What is your story? Seriously, what is YOUR story?

Stories differentiate products and services to potential customers and make them want to know more about you. To many prospective clients, oral appliances, home sleep testing units, or billing services have been commoditized. They don’t know or can’t discern the differences.

“So how do you differentiate yourself?”

IS IT PRICE?

Maybe you have the lowest price, but you’re viewed as subpar by those in search of quality.

You might be a premium service that is worth every penny, but you haven’t told the story to justify your cost to those who haven’t experienced your exemplary service.

Or you could be in the middle; the JCPenney of Dental Sleep Medicine, representing neither prestige nor desirable value. In the eyes of prospects,

YOU’RE JUST THERE.

IS IT SERVICE?

Let me guess – You have the best, most committed and knowledgeable team in the industry. Says who? Says you? Um, you’re probably a bit biased.

Do you have dentists on your team? Has your team completed a renowned customer service training program?

Do you have testimonials from recognized leaders in the field?

DIFFERENTIATORS THAT MAKE UP THE CHAPTERS OF YOUR STORY

IT THE UNIQUENESS OF YOUR PRODUCT?

Many companies place emphasis on features rather than benefits. Features are technical aspects of your product while benefits are what your customer will derive from the product. Oftentimes we’re intimately familiar with our product’s features and love to geek out about them, but the prospective client doesn’t understand how this will benefit her.

If you have the only device with adamantium hardware, that’s a pretty cool feature. BUT, if you explain to your prospect that it’s the same material Wolverine’s skeleton is made from and if it’s damaged, it will self-repair rendering the appliance indestructible which means no repairs will ever be needed resulting in less chairtime, happy patients, and no remakes. That, my friends, is a BENEFIT.

So many companies have cool products and phenomenal services that dentists need. All of them have incredible stories, but most of them can do a better job telling the story. Maybe you need some help crafting your story. Give me a shout so we can discuss how we can Transform Dental Sleep together. My email is: [email protected]

CHECK-OUT MY BOOK!!!

This book is the culmination of all the interviews, books, articles, life experiences, team meetings, leadership summits, amazing educational courses, waste-of-time CE events, and everything else – crystallized through my brain with a dash of vinegar and a sprinkling of humor.  Check it out here

“Hey, Karen, how’s it going?” “Oh, you know, livin' the dream.” There’s 10 seconds you’ll never get back. Gone, lost to the ether. This exchange didn’t build rapport, nor did it lend any insight to why Karen is in your chair or what’s caused her to stop wearing her device. Remix that question and everything changes. “Karen, what’s new or noteworthy since the last time we met?” “Well, my daughter had my grandbaby. They finally had to induce her ten days after the due date. And, Doc, I was wearing that sleep appliance cuz it felt really tight on my…

That vacation is when the real work began. Right-sizing my ego. Heightened awareness about how my words or tone might impact others.

Dr. Glassman’s words of wisdom are excerpted from my book, Transform Dental Sleep: The Step-by-Step Guide to Doubling Your Sleep Patients, Increasing Physician Referrals, Simplifying Processes, & Improving Your Life. Order your copy with this link. It lives up to the title.

If you want to be a dental sleep medicine practitioner, the only way to make it happen is to practice dental sleep medicine.

I’ve developed a new mantra. While it arose on my runs, I try to apply the sentiment to all facets of life.

There are no shortcuts to success in sleep medicine. There are no discounts. You have to do the work. That’s the price you pay.

To cultivate a high-performing team, consider the power of the "4 Es": Educate, Equip, Empower, and Encourage.

S.M.A.R.T. goals present a simple, reproducible way to create benchmarks and instill accountability.

If you want to treat sleep patients, go to some courses, attend some webinars, and read some books. Then screen, test, and treat your team members and their significant others.