I Wish They Would Have Just Turned Me Down

I walked into a pediatric dentist office and thought to myself, "I've been to funeral homes with more entertainment than this."

The standard recommendation, in case it's been a while since you had a toddler, is to visit the dentist at their first tooth's appearance or one year of age. It makes sense. As a former professional dog trainer, I understand the idea behind short, positive exposures early in life. Scaffolding drastically reduces the likelihood of a reactive experience happening later on in life.

But this felt like a scam. I felt like I wasn't even supposed to be there. Like, maybe I missed something.

WHAT MADE THIS A PEDIATRIC CLINIC?

Aside from the single toy in the waiting room and a dentist certified in pediatric dentistry, what made this THE place to bring my kid?

As far as I could tell... nothing. And that's when I realized I wasn't the target market. Even though I was a reasonable market they could serve, it was clear they cater more towards older children.

I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE JUST TURNED ME DOWN.

But they didn't. They took on the job anyway. The same way other small businesses owners take on jobs they have no business taking on.

Over and over again I hear this from customers 👉

"It seems like they don't even like doing what I hired them to do."

"It seems like they were too busy to have taken me on."

"It seems like this isn't as good as the other stuff they do."

I'm no different as a customer. At any given moment during a transaction, I'm clocking all the reasons I belong. All the reasons I want to stay. All the reasons I want to come back.

And so are your customers.

I WAS STUCK ON AN ISLAND WITH A 17 MONTH OLD FOR 30 MINUTES.

At least that's what it felt like sitting in a dental chair, toddler on my lap, surrounded by all the naughty things we couldn't touch in the public exam lineup. The entire time I'm thinking, "Man, it would be nice if there was something on the wall to look at. Maybe a toy to play with. Shoot, where are the nursery rhymes playing on repeat?"

Luckily, we brought a stuffed animal in for "just in case" entertainment. It's too bad it was chucked across the room 15 minutes into our wait.

Did I mention the exam room was a line up of chairs with everyone in the same room?

Why didn’t they just let me and my giddy 17 month old wait in the waiting room with the one single toy in the building? 👉 Because that would have impacted the clinic’s “official” wait time, and that would have impacted the score they receive on their “efficacy” to turn a profit, which impacts this dentist’s performance review (and bonus). I’m certain of it.

IT DIDN'T STOP THERE.

What should have been an informative first visit turned into condescending questioning and fear mongering. I found the framing of questions like, "How often do you brush his teeth" ineffective and contradictory to the goal of being there with a toddler in the first place.

I went there to positively expose him to the dentist in a low stress, high reward information session. I went there to have a professional look at his teeth and to educate me on how to best proceed with his oral health.

I didn't expect to be bombarded with questions one after another that made me feel like I was being tested. Telling them that I hand him a toothbrush twice a day didn't seem like a good enough answer. I felt like I would be judged if I said anything other than, "Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening."

IT STILL DIDN'T STOP THERE.

During the exam the dentist narrated aloud the notes to be put in his file. Among those was a laundry list of dental observations and more gentle jabs so as to prepare me for the sales pitch that would come next.

I'm not going to get into the personal things that were mentioned but just know that for someone who doesn't get speechless easily, I had to pick my jaw from the floor on the way out the door.

She used a sales tactic 👉 Tell me why my kid is in need, tell me she isn’t much into selling products, and then proceeds to sell me a product while leveraging my now vulnerable state.

Independently, no part of my experience really stood out. But together they sent one clear message 👉 "This place is not built for toddlers. We serve children routinely, but not this young. And because we don't, we have not thought one bit about the context of why you're here. We prioritize efficiency, not patients."

SO I BOOKED HIS 6 MONTH FOLLOW UP ELSEWHERE.

These are not the type of people who take feedback. These are people with fixed mindsets. What they're doing is working "good enough" and they have no interest in doing anything else.

And I'm okay with that.

BUT IT DID REMIND ME...

How often we confuse “I can do this” with “I should be doing this.”

You can technically serve a customer without being the right business for them. You can take their money, complete the transaction, and still make them feel like they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

And your customers notice.

They're paying attention to the experience you're creating. They're deciding whether they feel understood, whether they belong, and whether they want to come back.

Sometimes the best customer experience isn't figuring out how to make yourself work for everyone. It's being honest about who you're actually built to serve.

I wish that dentist had just told me they weren't the right fit. I would have respected them more for it.

Day 10 of 30 days writing something every day. Leave a comment and rating to cheer me on!