I often see dentists working on pieces of their business.
And while they focus on trying to improve one part of their business, another part of their business is falling apart and so any improvement they might be hoping for is being eroded by the deterioration of the part of the business that they are choosing to neglect.
Does that make sense?
Does it make sense to be so blind to the “overall” of your business that you fail to identify the essential elements needing attention that are in disarray?
I was chatting with a financial adviser today.
And he and I were both in amazement at how many dentists and other health professionals seem to rely on a glimmer of hope, on a “She’ll be Right mate” attitude, that things will somehow magically work out for the best.
Omer Reed told me at the start of this decade that in the USA ninety five percent of Dentists will be unable to retire at age 65 on an income equal to or better than what they were earning at that time.
This means that 19 out of 20 dentists reaching the age of 65 need to keep working because they have to as opposed to stay working purely because they enjoy it.
So here is what I see commonly:
Dentists and their practices start being less busy.
Spaces, and holes, appear in the schedule [or appointment book].
At this point, the worried dentist feels as though they need more new patients.
So they buy some advertisements, some SEO, some adwords.
Here’s what usually happens:
Not much.
Nothing sustainable.
Why is that?
The answer is simple.
It’s not the inflow of fuel that’s the problem. It’s the engine.
It’s not the type or volume of petrol that you’re putting into the vehicle. It’s the broken down motor that you’re trying to resuscitate.
It’s not the water supply to your vessel that’s the problem. The problem is that the bucket is leaking. In several places.
But this is what most dentists do.
They’re blind to the fact that they have few if any systems.
And that the operating systems are never reviewed.
They don’t have a system for how the phone is answered.
They don’t have a system for how the patient is greeted, or how the patient is transported through their appointment.
Nor is there any consistency as to how the patient is looked after and attended to.
There is no consistency of message.
Treatment is “suggested”. It’s never diagnosed.
Patients are given “options” rather than told what is best.
The patients leave confused, without appointments, rather than with appointments, clarity and urgency.
It’s not that we need more new patients.
We need better systems for capturing and converting those who call our practice.
And then retaining those people with our exceptional care and professionalism and our attention to the right details.
A great dental practice and business only needs to acquire one new patient per dentist per day to maintain practice health and grow with consistency.
Once you have a consistent flow of new patients and treatment in your dental practice then you can develop a lifetime savings and investment strategy to provide for your family and for your retirement.
The book, “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason, provides a simple foundation for building wealth.
Remember, you deserve a reward for the time, study and monetary investment that you have put into your education, along with the capital that you have invested in either purchasing or starting up your Dental Office.
To go through a life unrewarded for these is a tragedy.
Yet only five percent truly gain independence at age 65.
The reason?
They are not looking at the business as the sum of its whole.
They are only looking at selective areas of the business and they are neglecting other key areas.
What are you measuring?
There’s a direct relationship between what gets measured and results.
Dental businesses with poor results measure not much at all.
What gets measured gets improved upon.
And the more you measure the more that you will improve.
The more that your income and your bottom line will improve.
So that you can run a successful business.
With comfort and surety.
Why traumatise yourself and deprive yourself by failing to look at the whole?
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Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.
You can order your copy here: Click Link To Order
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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