Accept defeat gracefully

Now that the referendum is over there is an excellent lesson to be learnt from the way some people on the losing side have handled defeat.

When you face defeat, you can either be gracious or you can be mean.

In my daily newspaper (which was a strong “yes” supporter) there has been an amazing amount of whinging and whining.

They even went so far as to call people on the “no” side uneducated. What a way to loose friends!

Acceptance. It is what it is.

In dental practice, I don’t care how good you are, you don’t always win. Not every patient will say “yes” and accept your treatment plan.

Whenever a patient finally says “no” to your treatment plan it’s always important to do four things:

1. Accept the decision gracefully
   Whinging and complaining and saying they are “making a mistake” will only alienate them and drive them out of the practice. Once a patient says a firm “no” accept it with a gracious smile so that you retain them in the practice.

2. Offer alternatives
   There are always alternatives to ideal treatment. Offer them and see if the patient would like something else. It is better to do something than nothing.

3. Stay positive
   Just because the previous patient said “no” to ideal treatment does not mean that the next one will say “no”. So many dentists take rejection personally and go back into their shells. Keep offering each and every patient ideal dentistry. Don’t let a single “no” ruin the rest of your day.

4. Learn and grow
   As mentioned, everyone gets a “no” sometimes. But, if you are hearing “no” to your treatment plans all day long then it is a sign you are doing something wrong. Take the feedback and improve your skills so that you present treatment alternatives in a better way. Take a communication course if you need to.

Have a good week.