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 +
Growth Starts with Patient Comfort
Dentists understandably wonder how to grow their practice. Should they focus on direct mail or a better website or a new banner out front? How about starting with patient comfort. Ivan Misner,… Continue On +
Sharing Praise
Do you enjoy receiving praise? You’re not alone. Most of us appreciate sincere positive feedback, and when we receive it we immediately perk up. At a recent meeting with a dentist, I… 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? The current issue of Inc. magazine has an excellent article about… Continue On +
Stay Out of Trouble with Discounts and Credits
One of the fundamental concepts about dental insurance billing is often missed by practices, and even though the oversights are typically innocent in nature, the consequences can be significant. The fundamental concept… 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 +
Opportunity in the Mud
Opportunity is sometimes right in front of us and we don’t even know it. In 2008, naval engineering companies asked fuel-cell researcher Keegan Cooke to find an easier way to produce power… Continue On +
3 Traits of Successful Leadership
During a recent meeting with a dentist, we reviewed notable improvements in a variety of practice performance measures, and we discussed how his financials looked so much healthier than the year before. … Continue On +
Know What You’re Getting Into Before You Hire Someone
Whenever we discuss embezzlement prevention, we always include the following in our discussion: protect your practice by not hiring embezzlers. Whenever I communicate this to a group of dentists, I always see… Continue On +
Why Paying for a Bookkeeper Will Help Generate Wealth
When it comes to preparing the bookkeeping for your business it can often be a hard decision to either prepare it yourself, or to pay a bookkeeper to prepare it for you. … Continue On +