Make Your Vision Your Action
Malcolm Gladwell once said, “The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.” If you were going to start with a clean sheet of paper, how would you… Continue On +
Are Cancellation Fees Effective?
Many dental practices attempt to curb cancellations by charging a fee. But is this effective? Cancellation fees, coupled with appropriate phraseology, work well as a deterrent against patients who call to cancel… Continue On +
Curbing Last-Minute Cancellations
Few things are more irritating to a dentist and team than patients who cancel at the last-minute, leaving big gaps in the schedule. And it’s normal for dentists and teams to want… Continue On +
Freedom to Fail for Dental Teams
When you consider what goes into the development of your dental team, you may think of classes they attend, newsletters they read, and staff meetings they go to each month. Each of… Continue On +
Getting the Most Out of Feedback
Management guru Ken Blanchard once said, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” But what if the feedback is tough to swallow? Inc. magazine has an excellent article about how to handle tough… Continue On +
Speaking the Patient’s Language
Imagine if an exterminator informed you, after inspecting your house, that you had isopterans. What would you ask next? Let’s assume the exterminator noticed a puzzled look on your face, so he… Continue On +
The Sweet Sound of Our Own Name
Dale Carnegie once said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” As you consider how to make stronger connections with those creatures… Continue On +
Show and Tell
Since we were kids, we have learned through show and tell, which engages our senses and motivates us to listen to what comes next. Unfortunately, the power of show and tell is… Continue On +
Know Yourself and Others to Make Better Decisions
Our decision making ability is greatly enhanced when we can discern what is happening around us as well as how we feel about the situation. In practice, this is often more difficult… Continue On +
Patient Push-Back Does Not Signal Retreat
The French Mathematician Renee Descartes once said, “The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt.” If Descartes was alive… Continue On +
Tires and Teeth
A dental practice can sometimes be viewed just like an automotive tire store. Not in the sense that they both sell similar products, or even have similar processes. What they have in… Continue On +
Staying on Time
How often are you on-time with your dental patients? Whenever I ask this question to dentists and teams, I typically get three distinct answers. Dentists are usually consumed with the present moment… Continue On +