Newsletter Archive- Positive Action Brings Positive Results

Positive Action Brings Positive Results

By Lynn Garber

TIMES ARE TOUGH!!! Aren’t you tired of hearing that? I am! I believe times are only as tough as you allow them to be. If your practice is sending a negative message to your patient about tough times, they will believe it. As a result, you’ll find yourselves with diminishing profits, openings in your schedules and treatment not being accepted.

You may be ready for change, ask yourself:

1. Is your office presenting itself as a support to a persons total health and appearance?

2. Are you listening to what your patients want? What a person wants is often different than what you as a professionals sees as a need.

3. Are you and your staff having regular meetings about listening to patients and providing them with what
they are asking for?

4. Do you offer resources that support anti aging and total health for your patients? Is your reception room a window of opportunity?

5. Are your patients being rewarded for their commitment and loyality to your practice?

6. Is your staff communicating the benefits of your practice to Patients? Is the staff being rewarded for their efforts?

Over the years, dentistry has evolved clinically at a fast pace. However, we have not seen a comparable movement towards making changes in our dental practice management. We, as dental professionals, have been slow to proactively incorporate changes in how the practice in being marketed to our patients. It’s time that we incorporate some major changes in the way our dental practices offer services to patients and rewards to our staff.

Here are some suggestions to easily and quickly get your practice on a positive track:

1. Develop your reception room as a “window of possibilities”:

Have a video playing with services and products you offer along with resources you suggest for support
(i.e., health clubs, massages, aesthetics, etc.)

Fill a display cabinet with products you offer (i.e., teeth whitening, toothbrushes, anti aging, etc.).

Furnish the area with magazines and pamphlets about health, wellness, anti aging; not sports and
entertainment.

2. Offer patient rewards for commitment to their own well being and your practice; I’ve recently come across a site online that will get a cost effective program in place for this. Check out www.mydentalrewards.com, Letting patients know they are appreciated with tangible rewards is a sure fire way of keeping them loyal to your practice.

3.Propose an opportunity for your staff to earn more dollars and without increasing your salary overhead percentage; staff incentices can be structured as ongoing or with a time limit:

Offer products available for purchase and allow the staff to “own” this department. You’ve probably never done this before but it is necessary and ethical. There are quality products on the market today only available through a third party and provide a fair profit. Chose products that support you dental philosophy and a patients overall health.

Bonus dollars for specifics: a full hygiene schedule, daily production goals met,etc. and also for patients they bring back to the practice; i.e. patients past due for hygiene for more than one year or patients who never scheduled for recommended treatment.

Don’t decrease your profit margin by taking on more insurance plans. Seek to streamline your patient and staff communication and management. Benefits will come to you much faster working from the inside out. External marketing can be expensive with no guaranteed results. Before spending money on external fixes, make sure you closely examine your practice for simple internal changes you can make.

Benefits will come to you much faster working from the inside out.
Lynn Garber is a well known leader in the dental profession. As a consultant she continues to provide support to doctor and staff increasing their comm-unication skills and putting systems in places that insure favorable growth.

Lynn is a sought after guest lecturer to various dental meetings; i.e. Greater New York Dental Meeting, Florida National Dental Congress, Yankee Dental Meeting, Valley Forge Dental Meeting, etc. She provides continuing education programs a the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Tufts University, etc.; as well as programs for local dental societies. Her programs offer solutions that can be easily implemented into a dental practice resulting in growth.

As owner of LYNN GARBER CONSULTANTS since 1982 she continues to build successful practices throughout the United States. She is a member of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration and a contributing author to many well know dental publications.