I want to write this Coach’s Corner in honor of Office Manager appreciation month. I have a lot of followers in all roles in dentistry and I want to write this specifically for managers. A lot of you share your situations and problems with me asking for advice and I love that. Please keep sending me your questions. I hear a lot about problems with patients keeping their appointments, treatment planning/acceptance, and maintaining the focus of your team. When I look at all of these issues, I keep coming back to the word resistance. In my experience, the easiest way to deal with resistance is to understand when it is likely to happen and fully prepare for it. Think about every opportunity you may face resistance in the office. Break that down into each example and prepare your response. The reason why you dislike it so much is because you are not ready with a response that seems genuine, and you have not practiced enough with your verbal delivery to sound smooth or confident. When you are prepared, it will not affect you as much as when you are surprised or tripping over your words. A great idea to involve your team is to ask when they face resistance and work on acceptable verbiage that everyone can use. If you are not confident, chances are your team is not. This is a great subject for a team meeting. Patient resistance affects every member of the team no matter their role in the office. Creating the opportunity for a collaborative approach will ensure that the entire team uses the same bullet points, and your message is consistent in the practice.
Dental Coach
