happen. But society has 00:29:05.869 --> 00:29:07.670 taught us, conditioned us that we're supposed 00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:10.750 to say that. I'm telling you, that's crap. The 00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:14.170 two words that should not be spoken in any culture, 00:29:14.230 --> 00:29:17.930 religion, continent you grew up in is no problem. 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:23.359 So I have a problem with no problem. So at a 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:24.700 minimum, because basically what you're doing 00:29:24.700 --> 00:29:27.079 is this person is trying to give back to you 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:29.960 and you're spitting in their face, telling them 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:32.380 it meant nothing to you. You devalue them completely. 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:35.359 I haven't even thought about it. So give patients 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:37.819 the opportunity to give back when you as a dentist 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:40.380 or your team has done good work. Give them that 00:29:40.380 --> 00:29:44.000 opportunity. At a minimum, don't downplay it 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:46.539 and spit on it by saying no problem. Just acknowledge 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:49.720 it. You're welcome. My pleasure. I was happy 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:52.440 to do it. But if you're smart, see it for what 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:54.460 it is. If there is something you could ask for, 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:57.079 a review, a referral, schedule their next treatment. 00:29:57.900 --> 00:29:59.940 Now's the time to do it. That makes a lot of 00:29:59.940 --> 00:30:03.140 sense. The second one, Doc, is commitment and 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:06.740 consistency. Yeah. So one of the best commitments 00:30:06.740 --> 00:30:08.640 you can get out of people is what we call a verbal 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:11.940 commitment, a verbal active commitment. So in 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:14.880 one study in a popular restaurant in New York, 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:18.740 I'm sorry, in Chicago. They had a 30 % no -show 00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:21.680 rate on reservations. So it wasn't the authority. 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:23.720 This place had awards like you wouldn't believe. 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:26.319 It wasn't the social proof. It was popular. But 00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.980 they still had a 30 % no -show rate on reservations. 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:32.380 The average no -show rate in dentistry ranges 00:30:32.380 --> 00:30:37.640 from 17 % to 24%. So we're not too far off. Now, 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:40.640 what they did was normally they would make a 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:43.539 reservation and they would end the call saying 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:45.839 something very similar to what we do in dentistry. 00:30:46.740 --> 00:30:48.680 hey, thanks for making this reservation. Please 00:30:48.680 --> 00:30:51.039 call us if your plans change and you can't make 00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:53.400 it. Click, and they hang up the phone. So they 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:55.579 ended up with a statement. Well, what if we turned 00:30:55.579 --> 00:30:58.460 that around and made that an active verbal commitment 00:30:58.460 --> 00:31:02.220 question instead? Okay, Ian, I got you down for 00:31:02.220 --> 00:31:06.140 this Saturday at 6 p .m. Ian, will you please 00:31:06.140 --> 00:31:08.359 call me and let me know if you need to cancel 00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:12.500 or change your reservation? And you wait for 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:16.059 them to commit and say yes. Hopefully they say 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:20.119 yes. Yes, I'll do that. Great. Then I got you 00:31:20.119 --> 00:31:21.359 down. We look forward to seeing you Saturday. 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:24.339 So just getting that one verbal commitment. Will 00:31:24.339 --> 00:31:27.240 you please do this? No share rates drop from 00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:31.140 30 percent to 10 percent at that rush. Wow. And 00:31:31.140 --> 00:31:35.019 that is that again by behavioral economics as 00:31:35.019 --> 00:31:38.880 you put or psychology, you put it back to them 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:41.779 as we'll do it because I said I would do it. 00:31:41.819 --> 00:31:44.069 So therefore it is it is now on me. Is that, 00:31:44.089 --> 00:31:47.049 I understand that correctly? It is. Just because 00:31:47.049 --> 00:31:48.710 they made an appointment doesn't mean they actually 00:31:48.710 --> 00:31:51.529 committed to it. What this does is it really 00:31:51.529 --> 00:31:55.750 creates more of a commitment inside of them and 00:31:55.750 --> 00:31:57.369 reinforce the fact they said they were going 00:31:57.369 --> 00:31:59.710 to do this. Or at a minimum, at least call you 00:31:59.710 --> 00:32:01.430 if they can't make it, which is really all I 00:32:01.430 --> 00:32:03.410 was trying to influence with my patients. If 00:32:03.410 --> 00:32:05.109 they can't make it, as long as I have notice, 00:32:05.250 --> 00:32:07.329 well, you've got a system for that, right? But 00:32:07.329 --> 00:32:10.329 if they no -show on us completely, then everybody 00:32:10.329 --> 00:32:13.829 loses in that scenario, okay? So not only it's 00:32:13.829 --> 00:32:15.589 going to influence more people to do what they're 00:32:15.589 --> 00:32:18.710 supposed to and show up. Okay. This is just one 00:32:18.710 --> 00:32:22.309 of many more commitments I got on the telephone 00:32:22.309 --> 00:32:24.150 from patients. And it helped me drop my no -show 00:32:24.150 --> 00:32:27.569 rate from 17 % to three. And it was all about 00:32:27.569 --> 00:32:29.390 getting better commitments on the telephone and 00:32:29.390 --> 00:32:30.829 at the chair when we made their appointments. 00:32:31.089 --> 00:32:33.410 I know so many dentists that struggle with this. 00:32:33.509 --> 00:32:35.230 And we've even, we've gone to a point where we 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:37.769 introduced like a fee at this, like, especially 00:32:37.769 --> 00:32:40.109 for high -end treatment where to reserve your 00:32:40.109 --> 00:32:42.509 appointment, $50 and stuff. But you did this 00:32:42.509 --> 00:32:45.390 without even introducing a fee, which is amazing 00:32:45.390 --> 00:32:49.029 to me. So you said it's literally just saying, 00:32:49.210 --> 00:32:53.450 do you commit to the fact that if you cannot 00:32:53.450 --> 00:32:55.970 show up, you will give us a call? We do not say 00:32:55.970 --> 00:32:57.890 the practice is going to call them. We put it 00:32:57.890 --> 00:33:01.349 on them. And that changed it? That's just one 00:33:01.349 --> 00:33:03.289 of many things I put in there. So there's active 00:33:03.289 --> 00:33:05.990 commitments. Verbal is one of those. When people 00:33:05.990 --> 00:33:07.529 tell you they're going to do stuff, that's an 00:33:07.529 --> 00:33:09.960 active commitment. There's voluntary commitments. 00:33:10.059 --> 00:33:11.819 People need to feel like they have a choice in 00:33:11.819 --> 00:33:15.220 the matter. So we don't just say, Ian, can we 00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:18.240 see you this Tuesday at 2? No, I can't do that. 00:33:18.380 --> 00:33:20.480 How about this Thursday at 4? No, I can't do 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:22.839 that. How about Wednesday at 3? Okay, I guess 00:33:22.839 --> 00:33:25.460 I can do that. Now, you think you gave people 00:33:25.460 --> 00:33:27.339 choices, but when you dictate it to them one 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:30.460 at a time, you didn't give them a choice. And 00:33:30.460 --> 00:33:31.900 if people don't feel like they have a choice 00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:33.339 in the matter, they're not really committing 00:33:33.339 --> 00:33:37.029 to it. You gave them options, not a choice. Exactly. 00:33:37.029 --> 00:33:39.210 Well, even options is a choice, but you didn't. 00:33:39.210 --> 00:33:42.569 You gave them one thing. Oh, yeah. No, and then 00:33:42.569 --> 00:33:44.069 you gave them another one thing, and they said 00:33:44.069 --> 00:33:46.289 no. So in essence, every time you do that, they 00:33:46.289 --> 00:33:49.730 actually feel more intimidated. They feel like 00:33:49.730 --> 00:33:51.789 you're backing them into a corner, right? I see. 00:33:52.150 --> 00:33:54.289 Eventually, they will say yes just to get you 00:33:54.289 --> 00:33:57.150 to shut up, but it doesn't mean they're actually 00:33:57.150 --> 00:34:00.269 committed to it. Versus if I said, Ian, what 00:34:00.269 --> 00:34:02.849 works best for you, next week or this week? This 00:34:02.849 --> 00:34:05.630 week. Okay. Beginning of the week or end of the 00:34:05.630 --> 00:34:08.090 week? Beginning of the week. Okay. Monday or 00:34:08.090 --> 00:34:11.309 Wednesday? Wednesday. Morning or afternoon? Afternoon. 00:34:11.489 --> 00:34:13.530 Two o 'clock or four o 'clock? Two o 'clock. 00:34:13.789 --> 00:34:15.610 Great. Looks like I have you down this Wednesday 00:34:15.610 --> 00:34:18.829 too. So when you present things as they deserve 00:34:18.829 --> 00:34:22.769 that choice, that's a true choice. Every time 00:34:22.769 --> 00:34:24.530 they choose, they're making a voluntary commitment 00:34:24.530 --> 00:34:27.849 at every step. Now that person is more in control 00:34:27.849 --> 00:34:30.030 and they're more likely to show to the appointment 00:34:30.030 --> 00:34:32.750 they now chose, not the one you dictated and 00:34:32.750 --> 00:34:35.030 told them. As you're saying this, I just think 00:34:35.030 --> 00:34:37.630 of this in literally every social setting or 00:34:37.630 --> 00:34:39.550 any, whether it's marriage, whether it's with 00:34:39.550 --> 00:34:41.610 a friend, whether it's whatever. It becomes so 00:34:41.610 --> 00:34:43.510 clear when you say this. Nobody's going to do 00:34:43.510 --> 00:34:45.389 something that they don't want to do. You can't 00:34:45.389 --> 00:34:47.769 force someone to do something. And I'm sure this 00:34:47.769 --> 00:34:50.530 psychology plays into what you just said. Allowing 00:34:50.530 --> 00:34:52.730 someone to make the choice by themselves will 00:34:52.730 --> 00:34:56.150 make them feel, I did that. This was me. So therefore, 00:34:56.389 --> 00:34:58.369 they are more likely to actually do it. Social 00:34:58.369 --> 00:35:00.489 proof was the next one that you spoke about. 00:35:01.159 --> 00:35:03.519 So again, we look to others to show us what we 00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:07.039 should do. So in an advertising world, I like 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:11.500 to group four testimonials together because what 00:35:11.500 --> 00:35:14.679 most studies show is if you can show four people 00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:17.960 have moved your direction, said yes to this thing, 00:35:18.059 --> 00:35:22.800 whatever that is, it'll start the wave at a football 00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.599 or baseball game. Four will influence four more, 00:35:25.860 --> 00:35:28.360 will influence eight more, et cetera. So you 00:35:28.360 --> 00:35:31.340 show people, wow, look, they've got, four people 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:33.860 that have said something great about them. But 00:35:33.860 --> 00:35:36.719 at the same time, if you put under there, and 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:41.039 to read the 750 plus reviews we have on Google, 00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.239 Facebook, Yelp, and Healthgrades on our website, 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:47.559 right? Show them how many reviews you haven't 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:50.519 told. Oh my God. Wow. Not only did these four 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:52.539 say something great about them, and look how 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:54.360 many people those are, but look how many more 00:35:54.360 --> 00:35:58.860 they have. 700 people? I'm looking at these other 00:35:58.860 --> 00:36:00.980 dental ads and they don't have anything. positive 00:36:00.980 --> 00:36:03.480 from patients on there and they've got over 700 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:06.019 which one might i choose now which ones would 00:36:06.019 --> 00:36:09.719 be safer for me less risk the one all these people 00:36:09.719 --> 00:36:12.199 said something positive about right and is it 00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:14.679 a risk in the psychology that you've looked at 00:36:14.679 --> 00:36:17.320 now for people is it i know there's desire to 00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:19.079 of i want to see that dense because it's the 00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:21.900 best review is there a risk aversion type of 00:36:21.900 --> 00:36:24.820 style of thinking when they are like doing what 00:36:24.820 --> 00:36:27.239 you said now oh this one's five stars with seven 00:36:27.239 --> 00:36:29.340 oh but this one has two thousand reviews and 00:36:29.340 --> 00:36:32.559 therefore that It must be better because it's 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:35.760 less risk. Is that part of the equation? Yeah, 00:36:35.780 --> 00:36:38.960 it's definitely a safety, security, and it's 00:36:38.960 --> 00:36:41.079 really more about uncertainty more than anything 00:36:41.079 --> 00:36:43.639 else. They literally just don't know what to 00:36:43.639 --> 00:36:45.760 choose, which path to go down, what's going to 00:36:45.760 --> 00:36:48.719 be the best choice for them, right? So some of 00:36:48.719 --> 00:36:50.679 that's some risk aversion. Some of that's the 00:36:50.679 --> 00:36:53.199 benefit combined. But ultimately, it's just which 00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:55.880 path is going to be more certain versus which 00:36:55.880 --> 00:36:58.329 is less certain. And if we see evidence that 00:36:58.329 --> 00:37:01.429 all many others have gone down this path, well, 00:37:01.510 --> 00:37:02.989 maybe I'll be saved going down that path too. 00:37:03.949 --> 00:37:06.489 That's ultimately what it comes to. So if you're 00:37:06.489 --> 00:37:08.710 presenting treatment to a patient and you don't 00:37:08.710 --> 00:37:10.510 show them evidence that you've done this work 00:37:10.510 --> 00:37:11.909 on your other patients, this is where before 00:37:11.909 --> 00:37:13.989 and after photos comes into play. Showing them 00:37:13.989 --> 00:37:15.889 examples that you've done this on many people 00:37:15.889 --> 00:37:18.889 shows that potential patient in the chair who's 00:37:18.889 --> 00:37:20.889 going, wow, okay, you've done a lot of work in 00:37:20.889 --> 00:37:22.449 this area. You must know what you're doing here. 00:37:22.849 --> 00:37:25.679 Look how many people you've served. versus if 00:37:25.679 --> 00:37:27.139 you're not showing them evidence you've done 00:37:27.139 --> 00:37:29.559 this on anybody, what they're thinking is, wait 00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:33.059 a minute, am I the first to do this? Because 00:37:33.059 --> 00:37:36.460 nobody likes to be the first. It creates a seed 00:37:36.460 --> 00:37:38.519 of doubt and uncertainty in their mind. And again, 00:37:38.599 --> 00:37:40.380 they're not going to choose to do anything as 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:43.800 a revolt. Getting more reviews, sharing all those 00:37:43.800 --> 00:37:46.800 reviews you have, showing evidence as many before 00:37:46.800 --> 00:37:49.159 and afters as you can. With those that have done 00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:51.119 that are some of the best ways to leverage social 00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:53.920 proof. The next one we're hopping to is authority. 00:37:54.179 --> 00:37:56.539 So you touched on that briefly with that's just 00:37:56.539 --> 00:38:01.300 doctors need, dentists, doctors need to use that 00:38:01.300 --> 00:38:05.300 authority within the practice for what it is 00:38:05.300 --> 00:38:07.719 worth. Did I understand that correctly and the 00:38:07.719 --> 00:38:10.940 influence it can have? Yeah. So authority is 00:38:10.940 --> 00:38:12.860 not about telling people you're the authority 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:15.139 or the expert. It's about letting other people, 00:38:15.219 --> 00:38:17.940 other items, other things present you. as the 00:38:17.940 --> 00:38:20.900 authority that you are. And putting up authority 00:38:20.900 --> 00:38:24.340 triggers to reinforce that. Like, for instance, 00:38:24.599 --> 00:38:27.639 now I'm in my 22nd year of clinical practice. 00:38:27.880 --> 00:38:30.179 So if a new patient's walking up to my practice 00:38:30.179 --> 00:38:32.559 for the first time and they see a logo or a badge 00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:35.440 on my door that says 20 plus years serving this 00:38:35.440 --> 00:38:39.119 community, right? That automatically shows I've 00:38:39.119 --> 00:38:40.860 been around for a while. I might know what I'm 00:38:40.860 --> 00:38:42.639 talking about. I might have some experience here, 00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:45.239 right? So it's things that highlight your credentials, 00:38:45.440 --> 00:38:47.900 if you will. So putting up my diplomas on the 00:38:47.900 --> 00:38:50.840 wall, my awards, my certificates, those are all 00:38:50.840 --> 00:38:52.500 authority triggers that show those folks that 00:38:52.500 --> 00:38:55.539 this is not my first rodeo. I may know what I'm 00:38:55.539 --> 00:38:56.920 talking about here, so therefore they're going 00:38:56.920 --> 00:38:59.179 to take my recommendations more to heart as that 00:38:59.179 --> 00:39:02.639 expert. Sharing that testimonial, as I mentioned, 00:39:02.679 --> 00:39:06.119 a reviewer testimonial, each of those individually 00:39:06.119 --> 00:39:09.519 actually speaks to your authority. It's actually 00:39:09.519 --> 00:39:12.360 a patient saying that they trust you. Because 00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:15.050 we need experts, but that we can trust. So a 00:39:15.050 --> 00:39:17.110 single overview or testimonial speaks to your 00:39:17.110 --> 00:39:19.090 authority. It's somebody said they trusted you. 00:39:19.590 --> 00:39:22.530 But having four more of those as the social proof, 00:39:22.610 --> 00:39:25.690 it's look how many people trust you. It's a multiple, 00:39:25.889 --> 00:39:28.250 right? It's not just a singular thing. So it's 00:39:28.250 --> 00:39:30.070 about getting other things, other items, other 00:39:30.070 --> 00:39:32.269 ways to present your credentials to the patients 00:39:32.269 --> 00:39:35.110 without you having to tell them and figuring 00:39:35.110 --> 00:39:37.510 out ways to build trust. Your staff probably 00:39:37.510 --> 00:39:39.730 plays a big role in this too when they're... 00:39:40.909 --> 00:39:43.610 before the patient actually gets to your office 00:39:43.610 --> 00:39:47.170 and their ability, as you said, to have, oh, 00:39:47.190 --> 00:39:49.250 have you met Dr. Phelps? Is this the first time 00:39:49.250 --> 00:39:52.590 seeing Dr. Phelps? Oh, he has seen so many patients 00:39:52.590 --> 00:39:56.510 and they just love him. So would you say that's 00:39:56.510 --> 00:40:01.889 to your team's role in forking up that confidence 00:40:01.889 --> 00:40:04.510 in that person to say, okay, I'm so happy that 00:40:04.510 --> 00:40:07.190 I'm seeing Dr. Phelps because this is my guy? 00:40:07.820 --> 00:40:10.079 Definitely. That goes back to let other people 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:12.440 present your expertise and credentials to the 00:40:12.440 --> 00:40:14.699 patient so it's not you giving it to them. I 00:40:14.699 --> 00:40:17.380 definitely love team members introducing you 00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:19.579 to the patient and endorsing you to the patient 00:40:19.579 --> 00:40:21.719 before the introduction, before that handoff. 00:40:22.059 --> 00:40:25.380 And I really like it when my team gets introduced 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:28.739 and endorsed, especially if they're going to 00:40:28.739 --> 00:40:30.860 make some kind of recommendation as well that 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:34.900 I'm going to reinforce and back up. Because now 00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:39.050 it helps us with multiple experts. advising us, 00:40:39.110 --> 00:40:40.769 right? And the more authorities telling us we 00:40:40.769 --> 00:40:42.429 need this done, the more likely we are to do 00:40:42.429 --> 00:40:45.789 it. It's one of the reasons why I like AI programs. 00:40:47.190 --> 00:40:50.130 Like, you know, there's Diagnocat and Overjet 00:40:50.130 --> 00:40:54.190 and Pearl are some really good programs. So patients 00:40:54.190 --> 00:40:57.130 see these AI programs that review their x -rays 00:40:57.130 --> 00:41:00.050 and show you all of the decay and stuff, right? 00:41:00.130 --> 00:41:03.010 The bone loss and whatever. and point that out 00:41:03.010 --> 00:41:05.070 to them, it's almost like another authority in 00:41:05.070 --> 00:41:07.550 their mind, an unbiased source going, oh, crap, 00:41:07.650 --> 00:41:10.789 I got a problem. And now the doctor comes in 00:41:10.789 --> 00:41:14.110 almost now as the second opinion, and they take 00:41:14.110 --> 00:41:15.849 their advice more to heart. They're more likely 00:41:15.849 --> 00:41:19.510 to say yes as a result. So we got to leverage 00:41:19.510 --> 00:41:22.909 technology and tools and find other things and 00:41:22.909 --> 00:41:25.909 ways to promote our expertise and build trust 00:41:25.909 --> 00:41:28.329 with patients. Liking, as we mentioned before, 00:41:28.590 --> 00:41:30.489 is just before I get down to the business at 00:41:30.489 --> 00:41:33.010 hand, my goal is to find at least one thing in 00:41:33.010 --> 00:41:35.989 common with that person, at a minimum. The more, 00:41:36.010 --> 00:41:38.670 the better, but at least one thing. The hack 00:41:38.670 --> 00:41:42.929 here is, the trick is that I get my team to find 00:41:42.929 --> 00:41:47.070 my connection for me. So my team knows everything. 00:41:48.030 --> 00:41:50.010 I've shared with my team everything I feel comfortable 00:41:50.010 --> 00:41:52.489 talking about, my hobbies, my interests, my kids, 00:41:52.690 --> 00:41:55.510 my animals, my whatever, right? So now they're 00:41:55.510 --> 00:41:57.250 the ones coming to me after interviewing the 00:41:57.250 --> 00:41:59.670 patient. They spend the time with them and go, 00:41:59.750 --> 00:42:02.309 hey, Dr. Phelps, Mrs. Jones is in room two. She 00:42:02.309 --> 00:42:05.269 plays tennis like you do and has two kids. Great. 00:42:06.010 --> 00:42:08.329 So now I come into the room. My team has endorsed 00:42:08.329 --> 00:42:10.730 me. They introduced me. And I'll say, hey, Mrs. 00:42:10.769 --> 00:42:12.469 Jones, I hear you got two kids. I got two kids. 00:42:12.570 --> 00:42:15.369 Tell me about your kids. Here's my kids. Hey, 00:42:15.449 --> 00:42:16.969 you play tennis. I play tennis. Let's talk about 00:42:16.969 --> 00:42:19.190 tennis for a minute. So I literally spend, I 00:42:19.190 --> 00:42:21.690 can go right to the connection, talk about that 00:42:21.690 --> 00:42:24.679 for two to five minutes. And now we can get down 00:42:24.679 --> 00:42:26.079 to the business of why they're here. And I've 00:42:26.079 --> 00:42:27.980 automatically built a bridge with this person 00:42:27.980 --> 00:42:30.900 that wasn't there. It sounds so simple when you 00:42:30.900 --> 00:42:33.880 say it like this. And I know probably dentists, 00:42:33.900 --> 00:42:37.539 they don't do this. It's such a small step, though. 00:42:37.800 --> 00:42:40.300 Yeah. We call these small things. Small things 00:42:40.300 --> 00:42:43.079 you can do that can have a big change in your 00:42:43.079 --> 00:42:45.559 outcomes. And the liking principle is probably 00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:49.400 the most bungled and ignored by dental offices 00:42:49.400 --> 00:42:53.369 and truly many companies alike. It's such an 00:42:53.369 --> 00:42:56.670 easy thing to do, but nobody has time, or so 00:42:56.670 --> 00:42:59.250 they think. But how much is it costing you by 00:42:59.250 --> 00:43:01.690 not doing this? Well, turn on scarcity, right? 00:43:01.750 --> 00:43:04.949 What are you losing out on by not doing this? 00:43:06.190 --> 00:43:10.409 There's a lot. A lot. And so scarcity, again, 00:43:10.469 --> 00:43:13.690 is that you mentioned it in this way too. Now, 00:43:13.750 --> 00:43:16.590 on the scarcity side, does it also play in for 00:43:16.590 --> 00:43:21.309 you on... How marketing is presented. We have 00:43:21.309 --> 00:43:23.449 a limited amount of spots in our seats when we're 00:43:23.449 --> 00:43:26.130 on the phones talking to someone. How do we implement 00:43:26.130 --> 00:43:29.489 that in the office too? Yeah, that's a great 00:43:29.489 --> 00:43:32.769 way. If you do have limited spots, share that 00:43:32.769 --> 00:43:35.130 with people. Usually, like if I'm going on vacation 00:43:35.130 --> 00:43:37.869 this summer, like I'm going out of town, I'll 00:43:37.869 --> 00:43:40.170 be gone for 10 days with the family. I'm not 00:43:40.170 --> 00:43:42.130 going to hide that information from my patients. 00:43:42.190 --> 00:43:44.510 I'm going to share it with them three weeks earlier 00:43:44.510 --> 00:43:47.349 and say, FYI, the office is going to be closed. 00:43:47.849 --> 00:43:52.210 for 10 days next month. We have limited days 00:43:52.210 --> 00:43:54.449 and appointments available between now and then. 00:43:54.769 --> 00:43:56.650 If you think you might have an issue or want 00:43:56.650 --> 00:43:58.789 brewing, give us a call if you want to be seen 00:43:58.789 --> 00:44:02.170 before we're closed. And if I share that with 00:44:02.170 --> 00:44:04.469 them early enough that we're the scarce resource, 00:44:04.670 --> 00:44:07.429 we're going to be not available for 10 days, 00:44:07.590 --> 00:44:09.989 then what will actually happen is it will motivate 00:44:09.989 --> 00:44:11.690 people, especially those sitting on the fence 00:44:11.690 --> 00:44:13.349 that are like, well, Doc did tell me I had that 00:44:13.349 --> 00:44:15.809 issue. And knowing my luck, guess when it's going 00:44:15.809 --> 00:44:18.480 to blow up? When they're closed and out of town, 00:44:18.599 --> 00:44:21.719 shoot, I better get in there now. It's going 00:44:21.719 --> 00:44:24.480 to motivate those that their real problem wasn't 00:44:24.480 --> 00:44:26.659 the relationship with us. It wasn't that they 00:44:26.659 --> 00:44:29.099 didn't think they needed the thing. It was they 00:44:29.099 --> 00:44:31.579 thought they had time. It was the urgency of 00:44:31.579 --> 00:44:34.780 it. So scarcity motivates people to act because 00:44:34.780 --> 00:44:37.300 of that. So they don't wait. So it'll actually 00:44:37.300 --> 00:44:40.099 motivate more people to come in between now and 00:44:40.099 --> 00:44:41.920 when you're actually closed. You'll actually 00:44:41.920 --> 00:44:44.880 do more dentistry because of it. More production, 00:44:44.920 --> 00:44:48.119 more collections. And you'll basically make up 00:44:48.119 --> 00:44:49.940 what you're going to miss out on by being closed. 00:44:50.099 --> 00:44:53.139 But communicate, communicate and make sure that 00:44:53.139 --> 00:44:56.699 people early in the process to make that happen. 00:44:57.280 --> 00:45:01.699 Then the last one, Dr. Phelps, is unity that 00:45:01.699 --> 00:45:04.480 you mentioned that was added later on. When I 00:45:04.480 --> 00:45:06.179 think of that, when you mentioned it earlier, 00:45:06.219 --> 00:45:10.250 is that. The brand that I put out into the world 00:45:10.250 --> 00:45:13.010 of the type of office that I am, is it that patients 00:45:13.010 --> 00:45:15.469 fall in love with me because of who I am? What 00:45:15.469 --> 00:45:19.090 does unity mean for you here in your everyday 00:45:19.090 --> 00:45:21.489 dental office and how they can get that right? 00:45:21.730 --> 00:45:25.869 Think of it like unitizing language. We, us, 00:45:26.150 --> 00:45:31.909 our partnership together, right? Unity is just 00:45:31.909 --> 00:45:33.869 that. It's not you versus me anymore. It's we. 00:45:34.230 --> 00:45:37.820 We are on the same team. So getting them to associate 00:45:37.820 --> 00:45:40.780 themselves with you as a whole, we, this office 00:45:40.780 --> 00:45:43.760 kind of thing, is key. So that's one of the ways 00:45:43.760 --> 00:45:45.860 you can leverage this is just use that unitizing 00:45:45.860 --> 00:45:47.420 language. So it's not, Mrs. Jones, how are you 00:45:47.420 --> 00:45:50.400 going to get this done? It's, Mrs. Jones, let's 00:45:50.400 --> 00:45:51.719 take some time to figure out how we're going 00:45:51.719 --> 00:45:56.000 to get this done together. Co -diagnosis, I'm 00:45:56.000 --> 00:45:58.559 familiar with. I've spoken to Dr. Paul Henney 00:45:58.559 --> 00:46:00.800 and Dr. Paul Homley on this where they said the 00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:04.199 importance of You are taking that patient on 00:46:04.199 --> 00:46:05.940 that journey with them. You are elevating their 00:46:05.940 --> 00:46:07.980 understanding, but it's being made together. 00:46:08.159 --> 00:46:10.719 This is us making this decision. It's not me 00:46:10.719 --> 00:46:13.980 telling you you need or you must get this. It 00:46:13.980 --> 00:46:18.179 is here is what I say and you decide. So, okay, 00:46:18.300 --> 00:46:22.820 that's interesting. Now, Doc, I know I said to 00:46:22.820 --> 00:46:24.480 you when we started this that we have so much 00:46:24.480 --> 00:46:26.260 to talk about and I see that we're close to the 00:46:26.260 --> 00:46:30.659 hour mark and I know you're a busy man. wanted 00:46:30.659 --> 00:46:32.940 to get into patient reactivation and marketing 00:46:32.940 --> 00:46:36.559 a bit more but can i get your commitment to come 00:46:36.559 --> 00:46:39.539 back on bite -sized dental marketing please so 00:46:39.539 --> 00:46:42.480 that so that we can so that we can talk about 00:46:42.480 --> 00:46:45.239 those things again yes i'm happy to come back 00:46:45.239 --> 00:46:47.679 and we can continue the conversation oh thank 00:46:47.679 --> 00:46:49.820 you because this this was phenomenal and i'm 00:46:49.820 --> 00:46:52.179 really happy that we got into the six and our 00:46:52.179 --> 00:46:55.300 seven principles because as i said to you these 00:46:55.300 --> 00:46:58.250 are things that So many dentists, and you see 00:46:58.250 --> 00:47:00.190 this every day, that so many dentists struggle 00:47:00.190 --> 00:47:02.690 with. But if it's just these small changes that 00:47:02.690 --> 00:47:05.550 they make every day, you saw it in your practice, 00:47:05.670 --> 00:47:08.269 it compounds, it changes things to a point. So 00:47:08.269 --> 00:47:11.889 dentists, listen to this today. Go out there, 00:47:11.949 --> 00:47:14.570 go make these changes. Even if it seems small, 00:47:14.690 --> 00:47:17.949 do it because Dr. Christopher Phelps is living 00:47:17.949 --> 00:47:20.070 proof that making these changes and implementing 00:47:20.070 --> 00:47:22.590 it really does make a difference at the end of 00:47:22.590 --> 00:47:24.929 the day. Dr. Phelps, thank you so much for your 00:47:24.929 --> 00:47:27.550 time. I really appreciate you having. Thank you, 00:47:27.550 --> 00:47:28.489 Ian. Thank you.