Read Time: 1 Minute, 51 Seconds
What's up! Kyle here.
I want to reframe something that most dental practices get wrong.
When your schedule has holes, the instinct is to look at the competition. The new practice that opened two miles away. The DSO spending a fortune on ads. The guy down the street who just renovated his office.
But that's not always who's keeping patients out of your chair. There is real competition in these four words: "I'll do it later."
There are patients in your market right now who need a cleaning. Who have a tooth that's been bothering them for months. Who got a treatment plan, said they'd think about it and never called back. They're not at another practice. They're at home, on the couch, telling themselves they'll deal with it next month.
Next month turns into next quarter. Next quarter turns into next year. And eventually they either show up in an emergency or they've moved on entirely.
This is a massive source of lost revenue in dentistry. Not competition. Procrastination.
So how do you beat "I'll do it later"?
First, reduce the friction to book. If a patient has to call your office during business hours to schedule, you've already lost a chunk of them. Online scheduling, text-to-book, after-hours booking options. Make it so easy that the moment they think "I should probably go to the dentist," they can act on it in 30 seconds from their phone.
Second, follow up on unscheduled treatment. When a patient gets a treatment plan and walks out without booking, that's not a closed case. That's an open opportunity. The practices with the highest case acceptance rates have a system for following up at 48 hours, 2 weeks and 30 days. A simple text: "Hey, just wanted to check in on the treatment plan we discussed. Any questions we can answer?" Most practices send zero follow-ups. One text can bring them back.
Third, make the reactivation outreach personal. A generic "It's time for your cleaning!" postcard doesn't cut through anymore. But a text from the practice that says "Hi [name], it's been about 9 months since your last visit. We'd love to get you back on the schedule, here's a link to book whenever works for you." That feels like someone actually noticed they were gone.
Fourth, remove the emotional barrier. A lot of patients put it off because they feel guilty for waiting. They're embarrassed. They think they'll be judged. If your outreach acknowledges that feeling instead of ignoring it, you'll reach people your competitors never will. Something as simple as "No judgment, we're just glad you're ready!" goes a long way.
Your competition isn't the practice down the street. It's the gravitational pull of "I'll do it later." Every system in your practice should be designed to make ‘right now’ easier than ‘later.’
Talk next week.
— Kyle / Founder, Search-To-Seat™
Reminder: I'm going live on May 26 to break down how to fill your schedule using Google and AI Search. One hour, no fluff, just what's working right now for dental practices. Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-fill-your-schedule-using-google-ai-search-registration-1987514995855?aff=oddtdtcreator
