"I'm Happy to Discuss Our Fees": The 3-Word Phrase That Transforms Price Objections Into Consultations cover art

"I'm Happy to Discuss Our Fees": The 3-Word Phrase That Transforms Price Objections Into Consultations

"I'm Happy to Discuss Our Fees": The 3-Word Phrase That Transforms Price Objections Into Consultations

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 What happens when a secondary education teacher who "didn't do good science" accidentally gets recruited into dentistry and spends decades discovering that most practices are losing patients before they ever get scheduled? Debra Engelhardt-Nash has witnessed the damage firsthand: front desk staff creating so many "gates and barriers" that potential patients would need to "bring in a magic show and a dog that does tricks" just to book an appointment. As an internationally recognized consultant, past president of both the Academy for Private Dental Practice and the Academy of Dental Management Consultants, and recipient of the Gordon Christensen Top Lecturer Award (plus short-listed for the 2026 Denobie Award), Debra has spent her career teaching one foundational truth: build the relationship first, and the transaction will follow. In this game-changing episode, she reveals why saying "we don't quote fees over the phone" instantly kills your conversion, how a $60,000 case can turn into three $22,000 payments with one simple question, and why telling patients what they "need" is sabotaging case acceptance. If your team is still running through checklists asking for social security numbers before finding out what inspired the patient to call, this conversation will revolutionize your entire approach. Debra Engelhardt-Nash never planned to enter dentistry. With a degree in secondary education and a geology science credit (because she didn't want to cut into a frog), she was substitute teaching in the Pacific Northwest when bond issues failed and liberal arts teachers weren't getting hired. Her dentist recruited her, and despite her protests about not being good at science, he told her something profound: "It is a science, but before the science comes the people. And you have got some really innate people skills." After having her take a Myers-Briggs assessment, he trained her as a certified dental assistant in Washington state. Debra eventually moved to the front desk—the role she truly loved—and from there managed a unique four-man "solo group" (four independent practices under one roof). One of those doctors told her prophetically: "Someday you're going to outgrow my practice." While attending continuing education meetings, she was recruited from an audience by Pride Institute to become their Pacific Northwest consultant for Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and Idaho. In 1985, Debra left Pride (along with about nine other consultants in a six-month period) to start her own independent company. By 1987, she and other consultants founded the Academy of Dental Management Consultants because while they wanted independence, they also craved collaboration—asking each other "Has this happened to you? What did you do in this situation?" This was back when consultants were generalists handling everything from OSHA to HIPAA to technology, not the specialists we see today. What drove Debra then and drives her now is making a difference in the lives of people she touches—whether through her volunteer work against human trafficking or her dental consulting work helping dentists serve patients better. She's passionate about creating the win-win-win: client wins, she wins because her client wins, the patient wins, and the team wins. But she's also witnessed devastating marketing failures, like practices spending $55,000 on loss-leader $49 cleaning promotions when they're actually fee-for-service cosmetic practices—completely incongruent strategies that attract patients who don't stay. The program "Excuse Me, Doctor, Your Team is Showing" was born from a nightmare Debra witnessed in a Pacific Northwest office where the receptionist put up so many gates, barriers, rules, requirements, and restrictions that patients would practically need to bring a magic show and a dog doing tricks just to qualify for an appointment. The kicker: "After you do all this, call me back and I'll make that appointment." When the doctor complained about not getting new patients, Debra had to explain they were getting them—but losing them at the phone because of how they were being treated. The foundational problem: teams run through checklists asking about social security numbers and sexually transmitted diseases before ever finding out what inspired the patient to call. Debra's approach transforms this: get permission first ("May I ask you a few questions?"), then ask the magic opener ("What inspired you to call today?"). The patient who wants teeth cleaned needs a different conversation than the one wanting veneers or seeking insurance acceptance. When patients ask about fees, most offices kill the conversion with "We can't quote fees over the phone"—but Debra's three-word game-changer is "I'm happy to discuss our fees with you." Before quoting, ask why they chose you, then qualify: "If you're looking for the dentist with the lowest fee possible, we may not be the dentist you choose because that's not typically why ...
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