Overcoming objections
Recently an email landed in my inbox from a dentist promising to reveal the secrets of how to “overcome objections”.
An objection is a reason why a patient doesn’t want to proceed with treatment. When you “overcome” an objection you convince the patient to go ahead despite their misgivings.
The objection overcoming sequence goes like this: You recommend treatment. The patient says they don’t want it. You then say something clever which convinces them to proceed anyway.
The email considered overcoming objections a normal and essential part of discussing treatment with patients but, I disagree.
There are several reasons I don’t like overcoming objections in the dental setting.
Firstly, overcoming objections involves pressure. If you’ve ever bought a car you probably had a car dealer “overcome” your objections. If you’ve experienced that you know that it’s not comfortable to be on the receiving end.
Secondly, if you pressure a patient into treatment and anything goes wrong then it can really come back to bite you. The patient will say to you: “I never wanted this treatment. You talked me into it.”
Thirdly, it makes your relationship with the patient unhealthy. In effect, you’re taking the position of an adult (“I know what’s best for you.”) and putting the patient into the position of a child (“Sit still and do what you’re told.”).
Is there an alternative to the objection overcoming cycle I outlined above? Of course!
What is the alternative to overcoming objections?
My answer is to treat patients as responsible adults who have the right to make decisions for themselves, even if we might think that they are wrong.
Our job as dentists is to present the treatment options plainly and fairly then let the patient decide.
“Melissa, you have two choices…”
What I have found from long experience is that the more fair and honest you are, i.e. the less you try to manipulate the patient, the more likely the patient is to choose ideal treatment.
And, conversely, the more you try to push and steer the patient in a direction, the more resistance and objections you get.
It’s paradoxical.
If your attitude is to let patients decide for themselves they come towards you asking for information. If your attitude is to manipulate they back away.
Just recently I read an article about a former high-flying surgeon in the newspaper. According to the reports this surgeon used high-pressure tactics in getting his patients to say “yes” to surgery.
The surgeon’s career has unravelled spectacularly with patients reportedly angry about how they were manipulated.
Bottom line is this.
Give patient honest information in a fair and unbiased manner and let them decide.
You’ll be amazed how well that works and how stress-free that makes your life.
I’ll explore it in the next article. To find that article click here.
