I hear this all of the time: “I hate going to consultations because I always dread the sales talk and I abhor saying no after consultations, then there’s the hard sell, which is always so uncomfortable.” I’ve experienced all of the above myself and again when I was helping my mom shop for her dental implants. I’ve been to some of the major chains and I have seen the high pressure “time share tactics” that are used. Here’s how they typically go: You go in to get your consultation, you lay bac, you briefly meet the doctor – who seems nice enough, it looks like they have all of the technology but how can you really know? Next, they usher you into a comfortable room or office to discuss cost. Then here comes the pressure, it’s time to talk about the money. Now, I want to talk what will set a practice apart from the others. Rarely, do you want to choose a practice by cost alone. There are so many factors to look at and yes, cost is a BIG consideration. But do not be intimidated! Why? The ball is in your court.
We are giving you all of the tools on www.thesmilementor.com to help you flip the script on them. You are going to walk into these practices encouraged and empowered, because you are going to know the right questions to ask and the right way to ask them. One of my biggest pet-peeves is when they stick you in a room with a haughty “financial advisor” that is half your age and has zero empathy or experience with your dental experiences. After the third such meeting I reminded myself, not to feel intimidated. It’s my money and my mouth and you work for me, not the other way around. Years later, I have actually taught dentist on the subject of asset protection and different tools to help their practices. But I refuse to work with any that use these harsh sales tactics. There was actually a lawsuit just this year in Detroit because a patient hemorrhaged after a dental implant surgery. I don’t mean to scare you and obviously this is because something went seriously wrong. But this patient would not have experienced this if they had just walked away and not have felt pressured to go with a dentist that “looked like” they knew what they were doing.
That’s another reason we have a rich patient-led community at www.thesmilementor.com. Other patients have saved each other from visiting practices that may leave something to be desired. We’ve helped take the complete control and power away from the practitioner and have given it back to the patient. While on our website you can search and download the questions we’ve provided for you. In fact, we spent 100’s of hours creating a very thorough handbook for you to aid you in this journey. Above all, be patient with yourself, be confident and do not back down because the power is in your hands.
