I would like to know how I can be sure the dentist needs an associate and what I can do to make patients want to schedule appointments with the “new dentist.”
Dr. S. C.
TN
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I would like to know how I can be sure the dentist needs an associate and what I can do to make patients want to schedule appointments with the “new dentist.”
Dr. S. C.
TN
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If the dentist is scheduled more than 3-4 weeks ahead without an opening that probably means he/she is pretty saturated. Sometimes dentist/owners want to take more time off but there is not enough business to give to an associate. The dentist has expectations that he/she is giving you access to an operatory and you need to go out in the community to market patients for yourself. However, this expectation is usually not verbalized during the negotiations. If your personality is “introverted”, you are not going to be real motivated to go out and give dental educational talks to civic groups. It is important to look at the # of new patients (comprehensive exams) being performed by the practice on a monthly basis. 25 is an okay figure for one dentist. This would not be enough 2 dentists. It is important for you to have a good relationship with the Scheduling Coordinator who is the person taking the calls for the new patients. You also need to have an understanding of the protocol that will be followed when a new patient calls the practice, i.e., who they will be scheduled with. To secure your schedule, you and the Scheduling Coordinator can develop a script of what would be said to new patients, role play, and rehearse. You can also suggest the purchase of Mystery Telephone Evaluations that are available on The New Dentist web-site in the Bookstore located here: http://www.thenewdentist.net/telephone-evaluations.htm.
Sally McKenzie
Publisher The New Dentist™
sally@thenewdentist.net
CEO McKenzie Management
sallymck@mckenziemgmt.com
http://www.mckenziemgmt.com
1-877-777-6151