The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

My Journey Out of PPOs

Episode #480 with Dr. Bill Crinzi

Your family, your future, and your team depend on this one thing: your decision to go out-of-network! And to reveal how it can be done, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Bill Crinzi to share his personal journey out of PPOs and into a better life. Start slow, plan ahead, and don't be afraid! To learn how you can start moving away from PPOs today, listen to Episode 480 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

•  Dr. Crinzi’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wcrinzi
• Dr. Crinzi’s social media: @linkster61
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

Start slow.

Don't be afraid of losing patients.

You don't need to be everyone’s dentist.

Be prepared to talk to patients about dropping PPOs.

Plan for the potential smear campaign from insurance.

Patients will return and be willing to pay for great dentistry.  

Quotes:

“The staff was looking to [get out of PPOs] even before COVID-19 hit. They knew things were kind of hectic, and they were like, ‘Let's get this together.’ We were spinning, but we weren't hitting bonuses as much as we were back when we first signed on, and they were seeing that things weren't great. So, they were all-in on it. They weren't as afraid as the leadership was.” (7:19—7:45)

“We started [with] maybe one or two patients. We would start having a little bit of discussion about, ‘You know what? We might be thinking about leaving. They're not letting us have a personal relationship with you. They're interrupting the care that we can give you.’ That kind of conversation, we had with our patients. And we couldn’t have it all the time. The hygienists were afraid they were going to run behind if we’re going to have this conversation with every patient. So, obviously, that was a discussion that we'd have in a team meeting. But for the most part, that was how we got started. And the fears kind of dissipated.” (8:44—9:24)

“You've got to have some thick-skinned people in the admin area because you will get some patients that'll get a little bit frustrated with, ‘Why did this happen? What happened?’” (9:27—9:37)

“For the most part, there are a lot of patients that if insurance didn't cover their treatment, they weren't going to have it done. And we tried — I mean, we knew that was us and how we presented. We had to create that value for the treatment that we were doing for patients. But there's still that small percentage of patients that'll say, ‘If they're not paying for it, I'm not going to do it,’ and they’ll go down the road to an in-network person.” (10:27—10:51)

“Once we got all our existing patients to come through the cycle once and they know the policy now — that was where the fear was with me. I didn't want to lose those existing patients. How dare they! They were my buddies. I had some friends that left. We had 20% leave. That’s what they told us was going to be happen, and that's exactly what happened.” (12:14—12:36)

“A lot of the experts tell you that when you're going out-of-network, don't send a letter to your patients. Make sure you have that one-on-one contact. We couldn't do that with 5,800 patients. There's no way you could do that. So, we had to send a letter . . . We sent the letter out, and that was our foundation of the patients who were going to complain about it. ‘We sent a letter out.’ ‘Oh, I didn't get it.’ ‘Well, we can look online. Is this your email?’ ‘Yes, it is.’ ‘Well, you did get it.’ And then, we’ve got it all over the reception area. People are seeing it as they come in. So, they know that we’ve gone out-of-network.” (16:39—17:28)

“We told patients that, ‘The insurance company may tell you that you can no longer see us.’ And I said, ‘This simply is not true. We can still have our relationship, and it’s going to be one-on-one now. It’s not going to be on the head of some consultant that's sitting behind a desk.’” (17:40—17:57)

“Back in 2018, I looked at a report. I looked at a month where we produced over $300,000, and $75,000 was written off. We said, ‘That's enough.’” (18:22—18:34)

“When patients call and they tell us they have Dixie Dental, we just tell them that, ‘We are an out-of-network provider. What that means to you is that we expect payment at the time of service.’ And that's basically it. All our new patients, they're just ingrained that — there is nothing special; there's no magic word after that. We had to retrain our old patients, yes. But now, we’re two-and-a-half years out on this. So, we don't have to retrain those patients anymore. It’s just office policy, and they're accepting it, and that's it.” (23:40—24:16)

“I was a little bit worried about losing patients — not from a revenue standpoint, but these are people who I thought liked me. And they don't care. I mean, they’ll have a nice conversation with you. But you know what? If insurance wasn't covering things, they go down the road. But when you did good dentistry and you take care of them, you show that you have good skill, care, judgment, and compassion when you're doing your treatment, those patients, they're coming back. They are coming back. It took a little while. They go down the road for two or three appointments, and then they come back. And they're very appreciative, and they're willing to pay a little bit more out-of-pocket because of that.” (27:57—28:40)

“If people leave, it’s our fault. We did something wrong along the way. We didn't communicate well to them. We didn't express the treatment plan or the needs that they need well enough, and that's why they left. So, it falls back on us, the leaders in the practice.” (30:42—30:59)

“You've got to like what you do, and you've got to like the people that you're working with, and you've got to continue your education.” (35:19—35:24)

“Don't be afraid. That's it. Just don't be afraid. I think, sometimes, you get beat down out there and you're worried about people not liking you and leaving — and that's going to happen. But if you're doing everything right, you're providing good dentistry, your team is caring and compassionate, those people are going to see that it’s not better somewhere else and it’s worth a little extra to come back.” (41:49—42:13)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:50 Dr. Crinzi’s background.

3:14 Why the PPO journey is important.

4:19 Dr. Crinzi’s journey out of PPOs.

7:45 Starting the conversation with patients.

9:37 Common fears of leaving PPOs.

10:51 How Dr. Crinzi’s patients reacted to the change.

11:31 Does the fear of dropping PPOs ever disappear?

14:41 How to explain the changes to patients.

16:00 Dealing with potential smear campaigns.

18:04 Dr. Crinzi’s write-off percentage before dropping PPOs.

18:52 The morning huddle is the instrument for change.

19:39 Working 7:00 to 3:00 and appreciating life.

23:11 Are patients accepting of the change?

24:17 The benefits of dropping PPOs.

26:52 What most dentists get wrong about moving away from PPOs.

28:48 You don't need to be everyone’s dentist.

31:21 How important is alignment between three doctors?

33:16 What's next for Dr. Crinzi?

34:56 Advice for dentists.

38:34 Last thoughts on being out-of-network.

Dr. Bill Crinzi Bio:

Dr. William Crinzi is a graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry and has been licensed in the state of Wisconsin since 1986. His academic career began at Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan, before entering dental school.

How Your Team Can Help Your Practice Be Financially Successful 

Episode #479 with Jenni Poulos 

You can't do great dentistry without talking about numbers. And to do that, you need to first understand them yourself. Once you know the metrics that matter, you can help your team be aligned with the goals for your practice. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to help you navigate the difficult conversations around money and numbers with your team. Conversation leads to collaboration! To learn how to get started, listen to Episode 479 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Jenni’s email: [email protected] 
• Jenni’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenni.poulos 
• Jenni’s social media: @actdental 
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

It is okay to be profitable.

Make conversations collaborative. 

Get your team to weigh in so you get buy-in. 

Educate yourself before educating your team. 

Be comfortable talking about money and numbers. 

Quotes:

“Bottom line, you do run a business. And your business needs to be healthy, and it needs to be smart.” (2:40—2:48)

“Sometimes, we get stuck when we have to talk about those other smart pieces, those things that are around money, because we think, ‘Gosh, they won't care,’ or, ‘They won't understand,’ or, ‘They won't be bought in.’ And I'll tell you, the team is telling themselves their own story about the finances of the practice. So, let's help fill in that story with some true pieces. Help them understand some key concepts around money and around finances that are going to help support the business.” (3:06—3:37)

“People don't think holistically about how many people are actually supported by your practice. We look at who comes into the practice every day, the five, six, seven, 10, 20, 30 people, and we think, ‘Okay, I'm offering some level of support to just those people.’ But then, we look at who’s behind those people. There are dads, and moms, and kids. There are whole families that are reliant upon what's happening in that practice every day.” (4:06—4:43)

“When we open our eyes a little bit and think about who are all the people that are connected to this practice, we realize we get to actually do a lot more for a lot more people than we realized. And the team members see that too. They begin to feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm not just supporting me and my family. I'm also helping to support the hygienist, and her kids, and their family, and their dreams, and their goals.’” (4:44—5:14)

“It’s okay to be profitable. Your profit is to your practice what oxygen is to your body. Without it, both die. And so, we’ve got to have a reasonable amount of profit.” (6:30—6:41) -Kirk

“Profit lends itself to margin — emotional margin, time margin, profitability so you can make decisions financially. It can help you slow down and enjoy people. It can help you commit to more quality. So, it’s okay to be profitable.” (6:42—7:03) -Kirk

“We need to educate our teams on where our goals come from, why we have certain agreements, policies, and systems around collections, why we don't want to be a bank to our patients, why we can't just say, ‘Yes, I would love for everyone in this office to make $100 an hour.’” (7:10—7:32)

“Before you have targets, financially, you've got to have data. This becomes the foundational piece where most people go wrong.” (9:28—9:36) -Kirk

“Not given appropriate information, we make up our own story. Like, I could be a team member, I feel like I'm working super hard here, but we don't really talk about any data. So, I'm going to make up my story about the boat that the doctor just bought, and they're going on a lot of vacations, and all those things. And so, now, the story runs rampant.” (9:39—9:59) -Kirk

“The best thing that you can do to get your team to help you, number one, is have great core values around being healthy and smart.” (10:00—10:08) -Kirk

“Having understanding around our numbers, good data, gives us a snapshot of the opportunities for growth. And when it comes to our teams and their role, it also gives us an opportunity to educate them around what the number is, where the number comes from, why it’s important, and actions that we need to take to get that number healthy.” (12:39—13:02)

“When we think just about collections, you said team members say like, ‘We’re collecting 85%. That's awesome!’ They just see this big number, but they may not understand like, okay, we’re collecting. Yes, we’re collecting 85%. And it’s taking us how many days to collect that? Or, it takes us how many days to collect that other percentage? As a business owner, you're responsible for educating your team around these items. Well, one of the things that is really important that we can learn about is the decreasing value of the dollar.” (13:03—13:43)

“Team members don't really think about, ‘Hey, when I miss that collection on the date of service, what are all of the expenses that are going into now collecting that money once the patient has walked out the door? What does it cost for me to send a statement?’ There's the actual cost of the paper. There's the cost of maybe the third-party company that’s sending those statements. There are the stamps. What is your time, team member, worth when you have to make four, five, six, seven follow-up calls, follow-up texts, follow-up emails to get that money? And then, we begin to have this light bulb moment where we understand, ‘Hey, that $10 that I would’ve collected that was worth $10 on day one, when I collect it 30 days later, is worth $6, $5, because I've had to put in all of this effort, all of this work. I've had to put out money to now get that money back in.’ People don't really think about that. And a simple conversation around that concept can shoot up your date-of-service collections, can shoot up your profitability, because then we think, ‘Hey, I've got to make sure to collect that money because I know what it's going to cost to collect it down the road.” (13:55—15:15)

“Nothing better for you to do as a business owner, from a money standpoint, than to know where your costs are. You talk about team members telling themselves stories — you're telling yourself a really bad story when you don't know where the cash that's coming in is going out. You're angry and frustrated constantly because you don't have enough money at the end of the month. You feel like everyone’s entitled. You feel like dentistry is way too expensive. PPOs are killing — do you see where this is going?” (15:34—16:04) -Kirk

“Before you start educating your team, one of the steps I'd put in there is to educate yourself.” (16:31—16:36) -Kirk

“If we have a good grasp of our numbers, we set budgets based on what we know to be true, what we’re projecting in the future, and we establish budgets based on what's actually happening and what we’re planning to do, and we clearly communicate those to our team, we can adhere to those budgets. If we give them no guidelines, they're just going to do what they think is right.” (19:12—19:41)

“A lot of times, they don't know what they don't know. So, we are responsible for educating our team about the metrics that matter, the financial pieces that matter, the expenses that matter, the things that they can have impact on, and that are going to thus increase the success, the financial success, of the practice.” (20:53—21:17)

“It’s okay to talk about money. It’s okay to talk about numbers. When you talk about numbers, it reduces subjectivity.” (26:49—26:57) -Kirk 

“Numbers allow us to diagnose what's going wrong. Could you imagine doing dentistry without knowing perio numbers or having radiographs? Just going, ‘No, I'm going to take a peek here, and I think I know where to start.’ No way! Are you crazy? You've got to start with numbers.” (27:17—27:38) -Kirk

“Numbers create competition. Competition is healthy. This is one of the biggest learning points in my career, is I was so worried about putting numbers up there among our coaches because they would feel resentment. And it worked the opposite way that I thought. Once we started putting numbers up there and saying, ‘Hey, look. Here are the numbers,’ it was wild how healthy and competitive that became. So, the same thing applies in your practice. When you put it up there, you're going to be surprised by how healthy the competition becomes. And I would also question you as a leader. When you put numbers up there that truly states the health of the practice, and people are like, ‘I don't know if I want to,’ is that really somebody you want to keep talking to about this important component of your practice?” (27:40—28:34) -Kirk

“One of the coolest things that I see around [competition] is it’s not just competition, it’s also collaboration. Maybe we’re tracking our fluoride and we have one hygienist that's killing it. And everyone’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be where you are with my numbers. What are you doing?’ And then, you get to calibrate around verbal skills, and you get to calibrate around the educational tools that this hygienist is using in a really amazing way that's letting her hit these marks. And if you don't have transparency here and people can't see, that conversation will never happen.” (28:48—29:28)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:02 Why this is an important topic.

3:43 How to get buy-in from your team.

5:26 It’s okay to be profitable.

7:03 How to communicate with your team. 

8:59 Have data before setting financial targets. 

13:46 Discussing the value of the dollar.

15:25 Educate yourself before educating your team.

18:43 Have conversations about budgets.

21:17 How to have conversations around raises.

26:46 It’s okay to talk about money and numbers.

28:45 Numbers lead to competition and collaboration.

31:03 ACT’s upcoming Money Roadmap Tool. 

Resources:

Pre-register for ACT’s free Money Roadmap Tool: https://form.jotform.com/222566336541153 

Jenni Poulos Bio: 

Jenni brings to dental teams a literal lifetime of experience in dentistry. As the daughter and sister of periodontists and a dental hygienist, she has been working in many facets of the dental world since she first held a summer job turning rooms and pouring models at the age of 12. Now, with over 10 years of experience in managing and leading a large periodontal practice, she has a firm grasp on what it takes to run a thriving business. Her passion for organizational health and culture has been a driving force behind her coaching career. She has witnessed firsthand how creating an aligned and engaged team will take a practice to levels of success that they never believed possible! 

Getting Out of PPOs By Blowing Up the Box

Episode #478 with Debra Engelhardt-Nash

Thinking outside the box is great. But why not get rid of the box? And to help you start thinking beyond the ordinary, Kirk Behrendt brings in Debra Engelhardt-Nash, practice management expert and co-founder of The Nash Institute. Go above and beyond to exceed your patients’ expectations, improve their experience, and increase revenue! To learn more about out-of-the-box thinking, listen to Episode 478 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Debra’s phone number: (704) 904-3459
•  Debra’s email: [email protected] 
• Debra’s website: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

Go above and beyond what's usual and customary in dentistry.

Respond to patient questions with above-usual answers.

Give patients information to help their decision-making.

Build relationships with patients as quickly as possible.

Always tell patients about everything you offer.

Quotes:

“If we’re going to change our behavior, if we want to behave in an above-usual and customary way, if we don't want to do things usually and customarily, then get rid of the box that we pigeonhole dental practices in, ‘We have to do it this way because this is how dental offices do it.’ Do it your way.” (2:51—3:11)

“Patients expect certain things in offices. They expect a toothbrush at their hygiene appointment. They expect to be re-called. They expect cleanliness. They expect sterilization techniques. That's expected. And then, there's what we call augmented behavior. So, augmented behavior is, what do we do that’s usual, but we do it in an unusual way, we do it in an above-performance way?” (3:15—3:40)

“Let's talk about the little bag. Sometimes, the patient comes in, they're paying $200 to $300 or more for a re-care, and you give them this little plastic bag that, frankly, looks like a dog poop bag. You know that plastic bag that doesn't cost you anything? You might have gotten it free from Crest or Colgate or somebody, and it’s the kind of bag I use when I walk my dog. So, think about, what can we do that would be exceptional and people say, ‘Man, when I go to my dentist, I get this kind of bag’?” (4:16—4:47)

“When patients say, ‘Well, my insurance company says that your fees are above usual and customary. My insurance says that your fees are higher than the fees that they're going to allow,’ my answer would be, ‘I'm so glad you've given me an opportunity to address that. Because I am sure that we have demonstrated that our behavior and our abilities and our professionalism, our techniques, our materials, are above usual and customary. We would never want to be considered usual and customary. We always want to be considered above usual and customary, and some of the things that we do are not recognized by your insurance plan. But they're recognized by you, aren't they?’” (5:29—6:10)

“If you never tell your patients what you have to offer, they will never choose it.” (7:32—7:35)

“I don't have the right or responsibility to tell somebody what they can or can't afford. My responsibility is to tell them what we could do for them and let them choose that for themselves.” (7:44—7:54)

“For so many years, we get frustrated that the patients are insurance-dependent. Ladies and gentlemen, we made them that way.” (10:11—10:19)

“[The reason I ask patients what inspired them to call] is I want to engage in a relationship as quickly as possible. Because truly, patients are choosing our treatment based on relationships. 85% of the time we spend with our patient is building relationships, is communication. 15% is spent on clinical application.” (11:24—11:40)

“I remember a fellow who called and said, ‘Hey, do you take Delta insurance?’ And I could say, ‘Well, I'm sorry, we don't.’ We never say, ‘I'm sorry.’ I said, ‘I'll be happy to tell you how we handle insurance. Before I do, may I ask you a few questions? How did you choose our office?’ And he said, ‘Well, I was driving by, and you're close to my work.’ That is not why people choose us. But I said, ‘Oh, I'm so glad we’re convenient. May I tell you a little bit about our office? That is typically not why people choose us. People choose us because of the way they feel while they're in our care. And when you walk into our office, you are going to immediately notice some differences about us. Can I tell you what they are?’ So, insurance became insignificant.” (13:09—13:56)

“The other call that I love to field is, ‘How much do you charge for it? How much do you charge for veneers? How much do you charge for cleanings?’ I say, ‘I'd be happy to discuss our fees with you.’ I never — I mean, never — say, ‘I'm sorry, we don't quote fees over the phone,’ because it sounds like we’re embarrassed or apologetic about them, or they're too high.” (16:58—17:25)

“You have to believe to be believed.” (19:12—19:14)

“If I'm going to ask my team to give their all to me, I need to give my all to them.” (20:53—20:59)

“I think it’s absolutely critical that, first of all, we have to understand that we've hired people who have lives, and we need to respect those lives. And if we do that, when we ask them to maybe go the extra mile — which, by the way, the great thing about going the extra mile is there's not much traffic — so, if I'm going to ask my team to go the extra mile for me, man, I need to go the extra mile for them.” (21:01—21:27)

“The question is, do you really need more new patients, or should you talk about how you can elevate your acceptance rate on the patients you're already attracting?” (24:55—25:04)

“If you don't want to do something, there are two reasons: you don't know how, or you don't want to.” (28:07—28:10)

“Never make insurance the bad guy — or the good guy.” (33:23—33:26)

“I'm not going to say, ‘Oh, your insurance is terrible,’ or, ‘Oh my gosh, your insurance doesn't cover very much. Your insurance is stupid.’ That's like telling a mother that her baby is ugly. You don't ever want to do that.” (34:08—34:23)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:15 Engage in augmented behaviors.

6:12 Offer patients the best you have.

10:10 Build relationships as quickly as possible.

12:52 Favorite questions from patients.

19:49 Advice for interviewing potential team members.

23:06 Do you really need more new patients?

25:06 Advice for offering bonuses.

28:10 Cross-train your team.

29:27 All work is elective.

31:21 Educate your patients.

33:04 Other limiting beliefs.

36:42 More about Debra’s courses and how to get in touch.

Resources:

Academy of General Dentistry: https://www.agd.org/agd-meeting

Debra’s courses at the American Academy of Dental Office Managers: https://aadomconference.com/courses/debra-engelhardt-nash/

Debra’s courses at The Nash Institute: https://www.thenashinstitute.com/about-the-nash-institute/meet-debra-engelhardt-nash/

Debra’s other programs: https://debraengelhardtnash.com/programs/

Debra Engelhardt-Nash Bio:

Debra is a trainer, author, presenter, and consultant. Having been in dentistry for over 30 years she engages organizations and study groups nationally and internationally. She is a continual presenter for the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting. Through the Nash Institute for Dental Learning Debra conducts the Dental Business School , an immersive executive training experience designed for EVERYONE in the dental office. Through this program, each member of the team learns the essential elements that make up the management and communication skills of a high-functioning dental office. Debra not only teaches and trains groups of dental professionals, but she also works one-on-one consulting personally with doctors and their teams. She is married to cosmetic dentist and dental educator, Dr. Ross Nash of the Nash Institute for Dental Learning. Debra continues to work in his busy practice, doing exactly what she preaches. Debra is a founding member and three-term President of the National Academy of Dental Management Consultants. She is an active member of the American Dental Assistants Association, the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration, and the Speakers Consulting Network. She has been repeatedly recognized by Dentistry Today as a Leader in Continuing Dental Education and as a Leader in Dental Consulting. Debra is also a member of the American Dental Association’s Dental Practice Management Advisory Board.

The Science Behind Positive Thinking

Episode #477 with Robb Zbierski

Your brain is like a bank account — you don't want to be in the negatives! Make deposits and do it often. And to teach you the science behind positive thinking, Kirk Behrendt brings back Robb Zbierski, a best-selling author and personal coach from Freedom Personal Development, to help you maintain a positive state of mind. If you want to learn how to create habits for healthy, positive thinking, listen to Episode 477 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Robb’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robb.zbierski
•  Robb’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbzbierski
• Robb’s social media: @robbzspeaker
• Freedom Personal Development: https://freedompersonaldevelopment.com/trainmybrain/
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

Don't be stuck in negativity, urgency, and complacency.

Learn ways to raise your energetic state of mind.

State of mind is 70% of generating any result.

Understand high and low energetic values.

Get in the habit of small “wins”.

Choose happiness.

Quotes:

“You've got your brain’s unhelpful default settings. Your brain is naturally focusing on and looking for some version of negativity, urgency, and complacency. And the things you benefit from focusing on that are designed to overcome that are heightening your awareness on what's most important, creating energizing goals, designing a schedule that gives you space, and then having an ongoing system for feeding your mind.” (9:07—9:30)

“As human beings, we want to revert back to old ways. And those old ways are focusing on negativity, urgency, and complacency.” (9:52—9:59)

“It’s how you start your day. And actually, it starts the night before. But what you do in the first 30 to 60 minutes of your day, that determines the day you're going to have.” (14:18—14:29)

“When you get yourself in the habit of doing things that feel like wins, that raises your energetic state of mind.” (14:39—14:46)

“Different energetic states of mind carry different power and energetic values . . . You've got things like shame, despair, humiliation, and blame. And hopelessness and guilt sit on the bottom. And then, way at the top, you've got peace, serenity, love. And so, what happens is you’ve got an energetic value to each of these states of mind. And it’s a nonlinear relationship.” (15:09—15:43)

“When you're down in shame, despair, humiliation, you have very, very low energetic value. And moving to a place of neutrality is an exponential jump in your energetic state.” (16:03—16:17)

“Forgiveness is a very high energetic state of mind, [as well as] love, understanding, reason, serenity, peace. But so many of us, you mentioned the stuff you're willing to tolerate, it’s mainly tied to energetic states of mind like desire, craving, anxiety. Like, ‘Oh my god, I've got to get the bills paid. I've got to pay the rent. I've got to pay the salaries. I've got to pay the insurance.’ And that creates a high level of anxiety. So, any tools that you have at your disposal that, when you use them, will elevate that energetic state of mind, you're going to have a better experience. You're going to get better results.” (16:39—17:14)

“People at the top of their game, the people who are the thought leaders, CEOs, Olympic athletes, they understand that state of mind is 70% of generating any result. And I don't mean like closing the sale. I mean like the workout. I mean the relationship. I mean date night. I mean the conversation. Anything can be a result. And so, knowing that 70% of what you put into that is tied to your emotional state of mind, anything you can do to elevate that state of mind is going to enhance your experience and the results you get in that experience.” (18:19—18:57)

“The state of mind you're in when you set the intention, when you say, ‘Okay, I want to go out and do this,’ you have the idea, the blueprint, the dream, whatever, when you set that intention from a more positive state of mind, that's the difference maker.” (19:18—19:33)

“Comfort zones serve a purpose, but they don't allow you to grow.” (24:51—24:54)

“There are comfort zones, but then there's a buffer above and below the comfort zone. And it’s usually to the tune of about 10% to 20%, in my experience and the experience of our clients, where when you're operating in a way that's 10% to 20% either above or below what your brain knows is comfortable, it'll start to do compensating behavior.” (24:56—25:14)

“Comfort zones, they limit us in our ability. And so, what happens is we experience the goodness, and our brain gets uncomfortable. Specifically, our subconscious mind, which is the big, powerful, results-producing part of our brain, gets uncomfortable and it’s like, ‘Whoa. Let's go back to the old way, because I was on autopilot the old way, and I like the old way.’” (25:58—26:19)

“Any stress or frustration or setback you've ever had, you could tie it back to some version of negativity, urgency, or complacency.” (26:33—26:43)

“Decide to be happy. Decide what happiness looks like. Have a clear picture, an idea in your head for what happiness looks like, and then anchor to that image and that concept and that picture over, and over, and over again and train the big, powerful, results-producing subconscious part of your mind to go work on chasing it down for you.” (28:53—29:13)

“Most people, when I meet them, they are in reactive mode. They're on the hamster wheel, they're under water, or just barely got their lips above water. All of their best energy goes towards keeping their head above water, and they can't actually make progress and move forward. They don't even have the mental bandwidth to get their head wrapped around what's important to them, or even know how to start the conversation. This is why working with a coach is so valuable.” (31:36—32:08)

“Not everybody needs coaching. But everybody deserves it.” (32:18—32:21)

“When you are crystal clear on your core values, when you are reconnecting with these, reinforcing these on a daily basis, it trains your brain. It trains your big, powerful, results-producing subconscious part of your mind to put you in a situation where you have no choice but to always operate in alignment with those.” (34:48—35:07)

“Sometimes, we have negativity, urgency, and complacency that happens to us all day, every day. We've got a problem patient that shows up. Somebody popped in with an emergency. We’ve got the spouse calling and going, ‘When are you coming home?’ There's stuff that happens. You've got a bill that shows up, whatever. And being anchored to your core values, it allows you to realize when you're off track faster, and then course-correct faster so you stay moving towards your goals, your vision, and dreams.” (35:18—35:49)

“You know that every day you're purposeful in getting towards where you want to go. But it starts with understanding where you want to go first.” (35:51—35:59)

“Your brain, your attitude, it’s kind of like a bank account. You've got to make deposits every single day. Sometimes, it’s a penny. Sometimes, it’s $100,000. Make deposits in that bank account. Because you don't wake up and go, ‘Gee, what's going to suck today?’ But inevitably, in the course of our day, our week, our month, our year, we’re going to have a turd of a situation. And that's a withdrawal. And as long as you have more in the bank than is trying to be withdrawn, it’s going to be a great day. So, think about your brain like a bank account and make those deposits. And listen, pennies add up. You don't have to save the world. Make mental positive deposits so that you have the resources you need when you need them.” (36:45—37:37)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:22 Robb’s background.

8:27 The science behind positivity.

10:03 Robb’s system for feeding his mind.

12:42 Different energetic states of mind.

17:15 The Anatomy of Results by Eric Plantenberg.

20:29 Have quick wins throughout your day.

23:56 Why your brain reverts to negativity.

26:52 Decide to be happy.

29:13 Be clear on what's important.

30:24 The value of a coach.

32:51 Core values are like lane-keeping assist.

36:14 Last thoughts on the science behind positivity.

37:39 How to reach out to Robb.

Resources:

Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins: https://bookshop.org/books/power-vs-force/9781401945077

The Anatomy of Results, Eric Plantenberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxnT6q_XK84

Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven: https://bookshop.org/books/make-your-bed-little-things-that-can-change-your-life-and-maybe-the-world-9781478976561/9781455570249

Master Your Mind by Roger Seip and Robb Zbierski: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Master+Your+Mind%3A+Counterintuitive+Strategies+to+Refocus+and+Re+Energize+Your+Runaway+Brain-p-9781119508175

Robb Zbierski Bio:

Robb Zbierski is a professional speaker, trainer, and personal coach with Freedom Personal Development. Working with companies across a broad spectrum of industries, he helps clients develop professional skills and positive mindsets that let them discover their potential and maximize their results.

Robb's purpose is to inject excitement into everything he does. This purpose provides him the means to guide others (and himself) to become more effective in what they do while enjoying every minute of doing it. Because when you can more effectively accomplish the things you feel like you NEED to do, it lets you have way more fun when it comes time to doing the things you WANT to do!

With a history of success in Product Management, Sales, and Marketing roles within the Outdoor, Bicycle, and Fitness (aka "Passion Pursuit") industries, Robb was notorious for bringing fun to the forefront while also encouraging people to embrace their passion and energy to get the job done. A dynamic and engaging speaker, he makes every effort to connect with the audience to help them understand what can be accomplished with the right attitude and work ethic.

An avid cyclist, runner, fisherman, and beer enthusiast, Robb has completed the infamous Triple Bypass bike ride, the Chicago Marathon, and is in the midst of a multiple decades run of never getting skunked on his annual fishing trip. He currently lives with his wife (Kate) and their twins (Effie and Charlie) in Arlington Heights, Illinois. 

Why Most Social Media is BS

Episode #476 with Dr. Adamo Notarantonio

There are good things that social media can do for dentistry. But there's a bad and ugly side that every dentist should be aware of. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Adamo Notarantonio, co-founder of the imPRES courses, to highlight what we already know: most social media is BS! Every gorgeous image is the result of education, practice, and a billion more of hours of practice. Don't be discouraged by what you see! To learn the good, bad, and ugly of social media and how to stay motivated, listen to Episode 476 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Dr. Notarantonio’s social media: @adamoelvis
•  Dr. Notarantonio’s courses: https://imprescourses.com/
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

Understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media.

Don't strive for perfection — no one can be perfect.

Practice, practice, and practice some more.

Be authentic on social media.

Get educated — a lot.

Quotes:

“A cool part of social media for the younger generation [is] they could see what the possibilities are. But I think they have to realize and understand that to get to the level of the educator that we all look up to, like a John Kois or Frank Spear or Gregg Kinzer or Amanda Seed — do you know how much work they had to do to get to that level?” (9:33—9:57)

“Instagram is great to meet people. I have great friends — I use it as advertising for my courses. Obviously, that's great. But the amount of work that I do behind closed doors to get to the level that I'm practicing at right now, the younger generation can't fathom because they want — and not to their fault — everything is so fast; the click of a button on a phone, boom, boom. That's not the secret to success.” (9:57—10:19)

“We all have work out there we’re not proud of. Maybe the patient loved it. Maybe it wasn't our best. But you learn from it. That's the whole point.” (10:36—10:44)

“To do composites at the level I'm doing, I failed a thousand times. I redid 10,000 of them. I practiced a billion times. And I think that gets lost now because, ‘Oh, you need food? Okay, DoorDash. Two seconds. You want this? Boom. Five seconds.’ That's not reality.” (10:45—11:03)

“I don't want to bash social media altogether and say it’s BS — it’s not. It’s great for certain things. And I see it more with the younger generation, ‘Hey, teach me how to do,’ or, ‘What camera did you use?’ And I want to reply to them like, ‘I'll send you my camera. You still won't take that picture because you don't understand the settings and the lighting and all that.’ The better question would be like, ‘Hey, where can I go to learn that?’ And I will say, ‘Take this course. Take that course.’” (11:08—11:32)

“Social media shows you the before and the after with the nice car and nice clothes. The amount of work that you need to do to get there, everybody wants to overlook that.” (13:59—14:09)

“In the sense of how it’s good, [social media] made me what I am or where I am right now.” (14:45—14:49)

“The other good part [of social media], you meet amazing people. I'm in a group chat with probably 50 dentists around the world. Their work, every day I'm like, ‘Oh my god. That's insane.’ So, it’s cool for the exposure, to see stuff that — we would've never heard of half these people. And they wouldn't have a shot to come up if we weren't able to notice them. So, I think that's the good, for me.” (16:02—16:24)

“My advice to anybody who wants more referrals in a specific area, well, then become the best in that area. And then, all referrals are going to come to you.” (19:07—19:14)

“What drives me nuts is when people put a before-and-after, something almost ridiculous, and they're like, ‘Oh, I did that in one visit.’ I'm like, ‘Come on.’ Listen, nobody’s ego needs to be stroked. That's a year-long process, six months long. Explain it. Say it. Even if you don't give your exact steps, that's fine. Because, like I said, you can't teach that kind of dentistry in a post. It’s impossible. So, just say, ‘Hey, this patient went through a full-mouth rehabilitation. It took six months,’ so on and so forth.” (23:41—24:16)

“I think the bad stuff is, other people see it who are not trained. They look at it and they go, ‘Oh, he did that in one visit. I could do that.’ And that's a nightmare for a patient — a complete and utter nightmare — because the proper protocols, the proper sequence, the proper treatment wasn't taken into account. It was all for a before and an after. And I think that's what kills me about social media.” (24:17—24:45)

“I try to [post photos] that I think are educational. There are some that I don't like that I don't think 80% of my following would even notice what I don't like. But that's the cool thing about your education. As you get better, you see more than you did 10 years ago. I wouldn't have noticed stuff that I see now 10 years ago because my eye wasn’t trained as well. I just think that [social media] is too much [about the] before-and-after.” (24:56—25:20)

“Everybody wants it fast. They want it done. And they miss the diagnosis, the risk assessment — all the stuff we put into every single case, that I put up and I know people that I'm close to put up. There's so much more to it. And it’s very hard to control because it’s social media. It is what it is. But I wish that people took a step back and realized it’s a cool platform to share and have discussions, but it’s not the Bible for dentistry. You have to go get educated. And I think that's very overlooked in a lot of areas.” (25:21—25:59)

“With social media, all you want is perfection, ‘I want the perfect before-and-after.’ No. You want to fail, and fail again, and fail again. Because once you can say to me, ‘You know what, doc? I should've used a chromatic enamel instead of an achromatic,’ boom, my class was worth every penny that you just spent, 100%.” (27:42—28:00)

“I get messages at least monthly where I have somebody that I mentor — and I mentor a boatload of people, especially for accreditation — and they say, ‘I need to quit dentistry. I'll never do the work that I see up on social media, and my work sucks, and I'm a horrible dentist.’ And I'm like, ‘Listen to me carefully. Social media is a highlight reel. That is the one best case that that person had that month or year, and they photographed it seven different angles and got seven posts out of it. That's not what they do every day. And I'm going to be honest, the stuff you see on mine, it ain't what I do every day either, because not everyone turns out that damn perfect.’” (29:04—29:44)

“The ugly part of social media is it can be very depressing for a lot of people.” (31:39—31:43)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:37 Dr. Notarantonio’s background.

4:52 Being an Elvis fan.

8:11 Why social media is BS.

12:01 Practice, practice, practice.

14:18 The positives of social media.

16:46 How to get more referrals.

19:14 More advice for dentists.

22:58 The bad of social media.

25:59 Educate with your posts.

28:00 The ugly side of social media.

32:33 What’s on the horizon for Dr. Notarantonio.

35:39 Dr. Notarantonio’s courses and how to get in touch.  

Dr. Adamo E. Notarantonio, DDS, FICOI, FAACD:

Dr. Adamo Notarantonio is a graduate of the University of New York at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine (2002), where he received honors in both removable and fixed prosthodontics. He completed his residency in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program at Stony Brook in 2003 and was chosen by faculty to complete a second year as Chief Resident.

Dr. Notarantonio was accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry in 2011, and recently received his Fellowship in the AACD. He is the only Accredited Fellow in New York State, and the 80th person worldwide to achieve this honor. He was further honored by the Academy when asked to serve as a consultant and examiner for the Accreditation and Fellowship processes.

In 2016, Dr. Notarantonio was awarded the AACD’s Rising Star Award. He has been re-elected to serve on the American Board of Cosmetic Dentistry®, is the most recent past chairman of the ABCD, and has recently been appointed the Accreditation Chairman of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Dr. Notarantonio is a graduate of the Kois Center, where he studied under Dr. John Kois. He also has completed The Dawson Academy Core Curriculum. He has received his fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He has been published in multiple dental journals and lectures nationally and internationally on such topics as CAD/CAM dentistry, implant dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, composite dentistry, and dental photography. He also volunteers his time at the NYU College of Dentistry where he is a Clinical Instructor in the Honors Aesthetics Program.

Dr. Notarantonio is an avid golfer and is also fluent in Italian.

2 Upcoming Years Will Suck & Why That's A Great Thing

Episode #475 with Dr. Kevin Groth

Adversity is opportunity — if you have the right mindset. And to help you move forward from the difficult times in your life, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Kevin Growth to explain why you will have a few bad years, how that's a great thing, and ways to embrace the years that suck. Too many good years can make you complacent! To learn how to fall and fail gracefully, listen to Episode 475 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Dr. Groth’s email: [email protected]
• Dr. Groth’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grothdental
• Dr. Groth’s social media: @drkevingroth
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

• You can learn something from every bad moment.
• Embrace the difficult years you will experience.
• Bad years are a matter of when, not if.
• Be surrounded by the best people.
• Success is never linear.

Quotes:

• “In Traction, Gino Wickman talked about out of a 10-year window, you're going to have two great years, six good years, and two awful years. And I think the important thing to reflect on is that you're going to have two really bad years, and those bad years are actually what propel you forward.” (3:50—4:06)
• “It’s not a matter of if I have something bad happen to me in the future, it’s a matter of when. I hope that happens a long time from now, but it’s only inevitable that you're going to go through something bad. And that's okay. And it’s something that I think we should all embrace.” (4:26—4:40)
• “The thing that really helped me this time around is I was very vulnerable and very open to people that I really lean on. And through that, it made everything so much better for me.” (4:42—4:51)
• “Embrace the “suck” because something good is going to come from it — if you actually want to propel forward.” (5:23—5:29)
• “I really embraced some really great years in ’19, ’20. But at one point in time, I was like, ‘Well, I got my vision done. We’re great. I'm okay with it being this way. I want to take my foot off the gas a little bit.’ And when you do that, you get complacent. You get content with how things happen. And then, all of a sudden, maybe some things start slipping through the cracks. And then, that's when you start realizing that — it propels you — you have to fall.” (8:23—8:49)
• “It is easy to coast. And it’s fun, and it’s good. You need brakes. Everybody needs a little bit of rest, but at the same point in time know that the next wave of “suck” is going to come, and then that's going to drive you into a whole different realm of, ‘What do I need to do now?’” (8:55—9:10)
• “It’s good to have a vision through [life] so you have an understanding of what direction you want to go down. In 10 years from now when I'm 45, what does life look like for me? My kids will be a certain age. My family will be doing this, this, this. What does the dynamic of this office look like? Because then, you can now piece things back and say, ‘Okay, in order to get there 10 years from now, I need to splice this segment up. So, in three years from now, I want to be on this trajectory.’ And then, you can go even further and say, ‘In a year, this is where I need to be in order to get to the three years.’ And from a quarterly basis, you could do that too. So, you always want to have quarterly priorities or quarterly goals or some way of tracking these metrics to make sure you're on the right plan.” (25:38—26:21)
• “[The perfect practice] doesn't exist. And also, if you do buy that, there's no sense of pride in buying that. I take immense pride knowing that this office came with so much blood, sweat, and tears over the last seven years of time — that we got here because of those hard moments. And you're not going to get the sense of fulfillment or joy if you're not going to go through the struggle. So, if you're looking to buy a practice, or whatever it may be, don't get hung up on all those things. Just know that, ‘Okay, I'm going to buy this and I'm going to make it myself. I'm going to make it my way and I'm going to do what I want to do,’ because that's the beauty of dentistry. You can control what you do and how you do it and the people you surround yourself with.’’ (28:01—28:43)
• “Look at who you are and who you're surrounding yourself with. Because if you have people in your life that are not building you up, then just get rid of them. And I've done it. It’s hard. But at the same point, every single person that's around me in my life right now is an upper. And I think that's important to recognize. That's such an undervalued, underappreciated concept.” (31:04—31:28)
• “When you fall, you pick yourself up and you learn how to get out of the situation and become better for it. But the key there is to know that my mindset needs to be, ‘I'm going to learn something from this bad moment. I'm going to become a better person through that,’ that my future person is far more adapted, fulfilled, evolved because of the struggles, the failures, the falls that we all take.” (34:28—34:53)

Snippets:

• 0:00 Introduction.
• 1:52 Dr. Groth’s background.
• 3:00 Expect a few bad years in your career.
• 5:29 Every adversity creates opportunity.
• 9:10 Dr. Groth’s journey of change.
• 12:25 Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
• 15:13 Have a strong value system and a strong sense of self.
• 20:41 Challenges in dropping insurance.
• 24:48 Look at life in 10-year spans.
• 26:21 Success is not linear.
• 28:43 It’s all about the steps.
• 30:31 Be aware of who you surround yourself with.
• 31:29 Know your purpose for a fulfilling life.
• 33:56 Last thoughts.
• 36:22 How to get in touch with Dr. Groth.

Resources:

The EOS Life by Gino Wickman: https://bookshop.org/books/the-eos-life-how-to-live-your-ideal-entrepreneurial-life/9781637740132

Traction by Gino Wickman: https://bookshop.org/books/traction-get-a-grip-on-your-business/9781491583500

Start with Why by Simon Sinek: https://bookshop.org/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-2c622935-8c0c-4d97-9e9a-4fd6286d8336/9781591846444

Dr. Kevin Groth Bio:

Dr. Kevin Groth’s primary goal is for every person to walk out of his office knowing that they received the highest-quality, most personalized care possible. Dentistry is more than just a profession for Dr. Groth. He sees every patient as an extension of his own family, and when you are in his chair, you’ll always be treated well. 

Dr. Groth’s favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different. He loves the variety of people he gets to meet and procedures he performs to help patients maintain their smiles. 

Since graduating from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Dr. Groth has been recognized locally by Hour Detroit Magazine as a Top Dentist, and nationally as a Top Doc. As a passionate dentist who wants to provide the best care for his patients, Dr. Groth pursues continuing education through The Dawson Academy, serves on the executive board of the Periodontal Bunting Society, and is the Assistant Clinical Director of the Society of Comprehensive Dentists. He has also served as an adjunct clinical faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. 

Why Listening is One of the Best Growth Opportunities

Episode #474 with Dr. Kelley Brummett

Sometimes, what you thought you heard a patient say isn't what they said. And as a dentist, that can get you into trouble! And to help you be a better communicator and avoid misunderstandings, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Kelley Brummett from The Pankey Institute to share some insight into polishing those skills. Listening isn't just about hearing words! To learn how to be present, open, and a better listener, listen to Episode 474 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources

• Dr. Brummett’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelley.brummett.5
• Dr. Brummett’s social media: @kelleybrummett
• The Pankey Institute: https://www.pankey.org/
• Essentials III course (sold out): https://www.pankey.org/event/e3-jan2023/
• The Restorative Nation: https://restorativenation.com/
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
• Join the To The Top Study Club
• See our Live Events Schedule here
• Get the Best Practices Magazine for Free!
• Write a Review on iTunes

Main Takeaways:

What you thought you heard may not be what was said.

Listen to people’s body language, not just their words.

Don't end conversations with an answer.

Ask your team for help.

Learn to be present.

Quotes:

“It’s a continual process to learn about how we as dentists, how we as humans, can be better listeners.” (7:50—7:58)

“Whenever you're having a conversation with someone, and let's say you ask them a question like, ‘Hi, how can I help you?’ and they give you a response back, it’s asking another question instead of just closing that conversation with an answer. Because oftentimes, what we’re doing is we’re trying to dial into what the real, whether it’s a cause-effect link, so we can help. Because it’s one thing when you say, ‘This tooth is broken. You need a crown,’ and the patient says, ‘Okay, I agree.’ But then, if they don't schedule, and if we didn't ask another question like, ‘Is there anything that might get in the way of scheduling this today?’ or, ‘Are there any other questions that you have?’ or, ‘Is there anything I can show you?’ you might not understand some limitations a patient has, and that can be frustrating.” (12:13—13:18)

“I have found, for myself, that I can run into trouble by missing something really critical with a patient, and what I thought I heard sometimes isn't exactly what the patient was saying.” (15:25—15:37)

“Whenever I'm with a restorative patient and I've got to go straight to hygiene, as I'm walking to that hygiene room, [I try] to make a ritual of, how do I disconnect from the patient I was with? How do I not make eye contact with the front desk — because that will cause me to be hijacked to a different direction — and then walk into the next room with as much awareness and openness as I can.” (16:25—16:54)

“The biggest way to close the gap . . . is if I can recognize that if I ask the question to the patient, or to the person I'm having the conversation with, ‘Help me understand what I thought I heard,’ or, ‘Let me say back to you what we’re doing right here,’ or, ‘Let me say back what I just heard you say to me.’ Ask for some clarity. And I'll be honest, I think that that's a really hard thing to do because there's a rejection piece, possibly, because you might be received negatively or, ‘What do you mean? You haven’t been listening to me.’ So, it’s scary.” (18:27—19:21)

“I had a patient in my chair, and he was a mechanic. And he never wanted to put his fingers in his mouth, as far as flossing, because they were stained. And why he would not floss, it took me a few conversations to ask him, ‘What's that about?’ And he said, ‘Look at my hands.’ But I'd never really asked him before. I was just, ‘Okay, you decided not to floss. We’ll just leave that be.’” (20:06—20:33)

“The other thing I experienced, which has really affected the way that I manage patients while I'm doing dentistry, [the patient] was really struggling in the chair with suction and water and air. And sometimes, we’ll hear dentists talk about, ‘Gosh, this person was so grabby, and they wanted me to do this. They didn't trust me that I was going to take care of them.’ And I sat him up and I said, ‘Can I ask you a question? Has something happened to you? Because you seem concerned that something’s going to happen to you.’ And he’s like, ‘You know, after you asked me that question — I almost drowned once.’ I would have never thought that an experience of him drowning was similar to being suctioned or having water in your mouth — which is like waterboarding. It could be connected to a memory bank. And it was like, ‘That's powerful.’” (20:35—21:33)

“[Don't] just listen to people’s words. [Also listen to] their body language. I think that that's key too.” (21:36—21:41)

“When people get an opportunity to — and I know this might sound weird — discover who they are in a dental chair, discover that they are a human being, they do have their circumstances, objectives, temperament, that we love to say, while they're in a dental chair — because I'm not a believer that work is work and home is home. I am my same person in both locations, and I have to figure out how I need to show up, and whenever I'm not. And so, I think that's the same thing with a patient.” (23:00—23:43)

“I want my dental practice to be an educational institute. A lot of people say that. A lot of people have it, and it’s been the best thing for me. I don't want to teach how to brush your teeth. I want to educate the whys behind the choices you can make, and not judge you, but help you with your decisions about why you may want to fulfill that.” (28:56—29:25)

“Have a meeting with your team. Say, ‘Hey, I feel like I don't have enough time in the hygiene visit to make a connection or get to understand a patient.’ Have them carry on the conversation that they’ve been having for 45 minutes for you as you step into the room rather than stepping back to the side not saying one word, and you take over — because we take over because we know we’ve got 10 more minutes. And get in some type of a partnership with somebody in your office, even the front desk.” (32:28—33:10)

“I'm listening to understand versus I'm listening for them to hear me.” (35:30—35:36)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:05 Dr. Brummett’s background.

7:25 Why this is an important topic.

8:49 Dentistry is the business of management.

11:42 Don't end the conversation with an answer.

15:38 Learn to be present.

17:54 Be aware of your patients’ body language.

22:17 Who is the person in your dental chair?

24:28 Clarify and dive deeper.  

26:16 Doing behavioral dentistry.

30:54 Where to start.

34:52 Last thoughts.

37:02 More about Dr. Brummett and how to get in touch.

Reach Out to Dr. Brummett:

Dr. Brummett’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelley.brummett.5

Dr. Brummett’s social media: @kelleybrummett

Resources:

The Pankey Institute: https://www.pankey.org/

Essentials III course (sold out): https://www.pankey.org/event/e3-jan2023/

The Restorative Nation: https://restorativenation.com/

Dr. Kelley Brummett:

Dr. Kelley D. Brummett was born and raised in Missouri. She attended the University of Kansas on a full-ride scholarship in springboard diving and received honors for being the Big Eight Diving Champion on the 1-meter springboard in 1988 and 1992. Dr. Brummett received her Bachelor of Arts in communication at the University of Kansas and went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in nursing. After practicing nursing, Dr. Brummett went on to earn a degree in dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia. She has continued her education at The Pankey Institute to further her love of learning and her pursuit to provide quality individual care. Dr. Brummett is a clinical instructor at Georgia Regents University and is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Dr. Brummett and her husband, Darin, have two children, Sarah and Sam. They have made Newnan their home for the past nine years. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and playing with her dogs. Dr. Brummett is an active member of the ADA, GDA, AGDA, and an alumnus of The Pankey Institute. 

The Money Tool Roadmap

Episode #473 with Dr. Barrett Straub

Do you ever wonder where your money is going? Do you want a better grasp on your financial health? If you do, you need ACT’s newest resource, the Money Tool Roadmap! And today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub, ACT’s CEO, to talk about how this tool will help you understand profitability, manage your cash flow, and create more true profit. To learn more about the Money Tool Roadmap and how to get it, listen to Episode 473 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Understand the sweet spot of profitability.

Habits are more powerful than willpower.

Learn to save early — and save a lot.

Don't make decisions based on fear.

Know the meaning of true profit.

Quotes:

“It’s a very stressful day when you don't have financial margin, you don't have extra money in the bank, you don't have a rainy-day fund. When you're in those positions and collections dip, that gets really stressful.” (3:57—4:10)

“There's not a clear line between these four, but there are roughly four financial life phases. The first is, you're out of school. We call it high uncertainty and high debt. Most dentists graduate with a lot of debt. They're going into practice, they're going to buy a house, they have a new family, they're buying cars. They're starting to enter real life. So, high debt. Then, they have uncertainty, ‘Where will I practice? What's my earning potential? Will I be fast enough, clinically? Will I be able to sell dentistry?’ We think we’ll be good dentists, but there's still high uncertainty. Both, that high debt and that high uncertainty, cloud our decision-making.” (8:36—9:18)

“I, in that [high debt, high uncertainty] phase, said to myself a couple times, ‘I'm going to see if there's any money left over at the end of the year. And if there's any extra, I'll invest it.’ And guess what? There wasn't any money left. And then, I did it for another year. And then, finally, I learned an important lesson.” (9:19—9:36)

“The next phase is phase two. High debt, still, but a little bit lower uncertainty. So, maybe you've been out of practice a few years. Maybe you're a brand-new practice owner. You're starting to figure it out a little bit. But you’ve still got, especially if you just bought a practice, your debt even increased because you've got a practice loan. Maybe bought some equipment to upgrade the office. So, now, you’ve found your speed. You're getting a little more confident, dental wise. Your debt load just went up, so you still have that stress. Again, that's a very easy phase to say, ‘I've got too much debt. I'm going to wait a few more years. In a couple years, I'll have enough money to start really investing.’” (9:36—10:22)

“Phase three is moderate debt. So, now, we’re paying off some of the debt. Maybe you've been a practice owner for a handful of years. The dentistry is getting easier. The uncertainty is getting low now, but you still have moderate debt. Now is where, often, dentists take the next step in practice upgrades. Maybe you buy a CEREC. Maybe you buy a CBCT. You still don't know where your money is. You still say, ‘Boy, I'm paying a lot of tax. I don't see this money.’” (10:24—10:53)

“Phase three is where you're like, ‘Shoot. I'm 38 years old. I thought I'd have a lot more money saved away. I thought I'd be doing pretty good. I have some, but I need more.’ Then, you say, ‘But in a couple more years, I'll really be able to sock it away.’” (11:14—11:36)

“Then, you get to that last phase, your late 40s, maybe early 50s. You really got low debt, really low uncertainty. You've got dentistry figured out. You're rolling. And then, you go to your financial advisor. It’s like, ‘Okay, let's start nailing this down, when I can retire, and all that,’ and your advisor says, ‘You can't retire for a long time. You don't have nearly enough saved. Oh, and by the way, your practice isn't worth nearly what you think it is.’ So, now, you thought you're going to have a ton. You thought you’d retire when you want to retire, and you can't. And that's a bummer, because now you're working not because you want to but because you have to. And we want dentists to say, when they're 60 years old, ‘I don't have to work another day if I don't want to. But I still want to because I love dentistry and I love what it does.” (11:36—12:27)

“When you don't have any margin, you make bad decisions. It’s hard to sleep. When you have more margin and you have some discipline, financially, you can make decisions from a position of strength.” (12:39—12:49)

“Parkinson’s law basically says that your needs for the money will rise to meet the supply. So, I like to say money does, in fact, burn a hole in your pocket. If you have it in your checking account, you will find reasons to spend it. And there are often valid reasons: technology, equipment, supplies, stuff for your kids, stuff for your house, a bigger house. There are always good, valid reasons to spend money. And so, Parkinson’s law is, if it’s in your checking account, you're going to spend it.” (14:02—14:33)

“Your best dentists, they all saved money. And not only did they all save money, they all saved money in all four phases. Now, it doesn't mean they're saving the same amount. You get started early, you chip away, you do what you can. But the most important in that phase one and phase two, if the dentists don't develop the habit of saving, this automation, this process, this save-before-I-even-see-it, it gets really hard to do that in phase three and four because three and four are your money-making phases. That's when you really have got to put it away.” (14:43—15:37)

“There are some of us that have amazing willpower. And you'll always fail in terms of financial health when compared to the habit automation process. So, the habit of saving money, the process of saving money, automatic investing before it hits your checkbook — if you never see it, you can't spend it. And so, willpower, the, ‘There should be some extra at the end of the year. I'll invest it then,’ I tried that. I lost. It didn't work. I found things to spend it on.” (16:33—17:05)

“There were some years where my habit of saving kind of hurt a little bit — not hurt, but you watch some of your colleagues and your friends, and it’s like, ‘Oh. They're buying lots of stuff. What am I doing wrong? Why can't I do that?’ And then, I had to remind myself over some years, ‘I know why they're buying that cottage up north. I know why they bought that house or that boat. They're not saving as much as me.’ But, in the end, this is how I want to live. I want to live within my means. I want to save. And some day, it’s going to all pay off.” (17:10—17:44)

“My willpower doesn't work on M&M’s.” (19:37—19:38)

“Banks get this. They understand Parkinson’s law very well, because they don't often allow you to, ‘Hey, write us a check at the end of the month with what's left over.’ They say, ‘We’re going to set up an automatic withdrawal. It’s going to come right out of your checking account on the 5th of the month, and your practice loan is coming to us before you figure out you don't have enough money.’” (20:02—20:24)

“That day comes [when] your practice loan is paid off. That's a huge amount of money, and you could put it into your checking account. It’d be amazing. But I say, ‘Hey, I found a way to live without this. I don't want to see it. Let's just take that automatic payment that goes to the bank, let's put it right into investments, go to retirement savings.’ I've never seen my practice loan. That same amount goes right to the 401K every month.” (20:39—21:07)

“If you're a dentist and you've ever said, ‘I feel like I'm paying a lot more than I should for the taxes I'm paying,’ you need this [Money Roadmap]. If you've said, ‘Where did all my money go? I'm just not following it,’ you need this Roadmap. If you don't know the amount that you should be putting into your checking account at the end of the month, you need this. And if you're not looking at your PnL, cashflow, and balance sheet every month and knowing what to draw from all three of those, you need this.” (28:08—28:39)

“Profitability has a sweet spot. And I call the sweet spot the place where, number one, a couple things happen. You’ve increased your production as much as you can within the current capacity. So, if you're working four days a week, before you ever add a day, before you ever buy a practice, before you ever add an associate, before you increase capacity, I want you to maximize the revenue that you can make within your current capacity. Why would you ever add capacity before you've maximized your current production within your current capacity?” (31:11—31:46)

“It’s human nature to base decisions on fear. It’s human nature to buy into that uncertainty that we talked about in those life phases and say, ‘I can't start saving. But in a couple years . . . But in a couple years . . . But in a couple years . . .’ And what we’re saying, we’re big on core values and our beliefs. Barry Schwartz, Paradox of Choice, he says you want to base your decisions on your beliefs and values, not fear. You want your decisions to be guided by goals, not your fear. And then, once you make a decision, you have to execute it. Making a decision is easy. Now, you have to execute it. And you can use habits, you can use automation, or you can just try and do willpower, and fail.” (37:25—38:11)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:02 Why the Money Tool Roadmap is important.  

8:21 The four financial life phases.

13:51 Parkinson’s law, explained.

16:12 Willpower versus habit, automation, and process.

19:45 Convert debt payment into an asset.

23:39 Know where your money is going.

26:55 More about the Profitability Roadmap and Money Tool Roadmap.

29:50 The sweet spot of profitability.

32:21 Defining capacity.

35:52 Fear-based decisions have consequences.

42:25 Producer Andy’s topic for the day: birthdays.

51:09 Money Roadmap overview.

57:12 Defining true profit.

59:25 Last thoughts.

Reach Out to Dr. Straub:

Dr. Straub’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barrett.d.straub

Dr. Straub’s social media: @bstraub10

Producer Andy’s email: [email protected] 

Resources:

ACT Dental’s Money Tool Roadmap launches November 2022! https://www.actdental.com/money

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz: https://profitfirstbook.com/

The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz: https://bookshop.org/books/the-paradox-of-choice-why-more-is-less-9780062449924/9780060005696

Join ACT Dental’s To The Top study club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt

ACT Dental’s PPO Roadmap: https://form.jotform.com/221574987947173

Dr. Barrett Straub Bio:

Dr. Barrett Straub practices general and sedation dentistry in Port Washington, Wisconsin. He has worked hard to develop his practice into a top-performing, fee-for-service practice that focuses on improving the lives of patients through dentistry. 

A graduate of Marquette Dental School, Dr. Straub’s advanced training and CE includes work at the Spear Institute, LVI, DOCS, and as a member of the Milwaukee Study Club. He is a past member of the Wisconsin Dental Association Board of Trustees and was awarded the Marquette Dental School 2017 Young Alumnus of the Year. As a former ACT coaching client that experienced first-hand the transformation that coaching can provide, he is passionate about helping other dentists create the practice they’ve always wanted.  

Dr. Straub loves to hunt, golf, and spend winter on the ice, curling. He is married to Katie, with two daughters, Abby and Elizabeth. 

The Truth About Transition from Analog to Digital

Episode #472 with Dr. Brandon James

Digital is the future. If you embrace the change now, your dentistry will be more accurate, more efficient, and have more predictable results. And to help you transition from analog to digital, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Brandon James to share his transition journey, advice for handling technology phobia, and ways to adjust to the learning curve. Digital dentistry is advancing — don't be left behind! To learn how going digital will benefit your patients and your practice, listen to Episode 472 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Without the right people to use it, expensive equipment is just décor.

Transitioning to digital will help you empower your team.

It will help you be better, faster, and more efficient.  

Digital can empower patients’ decision-making.

Don't be last to go digital — it’s the future.

Quotes:

“If you're purchasing all this equipment and your “why” is so that you can have a better picture for your Instagram post or your Facebook post, that's the wrong why.” (4:04—4:11)

“In the world of digital dentistry in full arch, it’s not necessarily that what you're doing in the analog world is not working — it is working. But the digital world allows you some more efficiencies and some more ease in what we’re doing.” (8:15—8:32)

“You've got to have the right people in place to institute this. Because you can buy $150,000 of equipment, and then it just comes and sits on a shelf. And we’ve all done that, in some regard. But when the stakes are that high, when the dollar figures are that high, you really need to have people in place to implement it.” (10:25—10:46)

“I love dentistry. I truly do. But I don't want to be doing clinical dentistry till 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, and then turn on my digital designer hat and sit there and design cases for three, four, five hours into the night, and then see my family and kids at 9:00 at night. That's not what I signed up for.” (11:44—12:02)

“I absolutely believe that all of those rules and regulations that we all abide by of prosthodontics in the analog world, those still apply. Just because you buy a piece of machinery doesn't take out the rules of the game. It’s intended to enable you to do it a little bit better, maybe do it a little bit faster, do it a little bit more efficiently so that it then becomes a little bit more affordable for the patients, and you can control that cost. Because treating these patients is hard work.” (12:36—13:03)

“For us, it wasn't that anything was not working in the analog world. It was just that we started seeing that maybe we can do things a little bit quicker, a little bit faster, a little bit more efficient, have a little bit more predictability in the process. And that's where we’re going with things.” (13:13—13:31)

“My favorite part [of the transition process], at this stage of the game that we’re in, is seeing [the team] take ownership of the process itself and empowering them to feel like they have a real say in the process.” (14:30—14:48)

“[Digital] also, I think, really empowers the patients’ decision-making from a standpoint of, they can see. A lot of things that we talk about and makes sense to us, it doesn't make a hill of beans to the patient. We might as well be talking Greek to them. But when they can tangibly see something on the screen instead of having all that goopy impression in their mouth, or we can do a facial scan and all of a sudden it pops up on the screen and, ‘Oh my gosh, that looks a lot like me,’ it’s not just this pixelated avatar-looking thing, it’s a powerful motivational — I mean, we never like to say it, and it causes my toes to curl a little bit, but it is a good sales thing for people to see that, and it’s an empowering thing for that process.” (16:04—16:55)

“The more information that we can put in front of [patients], I really feel that it empowers them to make a confident decision for themselves.” (17:16—17:24)

“We started slowly phasing [digital] in. And in the busyness of the day when it gets going, you always will fall back onto what you tried-and-true and know best. And we fought that process for a while. And it really boils down to leadership 101 and me taking the role of saying, ‘Listen. We’re going to take a step back and recommit ourselves to doing this.’ And once we did that, it’s become second nature.” (18:28—19:05)

“I didn't want to be the last to do [digital]. And I think there are no ifs, ands, buts, or doubts in my mind that it is the future.” (23:34—23:42)

“Successful people do consistently what others do occasionally.” (26:48—26:50)

“People will work for a “what”, but they will give their lives for a “why”. And that's not necessarily laying down your life, but they will pour out their souls for meeting the why of why we’re doing things, as long as they understand it, as long as it’s said, as long as it’s written down, as long as it’s lived by in the office.” (27:17—27:38)

“Do I feel like it’s as comfortable as what the analog world was to me for the last 15 years? No. Not there yet. But we’re going to get there. That's just part of it. To quote the good Dr. Sisler from his podcast, there's not a plan B. We’re not going back. So, this is plan A, and we’re sticking to it, and we’re going to be passionate about it.” (27:44—28:12)

“There is no arguing on the accuracy of digital platforms and digital workflows as opposed to human beings doing it. I mean, it’s only nature. We’re imperfect human beings. And so, the accuracy of it and the lack of, when all goes well and you deliver a full arch 30, 45, 50 minutes after they’ve just had surgery and you don't pick up a handpiece and don't touch the occlusion, it’s like, ‘Wow, that's pretty cool. I didn't know that existed.’ And so, that is probably an aha moment — but knowing that you don't just plug in your machine, and that happens. There's a process of learning and a process of becoming an expert at it that we’re all still doing.” (29:33—30:29)

“There are very capable restorative dentists out there all across this platform that absolutely can treat these cases. But they didn't just all of a sudden, ‘Oh, let's do it.’ You need to get educated. But for me, even more importantly, beyond the education . . . is mentorship.” (32:41—33:06)

“There's nothing about the machinery that is going to make you capable of doing the product. You've still got to put in the effort. You've got to have the knowledge base of what you're doing to stay safe, to stay out of harm’s way, and to instill predictability.” (33:42—33:56)

“Embrace the new decision. Think hard on it. Be committed to it. And once you do, then dive in.” (37:47—37:58)

“Don't be scared of not being perfect, or don't be scared that, ‘Oh my gosh, the patient’s going to think I don't know what I'm doing if I'm learning.’ Just take action, because that’s what I had to tell myself. And it will all work out.” (38:18—38:35)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

1:49 Dr. James’s background.

3:09 His journey in the transition process.

8:57 Get the right group in play.

14:01 Favorite parts about the transition process.

17:34 The learning curve to adapt to new technology.

20:50 Find out who you are as fast as possible.

22:05 Digital is the future.

25:33 Where Dr. James is on the transition journey.

28:51 Aha moments at the Full Arch Masters course.

30:53 Where to start on a limited budget.

37:30 Last thoughts on the transition to digital.

41:41 About Dr. James and Dr. Pat Lillis’s ITA (Implant Training Academy) course.

Reach Out to Dr. James and Dr. Pat Lillis:

Dr. James’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBrandonJames.FindaTopDoc/

Dr. James’s social media: @brandonjamesdds

Dr. Lillis’s email: [email protected] 

Dr. Lillis’s social media: @drlillis

Resources:

Full Arch Masters Course: https://fullarchmasters.com/

Kolbe assessment: https://www.kolbe.com/

StrengthsFinder: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx

DiSC assessment: https://www.thediscpersonalitytest.com/

Kois Center: https://www.koiscenter.com/

Spear Education: https://www.speareducation.com/

The Dawson Academy: https://thedawsonacademy.com/

Seattle Study Club: https://seattlestudyclub.com/

Your Time in Jelly Beans by zefrank1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOksW_NabEk

Roy Spence, The Purpose Institute: https://thepurposeinstitute.com/

Register and watch Dr. Lillis’s recorded ITA session: https://web.cvent.com/event/cc0dcfa8-f232-4b7c-b2d4-5e86905fed0e/summary

Dr. Brandon James Bio:

Dr. Brandon James received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S) degree in 2005, graduating with honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. He completed an advanced postgraduate program and obtained his certificate in Graduate Prosthodontics from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 2008. Following completion of his training, Dr. James moved to the greater Kansas City area and began his private practice.

Dr. James is an active member of multiple professional organizations and is an up-and-coming well-known lecturer to dentists across the country in the field of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry. Dr. James brings with him a level of knowledge and understanding that is second to none when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and managing even the most difficult of your dental problems. Dr. James is proficient in all aspects of implant, esthetic, and prosthetic dentistry. 

The 5 Don'ts of Attracting a New Hygienist

Episode #471 with Rachel Wall, RDH, BS

An ad won't fix your practice. But with the right strategy, you can attract the right people. And to help you magnetize your future ideal team, Kirk Behrendt brings in Rachel Wall, CEO and founder of Inspired Hygiene, to reveal five important don'ts when attracting new hygienists. Money isn't the only thing that great hygienists value! To find out what they look for in a practice, listen to Episode 471 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Be flexible and keep an open mind when hiring someone new.

Create an attractive culture that makes people want to stay.

Never create incentives that are only for new hires.

Avoid adding too many details in your ads.

Engage your team in the hiring process.

Highlight your unique perks.

Be creative.

Quotes:

“You want to create a situation that's attractive, bringing [new hygienists] into the practice, and then create a culture that really helps them want to stay.” (5:39—5:51)

“It certainly is not all about money. And I think there are hygienists out there that would be willing to take a little lower rate if they really and truly believe that the culture was healthy and strong. And you've got to, in addition to finding the right fit from a financial standpoint, find the right fit for a culture.” (7:22—7:42)

“You do need to keep an open mind, and don’t count somebody out right away. But also, the same goes for the employee. You've got to keep an open mind too and be willing to look at the practice and say, ‘Okay, they're doing things at a higher level. They're using digital scanning, and I don't have experience with that. They have a really thorough perio protocol, and I don't have experience with that. But I'm willing to learn and I'm willing to see, what is their philosophy, and what do they believe about these services that really brings a lot to their patients and brings value to their community.’” (8:14—8:49)

“You don't get what you don't ask for. But also, don't just expect because you asked for something that everybody’s going to hand it to you.” (10:52—10:59)

“You don't get what you don't ask for. However, you've got to be able to document your experience that is going to warrant you getting what it is you're asking for.” (11:53—12:05)

“Don't use only one or two methods when you're seeking a new team member. And it’s not just hygienists. This really goes for any position in your practice. I'm hearing things about Indeed. The latest I've heard about Indeed is there's not much coming from Indeed. But someone else may have a different experience. So, you've got to try multiple ways.” (12:40—13:04)

“Use Indeed if you've seen that work in your area. But you've also got to network. The best people come, often, from networking. They come from people that you know. Now, again, don't hire them just because you know them, or your neighbor knows them. But if they happen to fit your core values and they get results, then you also have someone that has some history with this individual, which is always super helpful.” (13:11—13:34)

“Get to know the leaders at your dental hygiene programs, even if they're not local, even if they're in another state. I moved to another state when I started practicing dental hygiene. So, hygienists are willing to do that if they are going into a practice that they really think they're going to enjoy, and it’s meeting their expectations as well.” (13:38—13:59)

“We created a recruiting deck for our clients to use. And so, [create a] video. One of our clients, we built this deck for him. We’re like, ‘You've got to have a link on this slide to your video on your site. And, by the way, you have 423 reviews in Google and they're five-star.’ Potential employees are going to be looking at that kind of thing, and you want to highlight that. You want to highlight what you can bring to the table because they're checking you out as well.” (17:34—18:10)

“Number two don't: don't put too many details in the ad. I reviewed an ad recently and it was great. It’s a great opportunity. Fantastic practice. I know the dentist personally, and it’s full-time. So, they're giving them full-time benefits, pretty much full-time pay, but it’s three days a week. But they put all the details of the scheduling. And honestly, if I were a hygienist, I would want to work different days than what they put in the ad. So, I'm afraid that if they put that much detail in the ad, it’s going to turn people off.” (18:35—19:08)

“Next don't: don't forget to engage your team. Get your team involved. Have your team there when you're doing this open house, when you're doing the tour. Maybe you have something fun happening. Maybe it’s a wine-tasting at your office, or you hire a band to come to your office for an afternoon and have drinks. And maybe you've got some new equipment that you want to share with everybody.” (20:55—21:22)

“Engage your team. Have your team share with you what are the things that they feel are great about working at your practice. Because there might be things that you, as the employer, don't even realize that are really important to them.” (21:42—21:56)

“Always, no matter how you know this person, do a background check. Always.” (24:22—24:25)

“I encourage you to have your team do videos. The iPhones now, you can do a pretty amazing video with an iPhone . . . because it’s their peer. It’s one thing for you, as the employer, to say you're great. But the team members should be telling others why it’s great to work there.” (25:35—25:57)

“Don't forget to include special, unique perks to your practice. Again, being paid full-time and working three days a week, that's actually a really cool perk. That's attractive to me. So, don't forget to include that.” (27:40—27:54)

“Don't offer things to attract candidates that you're not willing to offer to your existing team.” (30:29—30:36)

“As a leader, you want loyalty. Well, if your team feels like, ‘Gosh, they're trying to hire this hygienist and they're giving them a $1,500 signing bonus. But we haven't hit our number and we haven't gotten a bonus in six months. You know what? Maybe they don't value me as much as I thought that they did.’ So, you've got to be transparent. Because if you think your team members aren't going to see the ad, you're wrong. They are, because they might be looking too.” (31:31—32:01)

“We've had a lot of clients that have told us, ‘Look, I just went across the board and made sure that my hygienists were making the rate that I'm going to be offering to this new hygienist. And I gave everybody a “stay” bonus, ‘I value you. I would love you to stay, and I want to do the same for you that I'm willing to do with any new candidate.’ So, be very sensitive to that.” (32:07—32:34)

“It’s just like patients. We want all these new patients. But what are we doing to keep the patients that we have and make them feel really taken care of? Same thing applies to our team.”  (32:37—32:47)

“Once you hire the hygienist, what are the dos? I would say open lines of communication, and really see your team members as extensions of yourself as a provider. And I think most dentists believe this, is they want team members that they can collaborate with. They want team members that [they can say to], ‘What do you think about this case? You're the expert in the periodontal space. How can I support you?’ So, I would say empower your hygienists. Empower your team.” (33:56—34:35)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:29 Rachel’s background.

4:03 Be creative and flexible when hiring.

6:26 Keep an open mind.

10:10 You don't get what you don't ask for, but . . .

12:12 Don’t 1) Don't use just one or two job listing sites.  

16:32 Create a recruiting deck.

18:35 Don't 2) Don’t put too many details in your ad.

20:55 Don't 3) Don't forget to engage your team.

22:22 More good advice for your hiring process.

27:39 Don't 4) Don't forget to include special, unique perks to your practice.

30:29 Don't 5) Don't offer special incentives just for new hires.

33:37 Dos after hiring new hygienists.

38:39 More about Rachel’s Hygiene Growth Roadmap.

Reach Out to Rachel:

Rachel’s website: https://www.inspiredhygiene.com/

Rachel’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InspiredHygiene/

Rachel’s social media: @inspiredhygiene

Resources:

**Mention this podcast for a promotion on Rachel’s Hygiene Growth Roadmap!** [email protected] 

Rachel’s Hygiene Growth Roadmap: https://www.inspiredhygiene.com/growth/

The EOS Life by Gino Wickman: https://bookshop.org/books/the-eos-life-how-to-live-your-ideal-entrepreneurial-life/9781637740132

Traction by Gino Wickman: https://bookshop.org/books/traction-get-a-grip-on-your-business/9781491583500

David Harris, Prosperident: https://www.prosperident.com/

Healthy Heart, Healthy Brain by Dr. Bradley Bale and Amy Doneen: https://bookshop.org/books/healthy-heart-healthy-brain-the-personalized-path-to-protect-your-memory-prevent-heart-attacks-and-strokes-and-avoid-chronic-illness-9780316705554/9780316705554

Rachel Wall, RDH, Bio:

Rachel Wall, RDH, BS, coaches dental teams to build highly productive hygiene departments by implementing systems for high-quality periodontal care, enrolling restorative care through hygiene and letting go of negative mindsets and old beliefs while managing the logistics of a high-performance hygiene department.

Drawing from her 20-plus years of experience as a hygienist and practice administrator, Rachel delivers to-the-point clinical speaking presentations around the country. Her interactive teaching style coupled with a workshop environment creates a learning space where dentists and team members are compelled to get to the heart of what’s held them back and are inspired to reach for more for themselves and their practices.