What do you want patients to anchor to

Last week I spoke about how it's better to give patients their fee all at once rather than in dribs and drabs. It's less painful that way, sort of like ripping off a bandaid. Here's another reason it's better to give an all-up fee at the start: anchoring bias.

Anchoring bias is a psychological term. It means that people have a tendency to put undue weight on the first piece of information they're offered. The first figure they hear tends to become the benchmark for the cost of an item or service.If you anchor them high then anything less is "cheap". If you anchor them low then anything more is "expensive".

Major dentistry is expensive. If you're discussing fees with someone and getting down to preparing an exact quote which situation would you prefer:

• a patient who is anchored high because you gave them a generous all-inclusive fee estimate

• a patient who is anchored low because you gave them a bare bones minimum fee estimate

The answer is obvious but so many dentists low-ball the initial fee discussion out of fear of rejection.Just remember that the first fee you say will become the anchor point for all future fee discussions.

Don't anchor your patients low.