The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

A Story of Courage and Hope: The Cornell Effect 

Episode# 272 with John Cranham

Life may not always go to plan, but there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that each moment is a beautiful one. There is no better example of this fact than the story that we have to share today, so join Kirk Behrendt as he brings in John Cranham to talk about the amazing impact his son, Cornell, has had on the world. You may be surprised to learn just how much of a difference faith and a little bit of perseverance can truly make. Tune in to Episode 272 of The Best Practices Show to find out more about the story of Cornell and his family!

Main Takeaways:

- Embrace the fact that many of our life’s stresses can pale in comparison to the trials of others if we take a moment to truly think about it.

- Embrace knowing that comparison is the enemy of contentment.

- Embrace your dreams and be comfortable with where you want to go and who you want to be in life.

- Embrace learning to walk the talk.

- Embrace the understanding that even little actions can make a big difference when your heart is in the right place.

- Embrace today and enjoy living the moment.

- Embrace the opinions of others and take time to see what can be learned from their wisdom.

Quotes:

- “This was something I felt like I had to do. I didn’t have a choice. I was gifted with this, and I had to tell the story”. (6:30-6:36)

- “In the midst of all this [tough times] was just this kid that just had this joy about him and this ability to kind of, separate out the bad stuff. To find the magic in the moment. It just kind of warmed your heart and just pulled you in and wanted to make you pull for him”. (10:45-11:05)

- “Part of the joy that I saw from my son, was that he was just fighting 100%”. (11:33-11:39)

- “I say that I was an 85%er and I could get by with that. But, he [Cornell] shamed me into realizing that the gifts that I have been given, are worthy of more effort”. (12:22-12:37)

- “As a young dentist- or as a young professional or young person- going from 85 to 95, or 96, or 97 percent over the course of 20 years changes the trajectory of your whole life”. (12:42-12:53)

- “Comparison is the enemy of contentment”. (14:33-14:36)

- “I think in this world right now, I worry about young dentists as there’s so many things with social media and Instagram and people posting things about where they are in their lives. And I think it’s so easy if you’re having a bad day to look at that. And half of it isn’t real- I mean, you can be comparing yourself to something that isn’t even real”. (16:57-17:23)

 - “If somebody is making more money than me somewhere and lives in a better house- or thinks they live in a better house- ya know, it just doesn’t matter. Because it’s gotta be your path”. (17:46-17:55)

- “You can work towards being your best and not be bitter about what somebody else is doing”. (18:25-18:32)

- “If you as the leader veer from that [walking the talk], it’s kind of giving permission to the team members- that you’re not really taking it seriously”. (21:05-21:13)

- “In the end, we can have our causes that we want to speak out against. But in the end, the hand that we’ve been dealt is the hand that we’ve been dealt. It’s our responsibility to pick ourselves up and make the best of it”. (34:49-35:08)

- “He [Cornell] embraces obstacles in a way that- I get emotional talking about it, but- he embraces obstacles as his biggest gift. It sounds crazy, but, he just does”. (45:01-45:18)

- “It’s one of those things- the clarity that you can see the future of where you wanna go, the more you can be disappointed if your reality doesn’t align with that at the time that you want”. (46:27-46:39)

- “You can have goals and dreams, but God has the timeline of when...

(Audio) 

5 Essential Numbers You Need for a Successful  Practice  

Episode #271 with Dr. David Moffet 

You may say, “I think my practice is doing well.” But you can't just think it’s doing well — you’ve  got to know. And today, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. David Moffet, a retired dentist and private  dental coach to teach you the five essential numbers you need to know to help you build a  successful dental practice. Knowing the numbers will help you not only gain but retain new and  existing patients. Tune in to Episode 271 of The Best Practices Show to find out which five  numbers you need to know! 

Main Takeaways: 

- Knowing the numbers gives you a successful practice. 

- Know your daily, weekly, and monthly productions and collections.  

- Know the number of phone calls coming into your dental practice.  

- Know the number of patients being seen daily in your office.  

- Know exactly where new patients are coming from.  

- Know what a new and existing patient is worth, and how many new patients are coming in. 

Quotes: 

- “Coaching, to me, is necessary. If you want to get fit, you really need a personal trainer to keep  you accountable. If you want to lose weight for a wedding and then put the weight straight back  on, just do it yourself. That's the same. Just try and fix things yourself. Go to seminars, take  good notes, put the notes on the front desk. Two weeks later, they're on a shelf. That's called  “shelf help.” That doesn't work. (11:06—11:34) 

- “Numbers are the way of keeping score. We’ve got to know these important numbers because  they identify trends before they happen, and they allow us to predict rather than to react to  things.” (12:43—12:56) 

- “38% of calls to a dental practice either go to a voice mail or they don't get picked up. And  those people never ring back. And if that's a new patient, and that's a new patient worth $500,  and that happens once an hour, eight hours a day, five days a week, that's $20,000 a week.  That's $1 million in your practice that never sees your appointment book.” (26:47—27:19) 

- “The purpose of an appointment is to make another appointment.” (29:59—30:03) 

- “An appointment that is made is harder to cancel than an appointment that is never made.”  (30:57—31:02)

- “If somebody’s not playing for the team, guess what? They get traded.” (46:56—46:59)  - “The teams that are invested, the investment pays off for everybody.” (47:45—47:50) 

- “You can't just say, ‘Oh, I think we’re doing well.’ You've got to know. What gets measured  gets improved upon. What gets measured gets rewarded.” (48:50—49:02) 

Snippets: 

- Dr. Moffet’s background. (03:21—08:47) 

- Importance and value of a coach. (09:12—11:40) 

- Why are numbers important in dental practice? (12:17—15:04) 

- Australian vs. U.S. insurance companies. (15:18—17:31) 

- 1st essential number: production and collections. (18:18—22:41) 

- 2nd essential number: number of phone calls. (23:20—28:13) 

- 3rd essential number: patients being seen in your office. (29:21—33:21) - 4th essential number: where new patients are coming from. (33:53—35:46) - Best way to track new patients. (36:43—40:01) 

- 5th essential number: new and existing patients’ worth and their numbers. (40:07—42:37) - Guidelines and best practices. (43:42—47:51) 

- Last thoughts. (48:12—49:04) 

- Dr. Moffet’s 36-page report. (49:23—50:44) 

Reach out to Dr. Moffet: 

- Dr....

Best Financial Practices So You Can Keep the Money You Earn 

Episode #270 with David Harris 

“Embezzlement? That can never happen in my practice!” Well, it can — and most likely will — according to dental embezzlement expert, “professional cynic,” and CEO of Prosperident, David Harris. Today, on The Best Practices Show, Kirk Behrendt interviews David to reveal the shocking prevalence of financial fraud in dental practices. Using his vast experience from fraud investigation, David will teach you the best financial practices so that you keep the money you earn! For advice on how to avoid embezzlement in your practice, tune in to Episode 270 to learn more! 

Main Takeaways: 

- Embezzlement is a huge problem in dentistry. Don't assume it won't happen to you! - It can happen multiple times. 

- Do a basic comparison between the software and the bank. 

- Outsource a separate set of eyes to third parties. 

- There is a knowledge gap between doctors and staff. 

- Dentists should supervise the staff’s day-in process that they don't understand. - Get direct, not indirect, information. 

- Most dentists are unfamiliar with their practice management software. 

- The wreckage of embezzlement goes way beyond the money. 

Quotes: 

- “80% of dentists will get embezzled, sooner or later.” (03:31—03:04) 

- “The worst thing a dentist can do in terms of setting themselves up for embezzlement is to hire somebody who knows how to do it.” (05:42—05:47) 

- “35% of dentists don't compare how much money the software says was collected with what went in the bank. If that isn't done, what you're doing is you're opening the door to the stupidest, laziest thief on the planet.” (07:32—07:49) 

- “Sometimes embezzlement, I think, started by accident.” (14:06—14:09)

- “There's almost inevitably a knowledge gap between the staff member and the doctor in certain areas, and not in the doctor’s favor.” (15:17—15:24) 

- “[Some dentists] tend to feel like, ‘I have more education than this person. My IQ’s probably higher than theirs. And therefore, in a battle of wits, I should prevail.’ It’s just not that simple. These folks know a lot more than the doctor about the things that are relevant to stealing.” (16:17—16:39) 

- “Transparency is the first casualty of embezzlement.” (21:39—21:41) 

- “If you hire somebody who is inherently a thief, it’s a ticking time bomb. And you can't watch everything that would need to be watched to prevent that.” (24:12—24:25) 

- “Not every embezzlement is attributable to a bad hiring decision.” (25:15—25:18) 

- “The problem with the software is called D-O-C-T-O-R. Most software comes out of the box pretty secure. And then, people in the practice do things to undermine it.” (29:31—29:43) 

- “It’s not like there's going to be a COVID-19 that hits computers, and you come into your practice one morning and they're all gone. That's not going to happen. For the rest of your career, whether it’s two years or 30 years, that practice management software is going to be really important to you. So, let's acknowledge that and quit hoping that it just disappears one day.” (51:17—51:41) 

- “Trust, but verify.” (52:19—52:20) 

- “People are self-interested creatures. And it’s hard for dentists to remember that and to govern themselves based on that certainty.” (55:37—55:53) 

Snippets: 

- David’s background. (02:22—02:32) 

- The problem of embezzlement in dentistry. (02:57—04:34) 

- The “million-dollar club” and serial...

HOW I GOT HERE: Untold Stories of the Superheroes of Dentistry 

Episode #269 with Dr. Scott MacLean 

“Some tortures are physical, and some are mental. But the one that is both is dental.” And many might agree with these lines by Ogden Nash. But most dentists are not sadists (we hope!). In fact, many are probably like today’s guest of The Best Practices Show, Dr. Scott MacLean, a passionate dentist, generous mentor, and sought-after speaker. He is a member of the Greater New York Academy of Prosthodontics, as well as numerous associations, and Kirk Behrendt invites Scott to teach you the best practice in how you think about your dental career. To hear his story of how he found success in his practice, tune in to Episode 269! 

Main Takeaways: 

- You don't know everything as a dentist. 

- Be humble and genuine. It’s not just about money. 

- Be involved. 

- When you're giving, it comes back. 

- “Stinking thinking” can take you down. 

- Document your work. 

- Take time to learn, and continue to learn. 

Quotes: 

- “I realized that my job is to learn, learn, learn. And that's why we call it a “practice.” We’re not doing it, really. We’re practicing all the time.” (05:55—06:05) 

- “My goal was to be like golf. When you're playing golf, you want everyone to have a good game so you'll have more fun. Because the word “competition,” really, it means to learn together. (13:19—13:33) 

- “Never make it so that you're wishing your life away. So, when you're in the middle of exams, don't wish the next three days away that you have to study. Really value that time that you have to study and make yourself better.” (19:29—19:45)

- “Replace yourself with someone better than yourself.” (20:40—20:42) 

- “Treat the patient to the best that you can, and not assume that they want something cheaper.” (24:41—24:47) 

- “Get involved, or else you're not going to be part of what's going on. And as you give, you'll start to get more back.” (29:28—29:31) 

- “Successful patients will send you more successful patients. (50:28—50:32) 

Snippets: 

- Dr. MacLean’s background. (01:39—07:15) 

- Why and when he got into dentistry. (07:33—10:44) 

- His powerful dental school experience. (10:53—13:52) 

- Starting a family with debt, and lessons learned. (14:03—22:10) 

- Post-dental school, and lessons learned. (22:24—32:49) 

- Importance of maintaining a positive mindset. (33:12—36:05) 

- Anxiety, RED CIA 40, and preventing depression. (37:08—43:12) 

- Most difficult time as a dentist. (43:41—46:51) 

- Learnings from building a practice. (46:51—50:44) 

- Tips on a successful career. (51:25—53:41) 

- The weirdest thing that ever happened. (54:28—56:59) 

- Advice for younger dentists. (57:31—60:30) 

Reach out to Dr. MacLean: 

- Visit Dr. MacLean’s website: https://www.drscottmaclean.com/ 

- Dr. MacLean’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drscottmaclean/?hl=en - Dr. MacLean’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/smmaclean

You Can't Always Be the Hero in Dentistry

Episode #268 with Dr. Chad Duplantis

See the video, show notes, quotes and links at https://www.actdental.com/268

“Know thyself,” declared some wise folk before our time. This age-old saying carried on for millennia and still holds relevance — especially in dentistry! And to teach you the importance of knowing your limits, knowing your motivations, and knowing yourself as a dentist, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Chad Duplantis, a key opinion leader in restorative and aesthetic dentistry. He shares his 20 years of insight and learnings to help you establish the foundations for a successful practice. Tune in to Episode 268 of The Best Practices Show for his tips and advice!

Main Takeaways:

- You can't always be the hero. Ask for help!

- Find mentors! And don't always wait for the mentor to find you.

- Work in the best interest of the patient.

- Know your limitations.

- Enjoy what you're doing.

- Build a great experience for your patients.

- Understand why you do what you do.

- Immerse yourself in education beyond dental school.

Quotes:

- “If you start realizing that, yes, you are going to fail at times — and that's okay; you're going to make mistakes — and not everybody is going to like you, then you're going to have a successful practice, or at least the foundation for a successful practice.” (05:09—05:22)

- “If you focus your practice around the patient rather than yourself, that's another key to success.” (09:03—09:09)

- “Don't just rely on what dental school taught you. Start taking some advanced classes in these procedures that you may want to do.” (11:38—11:44)

- “I do not enjoy molar endo, and I cannot do it in a time-efficient manner. So, you know what? It goes elsewhere.” (12:55—13:02)

- “In order to succeed in any business, you have to be an effective communicator. (14:01— 14:08)

- “It’s all about building a great experience for your patients. And part of that experience is the technology you have, but it’s also part of knowing what you can do really well and what you can't.” (18:59—19:10)

- “People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” (19:24—19:27)

Snippets:

- Dr. Duplantis’ background. (02:18—03:11)

- Lessons learned from practice. (03:47—05:22)

- Importance of finding mentors. (05:56—09:28)

- Being a “jack of all trades” in practice. (10:17—12:32)

- Enjoy what you're doing. (12:39—13:23)

- Evolution of a dentist. (13:54—16:53)

- His influences. (17:40—19:53)

- Seattle Study Club Symposium. (21:00—23:31)

- His topic at Seattle Study Club. (23:41—24:35)

- Evolution of materials in dentistry. (24:51—25:48)

- Benefits of Seattle Study Club. (26:25—28:06)

- Advice for young dentists. (28:43—31:14)

Reach out to Dr. Duplantis:

- Dr. Duplantis’ email: [email protected]

- Facebook group: Dentists IN the Know https://www.facebook.com/groups/365320961113815/

- Visit Dr. Duplantis’ website: https://www.fossilcreekdental.com/chad-c-duplantis-d-d-s

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toothdoc_dup/?hl=en

Don’t forget to register for the Seattle Study Club Symposium!

Further Reading:

- Simon Sinek, author of "Start with Why and The Infinite Game"

In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and the ACT Dental team speak to Dr. Lee Brady about the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic as well as tips for prioritizing what really counts in your practice.

The team is thankful to have Dr. Brady on the program to share her insights. She offers advice on a range of topics, including how to keep your patients’ health a priority in the pandemic, and how to choose the right material for a variety of reconstruction types. Wryly, she suggests that technicians often know more about materials than dentists do, and it wouldn’t hurt dentist or patients to refer to technicians for advice on appropriate material choices.

Despite the challenges of "pandemic dentistry" and the myriad of material options, Dr. Brady succinctly communicates that ultimately she is a healthcare provider first. She shares a brief story of a patient who displayed a fever at her appointment and how the team was able to get her to urgent care to address any more immediate medical needs. It’s not that your job as a dentist isn’t important, but that your role as a healthcare provider is number one. Keep that in the back of your mind and you’ll have no problem being successful.

Main Takeaways:

What is it going to look like when we pick the pieces back up?

You are the most critical factor in the success of your practice.

It’s not about the dentistry, it’s about a standard of care.

Recommend treatment with the highest benefit profile versus the lowest risk profile.

Technicians sometimes know way more about materials than dentists do.

There are no bad materials. We need to learn how to use them.

For veneers, choose material with the closest light properties to real enamel.

We need to be paying attention to our practices to be smart fiscally.

Quotes:

“One of the gifts of the Pankey Institute is community.” (6:00)

“I knew on Sunday that I was going to have to completely change my practice on Monday.” (10:40)

“Bread and butter dentistry is going to be our backbone.” (13:30)

“For me, the backbone of my practice has always been day-to-day operative dentistry.” (18:35)

“Make sure to fully explain to your patient all the risks involved with a compromise.” (26:45)

“The rule of thumb about zirconia is that the prettier it is, the weaker it is.” (30:15)

“We have to give the laboratory the appropriate amount of space.” (35:00)

“Be disappointed, but then get over it. And find out what the solution is.” (36:50)

“When materials break, there are lots of different conversations to have.” (45:40)

“I am 51% healthcare—I am always a healthcare professional.” (51:00)

Snippets:

Lee introduces herself. (5:30–7:30)

Explaining the standard of care to your patients. (25:00–27:00)

Zirconia versus lithium disilicates. (29:00–31:30)

Connect with Lee Ann:

Email her at

Pankey.org

Sign up for her webinar at Pankeygram.org

Restorativenation.com

Search on YouTube

Lee Ann Brady on Pinterest for her favorite dental materials

In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and the ACT Dental team speak with one of their favorite clients, Dr. Kevin Groth. Kevin talks about his time working with ACT Dental and how they have coached him as a young dentist. Over the course of the conversation, Kevin describes what it is like being fresh in private practice, the growing pains of a newbie, and how to leverage your connections into mentors to grow as an individual.

Only newly into his thirties, Kevin displays great character and resolve for someone so young. Having spent time with the ACT team, Kevin talks about how each of them contributed to his development as a dentist in meaningful ways. But all of them, he says, exhibit a few like traits that any young professional can take heed to model for themselves. Kevin lists a fearlessness, a passion for continuing to learn, and a desire to work hard as key motivators.

But perhaps most valuable to the young dentist is the power and magnitude of being mentored by great people. It’s by being coachable—and being determined about it—that you can access the kind of teaching that’s most consistent with the goals and vision for your practice and your life.

Finally, Kevin cannot harp on this enough, you need to understand what it is you want out of your career. Without a grasp on this, it is impossible to chart a path forward. But in all of the striving there are two key things to keep in mind, and they are lessons that Kevin has held onto dearly. The first is a poignant quote from Kirk, that "the happiest people have the simplest lives". And the second is that "having the freedom to do what you want with your time is the greatest luxury, and we should not forsake that in the moment". Kevin shares a brief story of walking up a path with his daughter and how he didn’t want that moment to end. It’s a profound discovery to find meaning in the small things, but Kevin and the team urge a sense of purpose, and for that purpose to drive you in everything you do.

Main Takeaways:

The older generation needs to know that millennials are jaded.

Millennials don’t want to kill themselves for a retirement life: they want to enjoy their lives now.

Five characteristics of the dentists at the top of their game:

1) They started their careers out of dental school without anything.

2) They are all passionate about continuing education.

3) They actually apply knowledge learned.

4) They all have had amazing mentors.

5) They all have an amazing work ethic.

Do not let fear dictate your ability to be the best and provide the best care.

You don’t have to start out being great—look for lessons and be willing to learn.

Get as much experience—from a variety of sources—as you possibly can.

You have to make the hard decisions that will allow your practice to sync up with your vision.

Engage in discussions where you promote vulnerability, so that people can learn.

Emphasize what you want to spell out the direction going forward.

There isn’t a mentorship booth—you have to seek them out.

You can inspire people with small gestures, like a thank you note or a beloved book.

You have to pursue the mentors.

Quotes:

“My main concern was my team.” (5:30)

“I think millennials are going to change the way we do things.” (11:00)

“I was really intentional about picking up as much as possible from all these different practices.” (14:30)

“Just take the action and start—don’t be afraid to fail.” (17:45)

“It’s okay to let a toddler fall. The best teachers allow those moments to happen.” (20:15)

“Education is everything, but you have to structure what you want to learn, too.” (25:00)

“The happiest people I know have the simplest lives.” (26:20)

“Falling in love with perfection is dangerous. The important thing is excellence.” (30:30)

“Ask a...

In this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk speaks with image expert Janice Hurley about how to maintain your best image while meeting with clients remotely via Zoom and the like. They first discuss the general anxiety and uncertainty that most of us felt going into the first few weeks of the pandemic.

Janice explains that it starts with understanding your audience and showing them that you do care about what you look like, and how they see you. In addition to this, make sure that you are being thoughtful about your audio choices, too. Think about the space you’re in while on a Zoom call, and set up your environment to help make your audio and video as clear as possible. Take calls in a room that dampens the sound, for example, and keep the mic close to your mouth to boost clarity. You should think about lighting, too. Consider a ring light, and avoid lamps. Another tip is to use a separate, higher-quality webcam as opposed to the camera built into your laptop.

Janice then shares several examples of colleagues’ before and after photos once they had made changes to simplify and increase the quality of their Zoom audio and visuals. In most of these examples, the people in the screenshots made small changes to their hardware, their lighting, or the arrangement of the room to make it easier to focus while boosting attention and professionalism. Janice implores the listener to pay attention to ads and the stock photos that show people adapting to the Zoom call world. She suggests even taking a photo of your actual background and using that as a virtual background. The benefit here is you can brighten your background up and draw the attention of your viewers. And here are some background no-no’s: no blinds, no doors, and no busyness.

In closing, Janice talks about her workshops and who attended them. She really thought long and hard about whether she wanted to go back to work, but once she felt passionate about dentistry again, she got into it. She revamped her newsletter to dentists about how to magnify your “stage presence” in the industry. Now she runs these workshops for people around the world.

Main Takeaways:

We live in a new reality, but we still have old habits.

We have undervalued the visuals, so to speak.

You need to be consistent with your persona.

The most important thing for video is audio.

You need adequate lighting on your face.

The depth of your space is an important consideration, too.

Keep your background clean and uncluttered, if possible.

What you have to say will be more important than the visuals, but the visuals strongly communicate value.

Our visuals ultimately communicate respect.

Quotes:

“It seemed like no one else was saying the things I thought were really important.” (4:10)

“The photo that you put up for your Zoom profile should look just like the one that your audience sees when they pull it up for the meeting.” (7:20)

“If you’re on a Zoom call, there’s real value in understanding what you do have control over.” (10:50)

“We can be casual in what we wear, but as soon as we’re slouching...it becomes harder for our audience to focus.” (19:40)

“What determines your ability to use a virtual background is your computer’s memory capacity and updated software.” (24:00)

“A casual approach worked in the beginning, but now that it’s become a part of life, we need to make it feel like it’s work.” (30:15)

“Meetings in person are going to come back in some way, in some form.” (32:00)

Snippets:

Janice’s background. (3:00–4:45)

Why is this important? (7:00–9:45)

Where do we start updating our visuals? (10:15–11:00)

Have a “pre-Zoom” meeting to work out any audio/video problems. (16:00–18:00)

Male and female best practices. (26:45–28:00)

The future of Zoom conferences....

In this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk Behrendt sits down with his longtime friend, dental marketing guru, Xana Winans. Xana and Kirk talk all things marketing in 2021—focusing on creating measurable goals that will keep you from being reactionary in your marketing (something we all did way too much of in 2020). Kirk starts out the conversation by asking Xana why a dental practice should have a marketing plan and how much should be spent on said plan. While money spent depends on the practice and that practice’s goals, marketing is essential for dental practices to attract and retain those sought-after patients.

While a lot of what we see in marketing are “shiny objects” like an awesome website or active social media feed, the bread and butter of a good marketing strategy lies in measuring the available data, Xana says. Together, Xana and Kirk take a look at some of the key elements you should be measuring in your dental practice in order to market effectively, while also going over the mix of marketing strategies that will give you maximum bang for your buck.

The episode wraps up as the two uncover some common marketing mistakes practices make—encouraging dentists to not get distracted by the “squirrels” always popping up and instead focus on building a consistent brand. Creating a marketing strategy in 2020 was rough, but with any luck, marketing in 2021, or at the very least having a good plan, will ensure that things go a lot smoother in the new year.

Main Takeaways

Dentists need a marketing plan to have a smooth, not reactionary, year (5:18)

Good marketing begins with measurements and research (8:40)

ROI is everything (11:19)

Be specific about your marketing goals (16:58)

Real money comes from a patient staying in your practice (19:40)

Pick 3-4 KPI’s to track when goal-setting (21:20)

What you spend on marketing depends on what you want to accomplish (29:00)

Look at your marketing in two ways: building assets and recurring costs (32:30)

You need a full mix of marketing strategies to be successful (34:40)

Follow your marketing plan, but measure it (44:15)

Track everything and create a plan (46:23)

Key Quotes

“It you don’t have a plan, all you spend your time doing is reacting. And that’s what we spent the entire year [2020] doing—reacting to the shockwaves that kept hitting the industry.”

“Doctors waste money constantly by not converting the leads.”

“The whole point of marketing is to make the phone ring and then get that patient into the practice. But if you don’t keep them, it’s a complete and utter waste of money that you’ve done in your marketing.”

“Pick your critical few marketing strategies and hit them hard and do them well.”

“Setting a plan for the year—now is the time to do it! We are just on the verge of a brand new year. If you’re not getting your plan together, you’re going to be halfway through the year and going, ‘what happened?’”

Snippets

Getting to know Xana (3:20)

Why you need a marketing plan (4:30)

Marketing research (8:31)

Simple metrics of marketing in dentistry (10:21)

How to set marketing goals (15:52)

How much of your production should come from new patients (18:10)

What KPI’s to track (20:32)

Tracking retention (22:45)

How much to spend on marketing (28:40)

Brand consistency (37:00)

Heat-mapping (38:20)

Biggest mistakes practices make in marketing (41:02)

Bio of Guest

Xaña Winans is Golden Proportions Marketing’s CEO, founder, resident visionary, and lead strategist. As one of the industry’s most sought-after dental marketing consultants, she collaborates with our team on a diverse group of clients to create strategic marketing solutions with measurable results. Her...