The seven deadly sins f dental practice management making gd practices great
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management If yu are reading this I wuld imagine that yu are frustrated by the perfrmance f yur dental practice, yu may have a gappy bk, pr cash flw, increasing debt, a dysfunctinal team r just be unfulfilled r unhappy in yur wrk. When talking t thers yu may say hw much yu lve yur practice and hw well everything is ging, yur team are delightful and the fees are puring in, but is that the truth? Are yu lying t yurself as well as thers? Is it time that yu started wrking n yur business rather than in it? Is nw the time that yu recgnised that yu are mre than a clinician yu are a business wner, and yur business shuld be being lked after? If yu are nt sure if this applies t yu cnsider the fllwing questins and tick all that apply t yu. I have lst my directin; my practice visin is hazy and uninspiring. I feel de-mtivated. I want t feel re-inspired and invigrated and really enjy wrking in my practice. I feel verwhelmed I always have s many things t d, and nt enugh time t d them. My t d list is cntinually grwing; I feel tired, lack energy and mtivatin. I wish that I had my time rganised s that I culd d what I need t d and still have the time and energy t enjy my life away frm wrk. I have financial prblems persnally r prfessinally. I wrry abut whether I will have enugh mney t pay my bills at the end f the mnth. My verdraft and credit card bills are getting larger. I want t be debt free and knw that my family, my staff and I are secure financially. I have seen a drp ff in my patient numbers, fewer patients are jining the practice, we have fewer patient enquiries and I think I am lsing the patients I already have. I am scared that my practice is nt sustainable. I want t learn hw t create a custmer experience that makes ur practice a place ur patients want t cme t and bring their friends and family. Page2
My team is dysfunctinal r in anarchy, I dn t feel as if I am the bss, it appears t me that I make a decisin and nbdy des as I ask. I want a team that is united, supprtive and helpful. I am pr at cnverting my treatment plans and nervus abut discussing treatment, and this is damaging the financial security f my practice. I want t learn hw t cnfidently and effectively sell dental treatment in an hnest way s my patients get what is best fr them every time. I am frustrated, my practice is disrganised r chatic, and many prcedures happen by chance rather than by design and ften the team dn t knw what they are suppsed t d r hw t d it, knwledge is lst when we change staff. I am hindering the grwth f my practice because my marketing is nn- existent r ineffective. I have wasted mney n marketing campaigns and training prgrammes that have nt generated the results I wanted and this really frustrates me. I dn t have any balance between wrk and my persnal life. I spend mst my time at wrk, thinking r wrrying abut wrk. I am tiered and am nt able t make full use f my weekend r hlidays. I am r fear that unless I get the balance right I will destry my healthy, my marriage and relatinships with ther friends and family. If yu ticked any f the bxes yu are guilty f the seven deadly sins t dental practice management; The gd news is that help is available and it is easier than yu think. Intrigued? Read n... Page3
Quick fix mney making ideas dn t wrk! making gd practices great Mindset Building a successful dental practice requires time, dedicatin, hard wrk and the realisatin that yu wn a business that if it is ging t flurish requires attentin. The real purpse shuld be abut creating smething f value, nt just making mney. Quick fix mney making ideas and sticking plaster slutins fr the prblems within yur practice encurage yu t spend mney, deliver false hpes and ffer n real ability fr lasting change and prsperity. Even if yu adpt new habits and implement new systems and new staff, until yu change yur mind set and start thinking as a business wner, yu will always be in fear f failure. When yu start acting as a business wner, thinking like ne yu will becme ne. T d this yu must take care f yur mind, bdy, sul, psyche and yur practice. Tgether let us start a jurney mving twards success and away frm fear and under achievement. Practice management and leadership ften cnjure up thughts and beliefs like That is nt me, I just want t be a dentist, Can t my manager d all that fr me? r I dn t knw hw t d that ; whilst yu cntinue t fcus n this sense f inability yu will be cnstantly reminded f yur shrtcmings as a business wner. Nw is the time t change yur mindset and fcus n what yu can becme. In 1910 Wallace D Wattles wrte That in rder t be rich in any thing in life yu have t... think like a rich persn If yu want t have a successful business that happens t ffer dentistry yu have t start thinking like a business persn. Are yu ready t; Create a cmpelling visin Organise yur time and plan Take cntrl f yur finances and wealth Build a winning team Learn hw t sell hnestly Develp efficient and effective business systems Fcus n yur marketing Becme an inspiratinal leader Fcus n custmer service Achieve a wrk life balance Page4
What abut thse seven deadly sins hw d they relate t running a successful dental practice? Anyne wh has tried quick fix slutins t running a business and failed will recgnise that they have fallen in t ne r mre traps. Gluttny, greed, envy, slth pride, wrath and lust, which nes are yu guilty f? Page5
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Gluttny Gluttny is the habit f cnsuming t much. The mst cmmn reasn dental practice wners apprach a business cach fr the first time is because there are financial issues in the practice, cash flw is being squeezed, patient fees have drpped, the verdraft is getting bigger r payments can t be cleared. Mst dental accuntants that I speak t all reprt the same stry, as a prfessin, dentists have a tendency t spend mre than they earn. I wuld encurage yu t cnsider yur finances persnally and prfessinally, where are yu cnsuming t much? What abut yur stck cntrl, d yu buy t much that sits n shelves, are yur staff wasteful with materials; d they knw the cst f what they are thrwing away? Yu persnally, are yu eating, and drinking t much? D yur dietary and persnal habits have a debilitating effect n yur perfrmance at wrk? As an experiment give up drinking fr a mnth, and ntice hw much clearer yur thinking is each mrning. Gluttny can be vercme by increasing yur awareness f when yu have enugh What are yu cnsuming t much f? Page6
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Greed Greed is the excessive desire fr getting r having. Gals and visins are essential is business, they prvide us smething t aim fr and a mtivatin. Hwever things d nt prvide the happiness we were seeking when we made ur purchase. This sets up a cycle f cntinually buying trinkets, tys, cars, huse, hlidays, watches, chairs, cmputers, equipment etc in the vain hpe that eventually yu will be happy and have enugh This habit f cntinually spending and wanting mre puts excessive and unnecessary strain n yur finances and n yu as yu have t keep generating patient revenue, and yur patients will sense yur urgency fr them t buy treatment and this will put them ff and yu will sell less and s anther vicius circle f necessity is established. What wuld it be like if yu recgnised what emtinal needs yur excessive buying was seeking t fulfil and yu were able t have it indulged withut spending. Yu may be trying t buy freedm, security, status, respect, lve r many ther emtins and yu can have that nw, if yu recgnise what it is yu are searching fr. Greed can be vercme by being cnscius abut what yu are really seeking and being grateful fr all yu have. Where are yu being greedy in yur life and business? Page7
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Envy Envy is the desire fr smething that smene else has; this culd be pssessins, status, skills. Yu may lk at yur clleagues and cvert their car, their practice, their staff, their reputatin, and as yu d what ther feelings des the envy spawn? Jealusy, anger, resentment, self pity, self lathing? Have yu ever spent time with anther persn wh is perpetually angry, jealus, self critical, hw des it make yu feel? Fr mst f us they are energy vampires that destry any gd feelings f psitiveness, they are generally tiresme t be arund and if they are a sales assistant yu wuld nt want t buy frm them If yu recgnise these traits in yurself, hw d yu think yu are destrying yur practice frm the inside? Instead f feeling envius and resentful f anther persn, try imagining yurself with what they have t. Where are yu envius in yur life and business? Envy can be vercme by discvering the emtinal drivers behind what yu desire, and using these t identify yur cre values. Page8
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Slth Slth is the avidance f wrk; laziness. Yu may knw that yu have a disruptive member f staff, a prly perfrming assciate, a set f accunts that need preparing, a marketing campaign t cnsider r any number f ther tasks that shuld be dne if yur business is t remain healthy and prfitable. Slth is when yu dn t d what yu need t. Many practice wners wh are als clinicians are ften very busy slths, chsing t ls themselves in clinical issues that are neither urgent nr imprtant, just easier t d than facing a task that is either unexciting r unfamiliar. Similarly it is pssible t lse yurself in Face bk, linked in r ther scial media telling yurself it is an essential practice building activity. Yu may have recgnised that there is a skill that culd really help yu in yur business if yu learned hw t d it such as tuch typing, NLP, excel, sage, speed reading, wrking with a business cach etc and have been putting it ff stifling yur business as a result Where are yu being slthful in yur practice? Slth can be vercme by taking actin, and starting t d the things yu have been putting ff, as yu becme mre prficient they get easier and less daunting. Page9
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Pride Pride a high r inrdinate pinin f ne's wn abilities dignity, imprtance, merit, r superirity. When it cmes t learning hw t run a successful business everyne has t g thrugh the 4 stages f learning, uncnscius incmpetence, cnscius incmpetence, cnscius cmpetence and uncnscius cmpetence. Often the mst difficult step n that jurney is admitting that yu dn t knw hw t run a successful business. Why shuld yu knw, yu are a dentist and trained t be a highly skilled clinician, there was n business skills training at dental schl. Failure t admit that yu dn t knw is ften preceded by pride, and it is that pride that is preventing yu frm learning what yu need t knw t run yur practice as a successful business. The saying ges Pride cmes befre a fall and it is a very cmmn reality that many dentist are prud, and because they are unwilling t admit they wuld value frm business caching, they d things they way they have always dne and their practices suffer as a result. I am very ften apprached by practice wners have experienced a catastrphe befre they have admitted they need help. The catastrphe culd be financial, staffing, unsatisfactry inspectin, health prblems, and fr sme unfrtunately they leave it t late and their practices fail. When are yu being prud and it is damaging yur practice? Pride can be vercme, by admitting that there are things abut yur business that yu dn t knw hw t d, recruiting a business cach and trainer and wrking with them fr as lng as it takes fr yu t learn what yu need t. Page10
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Wrath Wrath is strng, stern, r fierce anger; deeply resentful indignatin. Hw d yu respnd in yur practice when things dn t happen the way yu want them t? As I spend mre and mre time with dental practice wners I discver that wrath is a cmmn emtin, many f them are able t internalise it s the full extent f their anger resentment and frustratin is nt expressed t staff, patients r spuses. What I am finding is that time and time again the anger results frm tasks nt being cmpleted as the principal wanted, and invariably this is because they were unclear in their requests, and the staff were ding the best they knew hw t d. Mst peple dn t enjy being arund angry peple and certainly patients dn t enjy being treated by tense angry dentists. Chrnic anger whether internalised r vilently expressed can cause health issues ver time. Where is yur wrath damaging yur practice, yur health r yur relatinships? Wrath can be vercme by using were clear cmmunicatin and ensuring that yur expectatins are realistic and understd. Regular exercise is a great way t calm a flared temper. Page11
The seven deadly sins f dental practice management Lust Lust is a passinate r vermastering desire r craving. Peple lust after a variety f things, sex, pwer, mney alchl, drugs. One f the prblems with lust is that whilst yur mind is cnsumed with whatever yu are lusting after, yu cannt cncentrate and give yur full attentin t anything else, yur mind is distracted. Being mindful and present is essential if yu are t d smething really well. Whether yu are wrking with yur business cach learning abut hw t make yur practice really successful, learning abut yurself and hw yu need t be t run a really successful practice, delivering excellent clinical wrk r cmmunicating with yur staff yu must have yur mind fully n what yu are ding. Lust des nt allw yu t be fcused and present in the mment. What are yu lusting ver and hw is it damaging yur practice by diverting yu attentin? Lust can be vercme, by develping the skills f mindfulness and acceptance. Page12
What next? By nw yu have identified which f the seven deadly sins yu have been indulging in and will have a clearer understanding f hw they are damaging yur, practice, yur livelihd, relatinships and health. Cnsciusly r uncnsciusly yu are nw ready t change. By nw yu are mre aware f hw yu are thinking and behaving and will have a greater chance f making the right decisins that serve yu really well, bth nw and in the future. Sme f the things that yu may r may nt be aware f include; Nw is the time t change and d smething different. Nw is the time fr yu t start learning hw t run a really successful practice. Nw is the time t admit there are things yu dn t knw and begin yur jurney f discvery. Nw is the time t wrk with me as yur dental business cach. If yu recgnise any f thse truths ask yurself the fllwing questins; Are yu ready t run a really successful dental practice? Are yu ready t embrace new prsperus ways f running yur practice? Are yu ready t develp a cmpelling future fr yu and yur practice? Are yu ready t plan yur future and rganise yur time? Are yu ready t take cntrl f yur finances and becme wealthy Are yu ready t build a winning team Are yu ready t fcus n yur patients and custmer service Are yu ready t learn hw t sell hnestly Are yu ready t develp efficient and effective business systems Page13
Are yu ready t fcus n yur marketing Are yu ready t becme an inspiratinal leader Are yu ready t achieve a wrk life balance If yu answered yes t any f thse questins yur next step is t nw t call me nw n 07989 757 884 r e mail Jane@IODB.c.uk nw t discuss hw tgether we can make yur gd practice great. Page14