I’m a recovering Dental Sleep Medicine cynic. For nearly 20 years, I’d heard the chatter about how oral appliances were going to supplant CPAP as the gold standard. As Sam Cooke sang, “A change gon’ come, oh yesss it will…” I called BULLSHIT. Supposedly E0486 was going to change everything. Dentists finally had an appropriate code to bill for oral appliance therapy. But Medicare didn’t publish the allowed amount. Eventually payors began paying for treatment, but the machinations of the medical payors proved too much for many dentists. Others bailed claiming that the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. Back in…

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…