Archive for Tips from The Dental Coach
Service America: Doing Business In the New Economy – A Must Read Book
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Back when I owned my clinical dental practice in the 1980s, I made this book required reading for my entire staff. Sure, at first they groaned and complained, but in the end – it made all the difference.
This book is about a major business shift from heavy industry to a service-based economy. A service-based economy puts a large focus on customer-oriented competition. The initial example was not about a dental office – rather, an airline – but it can be applied to any healthcare practice. The author noted that all planes fly in the same sky and therefore the only way to be competitive and have an advantage is to make the customer’s experiences absolutely terrific.
How can you do mimic this in your dental office?
- Courteous treatment
- On-time appointments
- A comfortable reception and treatment area
I believe that this is one of the only ways we can differentiate ourselves from the dentist down the block – service. How do you feel? How important is service when it comes to the competition?
(You may purchase this book on Amazon.com for $9.99)
Hold Annual Retreats
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As we approach the end of the year, this is an opportune time for you to strategically set aside a full day of planning for you and your team.
I hear many dentists tell me that this kind of planning is just a horrific waste of time.
What a huge mistake they are making in their thinking.
With an annual day of planning, there are opportunities to plan for the next year. Invite each team member to be a part of the agenda and to be responsible for one element of the retreat’s success. Hold your retreat off-site and keep it informal. A clearly written annual plan, developed with everyone’s input, will cause your practice numbers to take off! (You can check out my Annual Goal Review as a special PDF for free.)
I’d love to hear from you about how you do your annual planning. What are some of the keys to your success in laying out your 2012?
Create “Connection”
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People want more than a bi-weekly pay check. Believe it or not, they want more than health benefits, too.
They want to feel like they are “in the loop” on what’s happening in your dental practice, the business that they work for.
Share your vision and goals for the practice with the team. (Check out some more Open Book Management suggestions here). Make it part of your daily conversations. Let your staff know that they are more than an auxiliary expense.
Let them know that you value them.
When people feel connected, they are more confident and make better choices within the practice.
Ask People What It Is That They need
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The answer is always in the question.
When we take the time to ask team members what they need to do better, they recognize you care about them. Their performance will naturally improve.
Rule number one of providing a good service: It’s all about them, not about you.
Ask your patients what they need, then listen, then as long as it is not illegal, immoral, or fattening– do it!
When we ask, we get.
Stimulate Creativity
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- If your employees are making mistakes freely and fearlessly.
- If people are coming to work excited and having fun.
- If they’re concentrating on things, rather than preparing reports and going to meetings…
… then you have an opportunity to grow your business.
Even if you feel that your dental practice is at the end of its rope, remember that discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping-stones to success.
Use simple techniques to get people involved and thinking, i.e. role-play with team members as patients, or play music during brain storming sessions. Few of us simply sit down and begin to “create” without a stimulus.
When we make learning and problem solving fun, the results are much more rewarding and profitable. What problems do you experience in your dental practice now? Is it staff, or bringing in more referrals? How can you solve those problems in fun, creative ways?
I recently read somewhere that men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. What can you dream about for your practice?
Recognize Success!
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If someone asked me for the best management advice I could give, I would say: Look for, and recognize, things that are being “done right.”
When you see team members going the extra mile, be prepared to acknowledge them on the spot with a simple compliment or something fun like a lottery ticket.
Action item: Invite each of your team members to provide you with a list of 5 things that they would enjoy receiving as an acknowledgment for delivering excellence. They will know that you care because you recognize their success!
If they can’t think of ideas, give them some by checking out Dr. Ron’s 101 Ways to Reward and Recognize Your Team.
Set “S.M.A.R.T.” Goals
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These are the kinds of comments I typically hear when working with individuals and groups in planning for their future of choice.
- “Heck, I don’t need goals.”
- “Forget writing them down, I got them all in my head.”
- “I’m not goal-driven. My life just seems to work out all by itself.”
What a joke!
I bet if you check their bank account, it’s not as robust as they would like. I bet if you look at their life, there are some things missing. I bet if you ask them where they’re at in their life today, they may tell you that they are not exactly where they what have hoped for.
Setting goals and writing them down is critical for your success. Now, being prepared does not guarantee your success, but I will tell you that being unprepared creates failure.
When goals pass the SMART test (Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Time Bound) you will find they are more powerful and effective.
Team members enjoy making goals. They do it in less time, with less stress. Did I mention that your bank account will swell?
Provide Honest Feedback – Get Rid of the Surprises
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“Hey boss, what kind of a job do you think I’m doing? What do you mean my performance is subpar? I’ve been busting my hump for the past several months and thought I was doing a great job!”
Surprise, surprise! It doesn’t have to be this way.
Team members want to know how they are doing. Take time to identify individual strengths, as well as areas that can be improved.
In most cases, team members improve and grow.
At least twice a year, deliver Success Conferences, a revolutionary approach outlined in one of my previous blog posts: Ditch the Performance Review.
The result: team members know that you care and appreciate what they do.
You Can’t Thank Me Enough
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Have you ever been thanked too much? This may seem like a ridiculous question, yet a large percentage of employees, friends, family or referral sources never feel recognized.
In fact, even a large percentage of Dental CEOs and other managers never feel recognized either. Unfortunately few get thanked anymore and few feel appreciated.
Here are a few simple tips to creating your Thank You for referrals program:
- Make it fun to do and that alone will make it easy.
- Create an annual budget for “thanking” people.
- Engage your team.
- Insist that this is a priority expectation for all on the team.
- Brainstorm and then implement a simple system that works effortlessly.
- Be specific in what acknowledgement will be offered for referral #1, #2, #3 and so on.
- Be persistent and consistent…ALL the time, never miss a chance to thank people.
- Assign one person to be the Referral Gifting Champion.
- ALWAYS find time to say “Thank You”.
- Above all, personalize!
Now, what will you do with this information and by when? Thanksgiving is just around the corner and could be a great time to implement your attitude of gratitude.
Use What You Know – You Are Already Smart!
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Work smart.
I will tell you how to do it below. But first, schedule in some quiet time alone in your office with the door closed.
Now:
- Whip out your current policies and procedures; take a hard look at them. Do they make sense? Do they work?
- Take stock of team capacity. Who is best at what tasks? Determine strengths and areas for improvement.
- Review your most recent Patient Survey results. Are you proud of them?
- Solicit team members for ideas and resources to help. They will appreciate being involved and support your efforts to make things better.
Now, make a plan to make the changes. Give yourself ample time – say 6 or 9 months. Because you’re smart, you know that it takes time to plan and to implement changes in your business.
A successful dental CEO is willing to take action. Understand that change is often met with resistance, frustration, and doubt. Keep your eye on the goal, work with your team and consider outside support services to assist you in the process.
