The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

One Amazing System to Improve Your Team Communication

Episode #370 with Angela Heathman & Courtney Dalton

Did you know that your team members are actually craving communication with you? They want to know how they're doing, where they stand, and just have an opportunity to communicate. One of the best systems to improve communication is with a team member check-in, and Kirk Behrendt brings in two ACT Dental coaches, Angela Heathman and Courtney Dalton, to share how to create this system. You don't just want to attract and retain the right people for your practice — you also want to grow them! To learn how by improving communication, listen to Episode 370 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

The people component is important in your practice.

Your team members are actually craving more communication with you.

Team member check-ins should be frequent, short, quick, and casual.

Have team members run the agenda and the meeting.

Let your team know you care about them with your behavior.

Quotes:

“[The team member check-in is] a time for self-reflection. So, the team member will come prepared. They’ll fill out some highs and lows personally, professionally, where they feel they have strengths within the practice, and then where they feel like they can identify some opportunities of growth or of improvement. It’s typically quick, maybe 10, 15 minutes or so. They give all that information to their doctor or their doctors, and it sparks this really great conversation about, ‘Here’s the value I see in you. Here’s where I think and agree that you're doing really well. And I agree, here’s where we can maybe give you some tips or help you improve,’ and the doctor can give some really constructive feedback as well to help to continue to encourage growth in that team member. And then, the cycle continues. When you leave it, you schedule your next one so that there's never a question from that team member, ‘Where do I stand? Am I doing well? Am I not doing well?’” (5:30—6:29)

“What we’ve learned over the past few years is that employees really want more constant, less pressure type of feedback. So, that's how and why we adapted the check-in like Courtney was talking about, more frequent, short, quick, casual. Your team members really want to have that time with you.” (7:03—7:24)

“[Team members are] usually craving that communication, and they're always usually a little bit nervous [about the team member check-in], because a lot of them haven't had that one-on-one time before. So, before the first one, they might be a little bit nervous, ‘I'm kind of scared going into this.’ And then, they find out, ‘Oh, this is no pressure. This is just a conversation.’” (10:04—10:24)

“I remember being an employee at a dental office and never having a review the entire time that I worked there. So, I can kind of speak to that too, that we want to talk to you. I would always ask, ‘Am I going to have a review at some point?’ And I was always told if I don't, that that's a good sign. But that's not a good sign. You want to have these conversations so your employees aren't wondering.” (10:28—10:58)

“The team members are actually craving communication. That's 110% true. As a clinician, when you go that long, it’s a year — or sometimes, more likely, more than a year — between your reviews, you have no idea where you stand, if you're doing well, if you could be doing something differently or changing your perspective on something. By having that frequent cadence check-in, you know that the doctor and you have this really great open dialogue, and that craving is satisfied because you just know. And it’s not always about getting a pat on the back. And it’s definitely not always financially related. It’s really just about, ‘I want to be seen. I want you to look at me, talk to me, and just really

Tips When Adding a Dentist

Episode #369 with Paul Sletten

Transitions are like marriages. They’re difficult, stressful, and shouldn't be rushed. But they're worthwhile when you find your ideal partner! And there are steps and processes you can take to ensure you find the right partner for your practice. To help you with that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten from The Sletten Group to share expert planning advice for smooth transitions. Remember to be patient — the right candidate is out there! For more of Paul’s advice and to learn how he can help you transition, listen to Episode 369 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Have two transition plans: an ideal plan and a crisis plan.

Appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist.

Know the attributes of your ideal candidate.

Identifying an ideal candidate is a team-based process.

Choose someone who is coachable.

Take time to get to know the person you’re interviewing.

Be patient. The right candidate is out there.

Quotes:

“What I've noticed is that some people [add associates or dentists] very haphazardly like it’s going to be easy. And it isn't. It’s far more complex than it would seem at first blush. People do add dentists and get lucky. They found the right one and it ends up working. But I'd like to bring them today a model for how to do that and the steps involved and the importance of the steps.” (3:01—3:49)

“I think you can add a dentist when your practice is robust, when it’s growing, when it’s healthy, when it’s trending in a positive direction and, in a general practice, when you have enough active patients to be able to handle another dentist. So, one of the first steps in the transition process is to appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist.” (4:12—4:41)

“If [your practice] is large enough, or if you're cutting your role back to allow patients to move over to the incoming doctor, that certainly can work. If somebody has 900 active patients, they're not ready to add another dentist. If somebody has 2,000, they may be ready or they may not be ready. But it’s important to appraise that and to talk about that.” (4:50—5:23)

“I think when you're considering adding another dentist, you want to add somebody who can make you better, who can make the practice better, more accessible to patients, and someone that fits with the culture of the practice. So, you need to really look for talent. If you have an exceptional practice, you have got to find an exceptional young dentist.” (8:51—9:18)

“This is really a team-based process. When we’re working with a client, we involve the team in the process of identifying what an ideal candidate profile would look like. So, when you're going out to recruit or to find somebody to bring into your practice, you have to make some determinations as to who would fit in your practice and who wouldn't.” (9:55—10:21)

“Clinical skills are extremely important, of course. But it’s really a list of intangibles. It’s a list of core values that need to be in link with the core values of the practice. You need to talk about work ethic. You need to talk about what does this person, without learning anything about the opportunity, at first, but just being interviewed and screened, what are they looking to do, ideally, with their future? What are they looking for? What have they been exposed to?” (10:52—11:30)

“Coachable means, are you hungry to learn? Are you, on a daily basis, looking for new skills and new services you can bring to that patient? Are you looking to grow and develop yourself? Because if somebody’s going to be exceptional, they're going to have to do an awful lot of work on themselves in terms of their own personal growth and development.” (12:25—12:51)

“We don't want to tell [candidates]...

8 Outgoing Phone Calls Your Practice Should Make

Episode #368 with Jenni Poulos

Every dentist and team member feels too busy — especially when it comes to making outgoing calls. But are you too busy to build your practice, or too busy to be more productive and profitable? You can create a better practice just by making phone calls, and Kirk Behrendt brings back Jenni Poulos to share how in Part Four of the Verbal Skills Webinar. To learn about the eight outgoing phone calls your practice needs to make, listen to Episode 368 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Put energy into keeping patients you already have.

Be proactive in how you're reaching out to patients.

Lean into the relational aspect when making calls.

Be aware of HIPAA compliance when making outgoing calls.

Prep with patient information for outstanding treatment calls.

Save-the-date calls give you the gift of time.

Reminder calls should be 24 to 48 hours in advance.

Reminder calls are reminders, not confirmation calls.

Set aside time to get these calls done.

Quotes:

“We don't want to be a reactive team. We want to be a proactive team. We always want to be proactive in how we’re reaching out to patients and the things we’re reaching out to them about. It allows us to eliminate E - R = C (Expectations minus reality equals conflict), it allows us to build value, and it allows us to control our days.” (1:43—2:02)

“People think they have to put so much energy into getting new patients into the practice — you do. And let's put some energy into keeping the patients that we already have. So, this needs to be something that is systematized that happens consistently. Don't tell me, ‘My schedule is full, so I don't need to make these calls.’ Because I'll tell you what, if you don't make them, eventually, your schedule is not going to be as full. So, this recare/recall, we’re going to reach out to our patients and we’re going to invite them to get back on the books.” (5:23—6:04)

“When you're making outgoing phone calls, you have to be aware of HIPAA compliance. So, if we are leaving a message, we’ve got to be careful about what we say. We can't leave any personal health information. We can't talk about specific treatment that a patient is going to be needing. So, we want to just lean into the relational component of these.” (6:08—6:32)

“I like to tell teams to just KISS [with recare phone calls]. So, Keep It Simple Stupid. ‘Doc and I were talking about you. Give us a call. Dr. Poulos and I were chatting. We were thinking about you today. He asked me to give you a call. Give me a call back.’ A key thing there is that it’s not just me, Jenni, team member, saying, ‘Hey, I'm thinking about you,’ it’s doctor and I saying, ‘Hey, we were thinking about you.’ That little extra layer is going to get you some more return calls.” (7:18—7:52)

“Stay on top of [recare phone calls]. Set aside time to get them done. And we’re just letting patients know, ‘We’re thinking about you. Give us a call back.’ And you'll be able to get them on the schedule.” (8:47—9:04)

“If I haven't seen you in two years, I did see you at some point, I've established some sort of relationship with you already. Let's try to re-call you back to the practice. Also, I want my data to be clean. I want the data in my software to be clean. I want to know how many patients I really have. So, you've got a lot of patients sitting in there that have moved or that are now seeking care elsewhere. I want my software to accurately reflect the status of my patients. So, [the purging call] is going to help you get there.” (9:24—9:55)

“The reality is that the farther and farther and farther a patient goes away from being in your chair, the harder it is to get them back on the schedule and the harder it is to get...

The Missing Ingredient in Leadership

Episode #367 with Fred Joyal

It takes boldness to do all the things you need to do in dentistry. And if you want to thrive — not just in dentistry, but in life, being bold is a prerequisite. So, to teach you how to take the first step, Kirk Behrendt brings in Fred Joyal, co-founder of 1-800-DENTIST, to share how he found the secret ingredient for a better, successful life. In his new book, Superbold, he gives you a step-by-step process to help you achieve the level of confidence you need. Boldness can be taught — it’s up to you to want to learn! To make boldness your new superpower, listen to Episode 367 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Boldness is a superpower.

Hesitation is an opportunity killer.

Learn to reject rejection.

Embrace that people don't care.

All the good stuff happens in your discomfort zone.

Quotes:

“I would see bold people and go, ‘Why are they like this? Why are they doing this? Why aren't they afraid of rejection or embarrassment or anything? They're just speaking up and they're doing all this stuff. They must be born that way.’ And I realized, gradually, that they weren't, because there were times when I made a bold move, and it made all the difference in my life. Starting 1-800-DENTIST was a bold move. It was crazy. You start any business, you've got to be half nuts, to invent a business from scratch. But I couldn't do it consistently, so I worked at it and worked at it.” (6:14—6:52)

“Boldness is a superpower. Everything flows from this. If you master this, if you are confident in action — because confidence is how you feel; boldness is how you act and how you get stuff done.” (6:56—7:12)

“I was shy. Now, what I learned is, my behavior was shy. I wasn't always shy. It wasn’t genetically true. I mean, I am this height. I am not 6’8”. I'm never going to play in the NBA because I am not tall. But I behave shyly — I did behave shyly. I hesitated. These were all actions. These were all behaviors that I decided to change and be uncomfortable.” (8:15—8:49)

“I made the choice to be uncomfortable because I started to learn what was on the other side, because every bold action I took was rewarding, and every time I hesitated was a punishment — I missed out on a girlfriend. I missed out on a job. I missed out on a raise. The list goes on. And the same thing is true for a dentist. You've been beaten down for four years in dental school by these professors, and you're out there, and you're supposed to come out and interact with patients and run a team. This all requires boldness. It takes boldness to ask for a referral from a patient. They go, ‘I don't like to do that.’ Who cares if you don't like it? If you want to build a practice, you have to get comfortable doing it.” (8:50—9:41)

“You've got to do a tremendous amount wrong to fail as a dentist. But to thrive as a dentist, to have a fantastic life and give the patients the treatment they deserve — I mean, if somebody needs $40,000 worth of dentistry to get their optimum health back, you can't present $3,000 worth of dentistry and be afraid to say, ‘That's going to be $40,000.’ That's a bold thing to do, but it’s also your professional responsibility. Now, they may have trouble getting around the cost of that. But that's not the issue. The issue is, are you comfortable telling them that they need $40,000 worth of dentistry, and it’s one of the best investments they're ever going to make in their whole life?” (11:13—11:57)

“You have to learn to reject rejection. Rejection has nothing to do with you. When somebody says no, they mean “not yet,” most of the time — in business. If it’s a guy picking up a girl and she says no, she means no. Right? She doesn't mean “not yet.” But most of the time, rejection, you...

An Important Ingredient to Fee-For-Service Dentistry

Episode #366 with Dr. Barrett Straub

Regardless of where you are in your practice, you need to differentiate. But where do you start, and how do you effectively market to your ideal patients? Today, Kirk Behrendt brings back Dr. Barrett Straub to share three parts of the five-step process for differentiation. With these tips, you can create a strategy to market to the patients you want! To learn what makes a great differentiator and how to communicate it to your patients, listen to Episode 366 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Step one for differentiation: identify your core customers.

Step two for differentiation: identify your core competencies.

Step three for differentiation: identify your weaknesses.

Patients value differentiators that can be seen, touched, felt, and experienced.

How you communicate your core competencies to patients is important.

Don't invest time, money, and people into your weaknesses.

Be intentional about interpersonal skills, marketing, and how you talk to patients.

Quotes:

“The beauty of dentistry, it’s the greatest profession on Earth. And one of the reasons that it is that is because we can design it any way we want. We have choices, and one of those choices is to participate in PPOs or not to participate in PPOs. And the reason to not participate in PPOs, for me, was to control how I wanted the practice, how I wanted the flow, what type of patient I wanted, how I wanted my day to look and feel.” (4:58—5:31)

“I want my decisions to be between me and my patient, and I want our goal to be about health and dentistry. I love that I don't ever have the conversation, ‘What does my insurance cover?’ And I don't ever — not ever — but I rarely have the negativity about diagnosing treatment. I don't have, ‘Well, your insurance is going to cover this, so we’re going to do that crown.’ It is more of a, in my opinion, straightforward discussion about your dentistry, your health, and what you want for your health.” (6:07—6:43)

“[Fee-for-service] is not for everybody. And there are many different ways to run a very successful, satisfying dental practice. And so, I don't want anyone to hear, ‘You have to go fee-for-service.’ Not at all. However, differentiation is an idea that is very near and dear and at the top of the list of every marketing department in all businesses in all of America. It just hasn't been for the last 50 years, until recently, in dentistry.” (8:19—8:46)

“Dentistry, historically, hasn’t been big in marketing. Maybe 50 years ago, they didn't need to market. It certainly was frowned upon 50 years ago. Probably up until 20 years ago, it was very, very frowned upon. But marketing and differentiation go hand in hand. And you cannot effectively market yourself if you haven't differentiated yourself.” (8:49—9:17)

“If you are marketing yourself saying the same things that every other dentist is, ‘We do crowns. We’re cosmetic dentists. We have great customer service,’ everyone says that. Now, we’ve just gone down the road of making ourselves a commodity. However, if you can truly differentiate yourself, if you can have actions and words that are special and unique and you market that, now you have effective marketing.” (9:18—9:43)

“How do you know if you need to differentiate? Number one, do you want less PPO and more fee-for-service? Even if you're never going to be fully fee-for-service, most are going to say, ‘Boy, yeah! I'd like a few more fee-for-service and a few less PPO.’ You need to differentiate. Do you want more loyalty from your patients? Absolutely. Who doesn't want more loyalty, no matter how they pay you or no matter what insurance? Yes, you need to differentiate. Do you want to be seen as special? Do you want to be seen as a...

Helping Patients Understand Their Benefits

Episode #365 with Dayna Johnson

“Sometimes, you have to spell things out in crayon for people.” And this is exactly what today’s guest does best. Kirk Behrendt brings in Dayna Johnson, a Dentrix expert, to share advice for helping patients understand their insurance benefits. It is more difficult than ever to navigate insurance — for both your patients and your team! To be better prepared for your patients’ questions and to become better advocates as a practice, listen to Episode 365 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

It is up to dental practices to help patients understand their plan coverage.

Start with the basics and don't overwhelm patients with details.

It is harder than ever to figure out what the patient owes.

Use verbal skills to communicate to patients’ their out-of-pocket costs.

Make sure your practice management software is up to date.

See the reality of what happens at the front desk.

Quotes:

“There are a lot of things that dental teams have to deal with with their patients, their practice management software. I think about the dental team as the advocate for the patient. They're advocating on the patient’s behalf for dental benefits, and they're advocating for their patients for preventative care. And we’re not just dentists; we’re oral health physicians. We’re in the healthcare industry, and it’s up to our teams to advocate for our patients for good, recommended healthcare, for oral healthcare, and getting that paid by the insurance companies. So, there's a lot that our dental teams are having to navigate themselves through.” (3:39—4:30)

“A lot of times, patients don't even care if it’s covered or not covered, ‘Just explain to me what my out-of-pocket is and how I can afford to pay for it. Because you're recommending it to me, and I know I want it because I trust my doctor. Now, how can you help me afford it and pay for it?’ And that's what I want our offices to do, is to really help advocate for their patient as far as understanding what their benefits are. If something’s not covered, or if something has some kind of limitation on it, then how can our teams give that information to our patients without owning those insurance benefits — because those do belong to the patient.” (5:55—6:35)

“Start with the basics. Sometimes, you have to spell things out in crayon for people. Whenever I'm working with a team and we’re presenting treatment, recommended treatment, and they're discussing it with the patient, it’s easy to try and give the patient too many details, too much information. And then, that just confuses people. I always try and help my teams to start with the basics. Let them know what their out-of-pocket is. So, if we’re presenting a crown and a buildup and we know the buildup is not covered, just give them the total, ‘The total is $2,000. Your expected out-of-pocket is going to be $1,500.’ And then, if the patient says, ‘Well, why is my out-of-pocket so high?’ then, we can start adding layers of details.” (6:51—7:54)

“We really want to try and keep it simple. I always try and present things in a very simple way. That way, it sometimes will eliminate a lot of those questions that we don't really need to get into if we don't have to. If patients are okay with a $1,500 out-of-pocket, then we just talk about, ‘Okay. Well, what are our options to pay for it?’ Now, if they start to ask, ‘Well, why is my out-of-pocket so high?’ then, we can add on a layer of, ‘Well, your insurance company, they don't cover this particular service.’ And then, we can start going into different layers of details as patients ask questions.” (7:56—8:38)

“It is harder than ever [to figure out what the patient owes]. When I was in my own dental practice, it used to be insurance covered 100, 80, 50...

The 3 Ps of Scheduling

Episode #364 with Christina Byrne

When you create the schedule you want, your life will be so much better. And to help you create that ideal schedule, Kirk Behrendt brings back one of ACT Dental’s superstar coaches, Christina Byrne, to share three key things to know about productive scheduling. Stop chasing patients who don't value what you do! Understand and implement the three Ps of scheduling and increase your number of “A” patients. To start creating the schedule you want, listen to Episode 364 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Profitability, predictability, and productivity are the three important Ps.

Create the schedule you want from the very beginning.

Scheduling needs to be strategic.

Identify the kinds of patients you're putting into your schedule.

Don't chase patients who don't want to be in your office.

Choose to see your “C” patients, but on your own terms.

Quotes:

“[Scheduling is] a huge problem because everybody has their own idea of what a good schedule should be. And it depends on where you are in your career, where you are in your ability to get patients in and see the right patients. And so, there's often this huge struggle between the front and the back with regards to the schedule, and then even tighter between the doctor and the assistants. And hygiene is usually tapping their foot too because they need the doctor’s time. So, it seems like it’s easy to just, a patient is in the schedule, and just do dentistry, and everything will work itself out. But it won't. And it has to be something that's done really strategically.” (2:19—3:02)

“From the very beginning, just create the schedule you want. Don't get sucked into thinking you have to throw everything into the schedule wherever it fits. Really create the schedule that you want.” (3:09—3:21)

“I've noticed in my years of coaching and also being in the dental practice, like I said, I was an assistant, I worked at the front desk, then I went to hygiene school. So, I know what the schedule means to every single role in the office. And the three things that I keep coming up with when I coach teams is that they want three things, and all of them start with “P.” They want profitability, they want predictability, and they want the schedule to be productive.” (6:08—6:36)

“If I had to pick one [of the three Ps] that is the most important one, I would have to say it’s predictable. Because from predictability, you will become profitable. You will have productivity in your schedule, and you're also going to have happy team members. So, I think predictability is probably the highest one.” (6:56—7:16)

“To me, [predictability] means that we know when we start, we know when we break for lunch, we know when we end for the day. It means that we have done our due diligence and our homework to know that when I do a crown prep, 85% to 90% of the time, it’s going to take me six or seven units to do that. When I do a seat crown, it’s going to take me three. And that has its own things, ‘Is my lab good? What does my scanning look like?’ So, if you get that stuff predictable, then your seat crown appointment is going to be predictable. You should never have to schedule more than three units for that, 85% of the time.” (8:18—8:59)

“This is healthcare, and there are things that come up. But just imagine, if you could be predictable in 85% of your day, then those things that do come up are not going to cause the chaos that normally happens.” (8:59—9:11)

“It’s all about making sure that the people who you are serving value what you do.” (10:12—10:19)

“Patient identification is a way to decide where and when you're going to put the patients in your practice, into the schedule. And it’s really about understanding who values what you do, basically. Do...

Dental Practice Owners Understanding Ownership

Episode #363 with Andre Shirdan

You would never advertise, “Please come run my million-dollar business. No experience necessary!” But not understanding ownership in your business is like doing exactly that. And to help you become a better owner of your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Andre Shirdan from The CREW Process to share the four pillars you need to know to understand how to run your practice. If you’re ready to be the business owner you need to be, listen to Episode 363 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Dentists are never trained on understanding practice ownership.

Four important Ps in your practice are: people, process, profit, and philosophy.

Philosophy is the strongest pillar of the four Ps.

Every single dental procedure needs to be a process.

51% of dentistry is technical. 49% is people and customer service.

Understanding KPIs and norms will help in understanding the business of dentistry.

Quotes:

“My brother-in-law was the worst businessman in the whole world. Phenomenal clinician, but really the worst businessman in the whole world. And coming in and looking at it, I realized dentists are never trained on [understanding ownership]. And we go in and train these guys how to run their businesses, but they never really get it. I mean, in general terms, they're not accountants; they're dentists. And that's what they should do, and that's what they do best.” (5:23—5:50)

“What I found is that a lot of [dentists] abdicate that responsibility [of running their business] to somebody else — like me. I worked the front desk, but I did everything. But we, front desk people, and I always consider myself a recovering front desk person, I came in — and think about this. If there was a Monster ad, it would say, ‘Please come run my million-dollar business. No experience necessary, and the girls will train you.’ And that's really what I came into, as running this business having no idea how to run a dental practice. And I realized that almost everybody that I ran into had that same story.” (5:52—6:29)

“What was really interesting about when COVID hit, I got these phone calls from doctors who said, ‘All my staff is gone. I've never had to put anything into my software. I've never had to do this, and I need to become the owner of my business again. I need to be able to run my business that I've never had to before.’” (6:30—6:56)

“And that started this chain of events, which was, now I have to train a doctor to run a software, to understand what the reports mean, to understand the discrepancies that we typically see or get explained away from a front office person who says, ‘Oh, yeah. That's just an adjustment we make for this,’ but now understanding how that impacts different things, understanding why the deposit slip, when I deposit $1,000, I only get $960 out of my bank account — well, there are credit card fees and care credit fees, etc., etc. — and understanding that where they never really got it before, they just sort of handed it off to the accountant.” (6:57—7:34)

“I think the biggest benefit [of understanding this] is the ability to understand it if you need to understand it. We don't have to. I always say it’s a light switch. Just flick it. You don't need to know how electricity works. But there's some value in walking into Home Depot to buy a new light switch and understanding how the electricity actually gets to that switch. So, you have to understand it even if you don't ever do it on a regular basis. You've got to understand the process, or — to use that analogy — you get shocked.” (7:55—8:22)

“What happens a lot of times is, in the course of my consulting time, I recovered $750,000 worth of theft where the doctors had no idea it was happening to them. And this last...

There is Always a Better Way

Episode #362 with Dr. Gary Sanchez

If you can't enjoy your life outside the office, your amazing career in dentistry is worth nothing. That is the core message behind Kirk Behrendt’s company, ACT Dental. His purpose is to help dentists create a better practice and better life, and he discovered this passion after meeting Dr. Gary Sanchez from the WHY Institute. In today’s crossover episode, Kirk and Dr. Sanchez share how discovering your “why” is the first step to success in any part of your life. If you want to awaken your “why,” find your passion, and find a better way, listen to Episode 362 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Discover your “why” to find your purpose and passion.

Understand the nine “whys” formula and put your thoughts to action.

You need mindset, commitment to a process, and execution for success.

Know when something is “good enough” so you can move forward.

Embrace the journey and be humble. There's always something to learn.

The obstacle is the path.

Quotes:

“Here’s what the world wants: everybody wants to run the marathon, but nobody wants to do the training. They want the medal. They want the reward, but they don't want to do the work. This is the secret that no one does. You can get the attention of every expert in any industry. You know how you do it? I can actually walk into any town and get the top 10 CEOs to book an appointment with me. Do you know how I can do it? I can tell them that I'm creating a research project or, ‘I'm writing a book about the 10 top CEOs in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I've selected you. You're one of the top 10 CEOs. You're going to be a chapter in my book.’ Every single person will give you an appointment. Same thing with a podcast. You can say, ‘I'm creating a podcast called The Best Practices Show. I'm selecting the best dentists or experts in the world. You're one of them. I need you on my show.’ Anyone will move their schedule to be an expert that's selected in your book.” (12:19—13:18)

“You can get an appointment with anybody. Just interview them. Interview them, document it, and put it somewhere. That is the easiest way to become an expert.” (13:20—13:28)

“Just do the right thing. Because any time you don't do the right thing, it’s going to catch up to you. It always does. We see it in sports. You see great people fall all the time. When Joe Paterno and some of the biggest names — Bill Cosby — get off track, it comes back and catches up to them, at some point. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm the perfect human being. But when you walk into an industry like dentistry, just do the right thing and stick to it, and you'll be okay.” (13:38—14:09)

“My whole life now, since meeting [Dr. Gary Sanchez] and doing what I do is, I just have to stay in my circle, which is my “why,” helping people create a better way. A better practice leads to a better life. It’s not about more money, it’s, ‘How do we make this better?’” (15:41—15:55)

“I got this from a restaurant that I went to. This woman hands us a check, and she had a little rock on the check. And they have a little saying, and it says, ‘The obstacle is the path.’ . . . Now, in my work, I love the obstacles. Give me your biggest obstacle, and we’re going to make that the path. We’re going to find a way to use this obstacle to create it and make it better.” (16:01—16:28)

“There's a lot that you don't know in the journey, and you've got to constantly stay curious.” (18:13—18:16)

“One of the greatest, most important things any human being has to constantly work on is being self-aware. Because the lower your self-awareness, the more challenges you have as a human being.” (18:33—18:44)

“I don't know who said this, but I keep thinking of the three selves. There are three selves:...

The 5 Components to a Successful Practice

Episode #361 with Dr. Len Tau

Do you want to be the person who loves going to work every day? With a few changes to your thinking, you can! In today’s crossover episode, Kirk Behrendt and Dr. Len Tau talk about the five components you need to achieve a better practice and better life. A successful practice doesn't have to mean long hours, drama in the office, and no work-life balance! To find out how to overcome these challenges you may have, listen to Episode 361 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Create a plan and stick to it.

Have a function accountability chart.

Use metrics and data.

Surround yourself with the right people.

Be clear about your core values.

Have systems and checklists for everything.

Quotes:

“You don't have any rules. You can set your own rules. You don't have to go into insurance if you don't want to. You can do anything you really want when it comes to your dental practice. But it’s amazing to me, over the years, how many people have not wanted to go into solo practice, and they wanted to join a group practice, they wanted to join a DSO, they wanted to be an associate. They don't want the freedoms that dental practice ownership allows.” (7:11—7:35)

“Yes, running a dental practice is not the easiest thing. You have patient issues, you have money issues, you have staff issues. There are so many complexities to running the business. But it gives you the freedom that most professions don't give you.” (7:35—7:47)

“Everybody’s got to have a plan, an “A” plan, your one-page strategic plan.” (17:36—17:41)

“You're going to run into what's called the ceilings of complexity, Dan Sullivan called that years ago, where you just can't do any more. And what you have to do as an entrepreneur is you've got to make them simple again. Now, “simple” is not “easy.” It’s not. Simple requires thinking. It requires all of this. And on your plan, when you're thinking about your future as a dentist, it’s got to be thought out really well.” (19:22—19:42)

“There's never, ever, ever, ever, ever a reason to see a patient after 5:00. You can't give me one. Because if you see a patient after 5:00, that screams to me you don't give patients a good enough reason to come in the hours before 5:00, which screams to me also you don't value what you do.” (23:01—23:19)

“You've got to have metrics. You've got to have KPIs (key performance indicator).” (25:20—25:23)

“You're never looking for perfect. You're just looking for progress.” (26:48—26:51)

“We don't have to be perfect. It’s called dental practice for a reason — because you don't have to be perfect at it.” (27:24—27:29)

“What's your PPV (production per visit) as a practice? You already know what it is. So, if it’s $421 an hour, we’re going to go to $435. It’s not about money. A lot of times, it’s about scheduling. It’s about being a little bit more efficient. When you go over to $435, it has a dramatic impact to the rest of the formula.” (29:49—30:09)

“A second [leading indicator to know] would be number of visits a dental practice has in a month, whether it be through hygiene, doctor, whatever. If you have 310, we go to 325. You're now multiplying those two numbers, which has an exponential impact on the outcome. (30:09—30:25)

“It’s very important to know your gross and net collections percentage. People always say, ‘Well, my collections are 100%.’ Well, you're collecting 100% of what you could collect. But I really want to know the discrepancy between what your gross production is and your actual collections, because that tells me everything. Because you might be at 99% or 102%. That's awesome. But what you don't know is that your real collections percentage is 66%, which means you write off a third of all...