September 8th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Take a moment to look at this clip from an episode of the TV classic, I Love Lucy:
I’m posting this, not just to give you a brief comedy diversion, but because I think this scene is a telling metaphor for how many of us tend to live and work.
Most dental practices have a sort of status quo default setting when it comes to the daily pace of production and intensity of focus. We tend to use the natural gaps in efficiency (gaps every practice has) to give ourselves a buffer and keep the conveyor belt moving at an easily manageable pace. We know we can step things up if we have to, but because we’re usually busy enough, we don’t feel like we have to.
Until we do. An unexpected expense, some unplanned time off, a post-vacation lull in collections—these things have a way of creating a sense of urgency that makes us find those extra gears we have but don’t often use. For awhile we really put our backs into it and put some extra energy into case presentations, team efficiency, collections. Once the urgency has passed, though, the tendency is to fall back to the comfortable default setting.
It’s when those periods of urgency become more intense or more sustained—during a prolonged recession, for instance—that we find ourselves overwhelmed and we really see how the speed up/slow down cycle ultimately fails us. It fails us because it is a way of working that doesn’t honor our true abilities.
Nobody likes the pressure of working a speeding conveyor belt. At the same time, a slower setting may be easier to deal with, but as with many things in life, what’s easy and comfortable is not usually what’s best. The real joy that you can get from this profession comes from a commitment to continual improvement—improvement not just in practice performance, but in your enjoyment for what you do–so that you are always challenged and always in control. It’s not about raising the level of your game when you have to. It’s about always working to improve the level of your game because you want to.
Tags: conveyor belt, cycle, dental, dental practice, dentistry, efficiency, energy, imtiaz manji, Life is like a vonveyor belt of chocolates, performance, Practice, presentations, urgency
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September 2nd, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Remember the first days of school in September when you were younger? Sure, there may have been a feeling of loss as the footloose days of summer came to an end, but even those who dreaded the passing of the Labor Day weekend can’t deny that that time of year—new books and supplies, new teachers and classmates, entering a new level of education—brought with it an energizing sense of renewal and possibility. The new year of school really did feel like the start of a new year.
No matter how far we’ve come from those days, we can’t help but feel the change in the air in September. This is literally true in Arizona, where the fall season signals the time for us to come out of our air-conditioned sanctuaries and once again venture into the outside world. Wherever you are, I’m sure you’re feeling it too: the summer wind-down, vacation season (for you, your team and your patients) coming to a close. A “back-to-the real-world” feeling.
But it doesn’t have to be back to the same old routine. Why not try to capture some of that old back-to-school feeling? As you head into this long weekend, try to look on this time, not just as a change in seasons, but as a time of re-evaluation and rebirth. This is a natural time to think about your plans for the coming months—for your continuing education, for your practice, for your life. Time to get excited about the “new” year.
The 2010/2011 season starts now. Happy New Year, everyone.
Tags: Arizona, back to school, beginning, First day of school, Happy "Other" New Year!, imtiaz manji, Labor Day, new beginning
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August 30th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
If you are paying for a Yellow Pages ad but you are not talking with patients about Facebook, please tell me: Why are you buying a little paper space to talk to who-knows-who and ignoring the free unlimited opportunity in cyperspace of tapping into the biggest networking and communication phenomena since the telephone?
Who is on Facebook?
• Your patients. And not the just young ones. Recent stats show that the middle-age cohort is the one making the most use of the website–especially women, who are traditionally the decision-makers and recommendation-givers in the home.
• Your patients’ friends. Forget six degrees of separation. Social networking, when employed effectively, puts you one degree away from everyone in every Facebook patients’ social orbit. When you pop up in one of your of patients’ status reports, all their online friends see it. And that’s worth a thousand blind ads.
• You, probably. You’re online and you’re here reading this blog. Chances are you have a Facebook account yourself. But are you using it to bring your patients and their bands of followers into your online sphere of influence?
• Me. You can find my page here. If you’re already a Facebook member, go ahead and “friend” me. If you’re not, sign up now (it’s free and easy) and give me the honor of being your first Facebook friend.
In future posts here, I’ll talk more about specific strategies for growing your network, showcasing your practice, and turning online contacts into in-chair patients. For now, let me just say this: Facebook is here to stay. If you plan to be, too, now is the time to take advantage of this social media powerhouse.
Tags: Facebook, imtiaz manji, patients, Practice, reaching patients, spear education, Who's on Facebook?
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August 26th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
As the legendary song-writing team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon were hitting their stride in the early years of Beatlemania, so the story goes, they quickly came to realize how their artistic talents were translating into very tangible rewards. It was a time when they were starting to enjoy some material success—building their homes, and planning their futures. McCartney has been quoted as saying that at around this time, “John and I used to say ‘Okay, today let’s write a swimming pool.’”
He’s quick to point out that they still took their art very seriously—they wouldn’t write just anything to get that swimming pool—but they came to see very clearly the connection between what they were doing in their work and the gains they were making in their lives. It was, he says, an incredible motivator.
It’s worth remembering that, as an independent entrepreneur, you enjoy the same measure of control over your economic and professional destiny. You don’t have to negotiate a raise in income with anyone. You fuel your economic engine with the procedures you do. As you get better—at diagnosing, at presenting, at delivering—you start to see new opportunities open up. You can “write yourself” some facility upgrades, a CEREC unit, additional team training. Which means you can then perform at an even higher level and create even more opportunities. That recognition of the connection between what you do every day and the results you see from it tomorrow is at the very heart of what drives great spirits to achieve great things.
Tags: CEREC, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, imtiaz manji, John Lennon, opportunity, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Write Your Own Ticket
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August 23rd, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Take a look at this new dental facility:
That’s the exterior of the building that houses a pediatric dental practice in Little Rock, Ark. The image, and the ones that follow, came in an email from a client, Dr. Andy Kitchens, who attended our Practice Harmony workshop.
“Michael [the other partner] and I were at Scottsdale Center a couple of years ago for a course in office design,” he writes. “We moved into our new building just before Christmas of ’09. Everyone who sees it, especially the parents, really love the building. We thought you may like to see some photos.”
Remember that post on this blog recently about taking a Satisfaction Inventory in your practice? This is what I what I was talking about. Here are a couple of dentists who took stock of their surroundings and—with a little help and inspiration—decided they were going to create exactly the kind of environment that would allow them and their team to deliver the patient experience they dreamed of. They carried out their vision in a way that reflected their most cherished values, and they’ll have the result to enjoy for years to come. Considering how long the average dentist spends in the practice, you’d have to agree this kind of investment pays great long-term dividends in the quality of your professional life.
How many dentists can actually do something like this? I believe that most of you have the resources and ability to transform your practice lives in very significant and meaningful ways, without compromising economic responsibility. All it usually takes is the presence of mind to identify the gap between the dream and the reality, and the will to close it. It’s amazing how much of the rest tends to fall into place when you simply start to take action.
Thanks, Dr. Kitchens, for sharing these images from your practice makeover. And to anyone else who has a story of how they recognized an opportunity and made a great change in their life, by all means, send it along. I’d love to share your story here.
Tags: Andy Kitchens, dental facility, Dr. Andy Kitchens, environment, imtiaz manji, Inspiration, Living in Harmony, Practice, practice harmony, Satisfaction inventory, surroundings
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August 19th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Getting ready to board a flight the other day I ran into one of those all-too-common unpleasant travel experiences—nothing too serious, just a security person in a surly mood and some minor inconvenience. It would have been easy to reflect back that negative energy with some attitude of my own, or to let this person’s behavior cloud my day, but as it turns out, I was just returning from a trip with my sons to visit relatives and pay our respects at the grave of my wife, and their mother, Shahinool—and that always has a way of centering my thoughts. I smiled through the delay at the airport and calmly went on my way.
People say it a lot, but when you’ve just come from the graveside of a loved one you really do feel the truth of the phrase, “you take nothing with you.” And when you remember that nothing we do here is everlasting, you realize that inconveniences are really unimportant, and that life is about the people you love and the experiences you create—and I do mean create, because you have a choice about how to experience life. When you think about it, your life is like a work of art, an act of creation that unfolds in real time. I don’t know about you, but I want to engage with life—in every situation—in a way that brings the most joy and fulfillment.
For all I know, that security agent is a good person who was going through a difficult time. I can’t change his circumstances, or control his actions, but I can choose to respond in my own way, and I choose to try to remain consistent with the life I envision for myself—a life that lets me rise above petty annoyances and take the full measure of the simplest pleasures. It’s not always easy, but then good art is never easy to achieve.
Tags: annoyance, annoyances, happiness, imtiaz manji, peace, pleasure, Practice, simple pleasures, Your Greatest Creation
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August 16th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
There are two levels of success in a dental practice: one where you make a living and one where ideal prosperity takes place.
The first level is the foundation of every practice—the steady flow of proactive patients who keep the engine of the business humming. A smoothly functioning recare system, with regular patients, doing regular daily dentistry on a regular basis and providing regular referrals—that’s what defines everyday success in this profession, and most dentists have mastered the essentials of this level. The problem is that you can only run the engine so fast. Ultimately, you’re limited by capacity and speed considerations at this foundational level.
That’s why any meaningful growth you achieve has to come on a second level, where you get more value from a few key patients—the ones who are ready for discretionary esthetic procedures and full-mouth reconstructions. This is where you use your processes for creating exceptional value to create movement. Think about it: If your engine is driving 150 to 300 patients through the practice each month, and you can connect with just one a week who could use significant discretionary care (and you know you have at least that many in your patient base), you are talking about healthy boosts to the economics of the practice—up to $200,000 a year from just $5,000 cases. This level is where the elite dentists make their mark in the profession—provided, of course, that they have an economically sound foundation of everyday dentistry to build on.
So by all means, keep that engine tuned and productive—the fundamental success of your practice depends on it. But remember there is another level beyond that, and that’s where the improvements to your future lifestyle lie.
Tags: dentist, dentistry, imtiaz manji, patients, Practice, propserity, success, The split-level dental practice
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August 12th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
One of the great things about having a team around you is that when it comes to making decisions for the practice, you get the benefit of hearing from a number of voices representing a diverse range of backgrounds, perspectives, and preferences. One of the challenges of having a team around you is that when it comes to making decisions for the practice, you have to contend with a number of voices representing a diverse range of backgrounds, perspectives, and preferences.
It’s great to have input when there are choices to be made, but let’s face it, sometimes when you open the floor to discussion you end up going in circles debating all the merits, options, and consequences. That’s when, as a leader, it’s your duty to resolve matters decisively and bring the discussion to a conclusion in a way that gives the whole team the benefit of absolute clarity.
Sometimes, though, you’ll face someone who feels strongly that you’ve chosen the wrong course and wants to continue to advocate for their point of view. When that happens, look them in the eye, nod, and listen carefully to their objections. Then, with a calm smile, say: “I know. I understand what you’re saying, but this is what we are going to do.”
Most problems in relationships arise from mismatched expectations, and a clear statement of intent like this is usually much more effective than trying to make adjustments or accommodations for everyone, and it’s certainly better than ignoring differences of opinion and letting resentments fester and grow. Most people, after all, want to know where they stand, and are prepared to give their pledge of commitment when they have clarity for who’s in charge and what’s expected.
Tags: advocate, dentist, dentistry, discussion, expectations, How to Overrule an Objection, imtiaz manji, input, leader, leadership, opinion, perspective, Practice, preferences
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August 9th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Recently, we looked at how patients’ circumstances can change over time, and how the “no” can become a “yes” when they’re ready. An encouraging thought, but what do you do in the meantime? It can’t (and shouldn’t) be a matter of simply passively waiting for the patient to walk in one day and say they want that smile makeover after all.
While the patient is busy living life and (we hope) moving toward new levels of possibilities, you have to be busy, too. For although it’s true that the patient will ultimately proceed when they feel ready, there are things you can do to perhaps make that moment of realization come a little sooner:
• Document which approaches you have tried with the patient in the past and what their specific objections were. Then outline new approaches to try on future visits.
• Continue to develop your tools and skills around value creation and presentation. Often it’s not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it that makes the difference; a patient who is moving into a new phase in life could be particularly open to a fresh mode of communication.
• Keep your team members briefed on your goals for the patient, so they can be alert to changes in the patient’s attitudes and responses, and are fully prepared to support your treatment vision.
These are just a few of things you can be doing to keep all of those “no’s” in the cycle, so that both you and the patient are learning something with each visit—and moving closer to that day when their circumstances and your preparation meet.
Tags: Active Waiting, development, imtiaz manji, patients, possibilities, Practice, The Active Waiting Strategy, waiting
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August 5th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
“I’d really like to upgrade this radiography system one day.”
“If I could get that accounts receivable under control it sure would save a lot of time and money, and trouble.”
“I’d love to get to the point where I can work one day less each week.”
I’m sure you have your own favorites—your own list of “wannas.” Every dentist does. What’s interesting to me is that, in most cases, there are no great obstacles standing in the way of getting the things you want that make the practice—and your life—better. What happens is these nagging annoyances accumulate and take up permanent residence in our lives to the point where we don’t recognize them as opportunities anymore.
That’s why I urge everyone to take a “satisfaction inventory” from time to time. Take a close look at your life and your practice and make note of all the things you feel great about. Then catalogue the things that just aren’t right and ask yourself why they persist.
In most instances, you’ll probably find that those things that bother you most (and having been bothering you the longest) are more solvable than you realized. Ask yourself what it would take to bring the bothersome items into the ideal column. How much would it take in the way of resources? What level of growth would you need to support that? What steps can you take to achieve that growth? How exactly would you invest it—new equipment, education, staffing?
Once you get past the inertia, you find that things take on a momentum of their own. And as the results start geometrically compounding, there will be one more big question you’ll be asking yourself: “Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?”
Tags: dentistry, dentists, hopes, imtiaz manji, intertia, momentum, Practice, Satisfaction inventory, Spear, spear education, Taking Your Satisfaction Inventory, wants
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