Blog - Page 50 of 55 - Dr Jesse Green

Staff.

They’re a major resource for your dental practice, and getting the right people on board is crucial.

Recruiting staff is time-consuming and often challenging. And, like many things in life – and in business – it doesn’t come with a manual or a road map.

So you often end up flying by the seat of your pants. Doing what seems right at the time.

And that results in you suffering the consequences later. Because we all know the consequences of imperfect staffing decisions.

A huge amount of angst, time, frustration and lost revenue.

No one likes dealing with staffing issues. They’re fraught with danger. There’s a very real possibility of litigation if matters are handled poorly, and the emotional impact on everyone involved can be huge.

There’s also the revenue issue.

Because all the time you spend sorting out staffing issues is time you could be spending with patients. So there’s a very real cost to your business when you’re investing a lot of time and energy dealing with staff management problems.

And here’s the thing that no one else will tell you. High staff turnover results in reduced revenue. Whereas high staff retention results in higher patient retention

So how do you go about building an elite team?

I believe there are five key steps.

This is a big topic, so this post is part of a series that will help you get staffing right in your practice. Even if you’re not currently looking to hire anyone new, the strategies and checklists I’m going to share with you are critical for building an effective team.

Building An Elite Team to Boost Your Business

Don’t Drown In Overwhelm

So now you know the five key steps for building a highly successful, elite team, it might seem a little overwhelming.

And you’re right. There are only five steps, but there’s a lot in each step.

Which is why we’ve unpacked the steps even further – we have post on each part of the process. So you have a clear roadmap to creating the best possible team for your practice.

You can find out:

You can even discover how to deal with underperforming staff.

But before you drown in overwhelm, remember what Marie Forleo says:

You can have it all, but you don’t have to do it all.

You have a team. Part of building an elite team is delegating responsibility. It’s about not doing it all yourself.

So if you haven’t already started flexing your delegation muscles, make today the day.

What have you got to lose?

Angus Young and AC/DC’s success is interesting, isn’t it?

Some bands make it big, and others flop. It’s not necessarily down to talent because there are good bands out there who just never make the big time.

And it’s the same in the dental industry. There are a lot of good dentists out there, but not all of them are running successful businesses.

This doesn’t mean they’re not great dentists. It doesn’t even mean they’re not great business people.

No, it means they haven’t learned the secret.

Because there’s a formula for success. It’s a formula that AC/DC have been using for years.

Before I reveal it, I have a confession to make.

I’m a huge AC/DC fan … For a band that’s been around for more than 40 years they are doing pretty well for themselves, wouldn’t you say?

That got me thinking … what if the lead guitarist of AC/DC – Angus Young – was your dental business coach?

His band has a solid formula for success that we can all learn from. It’s not how to belt out a rock song, or how to “duck walk”, although that would be fun.

It’s a few steps that you can apply to rock your business.

7 Steps To Rock Your Business Like Angus Young

1. Have A Personality

Every business needs a personality. Whether yours is professional and straight down the line, or fun and quirky, or a bit of both.

You have to inject a bit of your personality into your dental practice management, marketing, and systems for both your team and patients’ benefit.

You only have to look at Angus Young and take a leaf out of his book to see how this has worked for his “business”. AC/DC is on brand each and every time.

2. Be Authentic

Your patients will respect someone who works really hard, but you need more than that.

Angus Young has worked hard over the years, you only have to listen to interviews with him to know that. But fans follow and love him because to them he is real and consistent every time he comes on stage.

People love dentists they feel are real. They want someone they can connect with. (Click to Tweet)

In a marketplace that’s bursting at the seams with good, hard-working dentists, customers will return to people they feel are genuine.

So be authentic.

3. Stay True To Yourself

AC/DC is one of the most successful rock bands in history. Full stop.

The have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide; an amazing feat in its own right.

Part of this is because of what the band stands for. This comes from their values and beliefs, and these lead into to their goals, and the direction they want to take the band.

It’s the same for you and your dental practice management, marketing and systems.

Establish your values and be true to yourself. You’ll attract more of your ideal patients, and they’ll be loyal supporters.

4. Follow Your Own Path

As a dentalpreneur you are going to cop criticism. People will try to knock you down.

To be a winner, like AC/DC, you must stay true to yourself and follow your own course. Stay on track, look to the future, see the vision and take your business in the right direction.

Stay strong. Don’t compromise on who you are and why you’re doing what you do.

Always follow your own path.

5. Build A Strong Team

The simple truth is that you cannot do everything yourself. It is a folly to try.

Having a strong and stable team frees you up to do what you do best. That might be clinical dentistry, the practitioner within the business, or the dentalpreneur working on your business rather than in it.

Do you think Angus Young could do it all on his own?

He can do a mean solo, yes. But the fans love the band as a whole.

Music is a team effort, and so is your dental practice. So build a strong team that supports you to do what you do best. (Click to Tweet)

6. Be Exceptional

Surround yourself with the right people.

The band members of AC/DC are experts in their own right. Angus Young is one of the best lead guitarists in the world. Bon Scott is one the best rock vocalists of all time.

To be successful, you must be exceptional at what you do. This is more than being an exceptional dentist.

To be exceptional, you must create an exceptional experience for your patients. You must create multiple moments of connection, create value and simply solve your patients’ problems.

This is what Angus Young and the band did and that’s why are still around today. Do this for your patients, and you’ll be running a successful business for decades to come.

7. Create something bigger than yourself

When there is no more AC/DC (that thought saddens me), we will still have their music; their legacy.

It will be available forever for us to listen to and immerse ourselves in. The music of AC/DC is so much bigger than they are.

This is what you need to do as a successful dentalpreneur. You need to create something that’s bigger than yourself.

Something bigger than your team. Something bigger than your dental practice.

And something bigger than our industry.

Choose To Rock

Angus Young once said, “We’re a rock group. We’re noisy, rowdy, sensational and weird.”

As a business owner, you want a little of that too.

You want a business that stands out. One that attracts raving fans who tell everyone how fabulous you are.

You want customer loyalty as strong as AC/DC’s.

So copy them. Use the techniques that have made them rock the world.

Be true to yourself. Speak with your own authentic voice.

Build an enduring business. You don’t have to be “just another dentist” any more than AD/DC are “just another band”.

You can choose to stand out, or blend in with the crowd.

What’s it going to be?

The business lessons my dad taught me come from outside the business world – often the best business lessons do.

This episode is in celebration of father’s day a couple of weeks ago here in Australia. Although my dad isn’t a dentist, there are some simple life lessons I’ve learned from him that I’ve carried with me into the day to day running of my practice.

The five business lessons my dad taught me are:

1. How to start each day with a win, and why you should
2. The keys to making your business a team sport
3. How to give your customers more than they asked for (without breaking your budget)
4. Why persistence is the secret to success
5. How you can make each day better than the last

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Exhausting isn’t it?

Keeping patients coming in the door.

Competition is fierce.

I’m not the first to notice the influx of dentists into the market in recent years.

It’s easy to believe that there are too many dentists opening up around the country.

If that’s the case, what are you going to do about it?

Or maybe the question is, what can you do about it?

Well, you can’t do anything about the number of dentists, but you can do something about how that influx affects your dental practice.

The Grim Reality

As I travel around the country talking to dentists in all sorts of practices, many tell me they are anxious about the future.

Numerous dentists have defaulted on loans. Some have lost their homes.

Many are making less money, and seeing the value in their practice diminish.

This is due to the changing face of the environment, the number of new dentists, and the fact that dental health is now considered “discretionary spending”.

But it doesn’t need to be that way. (Click to Tweet)

The fact is, traditional dental practice management, doesn’t work like it used to. So what you need is a new approach.

And it all comes down to patient retention. That is the number one profit leak in your business. It’s also your number one dental marketing strategy – or it should be.

How To Create A Compelling Reason For Patients To Stay

Build Strong Relationships

Your biggest advantage right now is that dentistry is a relationships-based business. Smaller boutique practices are in a better position to offer a more personalised experience and they have the opportunity to out-perform in this area.

Dental marketing starts by having a “fireside chat” to gather as much information as you can, in as little time as possible.

Initially, when you do this you want to find out their complaint, dental history and dental aspirations. You also want to gather as much personal information as you can.

Why?

Because you can use this information to build rapport. If they tell you about their grandchildren, you can inquire about them next time.

Remember, it’s the little things that count.

Build Patient Loyalty And Trust

One of the most important factors affecting patient loyalty is trust. Trust is at the heart of every relationship we have, whether it is personal or professional.

Trust comes down to three broad groups: Ability, Behaviour and Character – the ABCs of trust. Having the ability to perform a treatment correctly and with the right result promotes certainty. This is a basic human need.

When it comes to behaviour, our deeds must match our words. We need to be congruent with what we say and what we do.

Character is at the core of a person’s credibility. A key component is integrity and without that, you are missing one of life’s moral codes.

Create Value

Everything you do in business must be based on creating and providing value. (Click to Tweek)

When you create value, you will be seen as an expert and trusted adviser.

Patients will make their dental health a priority and more and more patients will proceed with treatment, increasing your case acceptance.

To effectively build value, you must communicate it before, during and after the appointment.

Talk with your patients about what the treatment will entail and why it’s important before the appointment. During the treatment, explain what you’re doing at every step and then, debrief them afterwards.

When the patient is at reception, debrief the receptionist on what you have done and why – this is for the patient’s benefit.

Establish A Community

People like to be part of a community.

Why?

Because it nurtures positive relationships and gives a sense of belonging and security.

One of the consequences of building authentic relationships based on care and trust is that over time your patients start to see you as part of the wider community.

Being part of a community leads to shared experiences and fosters the development of community norms and cohesiveness.

Patient Retention Is Key

These four things combined will get your patient retention strategy off on the right foot.

And patient retention is key when it comes to creating and growing a stable dental practice.

Which is what you want, isn’t it? A stable practice you can grow.

Well here’s something that no one else will tell you.

That stable practice starts with you.

You can create a community of loyal patients who value your efforts.

You can build strong relationships with people.

You can create value for every one of your patients, so they see you as their trusted adviser.

You can sit there and wait for more patients to walk in, or you can create a strong business you can rely on.

Which will you choose?

Cyber attacks aren’t just an urban myth and I’m speaking from very recent experience here. One Monday morning I found our dental IT system in lock down and our business held to ransom by a CryptoLocker attack. Fortunately, I’d met James Borg and he was my knight in shining armour.

James is the Managing Director of Teamwork Technology and in this episode we discuss the importance of having secure, reliable IT systems in your dental practice.

With over ten years of IT experience within the dental industry, he and his team are highly knowledgeable with solutions that are relevant to the dental industry.

We chat about:

Common IT problems in dental practices
The impact of IT systems on your professional image and productivity
The essentials of a good IT system
The key things you need for IT security
My experience with a CryptoLocker attack
Three action steps to improve your practice IT systems

Find out more about James Borg

Teamwork Technology Website: http://www.teamworktech.com.au/about-us/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-borg-07709964

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In this episode, I chat to one of my mentors, Paul Dunn. Paul is the Chairman of B1G1 and a hugely respected and admired business leader too. Paul offers amazing insights into building a purpose driven practice that attracts your ideal team and your ideal clients.

In this episode, we chat about:

How to find your purpose
Communicating your purpose to your team
The electromagnetic power of your purpose
Why business is about connection
Business processes
and much more.

Paul Dunn Links

Dentists changing lives

Simon Sinek at B1G1 100,000,000 Conference

Paul Dunn interviews Simon Sinek

B1G1 https://www.b1g1.com

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsdunn

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Success can be elusive.

It’s easy to see the success that others achieve, but achieving it yourself can be challenging.

You might be just as smart as the others. You might work just as hard as the others.

You might even think you’re doing similar things each day. And you probably are mostly doing what successful business owners do.

But sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. Sometimes small habits can be the difference between struggle town and success city.

One thing I learned in the navy is that small things done well, can have a big impact. In short, habits determine success.

So I’ve put together some entrepreneurial habits to help you sail to success.

Habits Determine Success

As dentists, we know habits determine success. We know that patients who develop good oral hygiene habits have better health.

We know that small habits can change an unhealthy diet to a healthy one.

We know that a little thing like giving up smoking can have a huge impact on a person’s health and lifestyle.

The same can be said about business.

The difference between a good customer experience and a poor one is often small but it packs a big punch.

The difference between turning a complaining customer into a devoted follower, or never seeing them again, is often small.

The difference between struggling to get ahead and adopting habits that lead to success can be small too.

But if it’s small, you can do it. You can adopt these habits today so you can reap the rewards tomorrow.

The future is in your hands. Strive for your goals and create your own success.

In this episode, I chat with Natasha Hawker about savvy human resources (HR) strategies. This is one of the areas dental practice owners and managers struggle with regularly.

Natasha is an employment and HR expert and director of Employee Matters. Natasha believes small businesses are the backbone of this country and work harder than anyone else. She helps small businesses grow their businesses through their employees. She helps them lose their ‘employee headaches’ and do what they love.

Natasha is the author of the book ‘From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between’. Her book helps business owners hire better, manage better and fire better even when they have limited time, money and employee relations knowledge.

In this episode we chat about:

How to attract and retain great staff
Employer obligations
Pitfalls and traps for small businesses
How to measure and increase staff engagement
Different interview styles and questions
Firing elegantly and without repercussions
And more

Find more about Natasha
Website: https://www.employeematters.com.au/meet-the-team/
Book: https://www.employeematters.com.au/product/book-hire-fire-everything/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatashaHawker

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Buyer indecision is a funny thing.

When we go into a shop to look around, we don’t want to be pushed into a buying anything. Often we’re not even sure we need anything.

We’re browsing while we kill time. There’s nothing we want so we’re unlikely to buy.

At least, not until we see that fancy new phone and remember that the one we currently have has a small crack in the screen.

The new phone looks pretty nifty. All elegant lines, slim and stylish.

Suddenly the small problems with our current phone seem to increase in importance. We have a problem that needs solving.

We need a new phone.

But even once we decide we need a new phone, we’re unlikely to jump in and buy one immediately. That’s not how things work.

In fact, buying is like dating. Really. Think about it.

If a stranger approaches you in a coffee shop and asks you for a date, it’s off-putting and uncomfortable. You don’t even know them.

But if a stranger says something like, “Do you think they’ve gone to pick the beans? They’re taking a while, aren’t they?” you might laugh and agree.

Then maybe you’d chat for a few minutes.

And if they then say, “I really enjoyed talking to you, maybe I can buy you a coffee in a place where the service is a better. Could I call you?” You might end up having a coffee, and maybe going on a date after that.

The point is that there’s a whole process behind going on a date. You can’t just jump in cold and ask people out.

And it’s the same when it comes to buyer indecision. You can’t jump straight to a sale because we all go through a natural decision-making cycle.

It is a journey in the mind and we have to travel through each stage before making a decision. There are actually five stages to making a decision to buy.

Let’s take a closer look at this. Not only will this knowledge make you a better seller, it will also make you a more intelligent buyer.

You Have The Power

You might think the customer has the power when it comes to purchasing, but you have a great deal of power too. You just need to use it.

You can help your patients decide by respecting the decision-making cycle.

Communicate with them based on where they are up to in the decision-making process. You’ll capitalise on the rapport you’ve built, and you’ll face less resistance.

You have a real solution to your patient’s problem. You just need to bridge the gap in their mind between the problem and the solution.

Do that, and you’ll make it far easier for them to make a decision.

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Want more great marketing strategies? Join Nauv Kashyap and I for our Marketing Masterclass – How to Be Fully Booked.

We’re running a one-day masterclass in both Melbourne and Sydney, and we’d love you to join us. The events are filling up fast, so grab your tickets now.

In this episode, I speak with Valerie Khoo about the role of storytelling in business marketing.

Valerie is the founder and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre, and author of Power Stories – 8 Stories You MUST Tell to Build an Epic Business. She also hosts two podcasts and is a keynote speaker. In this episode, you’ll hear what makes a great story, how to get into the minds of your readers, and much more.

What we chat about

The importance of presenting data in a meaningful way
Valerie’s simple storytelling formula
Mode of delivery and how it affects the way you tell a story
Common storytelling pitfalls
Authenticity and storytelling
The difference between sharing what’s personal and sharing your personality
How to think about delivering your stories on different platforms
Valerie’s three tips for storytelling in business

Find Valerie on

Website: http://valeriekhoo.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valeriekhoo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valeriekhoo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khoovalerie

*** Grab your free download ***

Download my Ideal Patient Avatar. It’s going to help you get crystal clear on who you’re targeting in your marketing.

If you have more than one ideal patient (and many practices do), then complete one of these for each ideal patient. I hope you enjoy this tool and find it useful!

If you’d like to save a copy of the report right click (or control-click on a single-button Mac mouse) the link above and select “save as”.

If you have any questions and you would like to get in touch, please emailhello@drjessegreen.com.

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