Total Patient Service Tips and Talk

Secrets from your local optometrist

2012-01-25T11:58:00.005-06:00

I spoke to a large group of optometrists this week from Cleinman Performance Partners. Cleinman is the “Crown Council” of optometry.

What optometrists and dentists have in common is the

“face space.” When it comes to first impressions, the first two things people notice are the eyes and the teeth. While the health of the eyes is a patient’s concern when they see an optometrist, they also want to know how their eye sight will make them look to others. Especially with women, who make up the majority of the optometry market, an eye lens prescription is permission to accessorize!

What happens in optometry is what is happening in dentistry every day. While most people are concerned about the health of their mouth and their teeth, they also want to know that their smile is going to look good.

As you expand your market share of the “face space,” consider your local independent optometrist. Working together to cross market your services just makes sense. Most people interested in improving the appearance of their teeth will be interested in their eyes. The opposite is also true.

For an introduction to a top independent optometrist in your area, e-mail your request to Answers@TotalPatientSerice.com We will work with the Cleinman team to get you introduced and connected so you can begin working together for the better health and appearance of the “face space” of the patients in your market.

“But It Doesn’t Hurt…”

2012-01-13T10:42:00.001-06:00

You have probably lost count of the times patients have responded this way to the diagnosis of periodontal disease. Human nature and how patients have been trained in medicine dictates that there is ONLY something wrong when it hurts. After all, for years the first question the physician asks a patient has been “what are your symptoms” or “where does it hurt?”

Moving patients from a “fix what is broken” mentality to a “prevent it from getting broken in the first place” is a tall order in dentistry. So before you hear the, “But it doesn’t hurt” objection one more time, here are 2 tips to implement immediately to help your patients make the shift from “hurt” to “health.”

1. Watch how you present the problem in the first place. Instead of TELLING a patient they have a problem, ASK the patient, “How long have you had this infection?” Then let the patient respond. Just by virtue of how you present the problem, the patient will take more ownership of his or her condition.

2. Watch how you respond. If they say, “It does not hurt,” you can respond by saying, “I am always amazed how an infection this serious never hurts until it is too late. In fact, in dentistry we call this condition the silent killer of teeth because it rarely hurts until it is too late to save the teeth.”

Don’t miss the next opportunity to have your team experience the next revolution in the treatment of periodontal disease on March 30-31, 2012 in Dallas, TX as Dr. Tommy Nabors and members of our ToPS team present “No More Dental Hygiene – Secrets of Oral Health and Periodontal Therapy.” In this two-day program, you’ll discover a whole new perio program that has turned Dr. Nabor’s perio department into a million dollar treatment center. It will transform your practice. Bust most importantly, it will transform the lives of your patients.

For more information on the March course, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Do I have to?

2012-01-06T21:33:00.003-06:00

There are a lot of things in life that catch us saying to ourselves “Do I have to?” That list would include: taking out the garbage, working out, cleaning the garage, doing your taxes, etc., etc., etc.

Staying on the path of success requires just that…staying on the path! Keeping everything going in the direction it is supposed to go is one of the biggest accomplishments and tasks that there is.

Over the last twenty-two years, we have worked with thousands of dental practices around the world. While it would be nice if working on the practice once would fix it forever, it is a journey, not a destination.

With that in mind, we just launched one of the most useful tools we think you will find to keep your entire team on the path of success. It is called “The Skill of the Week.” On a regular basis, we will be releasing a short on-line video featuring an essential case acceptance skill that the entire team needs to master and keep mastered. You can watch individually or as a team. There are exercises and implementation suggestions as well. Staying on track with the skill of the week will keep the entire team engaged in the things that you need to do to be successful every day with patients.

The Skill of the Week is produced by the Total Patient Service Institute and made available through the Crown Council (www.CrownCouncil.info)

Crown Council members have immediate access at www.CrownCouncil.org. Others can contact us at 1-877-399-8677 or Answers@TotalPatientService.com for immediate access.

Its just one more resource to help you make your practice ToPS!

A Habit for 2012 Success

2011-12-30T11:58:00.006-06:00

I spent some time this week with a group of dental students from all over the world at the Alpha Omega International Dental Convention. We discussed the Common Denominator of Success - the things that make dentists and professionals in general successful.

Among the many factors that create the Common Denominator of Success is habit. One of those habits is setting and reaching goals. For over 20 years, I have asked 4 basic questions that are the standard for staying on track with goals. Ask yourself how closely you adhere to these 4 questions:

1. Do you have goals?

2. Are your goals written down?

3. Do you review your goals every day?

4. Do you keep them with you or have them in a place where you can see them every day?

There is some magic in being able to answer all of those questions with a “yes.”

Several years ago I was speaking at the gathering of three high schools in New Braunfels, Texas when I asked all of those 4 questions to the graduating seniors. There was only one student who was able to answer all four questions with a “yes.” Upon further inquiry, he shared that his father had taught him this goal setting system when he was in middle school. As a result, he set his sights high and was able to take state in track and get a full ride scholarship to the university of his choice. There are more stories like that than I could ever have time to write.

There is some magic in making a decision and sticking with it until it has been accomplished. The biggest step is the first step -- decide and then write it down.

Have a Happy New Year as you decide, write, review and accomplish in 2012.

Which side of the fence?

2011-12-09T14:55:00.003-06:00

Have you ever had a moment when you were very grateful for past decisions you made because of the position it has put you in now, that you never anticipated?

I have thought many times over the last couple of years, how grateful every dentist should be that he or she chose dentistry as a profession, instead of medicine and its related cousins, for the pure fact that dentistry continues to allow you the independence and freedom to practice how you want, where you want, and charge what you want without government

intervention.

This fact was brought to my attention this week as I sat with many of the top leaders of the optometry world. Optometry is stuck in the middle of the healthcare battle with private insurance on one side and government healthcare on the other. If optometry has its way, it will go the way of the rest of medicine and be part of the total healthcare equation with government involvement. Why? Because government reimbursement for eye care services is more favorable than private insurance…for now. No telling what it will be in the future. With the future so fuzzy in terms of government’s long-term involvement in healthcare, it is a tough decision to make because of all of the future unknowns.

But for dentistry, staying independent and out of the government healthcare debate is a good place to be. Stay informed. Stay vigilant. Protect the freedom of the profession.

Who is in your Kitchen Cabinet?

2011-12-02T09:21:00.001-06:00

In 1831 President Andrew Jackson dismissed five of the eight people in his official cabinet. Many accused the president of being overly influenced by what they called the president’s “kitchen cabinet” or close friends who advised the president informally behind the scenes. Since that time, “kitchen cabinet” has been the term that describes the “real” advisors that the president relies on the most that have the most influence.

We just spent the last few days in the ToPS “kitchen” at our Annual Planning Round Table where dentists met for most of the time in groups of 8 to 10 with specific discussion topics and practice problems to solve. They each served as the other’s “kitchen cabinet.”

The ToPS Round Table meetings have become one of the most valued assets participating dentist have. A sounding board of objective peers who are willing to share their own experience, gives the participant a broader base of options to chose from as they develop their future plans. As they say, “Two heads are better than one!”

Join us for our next ToPS Round Table on June 14-16, 2012 where we will help you assemble a kitchen cabinet of your own that may be the key to your future success.

For more information on the ToPS Round Table, give the ToPS team a call at 1-877-399-8677.

A “Thanks” to Build Your Business…

2011-11-28T10:36:00.002-06:00

It seems like everywhere I go in the country there are those who cannot resist talking about the “economy.” It seems to be the best excuse for why their business is not doing well.

Blaming the “economy” is just one more way to “live in lack.” It is the constant counting of all the things one does not have. And the more “lack” you see, the more “lack” you get. It makes you feel miserable and then you make everyone around you feel miserable as you talk about… "the economy.”

Consider instead a study pioneered by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough highlighted in the New York Times this week and detailed in Dr. Emmons book entitled Thanks! In their study, they asked a group of people to keep a journal of things for which they felt grateful. After two months, the journal keepers felt happier, more optimistic, had fewer physical problems, and spent more time exercising than did their counter-parts in the control group who did not keep a gratitude journal. The gratitude group also got better quality sleep at night!

It is funny how we sometimes need science to validate what we already know deep down to be true. Having an attitude of gratitude is a better way to live and leads to a better quality of life in every area, compared to living a life of lack.

So as you kicked off your holiday season with Thanksgiving, make giving thanks a regular habit. You’ll feel better and it will make the people around you feel better too!

Acres of Diamonds

2011-11-18T20:09:00.003-06:00

I have known Dr. Tim and Kathy Droege from Breese, IL for nearly 16 years. They have a thriving practice in their rural farming community of 3,200 people. Kathy grew up there and the two of them met at a nearby University. They started a practice from scratch 25 years ago after being told that there was not enough dentistry for them to do there.

This week, I had the opportunity to go to Breese for the first time and film an upcoming Crown Council “Practice of the Month” feature.* Despite what the Droege’s were told 25 years ago, they have built one of the finest practices in America. By understanding their patients, offering exceptional service, and offering dental services that are not available for miles, they have become THE practice not only in their town, but THE practice for miles around.

The Droege’s remind me of “Acres of Diamonds” popularized years ago by Russell Conwell, founder of Temple University. The story is about a farmer who sold his farm to go in search of diamonds. He searched all over the world for years only to die broke and discouraged. Meanwhile, the buyer of his farm discovered one of the largest diamond mines in history on the same land the first farmer had sold to him. What the first farmer looked for all over the world was sitting right under his feet.

The Droege’s found their diamond mine right under their feet in Breese, IL. There’s nothing magic about Breese – they made the magic happen there.
What is sitting right under your feet that you may be gazing for off in the distance? There is no magic out there. You make the magic happen…right where you are. If it can be done in Breese, IL – it can be done anywhere! So start digging – right where you are!

* Make sure to catch the full presentation of the Crown Council Practice of the Month featuring the Droege’s practice coming soon on www.CrownCouncil.org.

Compensation

2011-11-11T14:08:00.001-06:00

While in Toronto this week speaking at the Toronto Academy of Dentistry, we discussed The Law of Compensation which says: Help people get more of what they want and less of what they don’t want and you won’t have to worry about what you want.”

I believe that any business or person that benefits from the patronage of the people in any type of community has an obligation to give back to that community in some way.

As an example of that principle, I was delighted to invite Will to the stage in Toronto. Will is a twenty-one year old young man who has benefited from the services of “About Face,” a charitable organization in Toronto that helps children correct cleft pallet, hair lip, and other facial issues. Not only has Will’s quality of life improved by the surgical and counseling services of “About Face,” but he has chosen to donate a portion of his time back to the organization to help other kids who are now going through the same process. Will received, and now he’s giving back.

Translate that law into everyday business practice and we find that 67% of consumers choose to do business with an organization that is involved in some type of cause related marking over the competition. Cause related marking is where you are involved in some type of charitable cause or activity.

Recently, our own Smiles for Life Foundation (www.SmilesForLife.org) surpassed the huge milestone of having raised and donated $30 million to children’s charities around the world. Millions of children have benefited from the efforts of Crown Council dental teams who raise the money each year by whitening patients’ teeth who in turn make a charitable donation. It is a win-win for everyone.

If you have never been involved with Smiles for Life, now is the time to sign up for the campaign that starts in the spring of 2012. For more information on how you can get involved, log on to www.MySmilesForLife.com or call the Crown Council at 1-800-CROWN-58. If you have done Smiles for Life before, now is the time to start planning a successful campaign.

A well-known verse in the Bible says, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Those who practice dentistry have been given a lot. And so, we need to give back.

Join us in the upcoming Smiles for Life campaign as we do good by giving back.

Options and Odds

2011-11-04T09:32:00.003-05:00

The Natural Law of Options says that the more options I have to choose from as a consumer, the less likely I am to make a decision. That’s why presenting patients with too many treatment options for THEM to choose from only creates confusion and inaction.

But consider this twist: the more options YOU have to draw from to provide a solution that fits your patient’s exact situation, the greater the odds that you are going to hear a “Yes.” For example, the greater your clinical skills, the more you are prepared to provide the exact treatment the patient needs instead of having to refer it out.

Consider the same principle in financial arrangements. How many different ways do you have for patients to pay for treatment? The more alternatives you have prepared, the greater the odds are that you will have something you can present that will fit their exact financial situation.

Take a moment right now and think or write down all of the different financial options you have available for your patients. How many do you have? Three or four? When I ask people to go through this exercise, I usually get a list like this: Cash, check, credit card or some type of patient financing. (We recommend that you have at least three forms of third-party financing available…not just one.)

So if your patient can’t pay for it today, they don’t have enough credit on a credit card and they don’t qualify for third party financing, you and your patient are out of luck, right? Right…if those are all the options you can provide them.

But, what would happen if you had 10, 20, or even 50 different options at your disposal that you could use to find a solution to their specific financial situation? What would your odds be now? I think you would agree that they would significantly increase.

If you want to significantly increase your odds of financial arrangement success, join us for a special Crown Council webinar “50 Ways to Pay” on Monday, November 14 at noon Central where Total Patient Service Practice Advisor Tanya Bailey and myself will review 50 different ways that patients have paid for treatment. It will include an update on the latest developments from some of the top third party finance programs as well creative ways you may have never thought of for patients to pay for treatment.

If you have not already received an email invitation to register for the webinar, contact us today via e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientSerice.com or call 1-877-399-8677 today for more information. It will be a valuable hour packed with financial options that will significantly increase your odds of success.

Outrageous

2011-10-28T23:17:00.002-05:00

One of my mentors is Scott Gross, author of Positively Outrageous Service and a library of other great books. Scott and I were neighbors (kind of) during the ten years that I lived in the Texas Hill Country. I lived in Hunt, Texas and he lived in Center Point!

I was reminded of Scott this week as I sat down at a Chili’s in Goshen, IN the night before doing a presentation to the local dental society. I was with Stuart from the Crown Council and as our server, Stephanie approached with a welcoming smile, I told her that Stuart had come all the way across the country especially for some of Chili’s delicious chips and salsa. She grinned and said she would make sure to take care of his request. In a few minutes she came back with not one, but two baskets of chips and salsa; a regular size basket for me and a JUMBO size basket with two cups of salsa for Stuart!

Later as she brought our check at the end of the meal, she included two large bags of chips to take with us with two containers of salsa and thanked us for coming in. Naturally, we left a BIG tip.

Stephanie exemplified the three ingredients that my mentor Scott Gross likes to call Positively Outrageous Service:

1. Random,

2. Unexpected,

3. Out of proportion to the circumstance.

Just by listening and responding in an “extra mile” fashion, Stephanie gave us an “Outrageous” experience that put a smile on our faces and had us talking for days…in fact, I am still talking about it!

So, find something “outrageous” to do today…Positively Outrageous. It will put a smile on your client, customer or patient’s face and have them talking about you for days!

Feed The Fire

2011-10-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

On the wall of my office is a large frame that contains my Eagle Scout Award and my picture as a high school student. One of our suppliers was in my office recently and spotted the frame and commented about the benefits of Scouting and then added, “That’s great you helped your SON get his Eagle.” Wow! I did not realize I looked that old!

Even though my experience in Scouting took place almost 3 decades ago, the lessons learned are as fresh as if they happened yesterday. They are lessons that serve me well today.

For example…

One of the keys to building, starting and maintaining a campfire is having and continually providing the right fuel. The fuel that it takes to start a fire is different than the fuel that it takes to keep the fire burning.

Translation…

Regularly I get asked what it takes to stay motivated; what it takes to keep the “fire” burning. There are a few basics that are required to start the fire of motivation and to keep it burning brightly:

1. A personal vision of what you are working to accomplish that excites you.

2. The right people that surround you who support and work with you to carry out that vision.

3. Continually adding knowledge to your brain bank of things that will move you closer to your vision.

4. Regularly feeding your mind with positive, uplifting literature and material that puts you and keeps you in the right frame of mind.

5. Regular physical exercise to keep your energy high. There is a direct correlation between your physical health and fitness and overall motivation.

So what are you doing to fuel the “fire?” Motivation is not something that happens to you any more than staring a fire is something that happens spontaneously. You make it happen by following simple rules.

So get on track with building and fueling your fire, whatever your fire is for. Find the fire, build it and let it burn bright. Just like I learned in Scouting, camping (life) is a lot more fun and enjoyable around a warm fire that burns bright than it is in the cold darkness of the wilderness.

Be Different

2011-10-14T08:29:00.003-05:00

Psychologists tell us that there is a natural pull to want to be like those around us. At our ToPS seminars, that is something we have taught for years. It is important that your patients and clients see you as someone they can relate to; someone like them.

But when it comes to business, it can get you in trouble. Take the airlines for example. It seems like they all follow each other. One established a fee for baggage, they all follow suit. One quits serving snacks, they all jump on board.

Banks seem to do the same thing. Bank of America recently started charging a fee for using their debit card. Other banks are starting to follow right behind.

Wouldn’t it make more sense for a bank to start running ads that say, “Convenience shouldn’t cost, it should pay.” A bank could really capitalize by running in the opposite direction.

Take Southwest Airlines for example. While all the other airlines charge for checking bags, Southwest doesn’t. They are different. So different that they are just about the only airline that makes money!

So don’t be a follower when it comes to marketing your practice. Take a look around and go in the opposite direction. You’ll be noticed, recognized and appreciated by new patients who can tell you apart from all the rest.

It's not the money, it's the Perception of it.

2011-10-07T19:48:00.002-05:00

I was at City Hall yesterday filling out the necessary paperwork for a sign permit. I struck up a conversation with the gentlemen next to me who was also filing paperwork for a sign permit. He mentioned he needed to see a dentist because he was interested in veneers on his six upper front teeth. Always eager to give one of our clients some business, I told him I happened to know a great dentist just down the street.

He went on to tell me about how he’d been to see this doctor before, but the cost they quoted him for a smile makeover was too expensive and how “back in the day” he remembers going to the dentist and it was “never that expensive.” At that moment I smiled to myself because I realized, it wasn’t about the money, it was about his perception of what he thought dental work should cost.

So really, your fees are not the problem. Perception is! You’ll gain far more ground by working on your patients’ perceptions than you will fretting over your fees.

But before you start looking for the magic phrase that will resolve someone’s questions about what you charge, remember that we often move too fast to solve patient problems that we really don’t understand. Maybe it is the scientist in us that looks for the perfect material, procedure, or instrument to treat the clinical problem. We have been trained for the “quick fix.”

People are not problems to be fixed. Just consider if someone says you are expense, is it could be because:

1. They have not been to the dentist for some time and are comparing today's fees to outdated fees? (Like our friend at City Hall).

2. They have never had a lot of dental work done, so they don't know what it costs.

3. They are having some financial stress so everything sounds expensive?

4. They are surprised because they thought they were just going to have to pay for a routine cleaning and then discovered that there is more work to be done?

5. They have never placed that much value on their mouth or their health and have not considered what it was really going to cost to stay in good shape?

6. It is the first time someone has had a conversation with them from a
“comprehensive care” point of view instead of just trying to maintain the status quo?

7. They just say that about everything to try and get a better deal!

The list could go on. The point is that it’s impossible to answer the question without first getting additional information. The same way you couldn’t tell a patient over the phone how to treat their toothache without first having done an exam to see the real condition.

Every patient has a unique situation…a story. Until you really understand them, their story, and their reason for asking, there's no quick fix verbal skill that will answer their question. It's about the relationship first, not the case or your fees.

So the next time you get the “Why are you so expensive?” question or one similar to it, just stop. Take a deep breath. And listen as you ask…"Tell me more about that.” You might be surprised to hear what comes next. The reason behind the question will most likely be something you had not anticipated.

Administrate or Innovate

2011-09-27T09:09:00.003-05:00

Leadership in any line requires many different skills. Some are in direct opposition to each other. For example: administration vs. innovation.

Administration is the skill of managing people and organizations so that everything runs smoothly and stays aligned with policies and procedures. In many ways, it is the art of maintaining the status quo.

Innovation is the art of progress and change. Many times it requires challenging the status quo by looking at things in a different way and acting outside the “norm.”
As a general rule, for every innovator, there are 10 administrators. As humans, we crave stability and the status quo. It feels safe to us because of the consistency. Because of that natural tendency, most have to consciously work at innovation. The irony is that while administration feels safe, innovation is the essential ingredient to surviving and thriving.

History lauds, honors and praises the innovators, but is relatively quiet about the administrators. That’s because we admire the rare and take the common for granted.

History honors Thomas Edison as one of the most important figures of the 20th century. Why? Because his numerous innovations changed the way we live. Meanwhile, can you name any one of the administrators that ran Edison Electric or General Electric in the subsequent years? If you can, the only one that comes to mind is Jack Welch because he dramatically innovated the way General Electric approached its business.

So, step out of administration from time-to-time and INNOVATE! Ask:

- How can I make things better?

- What type of business would put me out of business?

- What would we look like if we expanded by 10 times?

- What weakness would I exploit if I were my competition?

- What is something I would never consider changing?

If you want something to administrate in the future, you better start innovating today!

A Wake Up Call to the Realities of Business

2011-09-16T10:36:00.003-05:00

Dr. Bob Maher called our attention last week to a Seattle Times article about decreased insurance reimbursement rates to dentists in Washington. View article by clicking HERE.

I always scratch my head when I hear that dentists are angry, shocked, and surprised when reimbursement rates are cut. Of course they are getting cut. They always do…over time. The reason? Greedy insurance companies who want to make more profit? That is what most would like to blame it on. But, the reality is that there is a natural law in business that states that prices (exclusive of inflation) will always decrease over time. They always do. Think about the price of new technology. When it first comes out on the market, it will always be priced at its highest. As competition enters the market and the basic product becomes more widely available, manufacturers figure out how to produce the product more efficiently, reduce costs, and provide the product at a better price in order to stay competitive and profitable at the same time.

If you are in dentistry, think about what intra-oral camera technology cost when it first came out. Today, better technology is available at a fraction of the cost. More competition produces more expertise in the market place. That expertise creates more ways to produce a better product at a better price. That is what continual improvement is all about. It is also why companies are always seeking out new technologies and products to produce.

So instead of being a victim of the Natural Law of Decreasing Prices, go with it.
Do the following to stay competitive and relevant in the market:

1. Be disciplined in the effort to control and drive down costs. Do you know what your true costs are? Do you have budgets for these costs? Do you have discussions with your team on how to control and cut those costs?

2. Find more ways to be more efficient without cutting quality. Other companies do it all the time.

3. Measure quality and efficiency. If you don’t know how to measure these things in a dental practice, it is high time you learned!*

4. Constantly be looking at new services you can add to your business or practice. The newest services always demand the highest prices. Over time they will decrease, so get in early before the competition.

5. Quit complaining and being a victim and wake up to reality. For some strange reason, there are some professions that think they are immune to natural laws in business. They’re not. So you can complain about it and lose, or go with it, get ahead, and win. Winning seems like a better choice!

* The Total Patient Service Institute measures a unique set of data points in dental practices so improvements can be made constantly in service, quality and efficiency.
To learn more, call the Total Patient Service Institute at 1-877-399-8677.

Is Your Practice a “Staples” or an "OfficeMax?"

2011-09-09T20:59:00.003-05:00

We are fortunate in our town because we have plenty of choices. When it comes to office supplies, for example, there is a Staples just 5 minutes away and an OfficeMax 7 minutes away. If that does not work, you can get to an Office Depot in 10.

I went into Staples recently looking for four items. I wondered around trying to find what I was looking for. When I finally found someone to ask for help, he pointed me in the general direction and gave me an isle number. When I got to checkout counter, I asked the clerk if they happened to carry any other computer speakers than the ones they had on display. She didn’t know, but she told me I could go ask one of the guys on the floor if I wanted to know. I chuckled. She looked at me. I simply told her that I did want to know and that is the reason I asked! She then proceeded to ring up my order incorrectly, twice, and never called for the guys on the floor to answer my question. I decided that the competition might be more worthy of my business so I thanked her and drove two more minutes to OfficeMax.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at OfficeMax and was greeted at the door by an OfficeMax associate who asked if he could help me find what I was looking for. I was expecting a pointed finger and an isle number, but got an escort instead. He walked me to every place in the store where I was looking and offered to order the computer speakers I was looking for but that they did not have in stock. It took me 1/3rd the time at Office Max as it did at Staples and I was glad I went. The clerk at checkout was courteous and efficient and I was out the door in no time. I even saved $10 over what I was going to pay at Staples.

Now I don’t know if I would find the same service at the OfficeMax 20 minutes away as I did at the one 7 minutes away. I don’t know if I would have received the same lousy service at Stapes at a different location either. All I know is that…

1. You are the brand when the customer is standing in front of you.

2. Brands are as strong as they are consistent. But if I only go to one location and that location always has good service, that brand to me is consistent.

3. When customer perception of the product is about the same, your biggest point of differentiation is service.

Ask your team today, are you a Staples or an OfficeMax? It all comes down to service. If you haven’t trained and re-trained on it over and over and over again, you are probably a Stapes. It rarely happens on accident.

Make sure to check out the upcoming ToPS Total Immersion dates at www.TotalPatientService.com. Bring your team. Take your service to the “Max” with the Total Patient Service difference. Otherwise you are bound to be Stapled!

Fraternity Rush and the Law of Harmony

2011-09-02T14:36:00.004-05:00

I like to start stuff! It probably started with the Legos I played with as a kid, before the days of kits with pre-designed models.

Early in my college experience I had the opportunity to start a chapter of the largest fraternity in the country. I jumped at the chance to create something new on our campus. It was a great experience that taught me many lessons of launching a new business.

The most distasteful part of the process, however, was fraternity rush. It was not the rushing part where each house is vying for their share of the incoming freshmen, so much as the vetting; sorting through the potential candidates to determine who would receive a “bid” or an invitation to join and who wouldn’t. Passing judgment on each rushee was a painful process.

As time has passed since that experience, I have come to appreciate more and more the rush process. It is very similar to hiring and building a team in your organization: generating potential team members to interview, screening, interviewing and then determining who you think will be the best fit for your team.

What you are looking for is the right “fit” because you know if the person you select is the right person, you tap into the Law of “Harmony” or the Law of the MasterMind which says: Two or more minds joined together in harmony form a third mind more powerful than the sum of the parts.

Harmony is a critical ingredient of “health” and growth. When there is harmony of purpose and process, there is momentum and progress. When there is disharmony, there is “dis-ease” and lack of progress.

I was in two offices yesterday that had just finished their best month ever. It was very evident why. There is a spirit of harmony in each where team members support team members and everyone is working in harmony to help each other accomplish the practice and goals. There is momentum because there is harmony, that allows for laser like focus on the unified purpose.

So if there is “dis – ease” in your team, ask yourself to what degree you have a unified purpose and harmony toward the goals you have set. The movement and momentum you experience toward your goal may very well be determined by the harmony you have on your team toward your unified purpose.

Why wrestlers should play basketball

2011-07-28T13:07:00.004-05:00

My sport of choice in high school was wresting. (I tried basketball but the height thing was a problem for me!) I must have been aching for punishment because wresting has to be one of the most physically demanding sports there is.

At the height of a particularly stressful period one season, our coach walked in with a serious look on his face and told everyone to get up to the basketball court upstairs. We all knew the worst was coming and were sure that he had some type of unbearable conditioning exercise planned. After dividing the entire team into groups of five, he pulled out the basketballs and said, “play ball” with a big smile on his face. For the next half hour we had a blast on the court. As we concluded, the coach simply said, “you were all getting way too serious and stressed out. Now let’s go back down stairs, and give it our best.” It was the perfect activity for the moment. It bonded us back together as a team and got us all back in the right frame of mind.

Every great organization has to strike the balance between skill building and motivation. There are some aspects of the business that require training, repetition, relentless skill building and improvement. On the other hand, we all need some inspiration and “motivation” from time-to-time. It is a balance. If there is too much of one or the other, the results don’t match up.

So if you feel like you have been down on the “mat” for too long and you are about to get “pinned,” gather the team together and go “shoot some hoops.” On the other hand, it may be time for some more serious practice on the “mat.” Every organization needs both on a regular basis. It is all about balance.

Why My Wife Doesn’t Have Periodontal Disease…

2011-07-17T10:56:00.002-05:00

If you have had any experience with me in a seminar or any other format, you know about my family. With seven children, there is always a lot to talk about.

This week I was relieved to discover a new way to know that Cheryl, my wife and mother of our 7, does not have periodontal disease.

A recent story on Fox News reported the findings of a scientific study that correlates periodontal disease to fertility problems. The study found that women who have periodontal disease take on average two more months to get pregnant than women who are healthy. With as many trips as we have made to the delivery room, Cheryl must be pretty healthy!

To view the Fox News segment, log onto: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1039185715001/

This most recent finding, along with all the others, keeps pointing to the same thing: What we are doing in dentistry has more to do with overall health than we have thought. If you have been to our ToPS “Total Immersion” course, you will remember how we talk about “4th Generation” patients. It is very clear to me that dentistry has moved from the 3rd to the 4th Generation…treating with the “whole” person in mind, not just their teeth.

Add to that the fact that patients today expect their dentist to address whole health issues, not just teeth issues. Patients get it. Medical research gets it. The media gets it. The profession as a whole needs to get it. “Getting it” means not only changing your mind set, but changing the way you interact with your patients.

One of the greatest steps any dental professional can take is to totally grasp the new paradigm of periodontal disease and its treatment. As mentioned in previous blogs, Dr. Tommy Nabors has spent most of his dental career and his childhood (really!) studying the nature of the disease. He and his team in Nashville have a unique perspective and approach that works. That’s why they are in the top 1% of offices nationwide in periodontal treatment effectiveness.

I begged Tommy to lift the lid on what he is doing and host a limited number of offices on August 26-27 at his practice in Nashville and share their “Secrets of Periodontal Therapy.” It will change the way you look at and treat your patients.

For more information and registration, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail, Answers@TotalPatientService.com

How I Know My Wife Does NOT Have Gum Disease!

2011-07-16T08:38:00.005-05:00

To view the Fox News segment, log onto: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1039185715001/

This most recent finding, along with all the others, keeps pointing to the same thing: What we are doing in dentistry has more to do with overall health than we have thought. If you have been to our ToPS “Total Immersion” course, you will remember how we talk about “4^th Generation” patients. It is very clear to me that dentistry has moved from the 3^rd to the 4^th Generation…treating with the “whole” person in mind, not just their teeth.

Add to that the fact that patients today expect their dentist to address whole health issues, not just teeth issues. Patients get it. Medical research gets it. The media gets it. The profession as a whole needs to get it. “Getting it” means not only changing your mind set, but changing the way you interact with your patients.

One of the greatest steps any dental professional can take is to totally grasp the new paradigm of periodontal disease and its treatment. As mentioned in previous blogs, Dr. Tommy Nabors has spent most of his dental career and his childhood (really!) studying the nature of the disease. He and his team in Nashville have a unique perspective and approach that works. That’s why they are in the top 1% of offices nationwide in periodontal treatment effectiveness.

I begged Tommy to lift the lid on what he is doing and host a limited number of offices on August 26-27 at his practice in Nashville and share their “Secrets of Periodontal Therapy.” It will change the way you look at and treat your patients.

For more information and registration, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail, Answers@TotalPatientService.com

The Tragedy of an Infection

2011-07-07T15:07:00.003-05:00

The tragedy at our local elementary school this spring was the husband of one of the third grade teachers who cut his finger at work. He washed it and put a small bandage on it. In fact, he washed it every day. It did not seem to get much better, but because it did not hurt, he just kept cleaning it until his wife, the teacher, insisted he go and have it checked out. By the time the lab results came back testing him positive for a staph infection, it had spread throughout his entire body and he ultimately passed away.

If only the wound had been checked and the lab test done earlier, he could have been treated for the staph infection in a timely manner and his life would have been saved.

The way this wound was initially treated is similar to how many patients, and frankly, many dental practices, treat periodontal disease. “Just clean it.” Unfortunately, just trying keeping the “wound” clean won’t take care of the ultimate problem.

How we think about periodontal disease and how it is treated has changed. It is no longer just site-specific. It is a systemic problem. Grasping the concept and emotionally embracing it is as big of a problem for some practitioners as it is for patients.

Making the shift requires several steps:
1. Totally understanding the true nature of periodontal disease and its systemic and total health consequences.

2. Having the right diagnostics in place, including Oral DNA, that will identify the type and severity of the systemic problem.

3. New treatment modules that address the “whole” problem, not just the localized problem.

4. Presentation and verbal skills that help patients make the shift and embrace the problem and what it will take on their part to treat it.

Earlier this year, I watched with amazement as this transformation took place in the professional lives of entire dental teams with which we work.

We invited Dr. Tommy Nabors and his dental team from Nashville to come spend the day presenting how they think about, approach, and treat periodontal disease in their practice. Within a few short hours, entire perspectives were changed and the teams walked out with a new commitment to treat the disease in a new, more comprehensive way. Over the months that have followed, I have observed that commitment come to life in the lives of the patients they treat. The teams have changed, and because they have changed, their patients changed as well.

Don’t miss a great opportunity to have your team experience the same thing on August 26-27, 2011 as Dr. Nabors and his team open their office to a few, select dental teams as they present their entire periodontal therapy program and how they use it every day in their practice. Their case acceptance results are just as impressive as their clinical results not to mention the fact that this team of three hygienists does over $1 million in hygiene production a year. It will change your perspective. It will change the lives of your patients. And with what we know about the far-reaching, total health consequences of periodontal disease it will save lives.

For more information on Dr. Nabors and his course, call 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com

How to make 10+10=100

2011-06-23T09:36:00.003-05:00

Having just finished our ToPS “Halftime” Round Table meeting where dentists from all over the country came together for two days of idea exchange and practice planning, I am reminded of simple math as follows:

10+10=100 but if you simply turn the + sign on its side you get an “X”. That minor change creates the following equation: 10x10=100. With very little effort, you get exponential results.

Those exponential results are experienced every time we have one of our Round Table meetings. 8 to 10 dentists have a set of facilitated discussion topics and exercises that help everyone share the best of what they are doing as well as explore new ideas and ways of doing things. The result is a new “frame” for the practice and new ideas to implement for better results.

Think about it. Just about every business leader is isolated in daily work. Working with employees and customers all day leaves a void of interaction with those who can relate to the real challenges faced in the business. But when two or more of those leaders come together to share experiences and exchange ideas, a dynamic is created in which problems are solved, ideas are generated, and new results are realized.

I challenge you to participate with us in our next ToPS Round Table meeting on December 1-3, 2011 in Dallas, Texas where those who are committed to being the best come together to become even better!

For more information, contact the ToPS Institute at 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Frances and the Dominican Republic

2011-06-10T10:23:00.007-05:00

Four years ago, we launched through the Crown Council and Smiles for Life Foundation an ambitious dental humanitarian project in the Dominican Republic with the goal of changing a culture. Each year we take four expeditions of Crown Council teams to the D.R. to work side-by-side with Dominican dentists and dental students to serve those in the country who have little or no access to dental care. For an up-close look you can visit www.CrownCouncil.Blogspot.com

The organizer and inspiration behind this ambitious project is Dr. Roy Hammond and his late wife Frances. Roy and Frances took me on my first dental humanitarian expedition in 2003 and I will never forget it and the lessons learned.

Toward the end of that trip, I remember many of us dragging. The days had been long, the weather was warm, and our energy levels were low. On that day, Frances Hammond came up to me and said, “I know we’ve worked on a lot of teeth during this week, but we didn’t come here to work on teeth, we came to work with people.”

We were scheduled that day to work at an orphanage for blind children many of whom had been abandoned by their parents. Our patients that day would never see us, they would never see the faces of the people helping them or working on their teeth. These children would only remember how we made them feel.

Frances gathered the dental team together for a “Morning Meeting” and reminded every one that dentistry isn’t about how many patients or procedures, the greatness of your technical expertise, or even teeth. That’s right. It’s not about teeth. It’s about the people and how they feel because we have been permitted to come into their lives.

That day, I watched in amazement as our exhausted team rallied around the true purpose of the mission, to serve people. I watched blind children feel the true care and concern from people they would never see with their eyes. It was a transforming experience that grounded me in the real purpose of service.

I have always been grateful for that lesson Frances taught all of us. She left a legacy behind when she passed away in 2009 that lives on in the work that continues in the Dominican Republic and the work that goes on every day in the practices that take the opportunity to serve there. They bring something back that positively influences the way they practice dentistry every day at home and the way they live their lives

So remember, it is not about the teeth. That’s a lesson that can be learned and relearned every day in every practice.

For more information on how you and your team can participate in the Crown Council’s dental humanitarian efforts, call: 1-800-276-9658 or e-mail Success@CrownCouncil.com.

Engagement

2011-05-27T13:38:00.008-05:00

A friend of mine recently got engaged. He and his fiancé will be married within the next month. It is refreshing to watch them because there are some lessons which we all need to be reminded of personally, as well as professionally.

When engaged to be married a person is:
Committed
Totally focused on the opportunity at hand, and
Not entertaining other offers!

Contrast those characteristics to a professional I met recently who said, “If I could find something else that paid as much as what I am doing now, I would quit what I am doing now. In fact, I am looking.”

This professional could have used some reminder lessons in “engagement.” Just look around the next time you go out to eat. There will usually be a couple sitting all by themselves, looking longingly into each other’s eyes, with no clue or awareness that there is anyone else in the room. They are either dating or engaged!

Look around a little more and you’ll see a guy who is totally into his PDA while his date’s eyes wander to find the man…she WISHED she had married!

When engaged to be married or engaged in work, the characteristics are the same. You…
Dream of how wonderful things are going to be,
Plan to make amazing things happen,
Dedicate your time and your energy to making it all work.

Failure to accomplish the end objective has more to do with engagement than perhaps any other characteristic. When you are engaged, your time, attention, thoughts, dreams, aspirations, plans, and nearly every waking moment is focused on making IT work. Whatever IT is.

So, get engaged! Recommit to your work with the same passion that my friend has for his upcoming marriage. With that level of commitment, everyone else will get out of your way so you can get to the alter. The alter of your accomplishment!

Who is your competition...REALLY???

2011-05-21T09:50:00.003-05:00

It is a question I ask groups nearly every week. Who is your competition? If you are in dentistry for example, you might make the mistake of saying that your competition is the dentist down the street. That kind of thinking might be seriously limiting your success.

Think about it:

· Over 50% of the people in any market do not go to the dentist on a regular basis.

· 80% of the population has some type of periodontal disease.

· You’re not everybody’s “cup of tea.” Not everyone is going to like your personal style or your way of doing business. They will go somewhere else. That is the bad news. The good news is that other people are not going to like the dentist down the street and would rather come to you.

“Competition” in a healthy sense of the word may be the best thing that can happen to any business for several reasons:

· To one extent, the more competitors there are, the more educated the market becomes and the more likely more people are to buy.

· Healthy “competition” creates the opportunity to differentiate and tailor your service to a more specific clientele that will be more satisfied because you are more closely serving their needs.

· “Competition” makes everybody better because you have to stay on top of your game to stay relevant.

I have always thought how much better dentistry would be if dentists, especially in the same market, were willing to share their clinical data. If they would compare and help each other improve clinically, the entire market would benefit as well as the patients in it. Besides, patients rarely make the decision about their dentist based on clinical quality. Unfortunately, they are not very good judges of clinical quality of care. Quality is the moral and ethical responsibility of the dentist.

So think of the vast untapped market of patients that are waiting to be served. In most markets, there is plenty to go around for everyone if you are properly positioned and move forward with a defined purpose instead of being threatened by the “competition.”

The Opposite of an Idea

2011-05-14T05:08:00.008-05:00

Today while speaking in Colorado Springs, a dentist came up to me at the break and thanked me for improving his golf game! I questioned him since we had said nothing about golf. He shared that he had always tended toward putting short. He realized that the biggest reason was because he always said to himself while putting, “Don’t land short.”

The principle we discussed was the fact that you can’t focus on the opposite of an idea. By telling himself NOT to land short, the only thought he really heard was, “Land short.”

If I say to you, “Don’t think of the Statue of Liberty,” you can’t do that either. The mere mention of those to words, Statue and Liberty, and the image immediately pops into your mind.

Consider always talking and thinking in terms of what you WANT, not what you DON’T want. Turn “I don’t want to run late” to “I hope we run on time.” Turn “The problem is that nobody shows up” to “We want more people to show up.”

Tell yourself and others what you want to make happen. When you do, you create a picture in your own mind and the mind of others of what the most desirable outcome is. And when you do, every mind will respond by working on how to make that happen.

It all starts with the picture that you paint with your words. So paint carefully so you get want you ultimately want.

What’s Your Guarantee?

2011-04-29T09:13:00.007-05:00

The article “Is Your Dentist Ripping You Off” http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/is-your-dentist-ripping-you-off-2476643/
that appeared on Yahoo this week written by Sarah Lorge Butler for CBS Money Watch, quotes Matthew Messina, DDS , a “spokesperson” for the ADA. Since Dr. Messina’s recommendations take up the vast majority of the article, he might as well have written it himself!

In the article, Dr. Messina gives seven suggestions for patients when they are “shopping around” for dental work. (Good luck with that one by-the-way, but that is a whole other topic.) Suggestion number 6 in the article is: “Is the work guaranteed? Messina says five to seven years is typical for a crown. Will your dentist stand behind his or her work for that time?”

Typical? Really? So what is your “guarantee?” Do you guarantee your crowns for five to seven years? I would like to see the survey on that! It is an interesting statement coming from a spokesperson from the ADA.

Here are some facts:

If you are going to “guarantee” anything, you better be very, very clear and you better have it in writing. Any legitimate guarantee has provisions that validate or invalidate the guarantee. For example, would you guarantee your crown for 7 years if the patient came in and never came back to see you or any other dentist for 5 years and then showed up wanting you to replace it because there was some type of problem? That would be the equivalent to your car manufacturer saying that they would guarantee everything in your car for 7 years, even if you never changed the oil or did routine maintenance.

I get nervous when any dentist starts flippantly throwing the word guarantee or warranty around. It carries with it a heavy responsibility and liability if you don’t know what you are doing.

For example, a practice in one of the largest cities in the country widely advertised, in print, a “life-time guarantee” on all of their work. They did this for years. Now imagine when they try to sell the practice. They have created what is called a “contingent liability” meaning that the buyer is assuming the liability for all of the potential repairs, remakes, and redo’s that may come back to the practice in the future. It could amount to thousands and thousands of dollars of work for which the purchasing doctor could have to do. That fact alone will make the practice virtually unsellable. It is bad practice and bad business.

When I ask most dentists if they “guaranty” their work, there is usually a pause and I get a weak answer like, “”Well, yes. We stand behind our work.” But when the questions get more pointed, the dentist gets more uncomfortable.

Take Dr. Steve Titensor for example. Dr. Titensor practices in Flowermound, Texas just outside of Dallas. Steve is a highly qualified cosmetic and implant dentist. Patents come to him for full-mouth cosmetic work as well as extensive implants. Several years ago, one of Dr. Titensor’s patients, who had his entire mouth redone, had an accident that fortunately resulted in no permanent damage to his body or his smile. The event, however, did raise some questions in his mind. During his next dental visit, he started asking some pointed questions. “Do you guarantee your work?” “For how long?” What if I get in a bar fight and break my veneers? Is that guaranteed?” The questions went on and Dr. Titensor started to get visibly nervous. He, like most dentists, had always stood behind his work. But when it got down to the specifics of what it meant and to what extent, things got a little more fuzzy!

From that conversation, Dr. Titensor and his patient created the first, third-party warranty in dentistry.
Dental Warranty Corp, (www.DentalWarrantyCorp.com) is the only third party warranty program that stands behind the work a dentist does for an extended period of time. No matter if the dentist leaves or sells the practice or if the patient moves to a different part of the country, the work is still covered. It protects the patient and the practice.

Here are the advantages:

1. The patient is 100% clear on what he or she can expect in case anything goes wrong with the dental work that was done. It is all in writing and backed by a third party.

2. If the patient moves to a different part of the country, the work is still covered.

3. If the covered restorative work has to be repaired or replaced, not only is the lab work covered, but the chair time is covered as well up to the amount that the patient originally paid for the work. In other words, the dentist gets paid for repairing or replacing the work where in the past, the dentist was working for free to make the repairs.

4. The practice builds an asset instead of a contingent liability. With all restorative patients being covered, the purchasing dentist is paid through the warranty for any repairs or remakes on work done by the previous dentist.

5. Preserved relationship. The patient is more loyal to the practice because the guidelines and expectations are clear for the future in case anything happens.

6. Peace-of-mind for both the practice and the patient because everyone knows what to expect in case of the unexpected.

So if you want a higher standard of care that protects your patient and the practice, the third-party warranty from Dental Warranty Corp. is THE highest standard of care available today.

For more information on Dental Warranty Corp. visit www.DentalWarrantyCorp.com or call 1-877-452-2009

Secrets of Being a Mentor

2011-04-23T10:30:00.011-05:00

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is no such thing as a “self-made” man or woman. We are all the product of the people we have met, the books we have read, and the mentors from whom we have learned. Sharing what we have learned with others is one of the responsibilities of the learned. Once you possess, it is in the giving away that you gain even more.

In Latin, “qui docet dicit” means, “who teaches, learns.” In other words, the best way to learn more is to teach and share what you already know. Thus comes the wisdom and benefit of mentoring others.

Here are some tips for being a good mentor, no matter your age:

Be open. Look for those who are looking. There are sincere seekers of truth everywhere. Be aware of them. Watch for the look on their face. Be on the lookout for their questions. Be receptive to their inquiries.

Be interested. Find out what the other person’s hopes and dreams are. Find out the direction he or she has identified. The most valuable learning takes place when it is relevant to the situation of the student. Find out what matters most to him or her.

ASK. We are generally more convinced by the things we have discovered on our own than by the things pointed out to us by others. It is in the asking that others discover. Ask questions like, “Have you ever considered…? What would happen if…? ”Would it make sense if…? Have you ever heard of…?” Questions are the key that opens the mind.

Share, don’t advise. The best mentors share the wealth of their experience and what they have learned from it. They never, however, advise the other person what to do. That is for the mentored to decide. No one knows the exact situation that exists better than the person in it. Give that person the best of your wisdom. Then leave the personal responsibility to decide how it applies to the mentored. Besides, you don’t want the responsibility for their actions anyway!

Be clear about your preferred method of communication. If someone is sincerely seeking your help, be clear on the best way to reach you. Phone, e-mail, text, etc. Don’t leave the person wondering the most appropriate way to reach you next.

Be prepared to learn a few things yourself! You can’t share without learning something from the person with whom you are sharing. Each year at our LEAP program for high school and college students (www.LEAPfoundation.com) we hold a Mentor Round Table session where top professionals from different fields come in to be interviewed by the students. The students sit one-on-one with the mentors and can asking them anything they want in order to learn more about their profession, their success and how they accomplished it. Last summer we had as one of our mentors, the most successful residential real estate agent from one of the wealthiest areas of the country. The Mentor Round Table was a transformative experience for him. As the students interviewed him, one student in particular was inquisitive and bold. The student asked, “So where do you go from here? You are very successful at a very young age. What’s next? Is this it?” What that student did not know is that this particular mentor had been pursued by one of the largest brokerage firms in the country that was offering him the chance to lead their office in his city. It was a significant advancement in his career, but he had been putting it off for a reason he could not identify except that he was comfortable where he was. The pointed questions asked by this student pushed him over the edge. After the Mentor Round Table session, he drove back to his office, signed the offer and faxed it back to the company. He was on his way to the next step in his own career. He thought he was going to share and help young students that day. In turn, he learned something about himself that inspired him onto the next level in his own career.

You can’t help others without helping yourself. Make mentoring a more integral part of your life. You’ll be amazed at the difference it will make in the lives of others. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your own life!

The Art of Being Mentored

2011-04-15T18:29:00.002-05:00

“It is a lot easier to copy genius than it is to create mediocrity.” We’ve been saying that for years. Too many struggle too long with too little accurate information on what will make their business and/or their life successful. If they would just ASK an entire world would open up to them.

Over twenty years ago, I spent nearly a year going around the country interviewing people I thought were doing things that I might want to do for a career. College graduation was nearing and I was unsettled as to the exact place I should start. So, I started asking!

Sixty mentors later I had made up my mind. With all of the research I had done and all of the people I had talked to, there was no question in my mind what I should be doing. So I packed up my Volkswagon and traveled over 1,200 miles headlong into the adventure in which I am still engaged…life!

My first conclusion after one year of eagerly pursuing mentors was that there was no better educational experience anywhere than asking those who had done it. It is a habit that I follow to this day. In fact, you can catch at least one of my monthly mentor interviews every month on the Crown Council Mentor of the Month Program. (www.CrownCouncil.info)

Here are a few tips from experience that will make any mentor search more successful:

1. Look for those who have “done it.” Search for people with a proven track record of getting the kind of results you want. If you ask people who have failed at what you want to do, they will tell you what not to do. In fact, they will probably tell you that it can’t be done. Some of that may be useful information, but what you really want to know is how to do it successfully. You are better off asking someone who has done it so you can learn and understand what was done to make it happen.

2. Do your research. Know a lot about your mentor before you meet. Look them up on the internet and every other source you can find. Live by the Natural Law of Knowledge: “The more you know about them, the more they think you know about what you are doing.”

3. Get introduced by someone who has influence with the mentor you want to meet. How you are introduced to someone sets the stage for the entire relationship. If you try to make the approach on your own, it may be a long, up-hill battle. If someone that your mentor respects and trusts makes the introduction, you will be welcomed with ease.

4. ASK the right questions. Having done your research, you are in position to ask well-positioned “how” questions. “How did you do it?” Etc. Most of your research will have told you “what” the person has accomplished. What you want to know are as many details of the “how” as possible.

5. Pay promptly! Mentors share because they enjoy helping others with no strings attached. So there is no money involved. The pay you give a mentor is gratitude. Send a hand-written thank you card within 48 hours of your meeting. Then…

6. Follow up. The biggest compliment you can give a mentor is applying what he or she shared with you. From time-to-time send your mentor an e-mail or note with an update of how you have implemented what you learned from him. Doing something with what he shared with you is the highest form of flattery and gratitude.

7. Keep on asking. If you are applying what you learned, that opens the door to more opportunities to ask and learn. It is a continuous process if you manage and build the relationship.

Eight years ago, my then, 80 year old father, sent all of his children a letter that said in effect that a mentor of his had recently shared with him the fact that you never stop being a father. His mentor shared that with him. My dad was 80 at the time and he had mentors. He’s 88 today and he has mentors. He is learning and growing every day.

So no matter your age, continue the process of learning and growing by developing mentors. It may be some of the most powerful learning in which you will ever engage.

Managing Expectations

2011-04-08T09:09:00.005-05:00

It is Friday night. You and that special person in your life have decided that it has been way too long since you treated yourselves to a nice dinner out. You have a favorite restaurant that you have not been to in years. As you drive up, you realize that the parking lot is packed. You manage to find a parking place near the back of the parking lot, quite a distance from the front door. After you walk by the line of people waiting to be seated, you ask the question that has been on your mind from the moment you saw the crowded parking lot: “How long is the wait?”

The first response from the hostess will ultimately determine your ENTIRE experience in that restaurant for the evening. If she says 30 minutes and you end up only having to wait 25, she is a hero. You are pleasantly surprised. She has exceeded your expectations. Conversely, if she says 20 minutes, you are pleasantly surprised at first. But your pleasure soon turns to disappointment when you have not been seated after 30 min. You have to go up and ask her again and again. When you are seated after 45 minutes, you are saying to each other, “If we had known it was going to be this long, we would have gone somewhere else.” Your server is now going to spend the next ninety minutes trying to overcome your initial bad experience. You may never recover!

Managing expectations may be the most important responsibility that a hostess has. It paints the entire dining experience from the very beginning. It could determine whether the dining guest returns and refers. It is one of the most important first impressions. Keep in mind, it is not the wait time that matters, it is your perception of the wait time.

Contrast a skilled hostess at a fine restaurant who knows how to manage expectations to my experience with one of our local orthopedic surgeons. One of our daughters suffered from several fractured vertebrae last fall as a result of her intense workouts on the high school swim team. On one occasion, we checked into the immense waiting room at the surgeon’s office. After 45 minutes, our daughter started to get restless and said that she really needed to get back home to study for her exams the next day. I went to the receptionist and asked how much longer it would be. She said she would check. Fifteen more minutes with no response, I returned to the front desk and inquired again. A nurse soon came out and reprimanded me by saying that they had no idea how long it would be and that we would just have to wait. “She (the doctor) is an orthopedic surgeon and that is just the way it is. If you want to see her, you’ll just have to wait until she can get to you.” It was almost as if she was telling us that we should feel honored to be in the doctor’s presence. Somehow she had forgotten, or was not aware, of the dozens of choices we have of orthopedic surgeons within five miles of their office. By the time we finally saw the doctor after nearly two hours of waiting, our expectations were so shattered that we could hardly hear anything the doctor said.

Managing expectations is one of the clear points of differentiation between surgeons who get sued and those who don’t. Surgeons who don’t get sued are very good about using “orienting comments” to always manage patients’ expectations. They say things like, “The first thing we are going to do is review your x-rays and MRI results. Then we will do an exam and talk about your treatment options.” In other words, they are good at looking ahead and letting the patient know what he or she can expect next from the experience. That simple information has the power to transform the experience into a positive one.

Every day, in every business, managing expectations is one of the keys to a “yes.” Even if the experience is going to be less that what I originally expected, the use of orienting comments can keep my perceptions positive.

For example, imagine how I felt the other day when I received a phone call about 45 minutes before my scheduled dental appointment. Desiree, the appointment coordinator, greeted me and said, “Mr. Anderson, we have had a patient that needed a little extra care this morning so we are running a little behind. We are going to be able to get started with you about 30 minutes after your scheduled appointment time. Do you have some errands you need to run on your way to our office? We respect your time and want to make sure this works for you. We should be able to have you seated at 1:30 and have you out by 2:30 PM. How does that work for you?”

First, the disappointment of not being seen on time is overshadowed by the advance notice and the demonstration of respect for my time. Managing my expectations results in my being even more enthusiastic about my choice of a dental office. I’m going to tell everyone!

Managing expectations on the front end is just the start of using orienting comments. Their use is important throughout the entire client experience. Even though you go through the same routine with every patient every day, the patient has not had that experience. Let them know what they can expect. The motto in the office should NOT be “no unpleasant surprises.” It should be “No Surprises” at all. If the patient knows what to expect every step along the way, he or she will be more satisfied and more inclined to repeat and refer.

Every day, with every client, customer, patient or whatever you call the people with whom you do business, ask yourself in advance, “What is this person most likely expecting?” How can I manage those expectations to make sure he or she has a positive experience? That one skill may be the only difference between an enthusiastic client who repeats and refers and the person who never returns.

Make it Easy

2011-03-25T15:08:00.005-05:00

Here is a simple leadership truth to live by:

Make it easy for people to do what you want them to

do and

hard for them to do what you don’t what them to do.

That simple truth can be applied to just about every area of practice and life and when you abide by it, it will make everything so much easier for you.

The best illustration of this is in setting up the systems in your practice to make it easy for patients to keep their commitments and hard for them to no show or cancel.

Here are just a few examples:

1. Separate the time of payment from the time of service so patients don’t get the “financial flu” on the day of treatment. (Easier to show up on the day of treatment.)

2. Change the message on your appointment card to emphasize their commitment to you and the appointment time instead of “inviting” them to cancel 24 hours in advance. (Easier to keep their commitment. See: “The Best Cancellation Policy.”)

3. And change your after-hours phone message to say: “If you have a dental emergency or a conflict with your scheduled appointment, please call the doctor at 777-7777. This system is not monitored for scheduling changes.” (Hard to cancel an appointment.)

There are many more specific applications in the area of cancellations, but let’s take a look at other areas of the practice where you can make it easier for patients do to what you want them to do and hard to do what you don’t want them to do.

Sometimes it is as simple as making small changes in the way you present things:

1. Instead of giving someone a “chance” to do something, give them a “choice” to do one of two things, either one of which would work just fine for you. For example, instead of saying, “Can you come in on Monday?” Ask would Monday at 10 AM or 2 PM be more convenient for you? Or instead of asking them “if” they want fluoride treatment, ask, “Would you like mint or grape flavored fluoride today?”

2. Make it easy to say “yes” with a clear plan of action. Instead of presenting multiple options with the pros and cons of each that will only give the person too many things to think about and weigh in their mind, you can say instead, “Can I share with you what I would do if this were my mouth that would be the best course of action based on what you said you wanted?”

3. Instead of making a request, ask for a commitment. Instead of the hygienist making a request when doing the homecare demonstration by saying “It is important to brush and floss every day,” the hygienist can ask for a commitment by asking, “Will you bush and floss every day?”

Finally, make it easy for the team to do what they ought to do and hard to do what they shouldn’t do.

1. Instead of having to go through the office rounding everyone up to come to the morning meeting, set an alarm clock for 3 minutes before the start of the meeting in a place that will be heard all over the office. Then everyone knows they have 3 minutes to get to the meeting and you don’t have to hound everyone. Plus, you will start on time.

2. Want the bathrooms in your office to be spotless throughout the day? Create the same chart log that many restaurants and airports use that is signed with the time by the person who cleaned and tidied up the bathroom last and then give a small reward each week to the team member whose name appears the most on the log. (The log does not have to be posted in the bathroom.)

3. Do you want every team member to come to the morning meeting with a more positive attitude with which to start each day? Make the first item on your morning meeting agenda “The best thing that happened in our office yesterday,” and let everyone know that they may be called on to share at any given day. That way, everyone will be thinking of the good things that happened yesterday as they drive to work each day.

If there is anything that you are trying to make work better, patients that you would like to be more cooperative, or a frustration with something or someone, just remember, “Make it easy for people to do what you want them to do and hard for them to do what you don’t what them to do.” It is a simple formula for success.

Make sure to join us for an upcoming special webinar with dozens of ways to make it easier for your patients to say “yes” on Tuesday, April 5 at Noon Central. It is FREE to all Crown Council member offices. For more information and registration, just e-mail us at Answers@TotalPatientService.com.

Dealing with the DIFFICULT Patient

2011-03-19T10:37:00.003-05:00

Challenge
Years ago we had a bookkeeper that was “difficult.” (Or so I thought.) It seemed like every time I presented any type of idea to her, she found multiple reasons why it would not work or why it was not a good idea. For example, one day I was talking with her and suggested that it was probably time to hire another team member in the accounting department because we were growing and the amount of work was expanding. She immediately responded that she was too busy already and had no time to train and manage yet another person. It would be easier to just do the work herself. That is how it went with just about every conversation we had.

All of us have had at least one fellow team member or multiple patients like this. It seems like no matter what we say, they take the opposing point of view to the extent that we label them as being “negative.” If it is a patient, it is the one that no matter the treatment plan, he or she comes up with multiple concerns including why the timing is not right and why the treatment won’t work because…

The truth is that these “negative” people are not negative at all. They are just “wired” differently.

Everyone “sorts” or organizes information differently. Some people “sort” information by “likes” and some by “difference.” Those who sort by “likes” organize things by how they are “like” other things. If you give them an idea, they immediately think of all of the other things they can think of that are similar or “like” it.

Those or sort by “differences” or opposites immediately think of how things are opposite or different from what they are hearing. If you give them an idea, they immediately think of how it is different from what they know to work. For example, you suggest a new marketing idea to the team. An opposite sorting team member will immediately share the challenges and difficulties with this idea by saying things like, “that won’t work because…, I used to work in a practice that tried that and it did not work, the office down the street tried that and it was a disaster!” Having an opposite sorter in the room when you are working on new ideas presents some challenges! Presenting treatment to an opposite sorter is tough as well unless you know how.

Solution
After several years of working with the bookkeeper on our team, I realized that she was an opposite sorter. (It takes me awhile sometimes!) As soon as I came to that realization, I immediately changed my approach. I went into her office the next day and said, “I was thinking yesterday and had this crazy idea. In fact, it is so crazy, I am sure it won’t work.” She asked what the idea was. I said that that I did not want to waste her time with useless ideas that would not work, but I was thinking that adding another team member in the accounting department might lighten the load for everyone and help us be more responsive to our customers. I concluded by saying that it would probably take too much time to train and manage a new person so it would not be feasible. With that, I turned and started walking out of her office. But she would not let me leave. “Wait a minute,” she said. And then she started listing all of the reasons why it was a good idea and how we could make it work!

Because she is wired to think of opposites, she immediately took the opposing side. That is how she thinks. And it is good that she does. As an accountant, she spends her days analyzing and making sure there are no numbers out of place. If she sorted by likes, there would probably be multiple accounting errors every day.

Let’s go to the treatment room. You suspect that you have a patient in the chair that sorts by opposites. Nothing you say seems to connect. He or she takes the opposite point of view on everything you present. To make progress, just agree by saying, “You may be right! This may not work for you.” Then start listing all the reasons why it may not work. If the person is a true opposite sorter, he or she will immediately jump to the other side and start talking about how it will work!

Caution
There are few people who are “pure” opposite or sameness sorters. Most have a mixture of both so proceed with caution. But the next time you find yourself frustrated with what you previously thought was a “negative” person, remember that he or she may be sorting the information received differently than you are. The moment you take the correct approach, you may find that the “difficult” person is not difficult at all! He or she just thinks “differently” than you do!

The Best Cancellation Policy

2011-03-10T09:10:00.018-06:00

I get asked a lot about what the best cancellation / no-show policy is. After 20 years of research and trial and error, here it is…

But before it is revealed, let me share some secrets!

1. Most “policies” are born out of frustration with poor customer behavior. Just take a look at the front office window of your typical physician. It is littered with the policies of the day like: “Payment is expected on day services are performed.” “You must fill out updated insurance information on EVERY visit.” “We no longer accept checks.” Etc., etc. Whatever the policy, the underlying message is usually, “Our customers think so little of us and treat us so badly, we have had to come up with a checklist of do’s and don’ts to survive.”

2. It is a funny thing about life. You most often get what you expect. If the message you send with all of your “policies” is that your patients’ behavior is pretty bad, you’ll most likely get more of it! Every policy sends a message of what “most patients do.” Since people tend to follow the crowd, every policy sends the message of what the crowd tends to do or wants to do.

3. You can’t focus on the opposite of an idea. If I told NOT to think of the Statue of Liberty, it would be impossible not to do it. The mere mention of the object immediately creates an image in your mind that you cannot erase unless you replace it with a different image or different idea. Translation: you can’t talk about NOT cancelling without planting the seed of a cancellation.

Here’s the bottom line: Let’s say your “cancellation policy” is that patients must call your office 24 hours in advance to cancel or change an appointment or they will be charged a fee. Guess what? That is not a “cancellation policy” or prevention tactic. It is a cancellation invitation. Why? Because you just said to your patients, “When you make a commitment to an appointment, it is really not a commitment until the day of the appointment. So change it any time! Make us crazy so we have to constantly try to fill the appointment book at the last minute.”

So what’s the best “cancellation policy?" No cancellation policy at all! Crazy? Maybe. But before you dismiss the idea, consider the following:

What if you raised your expectations of what you expect from your patients by expecting the best. For example, instead of your appointment card having your “cancellation policy” it says instead:

“You have a confirmed reservation with (Name of your office.) (Name of patient), your reserved appointment is on: (Day), (Date), (Time). Please mark this important appointment on your calendar today. We look forward to seeing you at this time that has been reserved especially for you.”

What’s the underlying message here? “We are making a commitment to you, we know that you are making the commitment to us, and we know we can count on you.” That is a higher level of relationship than telling someone you are going to charge him or her when or if there is a no-show or cancellation. It places you in a higher-level category in their mind, separating you from any other dental office they may have been to in the past.

Finally, what kind of relationship do you have or do you want to have with your patients? If your goal is to have a relationship of trust and respect, then create it. For example, if you set a lunch date with a trusted friend or mentor, you would never consider sending them an email or text that says: “I’m really busy so if you don’t show up or change this at the last minute, I am sending you a bill for the lunch anyway!” You would never do that to someone you respect. You might consider the same for your patients. How much do you really respect them? If the answer is “not much,” your patients probably don’t respect you or your practice much either.

So as you reconsider your “cancellation policy,” have a conversation with the entire team about what you really believe about your patients and their behavior. What do you expect from them? What would happen if you raised your expectations? Would they respond accordingly.

Consider it and raise your expectations. You may be surprised how your patients treat you better!

Make it happen!

P.S. Your “Cancellation Policy” and wording on your appointment card are all part of a much more extensive plan to “Stop Cancellations” including verbal skills for everyone on the team, “confirmation call” wording, and how to handle “frequent offenders.” For more information on how to “Stop Cancellations” contact the Total Patient Service Institute team at 1-877-399-8677 or Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Why Didn’t My Previous Dentist Tell Me About This?

2011-02-24T12:36:00.002-06:00

If you have ever heard that question from a new patient, you have probably wondered about the best response. While it depends on the patient, there are some clear things to do and not do.

Here’s some quick tips…

Any patient who asks this question is coming from one of two places.
1. They are questioning you and whether or not to trust you based on the good relationship they had with their previous dentist.
2. They are surprised and angry at their old dentist.

For the purposes of this discussion, let’s say it is situation #1. Trust!

Trust in a “low trust” situation comes from understanding, not just from your clinical expertise. That is the first trap. If you immediately respond by justifying your diagnosis or bad-mouthing the other guy, your credibility immediately goes in the dumpster.

Instead, listen to what the patient has to say and make sure he or she knows you understand. It all starts with the questions you ask in response.

For example:
“It sounds like you are surprised at what you found out today. Tell me about that.”

“This was not the news you were expecting when you came in today. Am I right?”

“Based on what we looked and discussed together, what concerns you the most?”

As they continue to express their concerns, continue reflecting back what you hear.

For example:

“It sounds like you are concerned about all the potential damage that has been done when you had no idea this was going on?”

“So you would have done something about this had you known. Am I right?”

“You are wondering why this is coming to light now when you were just at your other dentist six months ago. Is that it?”

When you feedback what the patient is trying to communicate to the point that they know you understand, the dynamic changes. Until you can both agree that you have identified the real concern, there will be no real progress toward a mutual resolution.

So…before you jump in with your well-explained defense of your clinical background and expertise, lend a listening ear. Make sure you understand the real concern AND make sure the patient knows and feels that you understand him or her. Then and only then do you have the green light to proceed with a possible solution.

Four Magic Words

2011-02-12T23:12:00.002-06:00

February 14, 2011 marks the 105^th birthday of my grandmother “Nana.” While she passed away in the mid 80’s she has been a positive lasting influence in my life. She was and continues to be one of my favorite people.

Here’s why…

As a young man in my early teens, I would ride my bicycle over the Nana’s house about a mile and a half away and spend an afternoon or morning each week mowing her lawn, pulling her weeds and sprucing up the place. Nana had severe arthritis that made it difficult for her to move around much. She was always so grateful for the help and let me know by always having a big plate of cookies and milk waiting for me at her kitchen table when I finished. We would sit together as I ate the cookies and talk about anything: politics, school, sports, or the news. She was a great conversationalist, as the years in age that separated us seemed to evaporate away in the conversation. Before I left, it seemed she would always ask for some help with what were simple tasks to me, but difficult for her like opening a bottle or reaching a box on a shelf. I walked out of Nana’s house an inch or two taller for having been with her.

On Memorial Day as a freshman in high school, the phone rang and my dad hurriedly drove over to her house. He tenderly carried her out of the house in his arms as only a son can that loves and respects his mother and rushed her to the hospital. In just a few short days, she was gone. Days later after I helped carry her casket out of the church at the conclusion of the funeral services and helped place it in the hearse, I stood next to my dad and started to cry. I’ll never forget what he said in that moment. He put his arm around me and said, “It’s OK to cry.” In that moment I realized that I didn’t just miss my grandmother, I missed my friend.

In the years since, I have reflected back on that relationship and wondered, how did an 80+ year-old woman capture the heart of a teenage boy? One of the critical ingredients was simply this: She allowed me to help her. We like the people we help. In fact, a Natural Law states “People like you better when they are helping you than when you are helping them.” Think about it, when someone asks for your help, it is a subtle compliment. They think enough of you and what you have to offer, that they invite you into their life to add something that they can’t do themselves. It is a sign of humility and vulnerability that compels us to like the person we are helping just a little bit more.

The story is told of how Benjamin Franklin befriended a political adversary. Because Franklin knew that the man had an extensive personal library, he sent him a note asking if he could borrow a certain book Franklin was certain that he had. He happily agreed and eagerly cooperated. From that day forward, the relationship changed. The man became more affable toward Ben. They seemed to agree more than disagree all because Ben did one of the most powerful things a person can do…he asked for help.

I love to watch young children because they provide insight into the deep seeded human psychology! Notice, for example, how the face of a child brightens when asked “Would you like to help?” It is a compliment. It is an expression of the value you place on their worth as a person and what they have to offer. It is hard not to like the people who ask us for our help.

So, whether you are working to build a better relationship with a fellow team member, client, family member, or your kids, four of the most powerful words you can utter are “I need your help” or “Could you help me?” The effect is powerful. The impact? Long-lasting.

So, could I have your help as you read this? Go ask someone for his or her help. You’ll be amazed at the response and what it adds to your relationship.

The Law of Integrity and how it applies to YOU

2011-01-29T14:16:00.003-06:00

If you have been in any of our seminars or presentations you know that I am a student of natural laws of nature and human behavior.

One of my favorites is the Law of Integrity that states: we want to be consistent with who we say we are. For example, if you have made a commitment to be somewhere for a friend and told your friend that you will be there, something inside of most people pulls them very hard in the direction of fulfilling that commitment. Similarly, if I have proclaimed that I am affiliated with a certain political party, I will have a tendency to act in ways that are consistent with how people of that persuasion are supposed to act. The Law of Integrity also has far-reaching implications in how you interact with your clients as well as how you interact with yourself.

Here’s the powerful, personal application…

Any student of success knows that a fundamental requirement of success is to make sure that your goals are written down. That is well known. What is not so well known is why. Enter the Law of Integrity. Think about it. When you write something down like a goal, you are making a proclamation that you are or are going to be a certain way or do a certain thing. The moment it goes down in writing, the Law of Integrity kicks in and goes to work bringing your actions in harmony with the commitment. Does it happen over night or in an instant? No. It takes time, but the accumulation of small and large acts alike over a period of time creates results. Those results are going to closely match the written statement of your goals if they are kept in focus over the long run.

So if you are really serious about a future outcome, put the Law of Integrity to work by writing down your goal. Review it every day. Then, while you go to work, the power of the Law of Integrity will be at work for you, quietly guiding your thoughts and actions to bring you closer to your goal.

Common or Uncommon Problems

2011-01-22T15:56:00.003-06:00

One of the core values of the ToPS Institute and the Crown Council is the value of mentors and the idea that it is better to “copy genius than it is to create mediocrity.”

To that end, each year I go on a quest for new mentors and new ideas. One of the most fertile grounds is outside dentistry where I find things that are working that would apply well to another situation.

My first idea/mentor quest of the year took me to Las Vegas, NV where I had the unique opportunity to sit down one-on-one with the CEO’s of three of the top hotels on the strip. Not only are these guys hard to corral, even when you do, it is hard to get them to open up. But open up they did. The things they shared could fill volumes, but there is one concept that really struck home that is immediately implementable by any leader of any business TODAY!

Here it is…

Imagine your leadership responsibility being that of heading a multi-million dollar enterprise that combines alcohol, gambling, and some other of most lethal sins of man. (I don’t think I need to explain in more detail!) Managing the every-day crisis and disasters would take up one’s full time as well as one’s capacity to handle stress.

In pressing these CEO’s for details, the CEO of the one of the most prestigious properties on the strip simply said that the multitude of situations that have to be handled each day are unimaginable to most people. Each day is packed with tough calls and challenges. All of them have to do with people. But it is just part of the job. It comes with the territory. He said that every day he gets up knowing that he is going to have to deal with some of the most bizarre people problems on the plant. So early on, he set up the management systems to handle the typical, every day variety problems. We will call them “common” problems. With systems and qualified associates in place to handle common problems, it frees him up to deal with only the “uncommon” problems that require a higher level of sophistication and judgment. It is a common sense management idea that is uncommonly practiced by most.

So what are your most common, every-day patient and team member problems? Do you have a system and the people in place to deal with these “common” problems or are you having to deal with every problem in your office like it has come along for the first time; like it is a “special problem.” If your leadership style is one that meets every problem that comes along like it is an “uncommon” problem, then you are worn out, burned out, and fed up. Living each day by dealing with EVERY problem like it is unique and different will wear out even the most gifted leader.

Here is a list of “common” problems for which a system should be designed and a person assigned in the office to deal with it:

Patient requests for a discount.
Patients who show up late or no-show.
Patients who don’t pay.
Lab work that is not back for an upcoming patient.
Broken equipment or equipment that needs repair.
Quantity of supplies to order.
Patients who complain that their insurance did not pay, etc.

Now you add to the list…

With the “common” and “uncommon” problem idea in mind, remember that sometimes the most alarming patient problems can be solved with a little personal attention from the doctor. Some patients just want an audience from the “boss.” They want to feel special. Others just want their problem solved.

So make your list of common and uncommon problems today. The common problems are easy to identify because you deal with them so frequently. That’s when you need to get to work on the solution and the system for handling that problem easily in the future.

Make your leadership role more enjoyable. Find common solutions to common problems and delegate the solution so you only have to deal with the “uncommon” problems that only come a long every once-in-a while. That’s your job as the leader. That’s the way to run a responsible business that works for you instead of you having to work for it all the time.

Natural Law of Cooperation

2010-12-18T21:46:00.003-06:00

Life is full of what I call natural laws. The natural laws of human behavior are similar to natural laws in physics and nature. Gravity for example, is a natural law. What goes up must come down. In life, if you attempt to violate a natural law, there are consequences. You don’t break the natural law. It breaks you. The same applies with natural laws of human behavior.

So here is a critically important natural law of human behavior. It is what I call the Law of Cooperation. It says that someone needs to be the partner with whom that patient can work to get what he or she wants. In other words, someone needs to cooperate with the patient to be on his or her side to help facilitate a solution to whatever the problem or desire might be.

Sounds simple, right? WRONG!

Too often, there are huge barriers that stand in the way of abiding by the Law of Cooperation. Here are just a few:

Obstacles:

Thinking that it is all about the teeth. It is easy to get trapped into thinking that dentistry is about teeth! No so. What patients want is a solution to their total problems, not just their dental problems.

Lack of listening: Do you really hear what your patients are saying? Or do you just cut to the chase to go after whatever the diagnosis indicates that the patient “needs?” Remember, we all do what we want to do, but not necessarily what we need to do.

TELLING instead of ASKING. Telling the patients what we have to offer instead of first asking them what they are looking for only leads to frustration and low acceptance.

The True Test:
If you want to know if you are abiding by the Law of Compensation, just ask yourself, “Am I helping the patient get what he wants, or am I just trying to get him to do what I want him to do.”

Cooperation starts with mutual understanding. If you literally feel like you are sitting on the same side of the table with your patient helping her get what she wants, they you are abiding by the Law of Cooperation.

For the most up-to-date skills to help every team member achieve the highest level of case acceptance, make the “Total Immersion” course by the Total Patient Service Institute part of your 2011 continuing education plan. For dates and locations, go to www.TotalPatientService.com

VIP Service?

2010-11-19T22:17:00.003-06:00

Question: How do you know if you are really providing “V.I.P. Service” to your patients?

Having concluded our ToPS Total Immersion course in Las Vegas last week, we were checking out of one of the big name hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. This place is so big that it has three registration and checkout areas in three different parts of the hotel for guest convenience.

Over the several days that we were there, I noticed that the “front desk” and taxi stand on one side of the building was less busy than at the front of the hotel. So I strategically planned our escape when were ready to checkout and get to the airport. We naturally went where we would not have to stand in line and wait. And we were right! There was no line at the taxi stand. The only problem was, there were no taxis either! (And no hotel employee to seen anywhere.) We waited for a few minutes. No taxi and no bellman.

I ran inside the hotel and into the place I was sure could solve my taxi problem. “V.I.P. Services.” After all, these are the guys and gals who know how to jump to attention and make it happen for the hotel’s high rollers, right? I told them the situation and asked if they could call a cab. “There are cabs out there,” they said. I pointed outside through the window so they could see for themselves. “Just ask the bellman,” they said. “There is no bellman,” I explained for the second time. “Then you’ll just have to walk to the front of the hotel to get a cab,” was their solution. (That’s quite the hike mind you.) Keeping my cool, I asked if there were any way they could pick up the phone, call the bell desk at the front of the hotel and tell them that a cab was needed at the taxi stand on the other side of the hotel. “Oh, yes! I guess we could do that,” they responded.

Answer: If your customer is the one making suggestions as to how you can provide V.I.P. Service, you’re not providing it!

Providing “V.I.P. Service” is about thinking on your feet. It’s about coming up with a way to solve the other person’s problem without being told. It’s about being a little creative. It’s about taking initiative.

Over one hundred years ago, author Elbert Hubbard defined “initiative” as “doing the right thing without being told.” Providing the right kind of V.I.P. Service requires initiative.

So what initiative would you take in these every day situations that are opportunities to provide V.I.P. Service?

· An “emergency” patient calls and there are no openings in the schedule today.

· A patient really wants to start treatment, but doesn’t have all the money and doesn’t qualify for third party financing.

· A busy mom just can’t seem to remember the appointments she sets in your office.

· You have a patient scheduled in one hour for whitening and you just discovered you have no whitening kits left in the office.

Every day presents opportunities to use your initiative to provide “V.I.P. Service.” It all starts with simply asking yourself, “how can I make this work right now.” That’s the kind of thinking that every office could use more of every day. It’s the kind of thinking that makes “ordinary” patients feel like V.I.P. patients who will tell everyone they know about you as a result.

Too many options?

2010-11-13T10:09:00.002-06:00

A quick visit to the pharmacy this week turned into a major problem. Cheryl, my wife, needed some cough drops. Her brand of choice? Ricola. Easy enough, right? Wrong. When I found the display, I was immediately distraught. There were multiple options to choose from: Original, Cherry, Lemon, Honey, Green Tea, Mixed Berry, and then many of the same flavors in sugar free, menthol, and Echinacea. Good grief! I thought this was going to be easy. Not wanting to disappoint Cheryl, I immediately called her to go through all the options: flavor, sugar or sugar free, menthol or not, Echinacea or not. “Forget it,” she said. “Just get me some Dayquil!”

And such is life. Sorting through too many options creates too much stress so we opt for the less stressful route – no decision at all!

Now let’s step back into the dental office. How many treatment options are you giving your patients? One, two, three…five?

In an effort to try and find something that will work for the patient, many make the mistake of presenting too many options. Science has proven that the greater number of options we have to choose from, the less of a chance we have of making any type of decision. It is too confusing. It takes too much effort. It is too stressful. Since we are all susceptible to natural laws, we revert to the natural law that is stronger than choice: The Law of Least Resistance. “Matter tends to take the course of least resistance.” In other words, water flows down hill. We all tend to take the course of least resistance. Rather than sort through the mental process of options and alternatives, we look for the easiest way out…no decision at all.

Take the better path of a clear, recommended direction. Based on what you know about the patient, make a clear recommendation that makes sense to your patient tied to the benefits they are looking for.

The efficient way out for you is to just give the patient a lot of options because you have not done your research. The more effective way is to do your research, find out what matters most to the patient, and then make a solid recommendation that makes the most sense for the patient, their situation, and what they want.

Isn’t that the better option? It’s the only option that makes sense.

A Financial Arrangements Secret

2010-10-23T16:50:00.002-05:00

For years, we have talked about the “15 System” which says, after the 15^th impression or request, 90% of patients or prospects will say “yes.”

Here’s the statistics:

After you have ASKed...

4 times – 20% will say “yes”

8 times – 50% will say “yes”

12 times – 70% will say “yes”

15 times – 90% will say “yes”

That is a lot of ASKing. The tragedy is that 80% of the people QUIT asking after the first request. In other words, we ASK far too little and not often enough.

Here is a direct example and application in the dental office.

One of the most challenging tasks in the office is doing financial arrangements. In fact, more treatment is lost during financial arrangements than any other place in the office because there are not enough opportunities in the financial arrangements system in most offices to keep ASKing the patient to say “yes.” The more options you have in your financial arrangements “tool box” the more opportunities you will have to ASK.

How many financial options to do you have to offer your patients? The most effective financial coordinators we work with are masters at continually finding creative ways to help people pay for treatment without compromising the financial stability of the practice. Here are some examples of the kinds of financial options we are talking about:

A courtesy for paying in advance of the start of treatment.
Accepting all major credit cards.
3 or more forms of third party financing available in the practice.
Monthly payment plans for whitening or Invisalign.
90 days same as cash with post-dated checks processed by a third party.*
Co-signers for 3^rd party financing.
Relatives that might help.
Other assets or investments they might cash in.
“Lay-away” plans where they can “save up” to have the treatment done.

The more options you have to offer, the more successful you will be at helping your patients accept treatment. Today, it is more than just cash, credit or third party financing. If all you have to offer are 3 or 4 financial options, you maybe losing 80% of the opportunities to help your patients say “yes.”

The challenge is to fill your financial arrangements “tool box” with at least 15 financial options. That’s right…15!

To help you achieve that goal, make sure to participate in our Crown Council webinar entitled, “I Can’t Afford It – Secrets to helping your patients accept and pay for treatment TODAY!” on Tuesday, November 9 at noon Central time.

During this webinar, we will present the most up-to-date information including research on every third party patient financing option available today along with the best verbal skills and financial arrangement systems to help you increase your case acceptance TODAY.

For enrollment information, just e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com and request information on the “I Can’t Afford It” webinar.

In today’s environment, you have to be better - a lot better at helping your patients say “yes.” In fact, it may take 15 request or options. Just remember, the more you ASK and the more options you present, the more patients will accept.

How referrable are you?

2010-10-10T08:48:00.002-05:00

In the never-ending quest for continual improvement and search for great ideas, I am constantly reaching out into every possible corner of the world. That journey led me this week to speak to 300 of the leading home remodelers in the country that were holed up in a 4 day retreat in a remote part of Wisconsin to reinvent their businesses.

As an industry, this group has had it rough for the last two years. They got hit HARD by all the financial turmoil in the country so it was interesting to hear them talk about what they had done to adapt, stay nimble, survive, and in many cases THRIVE while the competition has been going under.

I worked the room thoroughly before and after my presentation to ASK and find out what they had done that was working. I got quite a list so I thought I would share one that was common sense and very revealing.

One home remodeler said to me, "Steve, the change in the economy has been the best thing that has ever happened to our business. The first change that we made was to get jobs done NOW! We used to string our jobs out as we juggled multiple deadlines. Now, we get in, get the job done quickly in a quality way, and get out. As a result of our improved timing and service:

Our customer satisfaction has sky rocketed,
We now have raving fans,
And we are getting more referrals today than we have ever received from our customers in the history of our business."

He then confessed, "It was never a problem with our quality. We always did great work. It was our personal service that needed a serious upgrade. The change in the economy forced us to do that and it has been a HUGE benefit to our business."

Nothing new I suppose, but the reinforcement of the lesson is invaluable. Rarely is it the quality of the work that is the problem. It is the way we go about the work and the personal service that is attached to it that makes or breaks the deal.

His comment reminded me of a statement by Crown Council (www.CrownCouncil.com) member Dr. Trevor Murray (www.allure-dental.com) at our recent ToPS Total Immersion course (www.TotalPatientService.com) in Chicago when he said that if your practice is not getting a healthy flow of referrals from your patients, there is something wrong with what you are doing. Patients naturally want to refer when the product is sound and the service is spectacular. If they don't refer it is probably because you are terrible instead of referrable!

So, if you want more referrals, be more referrable! A powerful reminder of a lesson for any business.

The Tale of Two Teams

2010-09-25T09:35:00.002-05:00

I was in St. Louis, MO this week as well as Springfield, MA speaking at different dental meetings. I was struck by the contrast of two teams that I encountered:

Team #1: The doctor asked me how much the tuition was to attend our two-day Total Immersion course. When I gave him the fee of just a few hundred dollars per person, he was shocked. “That is a lot of money.” (He sounded just like the patients that so many dentists complain about!) I simply responded that it was only a lot of money if there was no implementation. $1 is expensive if you don’t implement.

Team #2: Contrast that with another team that was in the same room; the team of Dr. Michael Hoffman. I have known Michael for over 10 years. He has built one of the top sedation practices in the country. He is known all over the region for his expertise. Patients seek out his practice because he is one of the pre-eminent in his field. What sets Michael apart is his dedication to education, development of his team, investing in his practice, and IMPLEMENTATION. We see every new team member on Michael’s team through our ToPS Total Immersion course as soon as they are hired. He believes in his people and he invests in them. As a result, his practice continues to grow.

So what is the tale of your team? Are you stagnant and in retreat or progressing and developing? Any money you spend on your practice is “expensive” if you have no plan for implementation to get a return. Any investment is well worth it if you plan, implement and take action.

The course you take will determine the tale of your team now and in the future. You decide.

Have You Become A Commodity?

2010-09-03T23:12:00.005-05:00

It has become a classic scenario: You pull into Costco or Sam’s. You walk in flashing your membership card and grab the over-sized shopping cart or flat bed cart. You grab mass quantities of toilet paper, paper towels, canned goods and other commodities. You even remembered to bring your discount coupon book that gives you even deeper discounts than normal. You wait to check out and then commandeer your over-packed cart through the parking lot and stuff your car full of boxes and containers that were never meant to fit into a car in the first place. As you settle into the driver’s seat, a rush of satisfaction comes over you as you think, “I saved so much money!” As you bask in your victory on the drive out of the parking lot, the thought suddenly flashes through your mind, “I deserve a reward!” You drive a few short blocks, pull into Starbucks, and pay $5 for a cup of coffee!

What is a commodity? It is the kind of stuff you buy at Costco and Sam’s. By definition it is a raw material or product that is widely available, and the quality is perceived as being basically the same from brand to brand. Since there is no differentiating factor that sets one brand apart from another, you are left to shop based on one thing and one thing alone: PRICE!

Think of the commodities exchange in Chicago. Every day, millions of tons of “commodities” are traded based on PRICE. Go to Costco. They stack it deep and sell it cheep because most of what they sell are commodities. It is a price driven game.

Unfortunately, some products, services, and people for that matter have unknowingly become commodities. They become so widely available and indistinguishable one from another that there is nothing left by which to distinguish them but PRICE. Toilet paper, paper towels, computer chips, dentists and some PEOPLE.

Dentists. Our work at the Total Patient Service Institute (www.TotalPatientService.com) has shown us that most consumers think a dentist is just a dentist and there is really not much difference. And they are right if that has been their experience. If all they have known is the run of the mill dentist who does nothing more than walk in, diagnose, treatment plan and treat, then the patient thinks all dentists are about the same so it only makes sense to price shop them to find the cheapest one.

Our society has a way of trying to make people into commodities. That’s what a job application and a resume do. They standardize all applicants so that they all present the same. It is easier for the employer to make a decision that way. And job applicants fall for it. That’s why we work hard each year at our LEAP seminars for high school and college students (www.LEAPfoundation.com) to show them proven ways to separate themselves from the commoditized masses so they rise to the top and get positions, scholarships, and opportunities that they may have thought were only available to people older and more experienced. As we repeatedly say, “If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get what everyone else gets.” Most people become a commodity. But remember, being a commodity is a choice, not a circumstance.

Take coffee for example. Coffee is a commodity. It is traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and other commodity exchanges around the world. You can get a cheep cup of coffee at the local donut shop for fifty cents. But when you go to Starbucks, you pay 10X that amount. Why are you willing to do that? Because Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, simply turned a commodity, coffee, into something a whole lot more. There is a great lesson here for anyone who wants to keep their product, service or themselves from becoming a "commodity casualty."

Here are 4 proven ways to keep your product, service or person from becoming a commodity:

Create different kind of EXPERIENCE. Most of us have become lulled into a world of the mediocre. It all just becomes a blur of average, every day, transactions that never make a mark in our memory. But every once-in-a-while something comes along that wakes us up. It WOWs us with a memorable experience that draws us back over and over again. Take Disney, Starbucks, and Southwest Airlines as well-known examples to name a few. They create an experience that moves people emotionally and makes them want to come back.

Personal Service. Most commodities are so cheep that the provider cannot afford to give any type of service. Just try to find someone at Costco who can help you beyond the people at check out. Contrast that to the team at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, in an otherwise commoditized industry, Enterprise goes out of its way with professional dress, frequent use of your name, escort to your car, and plenty of choices. It is a different kind of car rental experience because of the personal service.

Customization. Many products and services have left the commodity ranks by becoming customized products to fit specific consumers. Take Levi’s for example when it started making custom fit jeans, or my local men’s clothing store. Everyone there knows my name, my style, the brands I like the most, and everything that I have bought in the past. The store fits me instead of expecting me to fit whatever they decide that I should buy!

Specialization. There are so many niches today around the world that it is relatively easy to provide products and services to specialized niches that need what they need in a different way than the masses. Take my friend Troy VanBiezen, a chiropractor, who has specialized in helping professional athletes cut their injury recovery time in half. (www.chirosportspecialists.com) He’s not a chiropractor in people’s minds. He is a celebrity sports performance specialist. As a result, he has an amazing following among professional athletes and executives that wish they were athletes! Or Crown Council (www.CrownCouncil.com) dentist, Dr. Brian McKay who has made a specialty of being the dentist for people with eating disorders. (www.acid.com) As a result, people come to him from all over the world and around the country. (For a special Crown Council recorded interview with Dr. McKay entitled “Bulemia is a Dental Disorder” call us at 1-877-399-8677.)

There are as many ways to keep your product, service, or yourself from becoming a commodity as there are people. It all comes down to differentiation. What can you do to make yourself unique and different from the masses so you don’t end up being exchanged strictly on price because no one has any other way to tell you apart from the competition.

Continual Improvement - Kaizen

2010-07-17T11:15:00.004-05:00

At a recent Crown Council Mastermind retreat, I accompanied a group of Crown Council (www.CrownCouncil.com) dentists as we toured the Phillips Lighting Plant in Salina, Kansas. Salina is the home of Crown Council Lifetime Qualified Members, doctors Guy and Kate Gross and Dr. Ken Guest (www.NewHorizonsDentalCare.com).

The remarkable fact about the Phillips Lighting Plant in Salina is that it produces 80% of the fluorescent light bulbs for North and South America. Despite the lower labor costs, plants in China have been unable to compete against this powerhouse in Salina. One of the secrets to the plant’s success is their dedication to Deming Management principles, (the current popular term for which is now LEAN Management), especially that of continual improvement.

When Deming taught the Japanese the principles of quality improvement, they were quick to translate the principles into their own language. One word that became part of the quality equation was “Kaizen.” Kaizen means constant and never-ending improvement. It is not just a philosophy. It is a process – a daily process.

As we walked about the Phillips plant, it was impressive to see the Kaizen initiatives that were in progress. Each department had a “Kaizen 30 Day Action Plan” listing the initiatives that had been approved, who was accountable, and what the target date was for completion. Future review dates were also listed as well has how much progress had been made to date on each initiative.

One of the impressive charts present in each department was one that measured how many Kaizen initiatives had been undertaken by that department in the last year and how many had been completed. That visual reminder had to be a great motivator to the team as they saw on a daily basis how much progress they had made.

I am reminded of the team member refrain heard often as everyone files into a regular team meeting: “Here we go again – another team meeting where we talk about the same things all over again and nothing ever changes.” In some cases that may be true. In others it may be that progress is not as apparent as it would be if progress were tracked and recorded like they do at Phillips.

What is your system for tracking and reviewing continual improvement projects in your practice? How often do you review that list of projects with your team? Do you track what projects have been completed so that everyone can see the progress that is being made?

If you would like a copy of a “Kaizen 30 Day Action Plan” and the associated completion list, just call the Total Patient Service Institute at 1-877-399-8677 or e-mail: Answers@TotalPatientService.com.

Continual improvement – it is just one more characteristic of a team that is striving to be ToPS.

Good-bye Morning Huddle

2010-06-12T05:28:00.002-05:00

For over 20 years we have taught the value of having a morning huddle. We’ve produced agendas. We’ve trained and retrained. We’ve spoken about it at seminars, workshops and on-site visits. Now, in what may sound like a contradictory move, we are officially banning the morning huddle. No more. Don’t do it. Save the time and save the hassle.

Here’s why…

What’s in a name? Sometimes the title or name that we give things implies so much it is hard to get through the real meaning. Yes, teams huddle on the field, but it is a brief meeting where one person calls the play and every yells “break.” Well, dentistry isn’t football folks. In fact, the most effective teams we have worked with don’t have a morning huddle at all. They have transformed the “get together and call the play of the day” morning huddle into something we have coined the “Morning Opportunity Meeting” or M.O.M. for short.

The primary thing that characterizes the M.O.M. is its middle name: Opportunity. The primary focus is uncovering, strategizing, and planning around the day’s opportunities. Done correctly, everyone has a say and everyone has a part to play. Here are some examples of the opportunities we are talking about:

1. What’s the best thing that happened yesterday? If you have attended any of our ToPS seminars or workshops, you’ve heard us talk about this important first topic of any M.O.M. Focus on what worked yesterday that could be an opportunity to duplicate today. Is there something you said that resulted in a “yes” from a patient? Is there something another team member did that was particularly helpful that could be done again today to increase productivity and effectiveness? Looking every day at the opportunities around duplicating what is working is essential. Practices that build upon daily successes stay true to the effort of “constancy of purpose” on which the best offices focus.

2. Unscheduled treatment – doctor’s schedule. Long before the huddle begins, like the afternoon before, someone on the team takes responsibility for looking at the next day’s schedule and reviewing the charts of the patients who are going to see the doctor for restorative treatment. Beyond the treatment that is scheduled, what other potential work do these patients have that is not yet scheduled? Even if it has only been a day or two since they accepted the treatment for which they are returning, things can change. They went home. They thought about things you said. Maybe they have additional questions. Maybe they reconsidered and are teetering on the point of doing more than they originally agreed. You don’t know until you ask:

Mrs. Jones, just checking in with you about those other teeth we discussed that are in the same area where we are going to do the crown today. Like we discussed, while we are there and close, it would save you a lot of time and potential hassle to just take care of them right now as well. Not pushing here, but I just wanted to double check before we get started. Would you like to take care of the other two teeth as well while we are at it?”

The exact words you use are not as important as giving the patient the space to say “yes” to more. It all starts with identifying those opportunities every morning in your M.O.M.

3. Unscheduled treatment – hygiene. Every afternoon before going home, each hygienist reviews his or her schedule and the corresponding charts for the next day. In most cases, those charts are a gold mine of unscheduled treatment. Knowing what is going on with every patient and where the opportunities are to schedule some of that unscheduled treatment is a big part of the M.O.M. Letting everyone on the team know who is a candidate to schedule treatment that has been diagnosed but not performed is a critical ingredient for success. It is a team effort. The presentation around unscheduled treatment in this case can take various forms and directions. The first step, however, is awareness. If you don’t know it is there, you are not likely to act on it. The first step is doing the research so that you and the rest of the team are in the know.

4. Same day treatment. The best type of unscheduled treatment is treatment that you could do today with some minor changes in the schedule. Once you know who has what unscheduled treatment, look at the schedule together as a team to see what could be adjusted in the timing to accommodate existing patients who would like to have it done today. The best opportunities are the ones that can be taken care of right now. Not tomorrow, the next day or next week. NOW! Teams that have refined their M.O.M. strategies are always looking for ways in advance where they can be nimble, adjust in the moment, and open up opportunities that make it easy for patients to say “yes” to something they can do today.

5. Same day treatment - new patients. Another topic of discussion is new patients. A quick review of each new patient’s “New Patient Relationship Form*” will help everyone understand the background and desires of each new patient. Many times the desires that were expressed on the phone when they scheduled will include comments about treatment, problem areas, an interest in whitening, etc. Everyone needs to know where those potential opportunities are in advance. For example, let’s say a patient mentioned on the phone that they are interested in whitening. In case they are a good candidate to have that done today, are there any adjustments you need to make or can make to help them get that done today? What if they mentioned some problem areas? Look at your schedule in your M.O.M. and see what would have to happen in order to accommodate them today if there is something that needs to be done. For most patients, there is no time like the present to get started. Looking for opportunities to help them do that will help everyone get more of what they want.

6. Emergencies. That’s right! Emergencies can be one of the best opportunities of the day. During your M.O.M., the best time for emergencies should always be identified. A day with no time for emergencies is a day that has not been properly planned. Figure out a way during your M.O.M. to take care of emergency patients should they call. An emergency planned for is no emergency for you. It’s an opportunity!

7. Openings in the schedule. Everyone has had the experience of looking at the schedule at the morning huddle and seeing holes. Most get that sinking feeling when they see that. Instead, look at them as opportunities. What can be moved around, adjusted, or moved up in order to free up more opportunities. If there is a hole later in the morning, is there a patient scheduled later in the day who might like to come in earlier? Who are the patients on your “short call” list who might want to come in on short notice? Where are the same day treatment opportunities where you can move a patient into that space that is coming in any way? The best teams always say that some of their best days start out looking like Swiss Cheese, and end up looking like a solid block because they are better able to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves throughout the day.

8. Tomorrow’s opportunities. What is scheduled for tomorrow? Are there any openings in the schedule? If so, today is the time to make sure everyone on the team knows they are there so everyone can be focused on taking advantage of that opportunity of scheduling patients who say “yes” today on tomorrow’s schedule while they are eager.

I could go on because the daily opportunities that present themselves in most offices are numerous. Do you take advantage of those opportunities by accident or by design? A well-planned Morning Opportunity Meeting will uncover the potential daily opportunities on which you can act.

How do you know if your M.O.M. is effective? The true test is if you consistently produce MORE than you had scheduled at the beginning of the day. If so, you know that you identified the opportunities and acted accordingly.

So, say good-bye to the Morning Huddle, and say hello to M.O.M., your new Morning Opportunity Meeting. It will transform your day and your productivity.

* For tips on designing an effective “New Patient Relationship Form” contact the Total Patient Service Institute at 1-877-399-8677 or Answers@TotalPatientService.com

Confirming appointments

2010-05-29T22:25:00.003-05:00

Nothing is more irritating and costly to a dental practice than broken or cancelled appointments. We constantly get asked what a practice can do to prevent or avoid cancellations. A recent question on the Crown Council e-mail network (www.CrownCouncil.com) asked, “What is the proper verbiage for confirming appointments.”

Before we get to the specific answer to that question, let’s take one step back and consider a few important details that influence that verbiage.

With all of the communication options we have today AND the limited amount of time that people seem to have, a higher level of "agreement" and discussion needs to take place with every patient regarding their scheduled appointments. Here are some items for consideration:

1. When scheduling an appointment with a new patient, you might want to say: "Mrs. Jones, I am not sure how you have communicated with your previous dental office, but we have several options for you so that we can stay on the same page together. We will schedule your appointment today and you can go ahead and put that on your calendar or PDA just like we put it on our schedule here in the office. That way we all know that we have made a mutual commitment for that time and date. In addition, as a courtesy to our patients, we can communicate with you a couple of days before your appointment so that you will know that we are counting on you. What is your preferred way for us to communicate with you: Phone, e-mail, text, or a postcard in the mail?" (Let them choose.)

2. “Great. So you can expect to receive a (call, text, e-mail, post card, etc.) several days before your appointment. When you receive that, WILL YOU make sure to respond to us so that we all know we are on the same page? We really respect your time and want to make sure we keep everything on track for you as planned so that will really help both of us.”

Depending the on the selected avenue of communication, here are some pointers:

Avoid using the words “confirm” or “remind” in any of your communication. To “confirm” implies that it was not “firm” in the first place leaving them room to back out. To “remind” implies that you are more responsible than they are so you have to follow up with them like an irresponsible child. Just remember, people generally rise to the level of behavior expected of them. Treat them like they are irresponsible and they will tend to act irresponsibly. Raise the level of expectation and they will usually respond accordingly.

If you are going to send them a reminder post card for a scheduled appointment or a 3 to 6 month hygiene visit, make sure they fill out that card themselves. Don’t fill it out for them! Why? All of the studies in this area prove that people respond and act more responsibly when they see something that has been written in their own handwriting. It seems to set off an alarm in their heads that says “That was me that made that commitment.”

The Natural Law of Integrity says: “People want to act consistently with who they say they are.” If I write a note to myself about an appointment that I committed to a few months ago and see that in my own handwriting, the message is clear. I need to act according to the way I said I would.

If you hand them an appointment card with the date and time of their next appointment, again, let them write it down. It has more power. And look at the language you have on that card. Get rid of anything that implies they can call and cancel the appointment just as long as they do it far enough in advance. Instead, replace it with something like this: “Please mark this important appointment on your calendar today. We look forward to seeing you at this time that has been reserved especially for you.” The implied message here is: We expect you to do what you said you would do! This is not just an appointment; it is time that has been reserved especially for you. Somehow a reservation carries more weight than just an “appointment.”

If sending a text or e-mail before the scheduled appointment, work with your electronic communication provider to rework the language that is used in the message. It could say: “We are looking forward to seeing you for your appointment on June 1 at 9 AM. Please reply to this message today so that we will know that you have this important scheduled noted on your calendar.”

3. If they select the phone call, the appropriate message would be: "Mrs. Jones, this is Brenda calling from Dr. Dentist's office. Dr. Dentist asked me to give you a call about your appointment in our office on Tuesday at 3 PM. Would you please call our office at 777-777-7777 today regarding your appointment? I look forward to hearing back from you."

Remember, you are not calling to “confirm” or “remind.” You are calling “about” the appointment. The other magic is the use of the doctor’s name. That carries a lot of weight and you will receive a higher response.

A couple of other thoughts: with all the options available today, it is essential that we give patients a choice in the method of communication. They need to know how they are going to hear from you and what you expect in return. You have to train them how things work in your office as well as make it convenient for them.

So make sure to do the following:

1. Give people options as to the channel of communication you use to communicate with them.

2. Create the expectation that they will do what they said they would do.

3. Make sure all of the written communication is congruent with #2 above. Make sure you communicate in clear terms that when you make a commitment to your patient for a date and time that the patient can count on you and you expect to count on them.

4. Work on the specific verbiage the team should use when communicating with the patient when scheduling and following up about their scheduled appointments.

Keep in mind that with all of the tips above, there is no 100% solution. As long as there are human beings, there will always be exceptions! The goals are to increase consistency and reduce variation and then keep doing the things that work day in and day out.

The Black Bucket Strategy

2010-05-07T18:59:00.002-05:00

My friend, Gantt Bumstead, is the President of United Supermarkets, owners of the Market Street (MarketStreetUnited.com) grocery store brand. Market Street is a different kind of grocery store with a unique blend of natural and modern food and merchandise.

I ran into Market Street this week to grab some flowers in a vase and a card. As the very attentive florist arranged the flowers and filled the vase with water, I could not help but think, how am I going to drive with the full vase of flowers and water without spilling it? I’ve been there before, trying to steady the vase with one hand with the other hand on the steering wheel. It’s not the safest way to drive!

Just as I was about to object to the full vase, the florist surprised me by saying, “I will go ahead and put the vase in this black bucket so it will be stable in the car and won’t tip over.” I was thrilled. Why hadn’t any other florist thought to do that for me before? It was at that moment that I made a decision, the Market Street florist is going to be MY Florist from now on!

The Black Bucket: unexpected and needed to help me with my biggest problem with the use of the product I was buying. The florist did not charge me for the bucket, although, I would have gladly paid for it in order to have the convenience and safety for my drive. What was important was that she thought beyond the flowers and anticipated my biggest challenge with using the product she was selling me. I call that pretty astute. Not just thinking about the product being sold, but how the product would really be used. It is as simple as a black bucket!

So what is your “black bucket?” What is the biggest problem customers have using your service? Anticipate that need and you may become the provider of choice. While others in your market space may choose to ignore these problems and chalk it up to inconveniences that patients just have to put up with in dentistry, a few “black bucket” thinkers will go out of their way to remove the biggest problems patients have.

Here are some simple “black bucket” solutions to problems patients have with traditional dentistry:

The numb look dumb. I don’t know very many patients who like the feeling of being numb for sometime after a procedure. They can’t talk and they don’t want to be around others for hours. The “black bucket” in this case might be OraVerse (www.OraVerse.com) that will more quickly reverse the effects of anesthesia so that patient can go back to normal work and play.

Don’t call me, I’ll call you. We have now hit a state of “over communication” in our culture. The last thing most busy people need is another phone call from the dentist’s office to schedule or confirm an appointment. The “black bucket” here might be an “V.I.P. Appointment” service where you schedule your patient’s appointment with “no hounding.” The patient dictates what type of follow up or reminder they want, phone, e-mail, text, to minimize the quantity of communication in exchange for a commitment to show up!

Express checkout. No one likes to wait, especially at the front desk after a long appointment. Why not do like the hotels do and arrange an express checkout service where you deliver the bill to the patient in the treatment room at the end of the appointment with the balance being charged to their card on file unless they have questions. 80% of patients will be thrilled to avoid the checkout counter and be less likely to over scrutinize their bill.

The black bucket. It is all about thinking beyond the obvious to extend the benefit of what you provide to make it easier, more convenient, and more enjoyable for patients to use your service.

So what is the biggest problem patients have with the use of your service? Why not ask them and then work on a few “black buckets” of your own?

A Piece of the Pie or of the Universe?

2010-04-17T21:36:00.003-05:00

Do you remember when you were a kid and Mom took a hot pie out of the oven? You couldn’t wait. But if you were like me, the last of 6 children, you might have had some concern if you would get any pie at all. After all, it looked like there was only so much pie to go around.

The “Pie” mentality – that there is only so much to go around so I have to get mine while I can, is one of the most destructive attitudes in dentistry and business. As you look around, it might seem like there are only so many patients to go around, only so many good team members available for hire, only so many good places to advertise or position yourself in the market. Despite those appearances, more often than not, the universe is one of ample supply typically providing more opportunity than meets the eye. The “Universal” mentality is one that believes that there is plenty to go around for everyone if you know where to look and have the right attitude.

Here are some common examples of a “Pie” mentality that are in reality “Universal” in nature. It all may be in the way you look at it:

1. Who is your competition? This is a question I often ask groups of dentists. The easiest, most common response is “The dental office down the street.” But, look further. When you consider that only about 50% of the population goes to the dentist on a regular basis, you’ll realize that ½ of the available market does not have a current supplier! Now there’s opportunity. What can you do to attract those who are not currently going to the dentist? It is a HUGE market. But if you only focus on the piece of “pie” that your neighbor has down the street, you’ll miss the “universe” of available patients that are just waiting for someone to make them an attractive offer to come to a quality dentist and improve their health.

2. Clear Choice. In many major markets around the country, Clear Choice has moved into town offering immediate load implants to the market and spending thousands of dollars in advertising to attract patients. Other dentists in the market who offer implants might be tempted to see this as a competitive threat because Clear Choice is taking a big piece of the “pie.” But think again. Maybe Clear Choice is not taking a bigger piece of the pie, but baking a bigger pie! With all of the marketing dollars they are spending, they are educating thousands of people who otherwise might not have ever considered implants. As a result, those patients start asking questions to their own dentist who then has the opportunity to further educate them and give them what they have just discovered that they want! In other words, a large competitor that is willing to spend the dollars to educate the market can many times benefit the entire market by creating a larger “universe” of prospective patients for the service.

3. Powerful Position. A dental office down the street grabs a powerful position in the market that commands attention and gets the office noticed. Many might see that that as a big piece of the pie that has just been gobbled up. But maybe they just created a whole other pie for you! When one business takes a position in the market, it opens up opportunities for others to grab an opposite or different position. Think about it, you can’t be everything to everyone. For every patient that is attracted to a practice that has grabbed that initial powerful position, there are probably 10 others who have no interest. They are, however, good prospects for someone else that has a different market position with a different set of patient benefits. There are a lot of niche markets in dentistry.

So which do you have, a “Universal” or “Pie” mentality? The good news is that it is a choice. So catch yourself the next time you find yourself grabbing for what you think is the last piece of “pie.” Maybe there is a much larger pie out there. On the other hand, maybe it is not a pie at all. Maybe there is a vast “universe” out there that is so big and so filled with opportunity that you would never run out of market if you just looked at it for what it is: An unending “Universe” with vast supply for the person who thinks creatively and acts accordingly.

Have a great week in this exciting “Universe!”

Hygiene Re-care Activation

2010-04-10T14:51:00.002-05:00

In response this week to an inquiry about re-care activation scripts, I offer the following short list of suggestions:

Preface: If the right system is in place, a hygienist will know enough about each patient that will be documented in the chart that she will be able to talk to the patient's heart, not just the head. They really don't want to come in and get their teeth cleaned! They do want something that they perceive the cleaning will give them...health, peace of mind, no pain, etc. All of that should have been discovered when the patient came in the first time. If that is not in place, then there are some prerequisites that need to be added to the practice protocol in order for any re-care program to be successful.

Script:

Step 1: If someone from the office calls and has to leave a message, the message simply says: "Mrs. Smith, this is Pam from Dr. Dentist’s office. Dr. Dentist asked me to give you call. Would you please give us a call back at: (Phone #)"

It is important that she says it just that way. The call needs to have its origin with the dentist. Patients will take it more seriously that way.

This accomplishes 2 things:

1. It is HIPAA compliant. You are not disclosing any sensitive information in case anyone else hears the message. (Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it is a good reason to do it this way.)

2. Most people are going to return a call to the "Doctor" especially if the reason is unknown.

Step 2: Conversation with the patient:

"Mrs. Smith, this is Heather from Dr. Dentist’s office. How are you? Dr. Dentist asked me to give you a call to schedule your necessary dental hygiene appointment and check up. Do you have your calendar handy? Which day of the week, Monday thru Friday (or whatever days your practice is open) are more convenient for you? Are mornings or afternoons better? Great, we have ___ o'clock next ______ available or _____ o'clock on _____ available. Which one of those would work the best?"

A couple of points here on why we do it this way:

1. Again, the call is originating from the highest authority in the office - the doctor. Most people are going to be more respectful of a request that is coming from the highest authority they trust in this area.

2. Assumptive close. Don’t ask them if they want to come in, assume that they will schedule by stating the purpose of your call and then asking if the person has a schedule close by. More people will respond to this than the tentative alternatives to this.

3. If more information is available about the patient, use it during the conversation. For example, if it is a perio maintenance appointment, then a discussion can be had about the importance of staying on track with the regularly scheduled appointments in order to do everything possible to prevent more extensive perio treatment in the future, etc.

4. Always give them a choice, not a chance. At every step in the conversation, choices are going given between alternatives:

“Which day of the week?”

“Would this day or this day work better?”

“Morning or afternoon.”

Those are just some tips that come from a much bigger system. There is as much to learn here as there is about many parts of clinical dentistry. Everyone can benefit from some great training in this and all the other related areas of case acceptance training. It makes a HUGE difference every day when everyone on the team is trained in the best ways to help the patient say “yes!”

Success for Our Youth

2010-03-20T22:35:00.004-05:00

Nearly 20 years ago, we launched our first youth seminar at a summer camp in Hunt, Texas with the goal of giving high school and college students a 7-year “leap” ahead in their career and their life. Like most things I have experienced in my life, I have learned more from these programs than I think people have learned from me! As one example, The 13 Biggest Mistakes Parents Make and How to Avoid Them (www.MistakesParentsMake.com) was the book produced after nearly 14 years of working with youth in our seminars. It contains 13 “mistakes” prevalent in the lives of many youth that can easily be avoided or prevented early in life by parents and other positive influences in a young person’s life.

Today, the ideas, techniques, and systems we have taught young people to use to get ahead in life are taught in the LEAP Foundation program (www.LEAPfondation.com)

Dr. Bill Dorfman (www.BillDorfman.com) and I established the LEAP Foundation just a few years ago as a non-profit education foundation to provide a unique, 6-day experience for young people who are eager to get ahead in life.

Part of the mission of the foundation is to provide sponsorships and scholarships to deserving youth around the country who desire to attend the program. Through the generous donations of Crown Council members (www.CrownCouncil.com), donations from James Malinchak (www.Malinchak.com) and his seminar participants and many others, youth can attend the LEAP program on partial or full merit-based or need-based scholarships. Scholarship applications can be found on the LEAP Foundation website.

Whether you have a young person in your life that could benefit, you would like to sponsor a deserving young person, or make a donation to benefit a deserving youth, the LEAP Foundation and its programs are changing lives.

This summer’s LEAP program will be held at the UCLA campus August 9-14, 2010. Hundreds of youth from all over the country will attend for 6 action-packed days of learning from mentors who will show them how to:
• Dramatically increase their study effectiveness, study less and make better grades.
• Set goals that become reality.
• Find successful mentors in any field who will share how they did it.
• The secret of the top 20 percent in any field.
• Become a top communicator to get results.
• How to land the best job in any field without using a resume.
• A secret tool that will get you in any door for a scholarship, job, or any key position.
And much, much more.

My favorite part of the LEAP program is the Mentor Roundtable where we assemble over 50 successful mentors from different professions and disciplines that sit around a large ballroom where the students can go and interview them to learn from their experience. Based on the idea that it is “easier to copy genius than it is to create mediocrity,” students learn how to ask the best questions in order to gain from the experience of others so they don’t have to take as many years learning from their own trials and errors!

So, consider this an invitation to spread the word about LEAP. We are looking forward to a great program this summer with outstanding youth and mentors who will come to share the best of what they have done for the benefit of the next generation.

Just go to www.LEAPfoundation.com for enrollment, sponsor and scholarship applications and we’ll look forward to seeing your youth this summer for a LEAP ahead in life.

3 Secrets of the WOW! Experience

2010-03-06T18:46:00.002-06:00

Everybody knows that the most powerful form of marketing in dentistry is word-of-mouth marketing: People telling people about your practice.

I am frequently asked how one can generate more word-of-mouth marketing or how they can get more referrals from their patients.

How?

With a Wow!

Create such an amazing experience that patients will be compelled to tell everyone they know about you.

Consider these three areas where you can make an every day experience in your office into a WOW experience that people will talk about:

1. Services. The dental treatment you provide and how you provide it. Clinical excellence that starts with dental work that looks good, feels good, and lasts a long time. That is the first step in the dental services you provide. Then consider how you deliver it: Painless injections, a gentle touch, sedation, etc. Do you provide the dental treatment people are looking for and do you deliver it in a way that is comfortable and easy?

2. Amenities. What do you provide your patients beyond what they expect? Relaxing chairs, warm towels, neck pillows, videos, or anything that makes the experience more comfortable. The amenities add an extra personal touch that makes the experience special.

3. Personal treatment. Far more powerful than anything you do to create a WOW! experience is the personal service you provide. It is what we call Total Patient Service. Total Patient Service is focused on meeting patients where they are emotionally, exceeding their expectations and then moving them forward toward life-time care. It is how you interact with the PERSON that will ultimately determine the WOW!

Consider this example that happened this week at one of the offices with which we work: I had personally referred a business acquaintance to this practice. It was close to her home and I knew the team would WOW her. And WOW her they did. Within moments of her departure from the office, I received a text message which said:

“They were awesome and definitely made me feel comfortable! I’ll send my husband and everybody else over there.”

That’s the ticket! If a patient walks out your door and immediately starts thinking of everyone they are going to tell about you, you have scored a WOW! And the referrals and word-of-mouth will come.

So how can you increase the WOW factor in your office?
• Services

• Amenities

• Personal Treatment

They all contribute to the WOW! It is the personal treatment is the multiplier.

Sit down with your team this week and review the three areas of the WOW experience. How can you improve in each area? Simple improvements in each department may yield huge returns in case acceptance, patient retention, and word-of-mouth.

WOW!

The Power of Labels

2010-02-27T13:43:00.004-06:00

Having just concluded our ToPS “Total Immersion” course in San Jose, CA, I found myself standing at the entrance to the security checkpoint at the airport with some decisions to make. I had to decide what type of traveler I was before I entered the line:

Casual Traveler,
Family Traveler, or
Expert Traveler.

There was a separate line for each. The problem was that the expert traveler line started further down the concourse, so it was not worth the trip. I was not with my family, so I was left with the “casual traveler” choice. I remarked to our team that I was probably the furthest thing from a casual traveler, but forced to make the decision at hand, I could fake it for the next few minutes. I almost had to catch myself as my pace slowed and my step swaggered a bit as I took on the characteristics of the “label” that had been placed on me by virtue of the line I had chosen. After all, if you are in the “casual traveler” line, you better act the part!

Labels. They can help you. They can hurt you. It all depends on the labels you choose. While some may dismiss their importance, they wield powerful influence over human behavior.

I consider my mother as one of the masters of positive labels. As a young teenager, I was riding along with my mom one day when the topic turned to driving. With my 16^th birthday approaching sometime in the next 12 months, she very astutely said, “I just know that you are going to be the best driver in the family.” Call it affirmation or expectation, the positive label she placed on me as “the best driver in the family” made me take extra care to live up to the label she had given me.

In contrast, consider the negative label most unthinking adults give their up-and-coming teenage driver. “The roads aren’t safe anymore,” they will say jokingly. But, label has been cast and the behavior will most likely follow.

Consider some of the labels in the dental office that could be and should be changed in order to naturally achieve a more desirable result:

Change the “Morning Huddle” to the “Morning Opportunity Meeting.” The most effective huddles we see are those that focus on uncovering opportunities for the day. If that is the main purpose, then let’s put the proper label on it and the behavior will follow. Everyone will come more prepared to find opportunities for the day.

Change “re-care” to “continuing care.” To “re” anything is to do it over. No one likes to have to do something over again that they already did once. We all like to progress, improve, and to move on. “Continuing care” is the label that will encourage the positive behavior we seek.

Change “dental insurance” to “dental benefits.” After all, it is not insurance in the pure definition of the word. Legitimate “insurance” covers or reduces your “risk.” That is not what dental “insurance” does. On the other hand, a “benefit” is something that is provided as a “perk” or additional help to defray the investment someone is making. Put the right label on it and it will help people understand what it really is.

Replace “job” with “career.” A “job” is a paid position of regular employment. A “career” is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life with opportunities for progress. The label we choose determines the mindset with which we approach our daily responsibilities.

Then there is my favorite: Replace “staff” with “team.” A staff is just the people employed by an organization. A team works together. The label you choose for the group may very well project onto them the behavior they will ultimately exhibit.

Take a look at the labels you choose for everything in your office and your life. They have the power to influence your behavior and the behavior of others.

Now that you have been reminded of the importance of labels, you are likely to do something about it because anyone who has read this far is serious about what they are doing and is an excellent implementer. An excellent implementer – that is a label you can live with!

Activity vs. Accomplishment

2010-02-19T18:09:00.002-06:00

If there is one most frequently asked question by dentists to their front office team when the schedule is showing some open time it is “Are you working the re-care list?” The answer to that question by any well-meaning team member is an emphatic “yes.” But what does “yes” mean? Does it mean one call has been made or twenty. Who knows? The fact is, “Are you working re-care?” is the wrong question. Let me share a better question and a better system that will put your mind at ease and ensure that you will have better scheduling results.

It is easy in any practice, any business, or any organization for that matter to confuse activity with accomplishment. We confuse being busy with accomplishing something worthwhile. Everyone in dentistry has had one of those days where the activity rose to a fevered pitch and lasted all day. By the time the last patient left, you drug yourself, exhausted, to the front desk and asked, “How much did we produce today?” To which the business coordinator answered, “Nothing!” You were busy all day, but just not busy doing things that amounted to any production.

The same is true for other “activities” in the office. Are you just “busy” working re-care or the unscheduled treatment list, or are you really accomplishing something? Nobody knows unless you do the following:

Start tracking the activity of any effort like re-care scheduling or unscheduled treatment calls. Keep a tally of how many calls are really being made and how many appointments are scheduled as a result.
Keep tracking that activity for several weeks until you can start calculating some averages. Over a several week period you will start noticing some trends. Add up the total number of scheduled appointments you were able to make compared to the number of calls you had to initiate to make those appointments.
Divide the number of appointments scheduled by the number of total number of calls to get your call to appointment ratio. For example, let’s say you made 40 calls and scheduled 10 appointments. That is a 25% success ratio. That means that, on average, you have to make 4 calls to schedule 1 appointment.
Now that you know the number, you are dangerous because you know the exact amount of activity in which you have to engage to get the result you want. Let’s say you have 5 hygiene appointments to fill. Based on the ratios above, you better be prepared to make 20 calls on average to get those appointments filled.
You can always be in competition with yourself to see if you can beat your average, but this system take all the guess work out of how much acitivty it will really take.

Now, let’s go back to the right question to ask. You are in the morning huddle and looking forward as a team to the rest of the week and see that there are 6 hygiene appointment times open. Knowing what the average call to scheduled appointment ratio is ( 4 to 1) you can turn to your team and ask, “Will you make 24 calls today to get those times filled? We need to fill all 6, and we know that we get 1 appointment on average every time we make 4 calls. So let’s make those 24 calls first. That will be most immediate step we can take to get the results we want.

The first goal is an activity goal…make 24 calls. The overall goal is 6 appointments, but we know what we have to do first – engage in the right activity and it will lead to accomplishment. You just have to know what activity you are managing. In this case, the question is no longer “Are you working recare?” it is “How many of the 24 calls have we made so far?”

So start accurately managing activity and you’ll be able to better lead your team to accomplishment. It is all in the questions you ask and the system you have in place to make it happen!

Your Market Position

2010-02-13T14:07:00.003-06:00

If there is one thing that the last year and a half as taught us in dentistry, it’s that position matters. Where you decide to position your practice in the market can determine the degree of success you experience. Overwhelmingly, those who bought into the “boutique,” high-end, cosmetic practice model have learned by painful experience that the first thing to go when people shift into economic panic mode is elective, cosmetic procedures.

There is no question that things have changed in the market place. The biggest issue we see today is with practices that have a tough position in the market that are waiting for things to come back like they were 3, 4 and 5 years ago. Well, here’s a news flash: it’s not coming back. The demographics of five years ago are not the demographics of today. America is getting older. And as it does, the perceived needs and desires change along with it. The Baby Boom generation which fueled the rapid growth of elective dentistry for the last 15 years has changed as it has aged. It is common sense. What many in dentistry are failing to recognize is that the individuals in the target market have not changed over the last few years, it is just that what the people in that market want is changing. So is your practice changing with it or are you operating like you operated five years ago like nothing has changed?

Here’s an example: in meeting with a marketing team recently that had designed a direct mail campaign for dental practices, the topic of the mailing list came up. “Who are we mailing to?” The response was typical for the target market of the past: 35 to 50 year olds with higher household incomes. But wait a minute. The biggest segment of the population is now hitting 65. Are they no longer good prospects? As America has aged, we have been getting younger as we have gotten older. “50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50, and 70 is the new 60.” We’re are staying active longer, working more years, and wanting to stay younger looking the older we get. While marketing to the 60+ group may not have been an attractive target market 15 years ago, it very well may be THE target market of tomorrow. It’s just one example of how things have changed and we have to shift accordingly.

It is time to adjust, change, refocus, redefine your target market, determine what they really want, and move forward. The good news is that there is a HUGE market for dental services today in all parts of the country. The real question is if you are positioned in the right place for potential patients to find you because you are offering what they are looking for AND if you are approaching your current patients in a way that makes sense to them. Are you giving them what they want, or are you offering them what you hope they will buy?!

More than one purpose

2010-01-30T16:48:00.001-06:00

For year’s we’ve talked about the purpose of the practice: To create happy paying patients that pay more than it costs to serve them and who repeat and refer.

That, however, is different than the purpose of getting into practice: The purpose of getting into practice is...to get out! In other words, the purpose OF the practice is to serve people. But the purpose of getting IN is to get OUT or to have a business that serves your needs successfully and then when it has fulfilled that purpose, gracefully and profitably exit and move onto the next part of life that holds meaning and purpose.

More frequently today, I am running into dentists who never considered the purpose of getting into practice when they went through the planning process. They never asked themselves how they would build the practice in such a way that it would be the easy to get out when it had served its purpose. If planning is done at all, it seems like we spend the most time planning around the purpose OF without considering the purpose of getting in practice in the first place.

Could I suggest that the first place to start if it has been awhile since you have worked on the purpose of getting IN? Answering questions like these might be useful:

What is the financial goal I am trying to reach and by when? (How much is enough?)
What kind of practice should I be building that will help me reach that goal?
What kind of practice should I be building that will be the most marketable when I reach my financial goal?
How can I build the most "exit" options into my plan so that I will have an easier way out when I am ready?

So as you work on the day-to-day function and fulfillment of the purpose OF the practice, make sure to look up from time-to-time to see that you are fulfilling why you went into practice in the first place…to get out!