The Closer
We have all been there, we are in the market for a new car, albeit perhaps reluctantly but none the less we find ourselves in the showroom and are approached by a eager salesperson. The salesperson guides us through a series of questions to size us up and answer our questions. When we arrive at the financial portion of the discussion however he or she hands us over to their “manager”… enter the CLOSER!
You may ask yourself “what does this post have to do with my dental needs”…read on!
I was in need of extensive dental treatment and had been interviewing dental practices before I took the inevitable plunge. The dental practice in question (in the Eastern U.S.) was quite impressive, more of a self standing two story clinic staffed by more than a handful of doctors and support staff. The facility had top notch appointments and exuded efficiency, right down to the current copies of” Architectural Digest” in the magazine racks, and the exotic salt water fish tank in the waiting area. One appointment that caught my eye was the video playing that depicted a staff member tending to the dental needs of some native tribesman in another hemisphere. My initial reaction to which was fantastic “giving something back”.
I was ushered into the examination room,had impressions made as well as photographs of my oral cavity by a dentist who tried hard to conceal his horror. As he left, and a appropriate amount of time passed so as to allow me to reflect on my “dental sins and transgressions”… enter the CLOSER!
She was disarmingly pleasant, with a full head of attractive white hair, beatific smile and a St. John’s knit suit. She proceeded to commiserate with my lot in life and said that she to found herself in a state similar to mine years earlier. She went on about the embarrassment she endured from never being able to smile in public and having to cover her mouth with her hand as she laughed like a giggling prepubescent girl.
After the horror of the dollars and cents portion of the program (similar to a Mercedes with entertainment package) she again bestowed a beatific smile upon me, and asked how I liked the video in the reception area!