Practice Luck Factor #7 (of 7)

Lucky Number Seven.  Here we are folks, at the final Luck Factor.  What I’m about to tell you, to help you become more successful with your patients, is about far more than just dentistry.

There is a reason I chose this one for #7.  Mainly because most people won’t ever do it and the nature of something “most” won’t do – even if you do just a little bit – you will be doing more than anyone else.

In any workshop or training, I always remind everyone in the room that if you leave here and do just ONE THING more, better, faster, differently than you were before, you will be doing MORE than everybody else.  Most people choose to just get by, coast along, same as always hoping for things to be better but doing nothing to make it so.

You are NOT these people.  You are energetic, ambitious, hungry for change and pursuing never-ending improvement.  You are champions who desire not just to “do” but to “do well” and I commend you for your attitude and effort.  That’s why I bring you this final Luck Factor…

It’s called FOLLOW THROUGH and FOLLOW UP!

I love this.  It is two sides to the same coin.  Yet it covers both your patients and yourself.

First of all (to state the obvious), follow-through with your decisions and commitments in life.  This is so important because your confidence grows by making improvements in yourself.  Your actions first begin with your decisions and when you follow-through, you build up your confidence muscles and you become more decisive as a result.

The opposite effect happens when you commit to something and fail to see it through.  You damage your belief in yourself, break your confidence and reduce your ability to follow-through in the future.  You lessen your chances of success because you have made it acceptable to let yourself down.

You must keep your promises to yourself.  No matter what, persist and succeed.  If it is important enough to talk about, think about and decide about, then it is important enough to act upon and complete.

A person’s, practice’s or team’s follow-through says so much about their commitment to themselves and their patients.  As expected, it is one of the most telling signs of success.

On the other hand we have follow-up.  It might seem obvious but so often it goes undone.

Follow-up on treatment plans, on missed appointments, on unanswered phone calls, on discussions, on opportunities, on insurance claims, on expired exams, on anything and everything OF VALUE that would move you closer to your goals and that aligns with your philosophy.

I know following up on patients isn’t easy.  And it’s not about just some automated text messages or emails – it is about extending the patient experience outside the four walls of your practice, keeping the integrity of the relationship, retaining the importance of the treatment, and the solidifying the value in your patients’ minds long after they have left.

As you know, there is a lot to follow-up on in Dentistry every day.  That is why there must be some structure to it and why everyone should be responsible for their own follow-up.  Not necessarily hounding patients on the phone more; just focus on the key priorities of the day that you own.

An easy example is in the morning huddle when treatment is discussed for a patient who you have an opportunity with.  Discussing it in the huddle is important but not the point.  The conversation you have today with the patient is the point.  Make sure it happens and make sure you use luck factor #6: follow-through on the Triangle and exit the patient effectively.  At the end of the day, follow-up on what actually happened before the patient left.  If the patient didn’t proceed and there is a reason why that could be changed then make sure someone owns the follow-up with that patient.

More treatment walks out the door every day than gets accepted and it’s all because of these two words on either side of the coin – inside and outside the practice.

Trust me.  This luck factor is the difference maker that can be a rising tide that raises up every level of performance, success and outcomes in your practice and your life.  Own your outcomes by owning your actions first.

Follow-through and follow-up… what else is there?

Now, be honest and open, share where you can do better by yourself, with your team and for your patients on this critical luck factor.

And remember, while it’s not about ‘anyone else’ – doing just one thing more, better, faster, differently will result in you doing one more thing than anyone else.  You’ll be luckier, happier, more successful and more confident for it.