Improving Emotional Intelligence in Dental Treatment Case Presentations

Establishing strong patient relationships is crucial in dental practices, and understanding and managing emotions during dental treatment case presentations is a key factor in achieving successful sales. Emotions, not logic in most cases, significantly influence decision-making. Therefore, dental treatment coordinators, team members, and dentists who can effectively navigate these emotions with empathy and emotional intelligence can greatly enhance their case acceptance rates. Here, I detail the importance of emotions in dental treatment case presentations and provide six practical tips to help dental teams excel in the sales aspect of their dental practice.

Understand your own emotions and how they affect your case presentations

Recognizing and understanding your own emotions is the first step in developing emotional intelligence for your patients or their decision-makers. Before presenting dental treatment cases, take a moment to assess your emotional state. What story are you telling yourself about what your patient or the decision-maker is going to tell you? How do these feelings or assumptions affect your case presentation or sales conversation? Self-awareness can help to better regulate emotions and help you and your team present treatment information in a calm and confident manner, aligning the treatment with the patient's needs and desires, which helps to build trust and confidence in your team.

Be aware of the other person's emotions and what they are trying to achieve

What is their gap? Why are you the person to help them get to the other side? Empathy is a critical skill when it comes to dental case presentations. Take the time to actively listen and observe your patients' non-verbal cues to gain insight into their emotional state. If they use talk around emotions, name and say those emotions out loud. For example, if the patient says, “The last dentist I saw only cared about what she could sell to me”. Consider saying, it sounds like you felt frustrated when all they wanted to do was sell treatment to you”. Then pause and wait for their response. More likely than not, they will respond by elaborating on their first comment. The pause is important here, so close your mouth and open your ears so you can better understand their goals, concerns, and desires from an emotional state. This will enable you to tailor your presentation to connect with them emotionally and address their needs more effectively.

Use emotional intelligence to create a connection and build trust

Can I trust this person? This is often the first thing people ask themselves when entering into a potential business deal. Can I trust this person to deliver what they say they can? Is this person building themselves or their team up too much? Building rapport and trust is essential for successful case presentations and in order to be trusted, you must be engaged and present. By using emotional intelligence, presence, and mindfulness, we can connect with patients on a much deeper level, allowing us to show genuine interest and understanding of their situation in the larger picture of dental treatment needs. Demonstrate empathy, validate their emotions… say them out loud then pause briefly, and then offer the solutions you bring to help them address their specific concerns. This approach can foster a greater sense of trust and is helpful in enhancing the likelihood of treatment acceptance.

 Respond effectively to emotional outbursts or objections

During case presentations, patients may experience emotional outbursts or raise objections. Often, this is emotional rather than logical leakage. Rather than dismissing or disregarding their emotions, acknowledge and validate their concerns. Again, name the emotion out loud and pause allowing them time and space to elaborate on why they feel the emotions they are feeling when you present the treatment. This offers you more information to better address their needs and desires. Respond with empathy and provide clear and concise explanations to address their worries. Don’t be salesy, keep it brief, and offer plenty of space for the patient or decision maker to respond. By understanding their emotions and providing thoughtful responses, you can help alleviate their fears and build confidence in your dental treatment recommendations.

Manage your own emotions during challenging case presentations

Let’s face it, most dentists are not great salespeople or they would have gone into sales. Case presentations can sometimes become challenging or overwhelming for dental providers, office managers, and/or treatment coordinators. It is crucial to remain composed and professional, even when faced with challenging situations. Practice self-regulation techniques such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or taking a moment to collect your thoughts. Respond with patience and understanding, avoiding defensive or confrontational behavior. Consider using a “third point”, or “that thing over there” to show that you need treatment. The “third point” or “that thing over there” can be intraoral photos, scans, or xrays and sometimes this tactic is helpful in deflecting the attention from you or your team to an inanimate object that shows the same issue at hand.

 Role play and practice using emotional intelligence in simulated case presentation scenarios

When was the last time you and your team practiced presenting cases and received constructive criticism from other team members? Five to ten minutes during huddle once or twice a week is all it takes. Consider engaging in simulated case presentation scenarios where you can role-play various patient interactions and patient temperaments. Have other team members observe so learning can occur from multiple angles.  These exercises allow your team to refine their emotional intelligence skills, practice active listening, and develop effective responses to different emotional situations and decision-making dispositions. Seeking feedback from the office staff, friends, family, or mentors can provide valuable insights and help you improve your case presentation or sales approach.

 Wrap-up

Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in dental treatment case presentations. By understanding and effectively managing your own emotions, recognizing, and addressing patients' emotions, and leveraging empathy, presence, and emotional labeling to build trust, your dental team can greatly enhance case acceptance rates. Remember, successful case presentations are not solely about presenting treatment options but also about connecting with patients on a deeper emotional level. Even if treatment is not accepted or the sale is not made, you will have managed to cultivate lasting patient relationships and potential future treatment opportunities moving forward.

To learn more about solutions that can help your dental office improve performance, contact us.

About the Author: Dr. Jared Sinclair is the Founder of PerformanceDDS™, where he provides elite dental office performance coaching for next-level dental teams.