Have you noticed that for most people you meet who are likeable, it seems they do it effortlessly?
They are just liked by everyone immediately.
However, if you analyse, you may find this “effortlessness” is not the case.
Likeable people work at being likeable most of the time.
To be likeable means people respect you, listen to you, enjoy your company and love introducing you to their friends.
So being likeable is very advantageous both personally and in business.
How do you work on being more likeable?
1. Be a great listener
When you allow people to talk about themselves, they will appreciate you and like you more.
We live in a super busy world so we are spending less and less time listening to each other.
When you are on the phone in the middle of your super busy morning, stop and take the time to listen actively. Watch what happens as you start to become more aware of this.
2. Be agreeable
Likeability and agreeability go hand in hand!
You can be agreeable even if you don’t always agree with someone.
Being agreeable sends the message to your patient that you are listening and you understand what they saying.
Your patients want to be heard and have permission to give you their opinion and how they feel.
Being agreeable opens up the communication and improves your connection with patients.
3. Smile all the time
OK you never want to be that “smiling assassin” even though I am sure there are worse things you can do.
It is hard not to like a person who smiles but very easy to not like someone with no smile!
Your patients know when you are smiling on the phone. They may not be able to see you but they can hear a smile!
As corny as it sounds, keep smiling.
4. Show Empathy
Every human wants and needs your empathy.
This is how we are all hardwired.
When you show someone that you understand how they are feeling, they immediately like you more.
5. Offer a Solution
This is so true in the Dental Office on the phone with patients.
Every single person that calls you has a Dental problem or concern that they need answers to.
Help them and find a solution.
Be their friend on the phone. A friend is always more likeable.
6. Be Reasonable
People call your Dental Office because you are the voice of reason.
They are looking for a person that is calm, logical yet emotional, and compassionate.
This person has likeability straight away.
Everyone likes this type of person.
As I was writing this article I started thinking to myself, “doesn’t everyone already know this?”
But have a look around, not everyone knows how to be likeable.
Worse still there are people that know how to be likeable, but choose not to be likeable, even in the caring world of Dentistry!
We all need to work on being likeable with our patients.
Some will find it natural and others will really have to work on it.
Keep working on this even if you believe you are already likeable enough.
You can NEVER be too likeable!
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This blog features simple practical ideas that are easy to implement tomorrow in your Dental Office, impacting immediately on your Patients’ Dental Phone Experiences, and ultimately, improving your practice profitability.
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Dental Phone Excellence is a simple to implement complete Phone Answering system I developed that helped me to build an extraordinary dental practice in the heart of working class western Sydney.
If you’d like to know more, download my sixteen page FREE special report “How I Quickly and Easily Went From 35% to 77% New Patient Telephone Conversions, and Doubled The Size of my Dental Practice Along the Way” and discover some of the many costly mistakes being made on your phone…..
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At present I have availability for THREE new private clients. For more information on how I can improve your Dental Office’s Phone Numbers contact me, Jayne Bandy at jayne@theDPE.com
