OM Ep. 137: 3 Tips on Transforming Your Treatment Coordinator Into a Rockstar

Brooke: Hey, I'm Brooke Han, owner of Straight Up Sales Orthodontic Coaching, and in this podcast we are talking about three tips for transforming your treatment coordinator into a rockstar. So happy that you're here with us ortho

Dean: marketing.com, 360 degree Digital Marketing solutions for

Brooke: your practice.

Dean: Well, hello everybody in the podcast. I'm Dean Steinman from Martha Marketing and we have another awesome podcast for you. And today I am very excited to have a special guest with me. We have with us one of the most important and influential treatment coordinator consultants, trainers in the industry.

I have. Brooke Elephant with me, and hopefully I pronounced that correctly there too. Yes, work. All right. So thank you so much for joining us. My pleasure. We're very excited to have you. Talk a little bit about your, the, the process and what you do still. I'm gonna talk a little bit about how to turn your treatment coordinator into a rockstar.

So let's back up a little bit. Tell us who was Brookham. What do you do ? So,

Brooke: Well, like you said, I own straight up Sales Orthodontic Coaching, which is a consultant and treatment coordinating training service. So I partner with practices to help in goal setting to understand. the doctor's growth, vision, and then work very closely with the treatment coordinators in how to design a sales process.

Just makes them fall in love with their job all over again. That elevates success. That gives an amazing experience to the clients, that sets them apart in their market so that there is no competition. So I get to be kind of a bridge between the doctor and the treatment coordinator, and then just partner with the practice, really meet them in their moment, and then discover.

How to be better. So it's not about being like me and it's not about doing it, it's not scripting, and it's just really I'm joining. And then in a very custom, high touch way helping people discover their superpowers, right? Is that how to be a rockstar to be incredible means that it's personal, that it's your own passion.

And so that's what I get to do with people. Oh,

Dean: That's awesome. A lot of people don't realize that every time I speak to a, a practice, I say, what business are you? And like, we're orthodontists, we're braces. No, we're the smile business. ? That's what I like to think of. , I'm a, , I'm a spare guy at heart.

I love, , if you make somebody smile, if you can make somebody smile every day, it's like you, you are successful and great. And your job obviously is to, is to teach them, , from my perspective as a marketing company. Our job is to get people in the seats. Mm-hmm. show up. But then from there, obviously that's where the fun begins.

You get it. Practice magic. Yeah, exactly. So walk me through, so we're gonna talk about, , three tips on transforming, , etc. So what is the first thing a practice could do? Okay. , I say beside hiring you. What's the, what's , what's the reason, what's the first thing they could do today to start that transformation?

Brooke: It's a foundation in sales confidence. So what I discover with treatment coordinators is a timidness, almost this belief that because they're likable and friendly and they can make people feel comfortable and welcome, that's good. And it really is going beyond that. So some of it is empowering the treatment coordinator.

So it could come from leadership if you are in the right seat and we believe in your decision making, so you need to split this down payment into two. That's fine. You have that authority without stepping out of the room. The second treatment coordinator has to leave the consultation to ask a doctor, ask an office manager for permission.

They are devalue. , from the customer perspective, they're like, oh, well then what else can you get permission for? Like, what else can we deviate? Like

Dean: a car dealership, , well, let me go check that manager and be back and forth like, you're getting

Brooke: ripped off. It's so tacky. So if the treatment coordinator is working really hard to earn trust to give this amazing experience, and then they have to step out to go ask permission, that trust is broken.

Their authority is devalued. Tip number one. Okay. Now

Dean: there's a, there's, they'll still talk about that. So typically, I would eat. , , to give that person autonomy to, to close the sale. Yes. Obviously the, , the doctor needs to have an ongoing relationship with their TC and have boundaries of how low they could go because Yes.

, most people, price is the biggest issue across the board. Sure. , we're talking about that in a bit and how to overcome that. But , so obviously the TC has to know what the bottom line is or what they can do or what's, or how much they could or how far they could go out. Mm-hmm.

other people don't want to, don't want to expend financing too much. Cuz then if they, if the financing goes out for four years and they're done with two years, we're stopping them. What they could stop

Brooke: paying you. I know that statistically that doesn't happen. That doesn't happen often enough, right? Do not do it.

Okay. At least for some people. Yes.

Dean: Well,  obviously prac, they need, you need to look at your, at your bottom line and see what you're charging and where you are in the, in the, in the market there. So what percentage of TCS actually had this autonomy, you think, before they. are transformed.

They have to keep going back and asking this, or do you think right now majority do or Cuz  that's gonna be his first tip, guys, is one, is give your TC. The power to make the sale with you being on the same page with them. Yes. So how often do they think they have a wiggle room and do they even know what the bottom line is?

How parents do the practice have to be?

Brooke: No. I think a lot of times the treatment coordinators don't know. So that's kind of my second tip is that they need to understand where do the goals come from. Right? I talk to practices that are doing well enough, or some of them are doing very well. They don't have clear cut goals.

They're not even tracking their conversion rate in a way where the treatment coordinator truly knows where they stand, like even compared to the rest of the industry. So then what are we gonna move and shift and change that's gonna create that elevated level of success? A lot of times they don't even know.

Right? Yes. So orthodontic practices, you're in your little bubble. You're doing things the way that you've always done them. You're doing them the way that it was passed down to you, right? Is it the best way? Oftentimes not, but , but you don't know cuz you don't have another perspective. So that's what's fun for me, is that I get to come in and say, why are you doing it this way?

Right? They're like, I don't know, it's just what we do. I'm like, okay, well other places do it like this, or I've seen this work. Do you wanna try something different?

Dean: So by empowering them and being transparent and being on the same page and letting 'em know your goals, yes. Is now important. How often should your goals be looked at?

Do you, , are recharging, , $6,500 and that's what we're doing and up. , on the street is charged with 5,900 or , or , right. Direct approver is charged with 3,500. So , how do you, how do you work with that when it comes to pricing?

Brooke: So your price should be a reflection of the experience that you're delivering, your skillset set.

There isn't any competition. Like, I love it when I tell my treatment court, well for 500 or a thousand dollars more than the guy down the. Who cares What they get with you is different. Like it's not comparable. So if someone is really getting to the end of a consultation, if your prospect is really caught up on $500, my belief is that you didn't earn their trust, right?

They don't believe that you can do for them any better or any differently than their other price quote. And so it's just about that. Where when you deliver an experience and instill trust and confidence, and they're so bought in that they wanna work with you before you even talk about the money, then that's just crossing t's and dotting eyes.

Dean: How do you get them to buy in the, the, the pa , the prospective patient to, for anybody even throw price out the window, how do you get them? To say, to realize this is the place to go. , you, you could. So I tell my clients, well, I, you could crow to the cows, come home how great you are. Yeah.

But , how do you go past that? Because PR she could say, we're great. We're, , we're gonna get you the best of my elbow. Everybody will do that. So how do you, sure. How do you gain the confidence or get the, we instill confidence in the person sitting in the chair in order for them to say, yeah, I love you guys.

Brooke: It's funny. It's actually by talking. It's asking more questions and then inviting them to share what it is that they want or what it is that they see about their smile. What does it mean for them to make this change if a parent really wants to give this to their child because it's not something they got to have.

as a child, or if an adult wants to do the treatment for themselves and it's something that they've been anticipating or looking forward to for years, , there's a self-confidence element there and what does it mean in their life to accomplish that? Right? And so the more that you're inviting them to share and then you're answering with validation, oh, I get that.

Like, I'm so happy that you're here. We're gonna accomplish that and even more as our patient, right? But you earn. Really by people feeling heard and validated much more than being talked at yes. So I think in the orthodontic sales process, within consultations over for, , the arc of time, right?

It's about the doctor's authority, a live treatment planning. And just an overwhelming amount of information. And it's like you're just throwing things at the wall hoping that something sticks, that it's the thing that they need to hear to pick you. Right? And that's overwhelming, and I think that can make your prospect feel like you're trying to fit 'em into a box or they're being sold to.

Whereas the more questions you ask, then the information that you're providing is specific to their want, need, desire, and concerns. Mm-hmm. , and it becomes much more personal. And that's how you earn that buy-in before you're talking about money.

Dean: How do you feel about when you help you consult and position a practice in the market with pricing as well?

Do you, you kind of coach them? Here's the best way to position it. Or do you, , do you think, okay, let's find the five competitors and come right in the middle? Do you prefer to go in the middle, the low, the high? , cause I always use the analogy that if you're, traveling and you go to Restaurant Row and you see four restaurants and one.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Steak, big sign outside Steak 9.99 steak 9 99, steak 99 9. Steak 39 99. Which one are you going to? Right, . Well, so , I have, , and I kind of, , Talk. My practice isn't, if you don't ask, you don't guess. So try being the most expensive. See what happens. So how do you sure feel about that as far as, , positioning and pricing?

Brooke: So there are practices with, I think that that kind of boils down to even the doctor's mission, like the reason for being an orthodontist. So I've worked with practices where, Their price point is very affordable in the market, right? And they're not really looking to increase the amount per start because they really wanna service a group of people that couldn't afford more.

So that's, that's kind of where the passion and the interest is. And so then it's how do you still deliver an experience that converts at a really high level? Because if those people are gonna shop around a lot within their price point, within their comfort zone, then still creating an experience that earns trust and earns that same day commitment is, is the same kind of challenge really at any price.

So I have definitely recommended to doctors to increase their prices a hundred percent. Like you're not charging enough to match the experience. So sometimes there's that too. Correct. If people are just blown away and then you give them the price and they go. What's wrong here? Like, why is this so affordable or below all of my other price quotes, but it seems like it's the best.

So you have to make sure that you're charging to match the experience that you're delivering. But then I have other practices that have built these gorgeous new offices and they'll hear the patients walk through the front door and go, oh, This is more than I can afford. Right. So you have this immediate customer reaction of like, wow, this is incredible, but maybe not for me.

Right, right. And so then the treatment coordinator has a different journey to take their customer through to say, yes, this is a state-of-the-art of state-of-the-art facility. We're so happy that you're here with us. We also want you to know that we still are competitive in the market. Affordable monthly pricing.

Dean: What's one question that you could recommend somebody to ask when somebody comes into the office saying, , they're a price shopper? Cuz , there are different levels when it comes to patient acquisition and,  Yeah. They came from a, from a referring doc doctor, that's a very good.

That's a very good lead. It is. Does a Google search or found, found you through a Facebook ad or whatever it is, they're potential shoppers or tire kickers or, , so what's, what's one tip or one question that you said before, it's important to keep asking questions. So what's it is one question you could, you could put in the back of somebody's mind right now to ask today during your, their, the.

That you think might push somebody over the edge and say, yeah, I'll start with one question .

Brooke: Okay, so I'll premise it by saying that my recommendation is that there is an office tour for every new patient that is treated as a walk and talk, not just you're in the lobby and now here's the clinic and here's our fancy x-ray machine and whatever.

But while you're walking, you're starting to assume language. So you're asking. , , is this something you've been looking forward to doing for a while? Is this something that, , kind of just came to your mind and you called a schedule? So you're understanding right away how much does this potentially mean to them?

Mm-hmm. , and then you're like, well, assuming that you love us and the treatment recommendation is ideal for you, and the financial options fit your expectations, we have an opportunity to get you started. Yes, and then you see their reaction. They're like, oh, no, no, no, I'm just gathering information, or, well, that'll depend on how much it costs, or you're the first of three appointments that I've scheduled.

Whatever you learn in that moment, Right. You're still on a tour of the office and  exactly where they're at, right? Geez. Right. And so that gives the treatment coordinator so much information for where to go next. And if someone does say, oh, it's about price, then waiting until the end of the consultation to discuss cost.

Means that they're not going to be bought into the whole rest of your process because everything is gonna seem too good to be true, right? And too expensive and not something that they can do. Yeah. So you do have to then address cost concerns at the very beginning, even if it's in general. We do in-house financing.

It's 0%. You get to pick your down payment, you get to pick your monthly payments. We have extended financing options. We really pride ourselves in being affordable. So my hope is to help you come up with a financial plan that fits your needs so that you're able to get started. .

Dean: One last question. So when somebody is obviously practicing thinking of bringing on somebody like you to train their, their tcs and staff, what's the one question they should ask in the back of their mind to themselves to see, oh yeah, this is something that I need.

What's the one, what's the one thing that's gonna stand out to rip for them to move it? Because I always, I. I court all the time. Movie, big movie Buff. And I watched the movie MoneyBall and Billy Bean. Brad Pitt says Adapt or Die. And I use that in all of Mike Marketing because if you don't adapt your practice to technologies, adapt to new times , adapt to everything, you're dead.

So what's one thing that a doctor should ask themselves today to make them a dot, to say, okay, I gotta do this. So what's the one, one thing they, one question they should ask themselves right now, and the an and , based upon their answer is like, why I need help. .

Brooke: So I like to think of it kind of like you like this adapting there.

There's an evolution. There's an evolution within orthodontics. Like yeah, aligners can do the same as braces. That didn't used to be the case. And thank goodness braces have evolved over time because they used to be huge and uncomfortable. And treatment used to take four years. That can now take a year or a year and a.

Same with x-ray machines. And so the industry is always evolving in ways that are a better treatment experience, a better treatment outcome, better clinically it's a more ideal experience for the team members and for the patients. But where's the evolution of sales? It's not very long ago that there were still most of the industry saying that the treatment coordinator's not really a sales position because we're medical or we're here to help people.

And so it's taken a long time to even get to a place where most will acknowledge that the treatment coordinator is a sales position. Right. And I like to say that that position is kind of internally out. The doctor shows it up for a very small period of time in that appointment. Cool. So if it's 95% the treatment coordinator's responsibility to move someone from shopper to buyer, right?

Then that experience needs to evolve with the ways in which people shop and the information that they have at their fingertips. And really just to match all of the other ways that the industry has changed that we love.

Dean: Well. Great. Great. All right. So Perfect. Thanks so much. This has been really insightful.

Guys, everybody, you, you, you have to realize if you're listening to this or if you're an orthodontist, we're then, and you, you're offering, , orth orthodontic treatment, alright? Right. You have to have the right process in place, all about processes, alright? And you have the right training in place.

Things are always adapting and, and, and moving. Hopefully you learned a few tips from here, so if somebody wants to get more information from you, learn a little bit more about what you could do, what's the best way for them to do so?

Brooke: My website is straight up sales.com. Great. That's nice.

Conversation, answers some questions and then just fill out the form. Basically introduce yourself and then I'll reach out with additional information. Start a converse.

Dean: Oh, great. Thanks so much, of course, everybody, my guest land. Thanks so much for being part of our community here. We love being able to bring you great guests like Brooke, and please reach out to her if you need help and I'm sure you do cuz every practice, unless you're at a hundred percent close and it's, I never met a practice at that.

I wanna meet you. You are. Even if you are, I wanna meet you. Exactly. Yes. I'll put you off for, for any lunch you want dinner. . I wanna put your brain. So , Brooke, thanks so much. I appreciate everybody. Alright, thank you Dean. Thanks so much for listening and everybody be happy. Be smiles and keep on, keep an eye.

Thanks so much. Byebye