If the patient is not able to get an appointment in your office for three or four weeks, they’re going find someone else who can get them sooner.

We remember a time when practice management consultants said, “You’re doing well if you’re booked out two weeks.” But if you’re booked out two weeks, you’re losing a tremendous amount of new patient flow because patients simply aren’t going to wait that long.

This is one of those things that leads to missed appointments. They don’t show up because they’ve had to wait such a long time. They made an appointment with you but they called around afterward to see if they could get in somewhere else sooner. The practice that gets them in soonest is where they will end up going. You end up with an appointment on your books and a patient who has no intention of coming in.

You should never brag about being booked two weeks in advance. You’re missing such an great opportunity for same-day dentistry. If you’re booked out and have no opportunity to do same-day treatment, you’re significantly under capacity.

Excerpted from Opportunity Is Calling