Building Bridges (Issue 1167)

In which we are reminded that we can build cases for action by emphasizing both the extent and immediacy of unstated or misunderstood dangers.

“So, tell me, again, why we need to do this now?”

I was speaking to my (relatively new to me) dentist/prosthodontist about a procedure she was urging me to accept.

This conversation had started 18 months before when my long-time dental hygienist, during a routine visit, said, “uh, oh”. Those are among the last words you want to hear from someone who’s poking sharp instruments into your mouth. “Uh, oh.”

Long story short and sparing details, he spotted an irregularity. He called in the dentist. She peeked and said, “That doesn’t look good, you need blah blah blah and we should get moving on that fairly soon.” The “that” in this case was “the procedure.”

She left the room.

My hygienist (who’d been taking care of me for three decades) turned to me and said: “ Nick, we’ve been watching this since we started working together. Yes, it’s a problem, and it hasn’t changed much in that time. If it were me, I wouldn’t do it.” [The “it” in this case being “the procedure”. ]

The dentist sent me a proposal. The uninsured portion of the fees was sigNIFicant.

I thought about the proposal for a few days. I called another prosthodontist to request her opinion. She agreed with the first. So, I called the dental office and booked the required appointments, a few months out. A few weeks later, I cancelled them. A few months after that, I rebooked them. Then cancelled them. Then rebooked them, starting the appointment series last week.

Why all this waffling? Well, (1) I wasn’t experiencing any discomfort or inconvenience, (2) I trusted my long-term hygienist’s perspective, (3) the dentist had a large financial incentive to sell this big-ticket procedure to fix a problem that wasn’t currently causing me discomfort, and (4) I don’t enjoy dental surgeries or recoveries.

So, two weeks ago, a week before the first scheduled appointment, I called the dentist and said, “I’m really not seeing this. So, tell me, again, why we need to do this now? Re-sell me on this, please.”

She listened to my concerns, then said, “I understand your reluctance and, yes, you could wait…” and then, for a full minute (which felt like five) she described the risks of waiting a few years including wince-prompting descriptions of mostly likely consequences. And, then, she stopped … silence.

S I L E N C E….

I recognized the play: A “How lucky do you feel?” close combined with a “first person to speak, loses” delivery. [“Make your offer and shut up”, as an early mentor phrased it.]

I thought for a few moments.

“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll see you next week.”

Nick Miller and Clarity train banks and bankers to attract and develop deeper relationships with small businesses. Many more Sales Thoughts like this and a host of other articles and resources at https://clarityadvantage.com/knowledge-center/ .

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