In watching one of my favorite television programs, Inked, the other night, I was reminded of how destructive a persons negativity can be.

The owner of the tattoo shop featured in the show, Carey Hart, was in the process of getting an online store up and running to sell his logo merchandise. He was at his wharehouse with the merchandise manager when the first shipment came in, so Carey pulled out some hats.

Carey was quite bent out of shape because the hats were white with a pink logo. Immediately he targeted the merchandise manager who claims that the pink logoed hats were not what he ordered. Carey was mad because he knew guys would never buy a pink logoed hat, and the hats were to big to sell to women. 12 boxes of hats no one would buy.

As time went on, Carey kept complaining about the hats, while the merchandise manager set into action. He immediately made it mandatory for the front staff at the tattoo shop to wear the hats and mention them to everyone through the door.

Two weeks later, Carey was back in the warehouse looking around, and the merchandise manager reported to him that he had sold all of the hats except for one box. Carey was more than relieved.

The moral of the story is…If Carey’s attitude would have gotten the merchandise manager down and discouraged, the hats would not have sold, contributing to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Carey could have then said “I told you so.”

How does this effect you? When you go into an op to present treatment, assume the answer will be yes. Be surprised when someone turns down treatment, and watch your confidence and acceptance rates soar. Watch the attitude of your staff improve as you see more of the glass half full.

Don’t get stuck with the hats.

Have a profitable week!!!

In talking to a new client of ours yesterday, we’ll call him Dr. O, I found out that he was planning to sell his practice within the next year or two.

We discussed the fact that many new dentists nowadays prefer to start their own practice rather than purchase an established practice. I pointed out many examples that I had come to know of doctors that are quite successful in starting up vs. some that I know struggle upon purchasing a practice.

That is when Dr. O started telling me what he has going for him in his practice… The first thing out of his mouth was not his patient base, equipment, or location…

…it was his staff!!!

Dr. O talked so highly about his staff and the great job they do for him every day. How they never complain, and are one of the major reasons he will be able to retire next year. He said if anyone were to start a brand new practice today, there is no way they could ever find a staff that was as loyal and as hard working as his. He considered it one of the major selling points of his practice.

Look at your own practice. Do you consider your staff an asset that raises the value of your practice? Or do you have a “good enough staff” that does just enough to get by? If they aren’t the type that adds anything…then why are they there?

One other tip about selling your practice… Dr. O has just started the RARE newsletter program with us. The reason is, he can ease the transition between himself, and the partner he brings in that will own the practice within a year. Great idea, and it really shows that there are many more benefits to a monthly newsletter than just the referrals.

Have a profitable week!

Lately we’ve come across a trend of questions such as, “How do I develop a Unique Selling Proposition?”

For those of you that don’t know, a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is that one thing that makes you different, or unique, from everyone else in your profession. It takes the commodity of dentistry, and gives you that advantage that the dentist next door doesn’t have.

Ask yourself, “What do I do to make myself different from the dentist next door?”

If you said you are kind and gentle, scratch that, 99% of the dentists I talk to in a day give that same answer.

With that said, there are 3 ways to differentiate yourself from your competition.

1. Stop copying what everyone else is doing!
This is a trend in dentistry that needs to stop. Sure, there are services out there that everyone will have, but then there are options that will make you better. If you are saying, “I’ll wait to see what everyone else does, and i’ll copy that.” It is too late. ‘Everyone else’ will beat you to the punch (and the patients).

2. Be the best at your craft (dentistry).
Don’t settle for the top 10%, be the best. Have the best equipment, the cleanest office, the kindest staff, and do the best dentistry possible on every patient. Don’t worry about new innovation, just perfect greatness…perfect dentistry.

3. Do something different.
What if you were not the “one stop shop” for dentistry, but only offered fillings? The best fillings, done by a filling specialist. Don’t be someone that dabbles in fillings, be the expert. Amalgym, composite, front, back, top, bottom. Know everything about them, and soon you will become the filling expert. This one seems crazy, but there are other options…finance every patient…give away a car…the sky is the limit.

Three ways, all extreme, or tame depending on how you take it. If you want the same results, money, and recognition as everyone else, go ahead and be like them. If you want more money, recognition, and results…be different.

If you are on my email list, you are about to get a very nasty email from me asking you the following question.

What are you waiting for?

I mean seriously, we’re almost a month into 2010, and many of you have not taken one single step toward achieving your goals for this year.

Look, the recession can go on forever, the economy can continue to suck, but the only thing that will help you now is your decisiveness, and your action.

No superhero is going to swoop in and solve all your problems. Ultimately, you’re the one that will make you rich and/or famous.

Need new patients, YOU need to do something to get them. need a new employee? They don’t fall out of the sky. You need to take action.

That’s all for today…  Take some action and make progress toward your 2010 goals. After all, 7% of 2010 is already gone.

During one of my presentations at a recent conference, I asked the question:

What is the #1 asset in your practice?

Immediately, I was overwhelmed by hygienists, assistants, and office managers yelling “STAFF”

Now I agree that your staff is a vital PART to your practice, it is in no way close to the importance of your true #1 asset… your patients.

Without your patients, your practice dies. You can have the best hygienist, or the best assistant, but without patients, all you do is pay them to file their nails, or worse… chat on Facebook.

The reason I bring this up is that I see a bunch of Dentists spending a ton of money taking care of their staff, and very little, if any money trying to get new patients.

Even worse, they don’t use their staff as a source of new patients. You want a valuable office manager, it’s one that refers in family and friends.

I know I’ve probably already made a lot of your staff members mad at this point, but face it, when was the last time your dental assistant plopped down $20K for a full mouth reconstruction.

Put some time and money into marketing that creates loyalty and new patients. They are the ones that truly make your practice possible. AND, make sure your staff realizes who is #1 in your practice.

If you let your staff believe they are #1, they’ll treat you and your patients like #2.

Then your patients may not treat you at all.