Practice Plan Creative Director, Les Jones, urges practices to pay more attention to the way they describe their services.
When it comes to writing, Plain English is always best. However, using Plain English means writing clearly and shouldn’t prevent you from expanding on a subject.
For example, which of these two would you expect to pay the most for in a restaurant?
- Fish, chips and peas.
- Line caught filet of North Atlantic cod, coated in a crispy homemade beer and black pepper batter, served with hand-cut, triple-cooked chips and buttered fresh garden peas.
Essentially, they’re the same dish. They have the same three elements – fish, chips and peas. Yet, the second dish feels more special, conjures clearer pictures and stimulates more emotions. It also gives a much greater sense of value, craft and attention to detail.
The first dish might be absolutely delicious and fantastic value for money, but it totally undersells itself and creates little expectation of value in the mind of the customer.
We can apply this principle to your dental practice. How would you describe your communications about your services? Is it like dish a, or more like dish b?
Too many dental practices fall into the trap of providing too little information when describing services, either on their website or when the patient is in the practice.
I’ve just been on Google and searched for dentists in my area. Here are two descriptions of a first appointment from two different practices. Which would you choose to go to?
Practice 1
New patient examination includes intra oral x-rays, oral cancer screening and scale and polish with the dentist. £70
Practice 2
At your first appointment you’ll receive a full dental health assessment. We like to find out as much as we can about you and your previous dental care. That way, we can offer you the best possible service and expertise.
During a thorough 16-point examination using photographs, x-rays and scans your dentist will check the health of your head, neck and inside your mouth. This will provide you with a complete understanding of the health of your mouth and teeth and helps us to recommend a personal dental health plan and recall routines best suited to your individual needs.
£75
The description then goes on to list the 16 points of the health check and finishes with a piece that talks about the practice team’s passion for caring for their patients.
The description by Practice 2 fills me with confidence and also makes me feel that the cost is justified and great value for money. The fact they tell me a bit more about the team also attracts me as a patient. Without a doubt, this practice would get my vote ahead of Practice 1. This is just one example of business won or lost on just a few sentences.
When it comes to choosing a dentist, seemingly small things have a huge impact.
As with the fish and chips example, the two examinations will have the same basic elements. However, the description by Practice 2 expands on that and appears to offer added value. By listing everything involved in the examination, it gives the impression of being a much more involved and thorough process. See what I mean?
Why not check out your website now and see how you’re describing your services and then listen to what’s happening on the phone and at the front desk to build the complete picture. You may find you’re missing out on new patient activity for the sake of a few small tweaks in how you communicate.
Leave a Reply