Dentists hire me mainly because they are frustrated and plateaued. Many of the dentists who call me are looking for a dental coach or some guidance. What I notice is they have the same issues as those who are not using a true business coach. Some examples would be; they have had employee turnover, roller coaster income, issues with patients that "won't afford treatment", working way too much, unable to retire or unable to make enough profit for they lifestyle they desire. Hence, they are not happy with their outcome.
If you can relate to any of this, you need a dental coach to help reverse engineer your goals, prioritize and give you simple ways to achieve success without so many headaches along the way.
Why do we have staff turnover? Some is due to not knowing how to be a leader, however, most is due to lack of systems. Your team may be floundering and running around with their pants on fire. This means, there probably isn't quite a clear job description or priorities laid out for them. Sometimes, employees quit, because they are tired of chaos or others not doing their job. Some dentists don't fire quick enough and hire employees that bring energy to the practice. Overall, we need to know who does what by when? This is where a dental coach can help customize the different personalities and skill levels to guide responsibilities to be done in your office. One big issue I see is when an office doesn't have the standard operating procedure manual in place, then we are pulling out our hair onboarding someone else to step in and do what is needed to run the practice smoothly. All employees know information, but if that employee can't come to work, then we need to quickly train someone else. This can be accomplished by having the exact steps of each task written and "How to" videos uploaded in the cloud, so you can just point as to where to find the information. In order to keep the business running like a well-oiled machine, we need to be able to train anyone at anytime. So let's get that done as soon as possible and you can do what you do best...DENTISTRY.
Trust me, this will be a game changer.
Why do dentists have roller coaster income? There are many reasons why one month a dentist goes over goal and another month collections was below standard. The main reason is the team doesn't know how to properly schedule to goal. Most offices are filling the schedule like a tetris game. Once the administrative team members understand how the clinical team should work and how to schedule over goal, then the schedule is a huge accomplishment. On the contrary, most employees are saying, "I have called or texted everyone and no one schedules." Well doctor, if they are not getting results, they should stop what they are doing, because it's a waste of time and annoying your patients.
Your team needs a dental coach giving them the proper reactivation process and verbal skills that get results. I dare you to start listening to their effort and you will realize why patients aren't responding. Here is a clue, if you hear them saying, "You are overdue for a cleaning" or "You didn't schedule your pending treatment", I promise you that patients rarely respond well to that. Another issue is that your team is not reactivating consistently. In other words, as the schedule gets busy, they stop the effort and then the next month is slow.
Tired of hearing your patients "cant afford treatment"? Just so you know that this is an excuse. If you present a treatment plan and the first question out of their mouth is "Will my insurance cover it?", then you did not do well during your case presentation. I recommend tracking your case acceptance and know the percentage each person in your office can accomplish. The final thought I have on treatment case acceptance is that if you notice you only get patients to schedule on $1000 or less (insurance covered treatment), then you need a dental coach.
Tracking your numbers is EVERYTHING
when it comes to running a business.
Many dentists think "I need more patients." In reality, most have plenty. Run your reports to show all the patients not scheduled. Yes, many dentists marketed to all the wrong patients and need to rebrand their office. Many dentists were desperate and signed up for every insurance plan or list they could get on and offered discounted exams and cleanings. Bad move when wanting to work a normal amount of hours and have some free time. Listen, you are a dentist and you should be paid a fair market value for your services. It is important to attract your ideal patients. You know, the ones that you enjoy working on.
Dentists should be able to take 6-12 weeks off a year and make good money. Some of you don't believe that is possible. Many of you need help with confidence, leadership, belief, guidance and accountability. Listen, it's time to invest in YOU! Get a coach and stop throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what sticks. You are wasting time and deserve to live the dream. I am not trying to be harsh....I truly care about you!
If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting the same old results. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, you need a dental coach. I am here to tell you the truth doctor. My dad (who was my best friend) worked 6 days a week his entire career. The average person enjoys 17 summers after they retire. My dad only enjoyed 1. Seriously, this makes me want to cry. I know he worked super hard to provide a nest-egg for his family. Honestly, I would have rather had my dad here on earth with us.
Please don't be another statistic, get a dental coach and catapult your business.
Respectfully,
Coach Heidi Mount
