Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Out

Introduction

Hopes for great success are automatic for most dentists entering practice. Yet despite all of the opportunities, young dentists are facing challenges today that did not exist in the past.

As recent graduates are painfully aware, a dental school education entails significant debt. Unlike their predecessors, many graduating new dentists are discovering that banks are slower to lend money than

they were in the past. Interest rates are starting to rise, too – not a good sign for dentists who are already saddled with a six-figure school loan upon graduation.

In the new dental economy, success cannot be guaranteed. Young dentists should be careful to avoid costly pitfalls that can interfere with practice growth. To achieve maximum success with minimal stress, new doctors must avoid the following seven mistakes:

Mistake No. 1: Thinking it is wrong to view your practice as a business.

Obviously, all dentists strive to deliver excellent care to their patients. That is your whole purpose for becoming a dentist in the first place. However, a practice is a business and a good business is highly efficient. Not thinking of a practice as a

business has caused many dentists to experience grossly inefficient offices. Once this occurs, production declines are inevitable, forcing many dentists to practice years longer than they intended.

sistently deliver outstanding patient care, which ultimately affects practice revenue. A smart, efficient practice provides excellent clinical care and an excellent living for the dentist.

Inefficiency drags a practice down year after year, hindering your best efforts to be a great dentist. Fully understanding the business of dentistry has never been more important than now. Inefficiency compromises the practice’s ability to con-

Mistake No. 2: Insisting that a practice brochure is all the marketing you really need.

How often has a brochure alone persuaded you to do anything? Would you

ADVANTAGE ADVAN

Reinvest In Your Practice

practice into the future.

you provide to your patients. Earn Advantage Dollars!

Immediate Benefits.

Priority Scheduling

Discounts On Technical Service

Complimentary Labor Warranties

Exclusive Promotions

And More

Turn what you need today into what you want tomorrow.

The Patterson Advantage® Program lets you earn Advantage

Dollars on everyday purchases. These dollars can be used to

invest in technology or equipment purchases to guide your

It makes practice investments easier, so you can worry less

about your bottom line and more about the quality of care

Long-Term Rewards.

Earn Advantage dollars on everyday

purchases that you can put toward new

equipment and technology purchases.

Bring a new CEREC system, operatory

chair or digital imaging system into your

practice – the possibilities are limitless.

buy a luxury car based solely on a brochure you got in the mail or picked up at a showroom? Would you skip having a test drive or asking questions at the dealership?

ceived as a salesperson. However, to imagine that you are not selling to your patients is actually one of the biggest illusions that dentists can have. Every treatment is “sold” to patients. By the sheer act of presenting a treatment plan, you are, in effect, selling it.

For most patients, investing in dental procedures – especially elective procedures – is not something done quickly without considering the cost and the benefits. Case acceptance is the end result of an intricate process involving many factors – not just a nice brochure.

There is no need to worry. Selling is not a negative. You are advocating treatment that you honestly believe will either improve patients’ oral health or help them achieve a better and brighter smile – that is what patients expect from their dentist.

Remember that a brochure is one aspect of a marketing program. Other components include value creation scripting, a website, outreach campaign, etc. While you do want informative and interesting brochures that promote the practice and services you offer, you do not want to depend on them too heavily. Nothing can replace the value that the doctor and the team create during face-to-face interactions with patients.

Mistake No. 4: Not trusting your team to handle all non-clinical tasks.

Levin Group encounters many dentists who have lost their love of dentistry. With few exceptions, these individuals avoid delegating non-clinical tasks to team members. In the course of a day, they perform far more operational and administrative practice functions than necessary. Dentists tend to forget that the staff is there for a reason – to assist the doctor.

Mistake No. 3: Believing that, as a dentist, you should not “sell” to your patients.

Certainly, no dentist wants to be per-

Why allow your team to function with

one hand tied behind their backs? If you are hiring people you trust, trust them to do their jobs. If properly trained, your staff will always surprise you with how effectively they can perform the tasks you thought only you could do.

Mistake No. 5: Assuming a “full” schedule is the measure of success.

A full schedule indicates that you are busy. It is not an indication that you are doing well. How could this be the case? For example, your schedule could be crowded with single-tooth treatment to the exclusion of nearly everything else. In that case, you are working very, very hard for your income. When the schedule consists almost entirely of low-profit procedures, the practice is forced to see more and more patients for less and less money per patient.

A better situation is to expand the service mix to include elective and cosmetic services that add much-needed variety to each day. By increasing production per patient, the practice is in a position to become more profitable and less chaotic.

Mistake No. 6: Dismissing the importance of morning meetings.

Many established dentists give up on morning meetings, regarding them as unproductive. In truth, morning meetings – or, as Levin Group calls them, Daily Business Meetings™ – are one of the best things you can do for yourself and your staff. For some practices, however, these meetings are not an effective way to start the day but rather a “gripe” session. Remember, a little complaining is OK because people can let off steam. However, the meeting cannot end there. If it does, it serves no purpose.

On the other hand, a positive and solutions-oriented Daily Business Meeting™ can make all the difference in office morale. It sets the tone for the day. Keep in mind that the meeting is about mapping out the day’s events, identifying any pitfalls and creating solutions. The end of the meeting should always feel upbeat.

Mistake No. 7: Treating your team as if they were part of your family.

This is a nice idea – in theory. In reality, it does not work. Treating your team extremely well is certainly the right thing to do. An office is a small environment and you want it to be harmonious. However, your practice is a business and there will be times in your career when you will have to let a team member go for any number of reasons.

sonal life. You will regret it sooner or later.

You cannot allow yourself to be distracted by how you personally feel about the individual leaving the practice. In the end, you are a CEO, and CEOs have to make difficult decisions. Keep in mind that this person’s poor performance can have a very direct and negative impact on your personal income. Avoid blurring the line between your professional and per-

Conclusion

Practice Makes Perfect

“Dr. Earl Douglas and the staff at ADS South have been real helpful in steering me in the right direction in the purchase of my first practice. Dr. Douglas’s experience, organization and detail-orientation, pointed out to me where improvement is needed and how to go about achieving it.”

Elizabeth H. Guerrero, DDS

Get off to the perfect start. Call your ADS transition specialist for

AL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA today.

ADS South (770) 664-1982

your practice for greater success.

A dentist just starting

Levin Group has worked with many young dentists who had a vision of building an excellent practice and being financially independent within 20 years of practicing dentistry. While this is certainly challenging, some doctors have already achieved these goals and many are certainly on track to make this happen. By using proven business systems, these young dentists are paving the way for extraordinary careers. ■

out will hear many

words of wisdom from older dentists.

A dentist just starting out will hear many words of wisdom from older dentists. Unfortunately, their firmly held convictions about how you should practice can be problematic. The old rules no longer apply. By dispensing with outdated business principles, you better position

ADSsouth.com