Make it simple and easy

When I run my case acceptance seminar I tell dentists time and again to make it simple for patients. Avoid all technical jargon.

Following on from the discussion of gardening firms from last week, I finally got to speak with two garden experts.

I’m not a gardener and know pretty much zero about garden design. All I knew is what I want – some shade, low maintenance, some paving, a space to sit outdoors, a herb garden, a lemon tree and a spot for a BBQ.

One gardening expert wanted to show me how smart she was. She big-noted about how much she knew and insisted that I read two long articles that she had written that explained her garden design philosophy. This was because she only worked with “educated” clients.

The other gardening expert spoke in simple terms, did not show off and had plenty of helpful suggestions: “That plant won’t work there but here is what we can do as an alternative.” She showed me pictures of jobs she had done and said things like: “We will mix in the blues and the purples and it will look really nice.”

Guess which garden expert got the job. The show-off or the helpful one?

Patients come to see us with problems they want solved. It’s our job to work out the technical details and then tell them what we can do in a simple, clear manner that they can understand.

Patients assume technical competence so you don’t need to give long-winded, technical explanations. You don’t need to try to “educate” them. That approach is totally counterproductive.