Episode 658: What Are Your (and Their) Motivations?

 Kiera and Britt discuss motivation from two angles — how to encourage patients to pay statements, and how to inspire team members to go above and beyond. They talk about where guilt fits in, how to humanize actions, if brightly-colored paper in the mail works, and how things look from a leadership perspective.

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Transcript:

0:00:05.8 Kiera Dent: Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host, Kiera Dent, and I have this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives, I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled to over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental. And I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A teams. Welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and I've got an epic guest for you guys. If you know her, you love her. If you haven't met her, you definitely need to meet her. I got Brittany Stone, one of our traveling consultants today. Brit, how are you doing?

0:01:04.7 Brittany Stone: I'm doing great. How are you doing?

0:01:07.0 KD: Good. Brit's a rockstar, guys, because I try to get the consultants on the podcasts with me, at least once a month and Brit has already done a podcast with me today and I said, Brit, I just have one more I've gotta go do. And she voluntarily, this is Brit Stone and if you don't know her, go back into the archives. The girl who never wanted to podcast with me, dodges it on her end of month because I make them say if they've done podcasts with me on their end of month check-in, plug for end of month check-ins, volunteered to come on the podcast with me to help me get it done. So Brit, thanks for being here tonight. [chuckle]

0:01:36.2 BS: You're welcome. I think I dodged it for like a couple months there. I think there was like a road trip at one point with you and Tiff, and Tiff did it and somehow I got out of it. So you know, I'm making up for some lost time.

0:01:49.5 KD: You are. And Brit, she's someone who just makes me giggle because, guys, Brit, she's an example of I think who you can become in life. Like Brit's personality was not one at the beginning to be outgoing and to get on the podcast. And I know she surely enjoys her time behind the scenes. But Tina, one of our consultants told us a book called "Personality Isn't Permanent." And I actually feel Brit is walking testament of that. She'll get on, she'll podcast, she'll run groups. And I think, Brit, I could be biased, but I actually think you do enjoy it a little more than you might care to admit some days.

0:02:25.4 BS: True, these days I do enjoy it a little bit more. It was scary at the beginning. So yes, you can, things get more comfortable, do the scary thing, it'll eventually get easier. So you're right.

[laughter]

0:02:39.3 KD: But with that said, guys, I wanted to bring Brit on because we're gonna talk about motivators and we're gonna tie it into sending patient statements today. But I wanna talk about like, what motivates people to do things? Like, is it a guilt tactic, is it a make people feel bad tactic? Which I guess is around guilt. Is it a helping more people again around guilt? Like what do we do to motivate? And the reason this came up, Brit and I were talking about this pre-show, is the question of how many times should you send statements when you're going into billing? And I'm a big proponent of sending three. And then after that you've got a collection protocol or you write it off. But like there's a set three. So like as soon as we get paid, we send a statement, then 30 days later send another statement, another 30 days send another statement. And then after that what do we do? And we talked about how Dana, one of our other consultants... Go ahead Brit, share what she said to do on that last statement to help get them paid.

0:03:32.7 BS: I had said we could share Dana's tip, give Dana all the credit of like write a little note on there, like a handwritten note on that statement. You could even put it on colored paper. Tiff's a big fan of colored paper, I know that it works. But add a little note on there for that patient just to add a little something personal to it.

0:03:52.0 KD: And Brit, you said something because you said, what did you say? 'Cause I asked the question 'cause we were prepping for this podcast, guys, which we don't usually prep. And I said Brit, but does that actually work or is that just busy work of writing the handwritten note? And Brit, I might be like...

0:04:07.7 BS: My response is, guys, this is how cool you're, that these are the things we talk about together [laughter] and debate with each other. My response was, it's kind of like a guilt tactic. It makes it personal so it's not just a piece of paper, it's a person that they're letting down if they don't pay that bill. So, why not do it? It's worth it in my book, especially some of those ones, that it could be a personal note like, hey, if you got any questions, reach out to me. Which is like a genuine, if you don't understand or you're questioning and that's the reason why you haven't paid it, then like absolutely give us a call so we can talk about it.

0:04:43.9 KD: For sure. And I actually think, and I hadn't thought about this till right now, think about when you go to a restaurant and Shelby behind the scenes, Shelby, if you don't know Shelby, she's amazing. She does so many things at Operations, it makes my life easier. Shelby used to be a waitress and I asked her, I said, Shelbs, did you used to put like the little thank you with the smiley face and like your name? And she's like, oh absolutely 'cause tips became a lot better. And I thought about it, this might be the same thing because again, it personalizes it, it makes it more to where it's really real. And I was curious of like what motivates people, would people be motivated by it? But you're right, I think it takes that statement piece to a personal level to where they're feeling guilty if they don't pay you back because like, oh my gosh, like Brit took the time to handwrite this. And so that was the idea behind this, of helping you guys get statements paid is really the idea of this podcast. But I also was thinking about motivators, and does guilt really motivate patients? So Brit, here's the open debate. We're gonna just riff on this conversation.

0:05:40.8 BS: Come on. How many of us like function like guilt hits you sometimes? It's true.

0:05:48.4 KD: It does. I think like so, 'cause you look back at the mask mandate, I feel like that was one of the greatest social experiments of all time. Because it's a pandemic and people were saying like, you need to wear a mask. And I don't know how you were Brit, Okay Brit, we're gonna put you on the podcast. Were you a mask wearer or an anti-masker when the pandemic hit? Did you wear or did you not wear, Brit?

0:06:09.2 BS: I was a masker. I also was living in Arlington, Virginia, the DC area at the time, which is a much more condensed population than in Arizona right now. And it makes a difference. So I was for sure a mask wearer like, hey, I again, introvert Brit, like a mask doesn't bother me.

[laughter]

0:06:30.0 KD: And also coming from hygiene, I do think healthcare workers, we're a little more pro to wear, but I did know a lot of people were just like, I'm not wearing a mask. This is dumb, this is the government. And where the switch was, was when people said, wear a mask to protect other people. And instantly it shifted. So this is where I do think human behavior is an important thing to do. Yes, we're talking about billing, yes, we're helping you guys figure out statements. I think this can go into a lot of other areas, like Jason and I, my husband, we were talking and he was talking about how to motivate his team 'cause he had a coworker say like, she was divvying out all the tasks to people and people were like, oh I don't have time for that. And Jason said, well, of course like no one's gonna have time for that. But if you go to them and you say, Hey Brit, I need you to get these things done 'cause it's gonna help our entire team. People are much more likely to help because it's genuine, it really will help our team. But I think it's that like word ninging with a little bit of personal guilt, and I don't know, Brit, is it true guilt or is it that as humans we like each other? Like what is this?

0:07:32.7 BS: I think that's a little bit different. I think you can toy in a line like there's a piece of it that's opening understanding like kind of encouraging them to look a little bit further beyond, understand a little bit of the bigger picture so that they see the reason why it needs to be done. Which I think that's more of an education, changing your perspective and that's not a guilt thing. But I think sometimes once people see that different perspective and it's like, oh well, I didn't mean to cause all these issues that I didn't know were happening because I wasn't doing that thing.

0:08:06.1 KD: Sure.

0:08:06.7 BS: So, I don't think it's always guilt. I think it's opening up eyes a little bit so that they can understand and see the bigger picture outside of just what they're doing for themselves.

0:08:16.4 KD: And I actually think you just hit a really important point for me, a distinction is, what is me as a manager, what am I trying to come in and convey? So like with patients, yes, I am purposely trying to convey a little bit of guilt, humanize and experience to get patients to pay back on that third statement. But with team members, as a manager, as a leader, do I want them to feel guilt? 'Cause I think that guilt actually is viewed negatively. It doesn't get you anywhere. But if it truly is an educational piece, it's helping and it is shifting the perspective away from self and my needs and what I need to, This is helping the team and I need you to contribute to the team 'cause this is gonna benefit all of us. That I do think is a shift. And so it's interesting because on the statements, we are intentionally trying to guilt, waitresses are intentionally trying to guilt. I know they're writing thank you with a cute little heart, but it's done with an intention to get a better tip. Us writing on these statements is done with an intention to get the statements paid. But in offices I do think you gotta check your motive and with teams and with leadership check that motive of what you're trying to do and why you're doing it. Because I feel teams and humans can read right through that. So Brit, I guess the question on that is, why does it work on statements and waitresses versus with team? I have an opinion on it, but what's yours?

0:09:36.1 BS: Well, I don't know about waitresses but statements, I'm like that service has already been provided. The agreement's been made, they just need to follow through on the agreement, right? So like that's 'cause...

0:09:46.1 KD: Did you guys hear that? I feel like Brit should say that again. Like, services was already rendered, they just need to pay for the service that was done. It would be like taking groceries out of the store and not paying for it. Like you already got the product, you need to pay for it. It's not like it was a surprise like, oh nothing happened. Okay, that's a fair rationale. So to you it's like, we just need to make this humanized, let's find a way to get it paid. This is something already done. This is the obligation, this is the agreement contract we've made, just pay it. And I wanted to highlight that because I think people often...

0:10:15.7 BS: And then it's not so easy to ignore. Like that's the reason, I don't want it to be that easy for them to ignore, I want it to be like, oh yeah, I do owe them that. Like I need to get it done.

0:10:24.6 KD: All right. That's a fair assessment. And I also think like with billing, people don't usually love statements but yet you add the soft side of a human, and I think dentistry's way different than medical. So I do think it still keeps us in our dentistry bubble of making it humanized. But the end all be all of all of this is like our motive is to get the result of getting the statement paid. So I'm not gonna sit and handwrite little hearts and butterflies if it's not gonna result in people paying more. But I do think it can add for the human touch to get those statements paid more. You should definitely pre-collect before, make sure our insurance verification is there, then make sure we're following a set cadence of only three times. But then after that, on that third statement, I do love the bright red paper 'cause shoot, in the mail when I see bright red, I open that sucker up, and then if it's like, hey, love Tiff, I probably would put love Tiff on a bill. I'd probably say like, hey, call me if you have any questions, Tiff.

0:11:18.8 BS: Keep it professional, please.

0:11:21.7 KD: Could you imagine hearts on red paper? Like guys, it's not Valentine's Day, we're just sending statements to get it paid with a stern message that you soften the blow a little bit and make yourself a human.

0:11:32.4 BS: And a lot of our offices, think about how many of our offices, like they know each other by name. Like patients know those team members by name and team members know those patients by name. So that connection is definitely there for them. For probably some of our places where the biller is like completely separate and they don't know you, then it may not have as much of the effect as you want.

0:11:52.0 KD: How do you feel about forging a name then? If you're a biller that doesn't know and you sign the hygienist, how do you feel about that, Brit? Like if we take it one step further, how does that... [laughter]

0:12:01.0 BS: You're talking to the rule follower over here. So that doesn't make me feel great.

0:12:06.1 KD: I don't feel great about it either. I was just curious of your opinion. Because if we're going for results, but I feel...

0:12:12.2 BS: I wouldn't be.

0:12:14.6 KD: 'Cause there's an ethical line, right? Like write it genuinely. And so maybe it is, you take it to the office manager or the front desk, if you're the biller, will know it, and say, hey, these ones I can't get paid, can you like just write a little note on these, that way we can send them out? But it's not done on every single one of them if you don't have connection with those patients.

0:12:31.9 BS: And hopefully it's not like a large stack, like hopefully we don't have a ton of them that are that old that we're having to try to get them paid.

0:12:38.7 KD: And if you are the office that has a huge stack, you should definitely reach out to the Dental A Team 'cause that's not normal. So email in right now at [email protected]. Say I have the stack and I'll know exactly who you are and we'll help you out.

0:12:50.0 BS: Sure.

0:12:53.2 KD: Okay. So that's at least giving you guys a tactical of how to get your statements paid. Again, three statements, the third one bright colored paper in the mail. Write a handwritten note 'cause we're trying to go for that humanized touch to get them to fulfill the end of the contract that they had. And I really love that because to me that takes the emotion out of sending statements. But Brit, I do wanna pivot back to our leadership side of, what is the best way to motivate team members to do things? Like we've just figured out how to motivate patients to pay their balances, a little bit of a fear scare tactic. From your perspective, and I do think you're a really talented manager, what have you found are some of the most successful and effective ways to motivate team members to get to do the things that you want them to do? 'Cause everyone's gonna tell you, I don't have time or I don't wanna do this. So what are any tips that you have?

0:13:36.1 BS: Oh, this is a good one. Honestly, I feel like it's almost case by case, there are general solutions that can help, but when it comes to team members, I really wanna understand their world a little bit more to see kind of why, 'cause my belief is, most people aren't out there doing things just to make people's lives more difficult, right? Like most of our team members actually do care. They want to contribute but like something's going on or they've gotten frustrated to a point where maybe they're struggling. And so I really need to figure out why and what's going on to see what we can solve, and help them better participate and work through it. So I think a lot of it is individual. I think being curious first, some of our leaders who want to be very efficient and move things along very quickly, I think we can give directives like real, to our team members and we just move on directives and expect them to change. And as generations are progressing, I don't think they always respond quite the same way to that. They wanna be heard, they wanna have a say, they want their opinion to be involved in making decisions. So approaching it a little bit more collaboratively.

0:14:51.8 KD: I love, Brit, that you said come with curiosity and it's interesting because I have a coach, guys, I have a business coach, someone who helps me, and I'm more of the efficient type and I'm like, Liz, we're just gonna go have a conversation. I'm just gonna hash this out. I'm gonna call Brit and be like, what the heck's going on? And then I usually freeze, guys, because I'm like, ugh, I don't want Brit to dislike me. So I kinda like skirt around the issue. And when Liz told me to come from curiosity of asking those questions with true curiosity, I think people can really tell if you're asking those questions, just like the the manipulation status or the fear or the guilt versus truly trying to educate. I think people feel motives. And so on this curiosity like, I genuinely wanna know and for me I wanna know because I know the solution's on the other side of the understanding. So if I can figure out what's Brit's reason for not wanting to do X, Y, or Z, does she not understand the importance of it? Does she truly not have time and we just need to re-block her schedule and find the time?

0:15:46.4 KD: 'Cause I agree with Brit, I think most people genuinely don't wanna make your life terrible. I don't think most people wake up in the morning and say, I wanna make all my team have a terrible day today. Like I truly do not believe people do, and if they do, they usually work themselves out of the practice pretty soon. So if we know that, I think that curiosity and for me, again, I'm an efficient girl, so I'm like, it's curiosity to find the true root problem and then solve it usually makes things a lot better. So Brit, what happens if someone is like more closed off? Do you have any tips for like the team members who are just the surface level like, yep, I'll do it or no I won't, but you know, deep down they're not like how do you get through to those people?

0:16:25.5 BS: Yeah, I think it comes down to like a relationship with that person, honestly. Like you've gotta invest and build the relationship. And I was just chatting with some doctors recently that it's like, well, I say something and they get so upset so fast, right? But like someone else can say something and it's not as big of a deal. And it's like team members view doctors like our owners, our leaders, they value your opinion a lot and that's part of why they react in that way because they take it more personal when it comes from you. And I'm like, you've gotta invest a lot more in that relationship bank of give them the compliments, get to know them, invest more in that bank because your withdrawals when you make an ask of them or give a criticism or something, it takes a lot more out than maybe someone else. And they don't see you maybe as often either, right? Depending on the scenario. So when you come in and you're always making an ask of them or it seems like a criticism, it's tough on the relationships. You've gotta invest in that relationship first.

0:17:32.0 KD: It's interesting, it's almost like adding the deposits of the personnel side of it, of like getting to know them, having those deposits. So then when you do come in and it's something of criticism or ask, there is, I feel almost a balance of both sides where it's not just always asking or criticizing or wanting things to be better because you do care about them as a person. And I will say, I don't actually think it takes that much time to build those relationships. I think a small conversation. So like assistance where you're genuinely asking about their life while you guys are assisting, and you're asking what they did for the holidays, you're asking about those things. Hygienists, I feel like hygienists and doctors have a unique relationship with each other, but even like after an exam saying, thank you so much for that. Like, how was your weekend? Like at the end of the day, front office like just really, I get that you have to make the effort. But I do agree, I think when people know it's so dumb, that cliche thing, it just came to mind of like, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Like it's truly that piece of like they don't care, they'll do whatever you say, but that might be done out of fear rather out of love and respect and genuine care for you as a person. And if you take the time to know them, it's a really brilliant point, Brit. Thanks.

0:18:44.2 BS: Yeah. And I think you learn how to approach them a little bit more. Like I'm not necessarily responsible for all the things that happened in someone's life to make them who they are, but if I can have some degree of understanding, I can figure out how to maybe approach them in a certain way or understand why they're reacting in a certain way.

0:19:00.0 KD: Brit, you are full of dynamite today. You just said I am not responsible for the reasons that made them how they are, but if I come in with a little bit more understanding, it can help get a different result, is how I interpreted that. Brit, we should podcast at night all the time. You've got like some dynamite nuggets in there today, but I truly do hope you guys took, I know this is kind of two random topics merged into one. I think it was fun Brit, and I do love to debate different random topics. We are definitely book club gurus, so if you guys want us to read any definitely controversial books, or want to debate any controversial topics like, should you stay in network or should you drop, should you buy a Costco membership or not? Brit just said that one and that is a hot topic, I'm like, there's gonna be lovers and haters on that side and those are the kind of things we love. But I hope you guys realize with the statements there's the process for you, at the end of the day it's like there are no failures, there are just results. So if you're getting the results you want, keep doing it. But if we're not getting them to get page, change it up.

0:20:01.1 KD: And then also, I feel like there were some leadership nuggets in there for you guys that I hope you took of what's your true motive? Are you coming from curiosity and then are you building those relationships so that way your team knows that you really do care about them as people? Like Brit said, I do think there is a generational shift and I think if you are not cognitive and aware, if you keep your old existing team members, you'll be fine, but if you have to bring in any new team members ever, it might be a very hard go for you. And so Brit, thanks for just being on the podcast, and I really enjoyed this and I hope everybody else did, 'cause I know I was thoroughly fed on many different levels tonight from this podcast.

0:20:39.3 BS: Yeah, thanks for having me.

0:20:40.6 KD: Of course. All right guys, as always, if we can help you, if we can help navigate these things, help you guys with leadership, if we can help you guys navigate your billing and your statements, please reach out [email protected]. I truly do believe that this doesn't have to be hard. And I love to say like, what if this could be easy? Because I truly do believe it can, with systems and with a guide, you can have your dream of a life, a dream of a practice, and it doesn't have to be hard. So as always guys, thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast. And that wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.