Are you fed up with not feeling in control of your own practice?
Are you sick of lazy or controlling staff?
Are you in a quandary about managing quarrelling staff?
Are you irritated that your instructions are ignored?
Are you tired of team members that can’t think for themselves and need to be told everything?
Are you unhappy because you are constantly undermined?
Are you disheartened by dismal finances?
Ate you perturbed by low patient numbers? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions
Leadership with HEART is perfect for you.

 

Leadership with HEART is a free tele-seminar designed for dentists and their teams

Date               Wednesday 14th August
Time              19:00 -20:00
Location        On-line accessed by phone or internet

 

To find out more click here

To register click here

The secret ART of coaching

The secret ART of coaching

 Have you ever wondered why so many successful practices use a dental business coach and trainer, and what coaching is all about, this article will give you some insights and tips that will start you on the road to success.

 

If you were to put “What is coaching?” into a search engine you would return261,000,00 verbose definitions   most of which when I start to read I don’t know about you I want to put my fingers in my ears and babble “blah blah blah”

 The American football coach expresses what coaching is so eloquently’ “Coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself.”

Coaching is an approach, a way of thinking, challenging and exploring, not a set of tools or techniques to be applied in a prescriptive way,

The secret ART of coaching

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your life or business try the ART of coaching and start to make the changes you want now.

 A = Awareness

R = Reflection

T = The next step

 

A= Awareness

When you are working with a great coach they will ask you questions that enable you to get really aware of where you are currently and where you want to be, what your motivations are, what has limited you up until now, what skills talents and resources you have available to you. Your coach will enable you to get clarity, stating things as they truly are not making them better or worse just what is what.

R= Reflection

Your coach will support you in your reflection, by asking you if your current actions, thoughts, emotions, beliefs and identity are taking you closer towards or further away from your outcome. Your NLP coach will be able to help you transform unsupportive and limiting, beliefs and behaviours into supportive ones that will take you to your goals.

T = The next step.

Accountability is one of the most precious gifts your coach can give you. You are much much more likely to make the decisions or take the actions that you know you need to take when you know that your coach will ask you how you are getting on. Experience shows that coaching clients fall into two camps, those that take action immediately after their session, and those that take the action just before the deadline, either way they do what they know is the right thing.  People without accountability partners, seldom take the actions they know will serve them, so don’t get the results they want.

 I hear you asking, “How often should I work with my coach?” that rather depend on how badly you want to reach your goals.

Those Olympians that really wanted a gold medal I suspect worked with their coaches daily. And experience does show that frequency of coaching sessions does influence the time it will take to reach your goals. I think coaching clients is very like treating patients with active periodontal disease; different patient types

·        Patients that once they realise they have a problem they are very keen to resolve the issue and they will do what they need to do, finding the money and the time. They receive active treatment, frequent and regular maintenance/ motivation and do the necessary home care, these patients get well

·        Patients that realise they have a problem and are not fully committed to their own healing, they don’t fully participate in the treatment, put off maintenance / motivation visits and they do not do the necessary essential home care, - these patients will have a limited improvement in health

·        Patients that deny they have a problem and don’t accept the treatment they are offered, bleeding gums are due to aggressive hygienists or hard brushes, some of these patients even deny there is a problem when their teeth fall out on their own. These patients are seldom ever going to get healthy mouths until they discover the magic of ART

As you know the first step  to getting the outcomes you want is Awareness,  use our Brilliant Practice Evaluation (BPE) to assess the health of your practice.  Click here now to check your BPE

 

If you would like to comment please use the box below or contact me on 07989 757 884 for more information.

 

Free prize draw

 
You can win a free coaching session valued over £300, simpley send us an e mail answering the questions below and the first person selected is the winner.
Send your e mail titled August Prize Draw to Jane@IODB.co.uk answering the questions below today and you could be a winner.

• What are the three weakest systems within your business or practice?
• What are the common consequences, in your business or practice, as a result of having inadequate systems and protocols?
• If you fail to implement, revise, or improve the systems in your business or practice what will the consequences be?

Send your answers to  Jane@IODB.co.uk

The closing date to submit your answers is the last day of the month

The winner will be announced in the October 2013 newsletter.
This month you could be the winner – send in your entry today.

• What are the three weakest systems within your business or practice?
• What are the common consequences, in your business or practice, as a result of having inadequate systems and protocols?
• If you fail to implement, revise, or improve the systems in your business or practice what will the consequences be?

This is what our previous winners have said;
“I have been quite staggered by the progress we have made since we last spoke” RD Dentist Warwickshire
“I think you are excellent”
JT Dentist Ireland
“Thank you very much for a wonderful coaching session. I feel empowered again”
PJ dentist Harrow

Some of our previous winners include
Dr Claudia Muegge
Dr Elaine Hope
Dr Stephen Murray
Dr Alistair Saleem
Dr Priti Joshi
Marcus Clery
Hilary Fletcher Ecco Oxford

This month could be you send your answers to Jane@IODB.co.uk before the end of the month

Why is is business suicide to cut your prices

Have you cut your prices in the last 2 years?

If you have, to avoid financial suicide put them up today?
 

I have been contacted recently by an increasing number of dentists who have noticed a drop in the rates at which patients are returning for their recalls, which has a knock on effect on the number of treatment plans they are able to present and a dramatic impact on their income. I am also being contacted by dentists who are presenting treatment plans and then discover that the patients are having the treatment done elsewhere.

As I travel over the UK and beyond working with practices and their teams, I have noticed a worrying trend to treat dentistry as a commodity item and slashing prices.  Dentistry does now exist in a commercial market place, however I think that as professionals it is important that we keep adding value and differentiate yourself from other practices in your area. If you treat dentistry as a commodity it becomes like a tin of baked beans, or a ream of paper and the only feature that you can use to differentiate yourself and attract patients is the price. This leads to a downward spiral in price, and in a short time quality. When you have used price to attract your patients, you attract a price sensitive patient base and it becomes very difficult to restore your fees and quality to where they were.

If you want your practice to not just survive but thrive you must how to learn how to add real value and view your work as an essential lifesaving luxury item and never compete on price alone.

If you would like to find out how you can do this which will result in an increase in better quality patients, more quality treatment plans, increased predictable income with less stress. Call me on 07989 757 884

And for the time being, if you have been competing on price and reduced your fees in the last 2 years, here are my top 10 reasons you should put your fees up today

• You’ll make more money, with less treatment.
• Provide higher quality treatment
• Patient smell desperation and don’t buy
• Easier, better quality.
• More time for marketing and re-creation.
• Don’t drive away your ideal clients
• Minimise your opportunity-cost.
• Builds your reputation and sets higher expectations.
• Provide treatment and service you are really proud of.
• Investment is attractive

 

Are you ready to make your good practice great? If so call me on 07989 757 884

Don't read this unless you want to access grant funding

• Are you determined to grow your practice?
• Is your practice registered in England?
• Is your team smaller than 250 people?
• Is your turnover under £40m?
•  Are you a ltd company?

 
 If you answered yes to all of those questions, did you know you are entitled to a government business development grant?


Have you claimed your £3,500 practice development grant yet?  If you have not claimed your grant yet click here and find out how you can

 http://www.healthyandwealthy.co.uk/images/pdfs/GrowthAcceleratorgrants.pdf

If you have not claimed your grant and would like to read an advice sheet on how you can obtain government funding for growth, click here

http://www.healthyandwealthy.co.uk/images/pdfs/GrowthAcceleratorgrants.pdf

If you would like to talk to a real person and get useful advise about how you can get access to grant funding call 07989 757 884, you may qualify for fast track funding

 

 

"I lost my practice few years back because of all that above problems you mentioned"

I recently sent out an e mail inviting dentists like you to join me on my free tele-seminar

 

Leadership with HEART

 

Today I received a message back from a dentist that distressingly started, "I lost my practice few years back because of all that above problems you mentioned"

 

Please protect yourself against a similar outcome and if you can answer yes to any of the questions below, because you have experienced them in the past, you are in the situation now or you fear it may happen in the future, Join me for this free event and then together we can make your good practice great.

 

• Are you fed up with not feeling in con trol of your own practice?
• Are you sick of lazy or controlling staff?
• Are you in a quandary about managing quarrelling staff?
• Are you irritated that your instructions are ignored?
• Are you tired of team members that can’t think for themselves and need to be told everything?
• Are you unhappy because you are constantly undermined?
• Are you disheartened by dismal finances?
• Ate you perturbed by low patient numbers?

 

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions

Leadership with HEART is perfect for you.

Date                     Wednesday 14th August
Time                    19:00 -20:00
Location               Access by phone or internet

Cost                     Free

Verifiable CPD    1 hour

You will receive pre and post seminar work books and copies of slides

Click here to join in

 

 

Why don’t people visit the dentist sooner?

Why don’t people visit the dentist sooner?

Have you ever wondered why people don’t visit the dentist sooner?  I can remember being frustrated  when patients came in with an emergency needing acute treatment only to take a history to hear that they had been having niggles or discomfort for many months and they had ignored it or overcome the pain using painkillers. Unfortunately, not seeking treatment at the first sign of a problem, often resulted in treatment that was more expensive in terms of time and money.

So why do patients put off treatment? This can be for many reasons,

·        Busy lives and don’t have time

·        Fear about what the dentist may say

·        Not wanting to accept responsibility and unwilling to change unhealthy behaviours

·        Concern about how much it will cost

·        Not understanding what the pain means

·        Not knowing where to find expert help

·        Fear about what the consequences may be

·        Ability to find and use quick fix short term remedies to mask the problem.

Curiously this week I have had two conversations with different  business experts, an accountant and debt management specialist, this week asking me “Why don’t business owners seek help sooner, it would save them so much time, money and even their business?” They also commented “If business owners started working with a trained coach, like you, before or as soon as they noticed there was a problem it would prevent so many.”

And I think the reasons most business owners don’t seek the expert help from a business coach are very similar to why your patients don’t come to you sooner.

·        Busy lives personally and professionally so think they don’t have the time

·        Fear about what the coach may uncover

·        Unwillingness to accept responsibility

·        Unwillingness maybe due to lack of knowledge of what to change

·        Concern about the level of investment, required to solve the problems

·        Not understanding the business of business

·        Not knowing who to turn to

·        Fearful about what they may have to do to correct the situation

·        Ability to find quick fix short term solutions, e.g. overdraft extensions, changing staff, attracting new clients etc.

From an early age I remember my grandmother telling me that pain was a good thing, because it meant something was wrong and that you had an opportunity to put it right and I think that this applies to business too. The knack is to spot the pain early because it really causes an problem and costs you a lot more in time, energy and money.

So what are the early signs of pain in a dental practice or business?


These could include the following;

ü  Drop in income

ü  Cheques and payments bouncing,

ü  Overdraft and other debts increasing

ü  You are unhappy and so are your staff

ü  High turnover and high absence rate of staff

ü  Missing your UDA targets

ü  Your partner is unhappy at the amount of time you spend at work

ü  Equipment failure

ü  FTA’s late cancellations and gaps in your appointment

ü  Patients declining or putting off treatment plans

ü  Drop of in new patients

And the signs and symptoms of a practice and business in more severe problems could include,

ü  The bank has withdrawn your overdraft,

ü  You can’t pay your bills on time

ü  High level of sickness and absenteeism

ü  You lose several staff at the same time,

ü  High turnover of the staff

ü  Your PCT cancels your contract,

ü  Your partner leaves you because they never see you,

ü  A vital piece equipment fails and you can’t work,

ü  Your clients and patients have left you for the competition.

ü  Patients quibbling over fees and treatment plans

ü  Spaces in the appointment book.

ü  Patient complaints

ü  Broken personal relationships

ü  You become physically or psychologically sick and can’t work

ü  Abuse of or dependence or on alcohol or drugs

ü  Insomnia

ü  In extreme cases suicidal thoughts or action.

ü  Any of these sound familiar?

What are the consequences if your patient puts off seeking treatment for toothache? At best it is a filling, larger than if it were treated in the first instance and yet relatively easy to restore, other consequences could be root canal and a crown or an extraction followed by a bridge or implants; all of which are significantly more expensive than if the tooth ache were treated early.

What are the consequences of not seeking professional coaching advice early? At best it is the same philosophies just more difficult expensive and time consuming to implement at worst it could be that the business fails and you lose everything.  Which would you choose?

Dentists and dental team members, like you, do amazing work and so it saddens me when I hear stories about practices with financial problems, insufficient patients and staff that are not working as a team, principals that are struggling to keep on top of running the practice and the clinical work, working early mornings, lunch times, evenings and weekends. Does this sound like you?

My job is to help you make your good practice great,

Be kind to yourself, take a look at what is happening in your practice, recognise any painful experiences for the useful messages they are and enlist the help of a professional coach ASAP.

To help you identify the health of your practice, I have create the Brilliant practice evaluation (BPE)

Click here for your free BPE or visit  http://www.healthyandwealthy.co.uk/your_BPE/

 

 When you are ready to resolve the pain in your practice or business e mail me on Jane@IODB.co.uk or call me 07989757884 to find out how we can help you with our coaching packages, we have one designed to fit your needs and budget.