Several years ago, my business travels took me to Frisco, Texas, where I stayed in a beautiful, brand-new Embassy Suites hotel. Upon entering my room, I was warmly greeted by a card placed upon my bed printed with the following message: In ancient times, there was a prayer for “The Stranger Within Our Gates.” Here is ours for you, our …
Selling Hope
Charles Revlon, founder of Revlon Cosmetics, was once quoted as saying, “In the factory, we make cosmetics. In the store, we sell hope.” Recently, while observing in a high-profile dental office, I listened to a dentist present a very large treatment plan to a man in his late 60’s. The man had not been to a dentist in 15 years …
The “No Show” Epidemic
In December 2020, Futuredontics conducted a national survey to assess how no-shows and last-minute cancellations were impacting practices in dentistry. Here’s some of what they found: 88% of practices have at least one no-show every day and 57% experience at least four to ten no-shows every week. 60% said Mondays were the worst days, with Fridays coming in second. Most …
You Asked For It!
In my work with healthcare and service-industry professionals, I’m often asked for my advice on the concept of “asking for referrals” to build your business. My answer? Sometimes I like it and sometimes… I most definitely don’t. As a customer myself, I’ve been asked for referrals and it felt natural, sincere, and I was inclined to try to spread the word on …
The Neutral Zone
Next week, I’m giving a presentation at The Dental Festival in Miami on “Courageous Conversations: How Dental Professionals Can Positively Impact the Opioid Crisis.” This week, I spent some time updating my research and am happy to report that the numbers of prescriptions written for opiates by dental professionals has decreased. Our industry, along with other healthcare providers on the frontlines, have educated …
Syncing the Dance
I’m a big fan of great theater and, in particular, musicals. Just ask my family. If I’m vacuuming, doing dishes, baking, or some other mindless task, my favorites are on speed dial with Alexa. I’m instantly transformed into the Karaoke Queen, belting out the tunes in an effort to make the work a little more enjoyable. Well, at least more enjoyable for me. …
Understanding vs. Empathy
There are few customer service experiences that I dread more than getting a new phone from a cell phone provider. But, I had to recently and, as always seems to be the case, I had issues and needed to call the provider afterward for questions, clarifications, and general assistance to get this “latest and greatest” device to simply make a …
You Gotta Mean It
The words, “I’m sorry,” can sometimes feel like a true apology or just a great big brush-off. I’m reminded of a time when, long after its due date, a cushion I’d ordered from Pier One hadn’t arrived. For a week the tracking section of the UPS website stated it was “scheduled for delivery today.” After several attempts to track the package online, …
You Asked for It!
In my work with healthcare and service-industry professionals, I’m often asked for my advice on the concept of “asking for referrals” to build your business. My answer? Sometimes I like it and sometimes… I most definitely don’t. As a customer myself, I’ve been asked for referrals, and it felt natural and sincere so I was inclined to spread the word on behalf …
Part One: The Healing Power of Empathy
Last week, I spoke on Courageous Conversations on the Smiles at Sea cruise to the Bahamas. I’m not much of a cruiser myself, but I confess that it’s not a terrible day at the office either. At dinner one night, I discussed the concept of empathy and patient communication with a PhD pharmacist who works in Oncology and teaches Residents. …
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