Not all new patients are created equal. People who come to your practice at the invitation of a current patient arrive with the right mindset and expectations—that is, they’re “mind-ready” to accept the value you provide.

   I say “invitation” rather than “referral” because I believe we need to think of it in those terms. A patient-to-patient referral is something personal, something distinct from the professional referral you get when a health care colleague sends you a patient. If we think of patient recommendations as invitations, it forces us to think about the value we’re creating to earn those valuable personal endorsements.

If you are going to build a practice (and create a distinct culture) through patient invitations, there are several things you have to do to set the groundwork.

Clients and patients

Some dentists bristle at the idea of thinking of themselves as business people and of their patients as clients. Yet most modern dentistry will require an out-of-pocket expense, requiring discretionary decisions about time and money. We have to remember that the people we diagnose are clients when they make those decisions. They become patients when we perform the dentistry. The most successful dental entrepreneurs have learned to master both the patient relationship and the client relationship.

The first step, then, to building an invitation practice is to recognize that your professional integrity extends beyond your clinical services. It benefits you to broaden your mindset to the point where you feel comfortable engaging with your patients as clients, too, so that you both get the most from your relationship.

   Once you recognize that your patient is also your business client, take a good look at your facility from the eyes of that client and ask yourself if it accurately and effectively communicates your value. Remember, you are competing with many other lifestyle services for the discretionary dollars of people who care about health and appearance—everything from hair stylists to plastic surgeons to fitness clubs—and those competitors have raised the stakes when it comes to creating an environment that inspires and motivates consumers.

   People have become conditioned to take their cues about value from the surroundings. They are quick to make judgments, so it makes sense to have an up-to-date facility that says the right things about you and your commitment to quality.

Here are a few specifics to keep in mind when you’re focusing on your practice environment:

• Create an atmosphere consistent with your personality. You don’t have to build a showcase practice with lots of marble and leather (unless you want to). The important thing is that your décor  reflects your practice’s personality and philosophy in a consistent way. Pick a theme—high-tech, family-friendly, spa-like—and weave that “experience” throughout the practice.

• Introduce a wall-of-fame section. This is one of the simplest, most effective ways to personalize your practice and communicate value. Have a section that profiles you and your achievements; another area devoted to your team; and, of course, a wall that features your most dramatic before-and- after cases. That patient looking over those pictures may only be here for a routine hygiene visit, but she’s thinking about her sister, who has been talking about getting a smile makeover.

• Invest in the right technology. Let’s face it, when they’re describing your practice to their friends, they’re not talking about your great margins—but they will sing the praises of your cutting-edge technology and how you were able to show them their exam results on screen.

Invest in the best that modern dentistry offers—intra-oral cameras, digital x-rays, chairside charting, patient education systems—and integrate them seamlessly to showcase your commitment to being at the forefront of your profession. And remember to explain the function and demonstrate the features of each piece, so that you give your patients the language skills to talk about them to others.

For most people, going to the dentist is a necessary chore at best, and that’s a perception you can use to your advantage. If you can make a visit to the dentist a memorable, and even enjoyable, experience you’re doing something that will get people talking. Here are some of things you can do to provide that kind of an experience:

• Office tour for new patients. Treat them as you would a guest in your home and show them around. Give a guided tour where you can talk about your wall of fame and demonstrate the technology you use.

• Coaching on value of appointment. Patients value an appointment more highly when they realize it is a time reserved for them exclusively.

• On-time appointments. Keep schedule flow a priority so you can show that you respect the value of their time.

• Comprehensive financial arrangements. People can be trained to expect to pay in full at the time of service (just ask hotels and restaurants). You don’t want to be in the position of being a banker for your patients, so get good with how you direct people to outside sources. Make it as easy as possible for patients to make the necessary arrangements that will allow them to make the right treatment decisions, and allow you to keep your professional relationship economically simple.

• Thank you notes and follow-up calls. So simple to do—just a few jotted lines, or a few minutes on the phone that evening—but the impact it makes on the patient is profound and lasting.

• Celebrations. Birthdays, completion of a major procedure, “5 years as a patient,” etc. Track these special occasions, and take a moment to celebrate with flowers, balloons, gift certificates—whatever you can think of. It’s a great way to keep the atmosphere in the practice energized, and you can bet it’s something the patient will talk about with friends and family.

• The little extras. Sometimes it’s the little things that set you apart and provide the cues to the patients that they are in fact being treated like valued clients. Hot towels, bottled water, complementary lip balm—there are countless little touches that go a long way in creating an atmosphere that inspires goodwill.

Yes it really is that simple. How many potential ambassadors are walking out the door keeping their rave reviews to themselves—people who would be happy to mention you to their friends—if they were only asked?

Part of being comfortable and confident in your role as business person serving clients is being confident in asking them to recommend you to others. This isn’t a difficult thing to do—most people are flattered to know that you value their opinions and their endorsement so highly. But you need to do it in a way that shows this is a fundamental part of your practice culture.

Don’t just put a sign at the front desk saying that you welcome invitations (although that is a good reminder to have in place). Use every opportunity to reinforce the invitation mindset in the interactions you have with patients. For instance, consider these conversation starters:

• “Who invited you to our practice?” Asking this of new patients establishes right away that invitations are the foundation of your business. If the answer is “nobody,” express surprise and point out that most of your new patients come on the recommendation of others.

• “We’ll earn the right to your invitation…” Let new patients know right up front that your goal with them is to provide the kind of care and service that will make them want to tell others. They will be impressed with your declaration to that commitment, and they start thinking along those lines right away.

• “We keep family charts together…” This is an easy introduction to asking if there are any others in their family you will be seeing. If they hadn’t thought of it before, they will now. And it’s also a great opportunity to learn more about the patient’s family and make a personal connection.

• “Would you mind writing that down…?” Capture the moment when it happens. After a particularly successful appointment, have a team member ask the patient for their thoughts on how things went. If they respond favorably and effusively, tell the patient you would love to share that with the rest of the team and with others who are considering joining the practice. Then give them a card and a moment to commit their thoughts to paper. Using this strategy, it won’t take long to amass an impressive portfolio of rave reviews.

If you employ these basic strategies comprehensively and consistently, invitations will become a natural occurrence. Over time you’ll begin to notice an exciting phenomenon taking shape: the quality of each “generation” of invited new patients keeps getting better. They arrive more mind-ready, better prepared to appreciate your value and primed for ideal care.

Appointments are honored. Case acceptance rates escalate. Collections become automatic. That’s because you, your team and your patients are developing the brand, and incrementally raising the bar with each successive invitation.

This is how you build that practice with the high-value, private club feel. Or rather, this is how your patients help you build that practice. It’s a powerful psychological need to want others we care about to share in the things that we like. It isn’t hard to leverage that fundamental human impulse, and build a community of patients who are just as proud of your practice as you are.