Business success
Dental school teaches you how to fix teeth but doesn’t teach you how to run a profitable business.
When I first graduated from dental school I thought that the path to a successful practice was through technical excellence.
Therefore, right from the start of my career I took many courses — endodontics, periodontics, crown and bridge, orthodontics, oral surgery, implants, cosmetic makeovers, oral medicine etc., etc., etc.
A pattern emerged
On the Monday after each course I’d arrive back at my practice full of excitement over the new knowledge that I’d acquired.
I’d start telling patients about the wonderful things I could do and the response was mostly…
Meh. Who cares?
I was almost completely unable to transfer my sense of excitement about the treatment to the patients.
If you were to graph my production during this time the graph would be flat. Despite my improved treatment capabilities my revenue remained the same.
Then, one day I had an epiphany
I thought to myself: “What about if I learn to be better at explaining treatment to patients?”
This led me to take courses on communication.
I travelled all over the place — Arizona, Utah, California as well as to local courses in Sydney and Melbourne.
The bottom line was this.
Instead of the graph remaining flat, virtually every time I took a communication course my daily production increased. Over the period of a year or two my production doubled and then doubled again.
My suggestion to you is this.
By all means become the best technical dentist you can be. Never stop learning in that regard.
However, if you want your practice to be successful from a business point of view (and who doesn’t want that?) it is your ability to communicate with patients that will make the difference.
It is not your super smooth crown margins or the excellence of your bonding technique. Your ability to communicate is what will lift you to the next level of success.
