Overcoming objections
Recently an email arrived in my inbox from a dentist promising to tell me the secrets of how to “overcome objections”.
The tone of the email is that this is a normal and desirable thing to do.
I disagree. Strongly.
The flow chart for overcoming objections runs like this:
Recommend some treatment to a patient.
They say that they don’t want it.
You say something smart that convinces them to proceed anyway.
The reason I don’t like this is that it involves pressure and coercion. It is manipulative.
If you have ever bought a car you might well have had the car dealer “overcome” your objections. If you have experienced that you know that it is not comfortable to be on the receiving end.
Also, if you pressure the patient into treatment and anything happens to go wrong then it can really come back to bite you.
“I never wanted this treatment. You talked me into it.”
Further, it makes your relationship with the patient unhealthy.
In effect, you are taking the position of the adult (“I know what is best for you.”) and putting the patient into the position of the child (“Sit still and do as you are told.”).
Is there an alternative to the 1-2-3 objection overcoming cycle I outlined above? Of course!
More on that in the next article.
