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What Do You Sell?
Today’s dental economy is rapidly changing, and the dentist owner is challenged to remain current in every facet of his or her business, both clinically and operationally. There is a continuous wave of new materials, techniques and technology inundating us, begging for our attention 24 hours a
Asking for Referrals: The Most Powerful Marketing Tool in the World
In last month’s blog post, “Systems for Success,” I noted that there are more than 300 systems or procedures (excluding clinical) in any dental office that when properly designed, implemented and rehearsed serve as the blueprint to success. In fact, after reviewing hundreds of dent
The Dental Admission Test: Not Just an Entry Test
Does anyone remember the Dental Admission Test, aka, the DATs? For the nondentists, it is exactly as it reads: an admission test that must be passed successfully to enter dental school. Yes, I know I should have blocked it out of my memory once I saw that I had passed, but I thought about it recentl
Part 3: What Defines a Successful Practice?
This is the third blog post in this series. (If you missed the first two, go back and read them; I will see you in a couple of minutes.) OK, we have been talking about success. In the first blog post in this series, I talked about my opinion of what success means: being happy in your job. I don&r
The Profitability Factor in Selling a Practice
At the ripe old age of 52, I am starting to consider selling my practice and pursuing other opportunities that have been presented to me. As may be the case with most of you, I am a planner. No final decisions have been made, and we’ll see what the future brings. However, I want to share some
Dentist and Dental Assistant: A Necessary Duo
I’m sure we’ve all been there: Our dental assistant tells us that he or she is resigning. You know, the one who has the whole office put together and knows it like the back of his or her hand. The one whom you know, deep in your heart, you’d rather not function without. I’
Striving to Be Like the $350,000 Man
I read an article a few weeks back — when my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were still in the playoff picture — about how linebacker James Harrison, at the ripe ol’ age of 38, spends $350,000 a year on maintenance, conditioning and recovery of his body. He’s still making body-sh
Turn a ‘Triple Play’ for Your Patients
There are so many reasons I love being the team dentist for the Chicago Bandits. Are you familiar with the Bandits? The four-time league champion women’s professional fast-pitch softball team plays every summer out of their beautiful stadium in west-suburban Rosemont, Illinois. My role as t
Extending our ‘Best Before’ Dates
Among the many things I have enjoyed in my lifetime, I have had the opportunity to appear on stage as a stand-up comedian. Personally, I find a lot of comedy routines today to be filled with objectionable language or focused on insulting certain groups or too topical and, thus, not enduringly funny.
Systems for Success
Beautifully designed systems enable a well-trained team to deliver excellent dental care and superb customer service. Everything a team member does needs to be documented, rehearsed and mastered to ensure excellent results. Systems or standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be maintained in the
Transform Your Life by Setting Goals
A goal often has been defined as the terminal point of a journey or a measurable and observable end result. When we think about setting goals, the first thing that usually comes to mind is making a new year’s resolution. If you are like me, then you probably have multiple goals for 2017 and be
Career Choices
My parents grew up during the Great Depression. My father, an exceptionally bright man, never went past grade 10 due to the financial pressures and costs associated with trying to keep him in school. He dreamt about being a lawyer but never became one; instead, he became a salesman in the men’
Four Ways to Boost Your Internal Marketing Efforts
No matter where we run our business, we have to remain relevant in our communities. I believe in branding — creating some type of image or logo that represents you and your office. Once you have established your brand, you can really start to create an image to share with the public, which wil
Deciphering the Meaning of ‘I Chipped a Tooth’
I know this is something you hear all the time: “I chipped a tooth.” This can mean so many things, especially if it is coming from a nondentist. “I chipped a tooth” in the posterior can be a chip off the marginal ridge next to a class II restoration that you did five year
Vacations: Distant Childhood Memories
Last year, a good friend of mine confessed she had a dilemma: She was trying to figure out where to spend her remaining two weeks of vacation for the year. Wait … what? Remaining?! I asked how many weeks of vacation she had started with, and she casually replied, “Five.” At first,
The No. 1 Reason to Measure Your Patients’ Satisfaction
Recently, I had an interesting conversation with an owner colleague (Dr. Colleague) regarding the various means by which he and his staff solicit patient comments (via comment cards, website, text message, etc.). He was concerned about the number of patients who were moving their records (attrition;
The Employee Review Conundrum
The blessing and curse of my group practice setting is having to relay/discuss/vote on decisions amongst my partners. At times, it’s a godsend — aka, those times when I have few if any ideas and I thusly appreciate the variety and breadth of opinions amongst my counterparts. Other times,
Overcoming Challenges in Relationships
In December 2016, I completed a course with Dr. Paul Homoly about the craft of being a speaker. I have had a dream of being a keynote speaker for more than 20 years, and now, I am finally ready. I already have three speaking engagements booked, and two of the organizations are outside of dentistr
Dentists Skipping Lunch: Admirable or Unwise?
At a study club meeting the other night, I began chatting with other dentists during dinner before the lecture. We discussed our days at the office. One dentist mentioned that he didn’t take a lunch and that this was his first time eating since breakfast. I looked down at my watch; it was 6:30