Many of these tips encourage dentists to think like marketing professionals and this tip is no different.

When was the last time you tried to upsell or cross sell your patients? Better still, when was the last time you even thought about these terms?

Upselling and cross selling (and add-ons) are common tactics used in business. While some make distinctions between the three, the takeaways are nearly identical: Upsells and cross sells sell customers enhanced versions or more complete packages of what they already own, or they promote related products that improve the customer experience. In all cases the customer has spent more money than they had intended on a greater number of products. And ideally, they feel good about these purchases!

Dentists should be in the upselling and cross selling business too.

But the key is not to make the patient feel like they’re being upsold or cross sold. First and foremost we’re in the business of helping – and healing – patients. This can’t be a hard sell. But it can be a soft sell. Always be looking for ways you can offer additional services to your patients.

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hink about it like a form of preventative maintenance. Say you were giving a patient a regular cleaning and noticed a small cavity. Would you ignore the cavity? No. You’d inform the patient and offer a solution, either a filling or an extraction.

The same rules apply to upselling and cross selling.

For instance, tooth extraction and socket preservation are great examples of related and vital services. While an extraction might be a standard procedure, socket preservation, necessary to prevent long-term bone loss, is less common. By suggesting to your patients the need for socket preservation you are helping them plan for the future in case they desire a dental implant in the edentulous space.

Seen in this light, you’ve upsold your patient. And you’ve improved their health!