Leading up to this week, I have laid the foundation of the formula required for success in any business, especially Dentistry, which is tied to three core principles…
Beginning With The End In Mind: knowing the outcome you want for every aspect of your business.
Reverse Engineering: taking each desired outcome and working backwards to reliably orchestrate (very important word) a deliberate result.
And then we have my philosophy and tactical approach to implementation I call…
Proactive Action: for everything there is a cause to the effect that we control. If we want to solve a problem, let’s find a way to avoid it in the first place. If we want better patients, let’s create them. If we want a more effective schedule, let’s take ownership over it. If we want a high performing team, let’s have an action plan to bring it to life.
Everything here is dependent on one overriding principle of success…
BE IN CONTROL
Who doesn’t want that? This is why you own a business, this is why you signed up. So you get to decide, make the rules, help your patients, but also do it on your own terms so that you are making it your own and not someone else’s.
Now, this all starts with “Vision,” which you do have to have. Without it there is nothing to base your decisions on (call it vision, mission, purpose, whatever you want). If you don’t have a bigger picture in mind, you are just self-employed showing up and going through the motions of a job.
You deserve better.
However, if you want more, then you are going to have to take responsibility for it.
I don’t judge what others say they want. I only want to make sure that your actions align with your goals and that we are making your potential a reality.
Your best is possible and it doesn’t have to be “hoped” for; it can be CREATED. It doesn’t have to be accidental, it can absolutely be ON PURPOSE.
What I’m talking about is not just learning and understanding how to be successful but going all the way beyond that by putting into place structured systems and control mechanisms that ensure the predictable outcomes that will drive your results.
I call this “The Power of Cause and Effect In Your Dental Practice.”
And YOU do have the power. That is, if you choose to take it and not delegate it.
Over the next several weeks, I’m going to dive deep into the core leverage points of practice growth, practice autonomy, and practice consistency. I’ll show you how these things break down and become predictable, if they are done right. In doing so, I’m going to open your eyes to specific ways you are sabotaging yourself and actually putting limiting barriers on your practice growth.
Today, I will give you a general overview of five of the big ones and then we’ll organize them one at a time. I will walk you backwards into the CAUSE that is the result of the most common frustrations, sticking points, roadblocks, and growth inhibitors for each of them.
First, Effective Scheduling.
The key about the schedule is that it usually just happens. It gets filled or doesn’t. No rhyme or reason. Even if there is a plan, usually the plan itself is not one that would ultimately lead to and serve as a catalyst for daily goals.
Everything about scheduling is thought of backwards. Often the greatest communication facilitator from front to back should be the schedule and yet it is usually the biggest frustration and stressor to both sides.
Inevitably, the cause of the schedule is not just about how it is filled but what it is filled with and that’s where I’m going to help you breakthrough.
Second, Case Acceptance.
You ought to know by now that I say that the battle for case acceptance is won before it is ever fought. Yet, I’m not even talking about that because the key to case acceptance is NOT getting the acceptance in and of itself. It is not difficult to get someone to “accept” treatment, it is harder to get them to believe enough about it to PAY in advance for the treatment.
However, the real question is: WHAT ARE WE GETTING ACCEPTANCE FOR. Case acceptance stems directly from diagnosis. Lacking in diagnosis and you will probably have great case acceptance but it will be meaningless.
All too often people are working on the wrong problem. Not getting yeses just for the sake of yeses but instead asking yourself what are we trying to get yeses on. Getting case acceptance first stems from building cases which is an effect from the cause of the diagnostic approach and overall vision.
That is the origin of case acceptance. Start there. Go to work on this. And we will.
Third, Take-Initiative Team.
I’m talking about a self-managed, go-get-em team that is dialed in every single day. Well, the key to the team is motivation but it goes beyond motivation and is always about one thing…
Clearly defined expectations and detailed quantitative victories.
Here is what you are responsible for.
Here is how to do a great job.
Here is what a victory will look like.
Here is how we are going to track it.
Here is the reward you get for it.
The most motivated team in the world can’t grow your practice unless they know what growth looks like and how to do it.
Management and leadership is one the biggest cause and effect culprits there is because people will only be as great as the culture and only as effective as the systems they have to run.
Oh, there will be more on this, just you wait.
Four, Quality Patients.
I beat this one up all the time so I am going to keep it simple here. You BUILD better patients. You can’t be at the mercy of what your patients want to pay for and what they value when they walk in.
Instead, you want to be the CAUSE that helps your patients value dentistry. That is done through education, an interactive experience, and helping them take ownership over their problems.
Yes, you can have total cause and effect control over your patients. Through this series, you will see this come to life.
Fifth, Balanced Lifestyle.
Okay, so finally we get to you. And the best part about a balanced life, usually defined by working less and making more, but to each their own – is that it is 100% completely about making the decision to change whatever it is you don’t like.
There is a way to do everything you want to do. I assure you. You have to first be clear on what that is and then you have to be willing to question what you believe to be possible.
You see, cause and effect works the other way too. We will go to work changing the cause (not the effect) and we get to the ROOT of the problem.
So many doctors come to me and worry about falling into old ways or going back to bad habits. I say don’t worry because we aren’t just relying on you or your habits, you are human, instead we are getting at the foundation of everything and making lasting, sustainable improvements. That is be-CAUSE of this very concept I’m writing to you about today.
Now, you are ready to take a deep dive with my upcoming “Cause and Effect” series so you can exert more control over your business than you have ever thought possible.
A whole lot more to come…
