13 Dec How To Make It Amazing–Every Dental Day!

Open the doors, and patients will come on in. We will give them clean, restored, and beautiful teeth. How hard can it be? I grew up in a retail household. Then, I worked in a retail clothing store throughout high school and college. I knew the routine. A customer (or patient) comes in with a need, and he or she leaves with the need fulfilled. Again, how hard could it be? Clearly, I had never been the owner in these situations. Being an owner, or the one ultimately responsible for someone’s health care is very different than going in and buying a pair of shoes or a shirt off the rack. It’s different than selling the shirt or fitting the shoes, too. When I look back at my days as a sales clerk, I reminisce with a smile as I think about my naivety. Being the boss is so different than being the employee. Not only is there vision work and accounting factors to think about, but there is also the complex issue of human resources to consider. On top of that, leaders are expected to get everyone rowing in the same direction–willingly and with inspiration.

I was unprepared for the business side of dentistry. I didn’t know I would be on stage so often. It felt like I was on stage, but I only had half the needed props. So, along the way, and with each show, I collected more props and learned my lines better. I added key actors to the stage, and together, we learned how to serve the needs of our patients and ensure our patients had five star experiences. I wish I could say it was every time with every patient, but it didn’t happen like that. It took time to gain the trust of our patients, and it took time to get a cast that could all row in the same direction. It took time for the directors (me and office managers) to learn how to direct and lead.

All of these variables are involved each time a patient enters our treatment areas. Some patients expect the same type of service they get in the clothing section at Wal-Mart, and some of them expect the same type of service they get at a fine dining restaurant. If we can imagine our treatment areas like small stages where a mini-television series is performed each day, we are more apt to deliver the service each patient desires. It’s this awareness of a greater audience that really sets some dental offices apart from others. The practices that understand the differences between transactional interactions and transformational interactions are the ones that keep their patients and often find more profits.

I explain this concept, along with other awareness commentary, in a recent podcast with Reese Harper on The Dentist Money™ Show interview. Reese is all about helping dentists be more profitable, and so am I. I hope you find these tips beneficial as you seek to improve your game and your stage performance in this challenging dental world we live in.

Here is the link to the podcast:

http://dentistadvisors.com/podcast/lisa_knowles/