Archive for Practice Management
Who feels at home in a dental office?
Posted by: | CommentsI wanted to have some cosmetic work done on my teeth. I got referrals from friends and family members. I went to three different dentists. But it was the third dental office that made me feel “at home”.
How in the world do you get a patient to feel that way, and actually say it to other people? Talk about referrals!!!!
I can only write about my experience because it happened to me. I knew of this dentist’s reputation because he had been through The Schuster Center Management Program quite a few years ago. He had a practice in Illinois, but 10 years ago he moved to Scottsdale, AZ.
Not only was his office decor and design top of the line, his team was wonderful, the dentist was wonderful (kind eyes I like to say when I see some little twinkle of kindness in someone’s eyes). I was shown the entire dental office right down to the sterile room. And if you couldn’t ask for more, the treatment room dental chairs face the gorgeous McDowell Mountains! So close you feel like you could reach out and touch them. The office was mostly very open with many glass partitions and everything was neat and in it’s place.
My new dentist did a thorough examination listening to me about how I felt about my teeth, my concerns over technical quality, margins, etc., what I’d heard from other dentists about my teeth and then of course how I wanted them to look.
I’m an artist, so my view may be different than others, I didn’t want bright white perfect looking teeth. I wanted color variations from tip to top of tooth like my teeth and striations like my teeth. In other words, I wanted my teeth from when I was about 30 maybe, because I’m older now and I didn’t want people to look at me and think, “she just had her teeth redone, “ but instead think “she still has pretty teeth for her age.”
This dentist said to me, “Vicki, I’ve been doing this all my life and I know what you want because I’m an artist, too – just in dentistry.” He said we will pick out color together and will discuss our process together every step of the way.
I was sold before I ever got to the “case presentation” room. I felt he was honest, he was technically good and he was an artist because he showed his work with patient’s pictured “after” on his walls as art. “I was at home.”
Just a side note for all dentists out there, please put together a portfolio of your work. Especially if you’re selling cosmetic dentistry. And, for heaven’s sake, have your own teeth done. I can’t tell you how many dentists do not have their teeth in the state they are trying to sell.
After the exam, I was escorted into a very comfortable private room (not his personal private office) but a room with a computer and room for obviously (at least to me) case presentation with patient, spouse or significant other, and attending team member.
I know a little bit about case presentation (the dreaded “selling” that dentists feel they have to do). Honestly even knowing about it, this dentist listened to my every concern, gave opinions, showed me his work, gave me a price break when he saw I was feeling overwhelmed with paying out a large amount of money in these economic times (and not a lot – just a bit to make me feel that he was trying to help me) and offered delayed payment plans if I needed it.
How much more could I ask? He didn’t get full mouth restoration, but he got half-mouth restoration.
The appointment was set up and of course any patient waits anxiously for that arrival date. It was a 3.5 hr. appointment. That day arrived today. I was shown his wax-ups. They looked great but I had a few concerns about the size my teeth. I’ve always thought my teeth were too big. It’s hard to judge what teeth will look like in one’s mouth vs. on a model.
He explained to me that he did not know what dentistry was done underneath the existing crowns, but he would explain the process to me and we would discover together. Which we did. I was always asked if I wanted a mirror to see what he was discovering. Usually, I did.
A problem arose with a front tooth that I broke when I was 9. I wore temporary caps until 17 then crowns the rest of my life. He found a crack in the tooth so I need a post placed for strength. Pretty much standard stuff under other crowns during the prep and then finally new resin temporaries were placed and I got the mirror again. I shouldn’t have worried about size, they look beautiful and still are only temps!
I was truly amazed at the difference in my appearance. I love the new teeth with just a couple of tweaks which any self respecting artist would make! Meanwhile, I will wait anxiously for my next appointment – for the final porcelain crowns and my new smile.
When I was done I complimented my new dentist and his chairside assistant. I told them that I had gone to three dentists, but when I came here, I felt at home! They thanked me, and I thanked them. Then, the doctor said to me, “You tell Mike for me that he was instrumental in putting me on the right path over 20 years ago – that is the reason I am where I am today!”
Once again, Dr. Michael Schuster has helped change a dentist’s life. By the way, Dr. Schuster’s Case Presentation course is probably the “best” in the country! If you want to know more about it, please call us at 480.941-9393 or visit our website: www.SchusterCenter.com.
I didn’t ask permission to use the dentists name in this blog so that is the only reason I left it off, but I will refer any one who asks me to this dentist once I get his permission. You can reach me at vicki@cfpd.com. (And dentists, I’m also talking to you – get your teeth done if they need it.)
REALIZATION OF A DREAM
Posted by: | CommentsOn Tuesday, March 2, 2010, a dream was realized. Dr. Todd D. Southall opened the doors to his new dental practice in Oro Valley, AZ. After 5 years of practice in Gunnison, CO, Dr. Southall and his family relocated to Tucson, Arizona. They wanted to seek warmer surroundings and decided Arizona was the place. Dr. Southall decided to seek the help of the Schuster Center to help him develop the practice of his dreams, so he enrolled in the Management program and rolled up his sleeves and went to work. As his coach, I continued to share the structures and he continued to build them. The results are not the brick and mortar but will be the relationships that he and Linda, his front office coordinator ,will forge together in the years to come.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! – Chris Ellison, Practice Development Coach/Faculty and The Schuster Team
Dentists – Planning for a Breakthrough
Posted by: | Comments“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.” H. Stanley Judd
As a Coach, one of the key issues I hear from our clients is that “they don’t have enough time to do the work in the management program.”
One thing that I know for certain is that there is one area in which all men are truly created equal and that is in the area of time. God gave us all 24 hours each day to live our lives. The problem arises with how we each use that time. Do we allow the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years to just happen through our lives? Or do we plan our lives in a way that we maximize what has been given to us?
“We need a sense of the value of time—that is, of the best way to divide one’s time into one’s various activities.” Arnold Bennett
Many of us fail to plan because we are too busy doing instead of thinking. We feel we have to be doing and as a result we react to whatever is happening around us. How then do we take control? Planning is an attempt to leverage our activities against the passage of time. Keeping in mind that there are some things we can’t control. However, to fail to manage whatever time you can will minimize your effectiveness. Whether you control 8 hours or 1 hour of your day is irrelevant. What matters is that we manage whatever time we can, in order to spend as much time as possible on the important things.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an art but a habit” Aristotle
The daily planner (the to-do-list) is the most common plan used today. Daily planning is worthwhile but weekly planning is better. This gives us a longer range perspective and more options.
The best way to create a weekly plan is to ask six basic planning questions as suggested by the Carlson Learning Company.
- 1. What results do I intend to achieve?
- 2. What must I do to get those results?
- 3. What are the priorities?
- 4. How much time will each activity require?
- 5. When will I do each activity?
- 6. How much flexibility must I allow for the unexpected things I can’t control?
You must allow time for unexpected things. Flexibility will be the key to successful planning. Remember that you are attempting to eliminate reactive behavior. You will want to be slow to change your plan when the unexpected happens. A thoughtful response versus the usual reactive one is desired.
“A first-rate organizer is never in a hurry. He is never late. He always keeps up his sleeve a margin for the unexpected.” Arnold Bennett
It is best to write out your plan for the upcoming week on Friday or whatever day is your last working day of the week. Ask others to do the same thing. You can review these plans at your weekly staff meeting in order to coordinate priorities and activities. Be sure to prioritize you activities and timelines. Set deadlines that are realistic and be sure not to ignore them. Preparing a weekly plan requires about 30 minutes but it will allow you to recover one hour per day for the week. An extra hour per day for important work (working on the practice) will produce remarkable results. Are you ready for your breakthrough? Plan it today.
“Plan your progress carefully; hour-by-hour, day-by-day, month-by-month. Organized activity and maintained enthusiasm are the wellsprings of your power.” Paul J. Meyer
Feel free to make your comments below by clicking on the word “comments.”
Chris Ellison, Practice Development Coach
Dental Benefits for the Team
Posted by: | CommentsThis is one of the most confusing systems in our profession. Many offices spell out vague guidelines for their team to use. Many stipulate that they can have dental coverage for “immediate” family members. The definition of “immediate” family needs to be spelled out so misunderstandings are limited.
Many offices provide dental care for the entire dental team. This system can cause problems within the team if one team member has had some significant neglect. A team member who is not at a very high level of oral health will receive a lot of care and a large benefit. While a team member who has taken great care of their mouth may only require minimal dental treatment and not use this benefit.
Consider providing the same amount of benefit for all of the employees. You can provide a consistent dollar amount each year to be used by your team. For example, you could stipulate that you will provide them with $2000.00 of dental treatment each year. They can use those dollars for their care or for their immediate family. Once they use up the thousand dollars, they will be responsible for paying the remaining portion in cash.
Part time employees are typically not entitled to any benefits. You will need to determine what you would like to provide for them, if anything.
Please know that we are not discouraging benefits to your team. In fact, we encourage them! We simply encourage you to put systems and structures in place that are equitable for all of your team members.
Don’t forget the compensation benefits that don’t show up on your employee’s paycheck. These items are called “Hidden Paycheck” items and your dental care benefits are only one example of this.
Employees may overlook the benefits provided to them by their employers. By incorporating these items into your compensation review, it allows the employee to see the whole compensation picture for what it really is. Many times the hidden paycheck items can add up to 35 percent of their earnings, and most of it is tax-free.
Example of a Compensation Review – Preliminary Offer
Annual Base Salary Offered $__________________
Employer Matching FICA $__________________
Profitability Pay when Available $___________________
Medical Premium Contribution $ ___________________
Pension Plan Contribution $ ___________________
Total Salary $___________________
The items listed below will not show up on your paycheck. But they are additional benefits provided to you by the doctor.
Uniform Allowance $ ___________________
Dental Care Allowance $ ___________________
Jury Duty – Bereavement Pay $ ___________________
Parking Garage Fees $ ___________________
Continuing Education $ ___________________
Total Compensation $____________________________
Pension Participation Date ___________________
Coaching Department; The Schuster Center
Dental Practice Wellness
Posted by: | CommentsWhile I was on a phone call the other day, Dr. Schuster placed a document on my desk that he had written. He told me later he got the idea from his chiropractor and modified it to fit our dental patients. I read the “Four Steps to Wellness” and immediately began to see how this fit with our Center Students as well. Here it is…
Step One: STOP THE DISEASE PROCESS
First, you must acknowledge when disease exists. If your practice isn’t healthy, you begin to feel the negative effects but you may not know exactly what is going on. Your practice analyst helped you to see where some of the problems may be. Then you attended Retreat 1 of the Management Program at The Schuster Center and that began to help you see more clearly. You began to sort it all out. You looked at each of the engines that drive the practice and produced step-by-step policies and systems to begin the change process toward health. You started to look at what health is relative to your dental practice. You decided to stop doing things the way they have always been done and start reflecting on a better way to practice.
Step Two: THE HEALING STAGE
This is where Policies and Systems are put into place and the implementation begins. The dental practice embarks on a journey of healing. This healing process in most cases will require the entire management year and sometimes beyond that year. Healing requires change.
Step Three: THE CORRECTIVE STAGE
Once healing has occurred, the stress level in the dental practice will be reduced and the team can now begin to focus on the goals set forth for the future of the practice. This requires the commitment to continue working on your practice even after the management year is complete. It is important to continually review your Policies and Systems and make revisions as you change and grow. The statistical data collected monthly can be utilized to determine where change is needed. Corrections are made based on objective data.
Step Four: THE MAINTENANCE STAGE
It is far easier to maintain a healthy practice than to correct one in the disease process. Once the doctor and team have created the practice they desire and are reaching their goals, the ability to maintain them is dependent upon their commitment to the doctor’s vision of the practice. Continuing education through advanced development will assure the practice maintains growth. Maintaining health takes the effort of all involved.
Practice wellness takes life-long dedication just as your patient’s dental health and wellness requires commitment for a lifetime.
Happy New Year to everyone!
–The Schuster Center offers top practice management education for the dental industry. For more information, go to www.SchusterCenter.com
I’m RICH!
Posted by: | CommentsSilver in the hair, gold in the teeth.
Stones in the kidneys, sugar in the blood.
Lead in the feet, Titanium in the joints.
Iron in the arteries, and an inexhaustible supply of natural gas.
I never thought I’d accumulate such Wealth!
–The Schuster Center offers serious practice management education, but occasionally enjoys a good laugh or two.
Change is Good
Posted by: | CommentsSmall changes will significantly impact your dental practice and life for the better.
–Small changes in Cash Flow Management will give you immediate control of money and peace of mind.
–Small changes in Time & Energy Management will impact your practice within just one month!
–Small changes in your Sales Effectiveness will provide you an immediate increase in Production!
–Small changes in Marketing will take 18-24 months to take effect.
–Small changes in the Right People can make an immediate impact on your practice and life.
–Small changes in the Organization will take 3-6 months to take effect in your practice and life.
–Changes in Purpose will have a profound and long term effect on your Practice and your Life.
CHANGE IS GOOD. Pull yourself up and get at it now.
—-For help with dental practice management, dental case presentation, hygiene as a profit center, business plans for the dental practice, dental continuing education seminars and more, go to www.SchusterCenter.com or call 1-800-288-9393
Getting Rich vs. Creating Wealth
Posted by: | CommentsIn 1986 I met an orthodontist at a workshop I was doing in Colorado. We went for a walk and he told me this story:
“My practice wasn’t going as good as I had hoped and when a friend of mine came to me with a business proposition I got involved thinking that owning an auto repair franchise would be the key to me getting rich. Two years later repair franchise went bankrupt and my partner skipped town and the bank pinned the $570,000 debt on me.”
So there he was, in 1986, $570,000 in debt plus the debt for his practice and home which totally exceeded $1.4 million. Something happened on his way to ‘getting rich’…he almost ended up in the trash dump.
The rest of the story: He became a student of mine and when I say student, I mean it. He was diligent, dedicated and determined to do something different, and that was to ‘create wealth’. And ‘creating wealth’ is totally and completely different than ‘getting rich’.
13 years later, my student and friend had a net invested worth of over $4M and no debt. He took me to a Warren Buffet Conference in Omaha. It was a great experience for me to witness the growth, the personal evolution and development of this fine man.
The impact of becoming a ‘Wealth Creator’ versus just striving to get rich can be dramatic. And to add to this story, the first question that was asked of Warren Buffet after he opened for questions was the following…
Q: “Mr. Buffet, what’s the difference between getting rich and wealth?”
A: “Wealth is a state of mind. People that are trying to get rich never have enough. Most people that are trying to get rich are doing it out of fear. The fear that they will never have enough – and that’s exactly what happens to them. They make if and then they lose it. (read the introduction in The Science of Creating Wealth™) Wealth, true wealth is about abundance.”
Well stated by the wealthiest man in the world.
—Dr. Michael Schuster
As A Dentist, How Can I Utilize PR, Advertising and Marketing in My Practice?
Posted by: | CommentsPart 1 of 3
Ever ask the above titled question to yourself? I bet you have. Especially since advertising and marketing have become such a key component for professionals over the past few years.
I have run my own business with 7 employees and a business partner for many years. For health reasons, my business partner retired a few years ago and I am now the sole proprietor. Also, 11 years ago, I accepted a part time position with one of my clients. You guessed it, The Schuster Center. I still maintain my office but at a much slower pace specializing in logo design work and other print related design. Rather than the fast paced, push the work out mode we all get trapped in, I choose now with whom I wish to work. Sound anything like Dr. Schuster’s philosophy?
I hope this gives you a bit of a background into my business experience since 1981.
I’d like to write about what you can do to promote your own business. And I will admit that I do use all of those “advertising” terms like “promote”, “target audience”, “satisfied customer”, “direct mail”, “demographics”, etc.
The Obvious Is Not Always So Obvious
First, and foremost, your practice is a business. It must be run like a business, including hiring a qualified team to represent your business. Remember, the first person who speaks with or meets and greets your patients sets the tone for the entire experience. Grumpy Gwendolyn is not going to impress your patient or give him or her confidence in your practice. Happy Helen or Perky Penelope is probably a better solution to that close encounters of the first kind.
So, just who is your salesperson for your business? Why, it’s you! You are the person in charge of creating an atmosphere that creates the image you want to represent. That image is all about you – in the people (team) you hire, the decor of the dental office, the books and magazines on the tables, brochures and literature that you publish about your practice, the mission statement on the wall. (You do have one hanging there, don’t you?) – all reflect your professionalism and attitude toward your dental practice and business and the patients you serve.
There are some things that money cannot buy. And that’s goodwill and word of mouth advertising. There “ain’t” nothing like a “satisfied” customer spreading the word!
Is it true that a patient can have a “good” dental experience? Of course it is. And guess what that’s called, PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING and ADVERTISING. Yep, it’s all part of that picture. From the very first patient experience – that first phone conversation to the initial office visit; hygienist; dentist; right down to billing procedures – all are part of, and should be considered advertising, public relations and marketing and treated as such.
President Truman had a plaque on his desk in the oval office that said, “The Buck Stops Here.” And, believe me, as a small business owner, I know who’s responsibility it is to pick up the pieces when something doesn’t go right in the workplace. And that’s me (as the owner). It’s my money, my time, and my reputation on the line! And, it’s the same for you. For me, “my word is my bond.” If I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it. It has served me well.
So let’s look at the ways that you can improve your vision and “advertise” your business with you at the helm.
- Know that you set the tone of the entire office team and patient experience. Who you are is what you create.
- Know that you are the final answer to any problem within the practice. Make sure you’re not the “problem” but rather the “solution”.
- Hire value-minded people. Those who have the same goals and vision for your practice you have.
- Your practice decor should reflect your vision and forward thinking model. Mission Statement on the wall for all to read.
- The receptionist should be one of the most important people in your patients’ initial experience within your office. That includes over the telephone.
- Recognize your limitations. Hire those people who can compliment or enhance qualities that you might lack or need to improve. In other words, if you are a more laid back type of person, it might be in your interest to hire a person who has a more outgoing personality. And, visa-versa.
(Part 2 of 3 on Internal Marketing coming soon!)
Dental Marketing Today
Posted by: | CommentsThere is only one really good reason to market your practice through good times and bad. Only one. But it’s the one that makes all the difference – it is so you won’t lose your place in line. Better yet, keeping your place in line positions you to move up in the line and overtake your competition.
There is a marketing life cycle that all businesses go through if they want to be successful. First, the business has to know there is a line. Then, they need to know where the line starts and how to get in the line. Much of the effort goes into staying in line and holding that position. Sometimes a practice decides it wants to move up in the line and, perhaps, get to the head of the line.
Marketing is about this entire process.
But when an organization stops marketing and takes it’s position for granted, it is the same as getting out of line and having to start over or, if not from ground zero, then certainly from a more disadvantaged position.
Unfortunately, it is a cliché that when times are rough, the first expense to cut is marketing and advertising. This happens time and again, despite the many case studies and statistics that strongly demonstrate how companies, products and practices that marketed (e.g. maintained their visibility) throughout down times gained greater market share when the good times turned around. And for a lot less money! Those organizations that silence their marketing voices have to spend more, work harder and play catch up to their more marketing savvy competitors. Often, in spite of their efforts, they never again really catch up to where they were.
Healthcare advertising has a lot to learn. Unfortunately, many organizations learned the wrong lessons, from the wrong people. During the 80s, it became fashionable to talk about “product line advertising” as opposed to image/brand advertising. Large hospital systems thought it would be a good idea to apply consumer packaged goods approaches to healthcare and hired MBAs out of Proctor and Gamble to direct their strategies. Lectures and seminars were developed that had these marketing gurus telling hospital folk how to do it, and the first to be sacrificed was the image (or brand) of a facility. The new hero was the product. Ads had to be measurable. Marketing had to be accountable. The brand stewards were hushed in favor of short term returns.
Lamentably, abandoning the brand took its toll and turned healthcare into a commodity.
Commodities do not have bargaining power.
Commodities do not inspire loyalty. People will not pay a premium to use their services. But organizations (and practices) who maintained their belief in the power of their brands ultimately thrived and out-performed their competitors. For example, Mayo Clinic remains the “poster child” for this concept. The Mayo Clinic “brand” is protected at every turn. They do not market individual programs and services as much as they market them under the aegis of Mayo’s programs and services.
The safe default position to which many healthcare advertisers fall prey is to tout facilities, technology, and sometimes its doctors. Add to that some testimonials from satisfied patients whose lives have been saved, mixed with smiling family shots of arms draped over loved one’s shoulders, or couples walking on the beach holding hands, and you have the typical clichés of healthcare.
Ads that provide a concept that hits a nerve, that engages us on a deeper level of desire, fear, hope and longing are ads that we remember. That is the point of doing ads at all: to plant in the minds of our target clients (patients and referral sources) the message about who we are, what we do, and what we can do for them that is better than what they could get elsewhere.
That is when advertising goes from being an expense to becoming an investment.
Great advertising, effective advertising, is like shoulders from which to drape a garment. It flows. It fits. It makes an impression that lasts long after the person leaves the room.
There are plenty of opinions as to what makes for good, if not great, advertising. Yet the truth rests with some very simple concepts. Do you remember the advertiser and the product? Do you get what the advertiser’s key benefit is to you for the product or service? Do you understand the product’s attributes and promises long after the ad has run its course? Do you like the ad and look forward to seeing it again? Does the ad make you feel inclined to ever use the product? Do you come away from the ad with a positive perception about the advertiser?
If you are going to hold your place in line and improve your position, create an impact. Make your advertising memorable. In Hollywood, people often use the expression “I laughed, I cried, it became part of me” to describe with flair how a performance affected them. Advertising, to be effective, must affect people as well. If it doesn’t, it is an expensive exercise. If it does, it is the best investment you can make in marketing your practice and becoming “brand visible.” The better you are perceived, the more choices you have in creating the practice you desire, with the patients you choose, on your own terms. That’s why you market, and why being in line matters.
If you enjoyed this article and would like more information, contact The Schuster Center at 1-800-288-9393 or www.SchusterCenter.com
