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When should I hire a consultant?

When is the right time?

Bringing in a consultant into your Dental Office is a big, big decision.

For a number of reasons.

Firstly, for the Dentist, it can feel like an admission of failure.

After all, the dentist has gotten the practice to the level of  “success” where it is today, why can’t he keep it going?

“I’m the owner. I should be able to take this practice to the next level”

Or it could be that the Dental Office is in such a messed up state that the need to engage outside help is imperative to untangle the knots and get the place organised so it functions efficiently?

Or it could be before the fact. I often see dentists gathering knowledge in preparation of establishing a new office, or a larger office.

One of my dental coaching colleagues says, “None of us is smarter than all of us.”

And it’s an extension of the old timeless adage that “two heads are better than one”.

And that’s the kicker.

Dentistry is a different type of business to most other businesses, in that the business owner dentist has his back to his employees for nearly all of the day.

While the dentist is doing the dentistry, he’s unable to supervise, observe, and advise his team on systems and processes necessary in the way to run and improve his business.

Think about it.

In retail and in restaurants, for example, the owner has the opportunity to “walk the floor” and supervise the machinations with a tweak here and a tweak there.

Suggestions can be implemented instantly, and better still, behaviours can be complimented during the fact, rather than after the fact.

In dentistry, it’s different.

Changes and suggestions are only ever made after the fact, and then reviewed later on, after the fact.

This can make improvement much very difficult to achieve.

This is where hiring a consultant can be invaluable.

Hiring outside help tells the team that you’re serious about improvement and growth of your business.

The team knows that outside help has a reasonable fee, and so they understand your investment in advice is a commitment to improvement of both them and the business.

And improvement of you too.

But sometimes there is angst.

“We’re doing a good job. Why doses he need a consultant?”

“If he paid us the money he’s paying that consultant, then we’d work harder…”

“I’ve been working in dental for a long time, I know more about it than any consultant….”

You see if all businesses were smooth sailing there’d never be a book published on business, ever.

But go into any airport bookstore and there are nearly as many business improvement books as there are fiction books.

And business books can be a good place to start.

Because business books will always provide sound principles for your business.

It’s simply a matter of sifting through the advice.

But it should be all there in black and white.

To me there’s a difference between owning a book, and receiving the advice in conversation and discussion.

Because there’s no debate with a book.

A book doesn’t know the why of your business.

But the right outside help can and will draw out that why.

“Why do you want this dental office to be better?”

“Why do you think we need to improve on what we’re doing now?”

Sometimes a few small tweaks can really undo the kinks in a business to release it to a whole new level.

And sometimes there are serious tangles that need surgical precision to straighten out.

The right outside advice will straighten out these kinks and tangles.

The right outside advice is imperative to future growth.

But the advice needs to be right for you.

As a golfer I’ve worked with coaches that have succeeded in improving my game.

And I’ve worked with others that have not.

And I’ve worked with some who have succeeded and then later down the track not had success with me.

But I know, to improve at golf, I need outside help.

I can’t improve to where I want to be on my own.

Rory McIlroy has a coach.

Several.

The Denver Broncos have a coach.

Several.

The Carolina Panthers have great coaches.

Federer has many.

I know that each of the three times that my Dental Practice experienced significant spurts of growth corresponded to me seeking and employing outside advice.

The decision to hire outside help is a big one.

But it’s an investment.

Not a cost.

A very worthwhile investment….

******

My upcoming two day workshops will be held in Manhattan in April.

You can reserve your places here: Click Link To Order

*****

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

*****

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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