If I Had It To Do Over

One of the many questions I’ve asked countless dentists as part of the market research I do for my books and articles is, “Looking back on your career, what would you have done differently if you knew then, what you now know?’” The result has been a veritable treasure trove of wisdom, insights and practical advice.

Here are a few of these hard learned lessons:

When first starting out as an associate, I should have discussed many job-related details with the

senior dentist – before joining the practice.

Many practice owners and new associates fail to adequately discuss such job-related details as productivity expectations, future salary increases, fringe benefits, working hours, time off for continuing education, vacation time and the potential for future partnership. And if a future partnership is an option, what is the timetable and requirements for achieving it?

Invariably there are feelings, perhaps strong beliefs, on both sides about such issues that are often widely divergent. Sadly, they’re frequently glossed over, if not avoided altogether, during the initial meetings. Down the road, when things

BOB LEVOY Power To Succeed

If I Had It To Do Over.... What older dentists, looking back on their careers, would have done differently

don’t turn out as expected, the predictable result can include stress, anger and perhaps a parting of ways.

employee who was affordable, but probably not the best person for the job.

“Don’t skimp on compensation – especially in the beginning” is the consensus of those dentists who initially underestimated this critical aspect of practice management and later regretted it. Hiring people who are less than qualified to handle such matters as new patient inquiries, scheduling,

Levoy’s Law for new associates: the fewer the surprises, the better. Discuss these topics and any others of importance ahead of time. And when agreement has been reached, put everything in writing.

I started my practice with a single

recare appointments and collections in order to save money makes no sense.

On the other hand, an experienced staff member on the other hand will also have the know-how to deal with the issues that arise in everyday practice and require tact and skill to properly resolve – tasks with which you don’t want to be involved. These include telephone shoppers, overdue payments, complaints about fees or insurance coverage, missed appointments, and about 101 other situations.

If you paid more, you could hire someone with amazing communication skills and experience who could multitask, remember the names of patients, and handle problems with finesse. What would that be worth in the early days of your practice?

“Hire the best,” said management consultant Charles Blair, DDS. “Top practices always recruit the highest quality employ-

YOU CHANGE LIVES EVERY DAY. PATTERSON ADVANTAGE SUPPORTS YOU.

Did you ever have an “Ah-ha!” moment? Maybe it was one of those times when suddenly everything came together and made perfect sense, so basic, you wonder why you didn’t see it before.

Top practices always

recruit the highest quality employees, even though they cost

Mine came when I read that Morton Salt, the world’s leading producer of salt, conducted focus groups to learn why its customers were willing to pay a little more for its salt, even though it is identical to all other salt. The company admitted to the participants that its salt was identical to that of its competitors – and even that it supplied salt to others who sold it for a lower price.

a little more.

ees, even though they cost a little more. Despite the higher cost, they represent an excellent value, since their productivity far exceeds that received from cheaper, but more mediocre employees.”

The group members responded they would still buy Morton’s salt at the higher price because they trusted the company more than others to provide a fair measure and a clean, uncontaminated product.

Another common regret pertains to the way needed dental treatment was presented to patients by dentists who were just starting out. “I over-explained everything,” one dentist told me, “and it wasn’t working.”

In other words, trust accounts for the loyalty of Morton Salt’s customers – not to men-

As a dental practitioner, you change

lives each and every day, whether

it’s relieving a patient’s painful dental

condition or helping them achieve

the smile of their dreams. The

Patterson Advantage program is one

of the many ways that we support

you in enhancing the patient

experience and practice lifestyle.

tion their willingness to pay a premium fee.

Patients don’t accept your recommendations for implants, crowns, periodontal surgery, orthodontics and endodontics because they truly understand the fine points of what’s involved. They do so because, in a word, they trust you. And once established, case presentation becomes a cinch.

Establishing trust, however, is a process, much closer to farming than it is to manufacturing.

In my book, 201 Secrets of a High Performance Dental Practice, I devote an entire chapter to this topic as it relates to case presentation and patient acceptance. Here are a few of the hard learned lessons about this process:

201 Secrets of a High Performance Dental Practice

by Bob Levoy, published by Elsevier/Mosby

This book is a unique compendium of wisdom, insights and practical advice from many of the country’s most successful dentists. It is packed with tested tips, hard learned lessons and action steps to greatly improve patient satisfaction, practice growth and profitability.

One of the reviews from www.amazon.com

“Bob Levoy practically invented practice management, but God is not finished with him yet. His latest book may be the best book on dental practice management ever written. We liked it so much we’ve recommended that it be the required textbook for our practice management course at Temple University School of Dentistry.”

Patrick Wahl DMD, MBA

“Be very slow to get into the patient’s mouth,” periodontist. Mitchell T. Cantor D.M.D. M.S.D., told me. “First, get into the patient’s heart; then, the patients head; and then, into the patient’s mouth.” • “Your greatest asset to future happiness and success in dentistry is the time you spend listening to your patients,” said Irwin M. Becker, DDS, consultant and former Chairman of the Department of Education of The Pankey Institute. “This pre-clinical and co-discovery examination time is the activity that really differentiates your practice. It is your premier opportunity to personalize your relationship with each

patient, forming the basis of a trusting doctor-patient relationship. And it permits you to recognize which patients are ready for complete dentistry and which need to start with Phase 1 care.” • “The worst case presentations I do are when I do all the talking,” said Anthony S. Feck, DMD. “When I do that, I don’t have a clue as to what really matters to the patient, and no case presentation can be effective until that is decided. The best way to determine that is to ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers.” • To avoid the problem of over-talking, author/speaker Nate Booth DDS suggested this simple question: “Would you like all the details about the treat-

HIGH-PERFORMANCE DENTAL PRACTICE 201 SECRETS 201 SECRETS LEVOY of a

201 201 SECRETS SECRETS

of a

High-Performance

Dental Practice

ment that needs to be done or just an overview?” • Don’t oversell patients on procedures they don’t really want or can afford. They may later experience “buyer’s remorse.” Dissatisfied with the final result, patients may not follow through with payments, or worse, bad-mouth you to others. Forgo short-term revenue for long-term trust.

and before you know it, it’s gone. One day they look back and realize that by focusing so exclusively on their practices, they completely missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship.

An Illinois dentist was torn between having evening hours and being at home with his family. After much deliberation, he put a sign in his reception area that read: “Starting Jan. 1, Daddy’s office will close at 6 p.m.” It was signed, “Debbie and Billy,” and he lostl very few patients.

“I would have spent more time with my family.”

An action step for this last issue is to think about what’s truly important in your life and your practice and guide yourself accordingly. ■

Now, while that is sad to say, it is a frequent answer to the questions posed in the opening paragraphs of this article.

Many dentists, especially those starting out in practice, put in long hours at their offices, often six days a week. It often results in much borrowing against the future. The assumption? There will always be a future. However, time quickly slips by,

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