The Best Practices Show

Dr. Scott Leune  from Breakaway Practice is here today to talk about the single biggest lie when it comes to new patient flow. Breakaway Practice has some of the best courses around for helping new and old dentists alike run profitable and successful dental practices. Since 2005, Dr. Scott Leuna has been opening, running, and building dental practices. His first practice grew into three within the first four years. He has helped build 90 startup practices, and Breakaway Support Services include over 400 practices. Data is important to Scott and we talk about split testing and how to know if your marketing really works. Scott shares valuable insights on answer rate and conversion rate. He thinks everything needs to be tracked and that there needs to be checklists for every task. We also talk about the importance of answering the phone and understanding the capacity of your practice. This show has a lot of great information. You can find Dr. Scott Leune here: Breakaway Practice Dr. Eric Jones Heartland Dental Show Notes [02:19]  Scott is a dentist who has built and sold practices. He now helps other dentists across the country and manages over 350 offices. [02:54] He learns how to build and run and grow an office very fast. In turn, he started teaching people how to do that and doing it for them. He has a large team that takes care of marketing, IT, insurance verification and more. [03:24] After graduating, Scott opened his first practice. They had so many patients that he had to find a completely different way to do everything. Four years later that practice had three locations with 10 dentist. He sold the group to Heartland because he broke his back. [04:32] After building and growing these practices, Scott learn how to do so many things better.  He then built seven new practices.  He realized there was a lot more stuff he needed to learn. [05:20] Now he teaches everything he's learned and do everything he says. [06:01] Scott comes from a place of data. They track and audit and measure everything. Scott discovered that a lot of marketing is wishful thinking. [07:53]  We don't know how well our marketing will work until we perform an experiment. That experiment is called a split test. This is where we test different offers and messages against each other. These tests have to be performed with similar demographics. [09:54]  Scott tracks and listens to every call and then does the data analysis to see what does and doesn't work. [11:10] Data removes all emotion. [11:33] The most important numbers in a dental office are the answer rate and how many of those convert to an appointment. Answer rate and conversion rate. [14:26] Poor conversion rates have to do with how the team member is trained and poor policy practices. [16:07]  If there's anything worth investing money in it's your conversion rate on the phone. [18:00] When a patient calls take control of the call and wal

Dr. Christian Coachman is a good friend of mine and one of the biggest influencers of future dentistry. Christian comes from Sao Paulo, Brazil. His family has a 168 year tradition of dentistry practiced over 6 generations. He is also a technician and smile designer and the creator and developer of Digital Smile Design. DSD is a multipurpose conceptual protocol that is used to create a systematic approach to smile design. Christian is an amazing educator and communicator. He has an unbelievably incredible family and his achievements are truly remarkable. We are going to talk about 21st century dentistry and how we can completely reinvent ourselves. Christian shares his no fear strategy and the importance of emotional dentistry and communication. His outside the box thinking is inspiring and this is a great episode.

Dr. Craig Spodak is here today. He is an amazing dentist with an amazing practice. His website is even incredible. He is a third generation dentist who was very excited about dentistry and had a lot of ideas he wanted to implement when he joined his father’s practice. These ideas didn’t happen until 2006 when he took over his father’s practice. He now has a 13,000 square foot practice with 9 doctors and 52 team members. It is a multi discipline facility with an on-site lab. We talk about and debunk the biggest myth to having a great dental practice. We also talk about challenges with having a large team and how to empower team members to take ownership. This is a great show and Dr. Craig Spodak shares a lot of wisdom.   You can find Craig here: Spodak Dental Group Dr. Craig Spodak on LinkedIn Dr. Craig Spodak on Facebook Craig Spodak Website Craig Spodak on Instagram All-Star Smiles   Show Notes [01:56] Craig is an amazing dentist and person. He hangs out with people like Richard Branson and Tony Robbins. His practice and his website are also amazing. Craig has 52 team members. His practice has nine doctors, and it is 13,000 ft.². [02:13] He is a third-generation dentist. He graduated from Tufts dental school in 1998. He joined his father in Delray Beach right after school. [02:33] He had all of these ideas that he wanted to do, but the practice was limited in some ways. [02:45] Craig saw dentistry shifting and wanted to branch out and try all of his cool ideas. [02:59] In 2006, Craig took over the practice and added specialists and started building a lab. [03:10] He loves dentistry, and he practices every single day. [04:01] The huge myth in dentistry. Put the customer first or the customer is always right is a business myth. [04:09] We are now dealing with people where it's a different generation and it isn't about a work ethic, it's actually about believing in something. [04:34] Management and business principles comes from the factory where people are just widgets or a machine. [04:56] People have to believe in what they do. We have a noble cause and that causes to create a better world through the power of compassion. It's not just fixing teeth. [05:10] If our patients feel love and compassion from us, they will love us back. [05:17] Nowadays it is whoever adds the most value to the patient. You can't achieve this without putting your teams needs above all else. [05:29] Your team needs to feel love, supported and trusted. [06:04] If a patient violates our c

Dr. James Woodyard is a top periodontist in Newburgh, IN. He is a brilliant clinician, a great person, a great dad, and a friend of mine. He has diplomate status with the American Board of Periodontology, and is the only ABP board certified periodontist in his area. He has memberships in many professional organizations. He also founded the Select Study Club which is a branch of the Seattle Study Club. We have a great discussion where we talk about the single biggest missed opportunity in restorative dentistry. We talk about how dentists need to slow down and find the underlying cause of what is creating problems. Time should be taken to get a proper diagnosis before any work is done. Dentistry can be a solitary profession. Having a great team of other specialists to work with and share knowledge with will only make you a better and more successful dentist.   You can find Dr. James Woodyard here: Woodyard Periodontics Woodyard Periodontics on Facebook DRW@WoodyardPerio.com   Show Notes [02:49] Dr. Woodyard lives in Evansville, IN and practices in Newburgh, IN. His father-in-law and brother are dentists and Dr. Woodyard loves what he does. [03:32] One of the biggest missed opportunities is diagnosis and finding out why something is happening before treatment. [04:27] Why is there under diagnosis in dentistry. I think dentists are afraid of people saying no. [05:50] Loose teeth isn't a diagnosis. Why the teeth are loose is the problem. The diagnosis is key. Once you have that you can move on and do other things. [06:43] Tell the patient that you are going to find out what is happening and treat them. Treat them like royalty like you treat those new patients. [08:09] When problems present themselves people need treatment. [09:03] It's not our right to decide how healthy a patient's mouth should be. [11:13] Diagnosis is neutral. It's our job to allow patients to make the best informed choice. Slow down and make sure that you get all of the data that you need. [13:12] Link up with a good periodontist and other specialists that will help you and educate you. [13:41] There are humans attached to these teeth and new dentists have a business to run. [14:13] Dr. Woodyard started Select Study Club to help educate other dentist. It is a non-threatening environment where people can talk. [15:32] Being a facilitator in the study club and finding what people need to learn. After the meeting is over, people are coming together. Being a dentist can be isolating. [17:06] The mark of a great leader is helping people grow. [17:26] Asking what is the right thing for the patient and the right thing for yourself as a dentist. Upping your game and doing the

Fred Joyal is the co-founder and CEO of 1-800-DENTIST the largest dental referral business in the country. In 1986, Fred and Gary Saint Denis started 1-800-DENTIST which is now owned by Dentsply Sirona. He is the founder of Futuredontics a dental marketing agency. He is the author of Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth. He is a dental marketing guru, a speaker, and the blogger behind Go Ask Fred. Fred’s book is one of the best books on marketing ever written. If you are a dentist, it is required reading along with Peter Dawson’s restorable dentistry book. Fred has also written a second book called Becoming Remarkable Creating a Dental Practice Everyone Talks About. An interesting fact about when Fred started 1-800-DENTIST is that it was highly controversial, and he was accused of destroying dentistry. Yet, Fred has actually invested half a billion dollars to get the general public to go to the dentist.   You can find Fred here: Go Ask Fred 1-800-DENTIST Futuredontics Everything is Marketing: The Ultimate Strategy for Dental Practice Growth Becoming Remarkable Creating a Dental Practice Everyone Talks About Discount Code: Fred Joyal Fred Joyal on LinkedIn Fred Joyal on Facebook @fredjoyal on Twitter   Show Notes [02:34] Fred still spends 30 million a year to get people to go to the dentist. [02:47] How the biggest marketing opportunity is reaching people who don't go to the dentist. [02:54] Fred is an abundance thinker. There is more than enough opportunity in dentistry. [03:31] Whatever you believe is true. You will magnetize positive or negative towards you. [04:04] Fred has had dentist thank him for reminding patients to go to the dentist. [04:24] Advertising is using a specific medium to tell people who you are, what you do, and why they should use your service. [04:35] Marketing is everything that you do that tells people who you are, and what you do, and why they should use your service. [04:54] You can do fantastic advertising. What happens to the potential alo

Laura Hatch is the founder and owner of Front Office Rocks a training resource that offers virtual training for front office staff. She is also the office manager for her husbands practice which is the second practice that they have built from scratch. Laura has commited years of study and hands on practice to understand the best way to manage an office and empower team members. She is a leading authority on dental front office training. Her methods consist of established ideas and practical training that can be implemented in any office. In this show, we talk about how important that first patient phone call is when it comes to growing the practice. Laura also shares the one magic word that kills every new patient phone call, and other great advice for running an office that patients love.   You can find Laura here: Front Office Rocks Ask Laura Laura@FrontOfficeRocks.com Scripps Rock Dental   Show Notes [02:16] Laura runs a day to day office in San Diego and is the owner of Front Office Rocks where she helps front office teams do better with all aspects of their jobs. [02:51] Her website has over 180 training videos online. Laura determined that there was a need for this training after starting two practices from scratch and not really having readily available training resources. [03:43] They also do client webinars twice a month that focus on an area of concern. [04:17] The most important piece of technology in the dental office is the telephone. This is where the patients first impression is created. [04:47] Patients don't judge you offices on dentistry. They judge on how nice the people are and how nice the office is. [05:48] The magic word that kills every new patient phone call. [06:06] How as an industry we need to be less insurance driven. [06:24] Patients don't know what to ask when they come to an office. They ask if you take insurance and how much is a crown. A better question would be how good the doctor is or how much continuing education has the doctor taken. [07:12] The magic word that kills patient calls is no. [07:45] When a person hears no, they are trying to get off the phone after that. [08:03] By answering with no, the call ends and you don't have a chance to actually answer the patients questions. [09:13] Say yes or something positive to help the patient figure out what is best for them. [09:33] Only talk about what you can do. You want to be there to help the patient. No is not a good customer service word. [10:43] It's more important to ask questions and be curious than to have all of the answers.

Dr. Lee Ann Brady has a practice in Glendale, AZ called Desert Sun Smiles. She is also the woman behind Restorative Nation a supportive dental learning community. She has been teaching dental education since 2005 when she became the Clinical Director for the Pankey Institute. In 2008, she became Executive VP of Clinical Education at Spear Education. She takes continuing education and the latest technology seriously. She devotes hundreds of hours every year to dental continuing education, and she continues to teach and host courses. Dr. Brady is a good friend of mine and a lecturer and educator that seems to be everywhere. Today, we talk about the importance of dental education, how risks and benefits are the core of patient communication, and having a great relationship with patients. Dr. Brady shares why she doesn’t have patients sign an informed consent form, and how she takes the time to explain the relevant concerns and risks and benefits to the patient. We also talk about choice and creating a practice that  you love.   You can find Dr. Lee Ann Brady here: Restorative Nation Desert Sun Smiles Dr. Lee Ann Brady   Show Notes [02:09] Dr. Brady has the ability to take things that are complex and break them down for other dentists. [02:37] Dr. Brady loves learning and understanding everything about dentistry and her dental practice. She also loves giving back and teaching because she knows it makes a huge difference. [02:48] She has a practice in Glendale, AZ. [03:12] Risks and benefits. She thinks the core of patient communication is about risks and benefits. [03:39] My patients think of the cost. How long it will take to do a procedure. Implant dentistry takes 6-9 months. Any surgical procedure can be considered a risk by some people. [04:34] Dr. Brady's practice is built on trust. [05:03] She rarely does an informed consent. It represents that there is something not significantly right about the relationship with the patient. [06:13] Dr. Brady talks about how important it is for her to have a great relationship with her patients. [06:16] She discusses relevant risks and benefits with patients. Not every possible thing, but the things that are relevant to the patient. [07:21] Dr. Brady quit dentistry and then went back to it. She was a young solo practitioner. She waited until the pain got so bad, and she felt she couldn't practice anymore. She had the ability to alter her experience of the practice of dentistry. She just didn't know or didn't look for for ways to do that at the time. [08:23] Sometimes the universe has plans for us that we don't know about. [08:47] When she left, she was overloaded with business responsibilities, working out

Dr. Mark Murphy is here to talk about how dentistry is the number one profession in the US. It is a profession that allows dentists freedom to choose how, when, and where they want to practice. Dentists can choose how they practice and try different approaches until they find what works for them. One of the hurdles many dentists face is dealing with dental insurance. Dr. Murphy shares how it’s a good idea to assess your risk before giving up on insurance. He also shares his step-by-step systematic process to dental insurance independence. He has a five step approach to understanding the risk and mitigating it. You can find Mark here: Funktional Tracker MarkMurphy@funktionaltracker.com Show Notes [02:31] What Dr. Murphy knows for sure. Dentists have freedom of choice and it is still the greatest profession ever. [04:20] Dentistry was ranked the number one profession in the United States. As a dentist, you can try anything and switch it up if it doesn't work. Very few dentists go bankrupt. [05:30] Mark is from Detroit. In spite of, failing economics Detroit dentistry survived. The ones who weren't dependent on insurance did the best. [07:40] Dr. Murphy's step-by-step process. Don't cut off insurance without knowing the risk. Do the right preparation and planning. [09:28] How dentistry has lost 2% a year. More people are trying to get rid of insurance. The first step is to wait. [10:16] Step 1: Do the math and find the percentages of insurance. Categorize by company, patients, and dollar amount. [11:49] Figure out who could leave, and how you will make the same money and work fewer hours. [13:18] Full production before insurance write offs. Find how much you write off for insurance and how many patients have insurance that is being written off. [14:21] Risk weighted analysis will let you know which insurance companies to look at. [14:43] P&L will also tell you what you make in total compensation. Use this as the standard to find the insurance net that will get you to that number. [16:27] Finding your freedom day of how far you have to work into the year. [16:51] Step 2: Creating a value proposition for your patients. If you don't have one add one to your mix of services. [18:08] Finding your value proposition and what has the best real value to let patients know they are in a better place. [18:54] People come to you because of you. Having a value proposition. [20:15] What if 2/3 of your patients left and you would still be OK? [22:27] Step 3: Explain to the patient your value proposition. [24:44] How it might take you six months to get some skills to brag about and longer to share this information with patients. [25:09] It takes 5-7 years to become a

Robb Zbierski is a professional speaker, trainer and coach with Freedom Personal Development. He is a fun and exciting speaker who works with people and professionals in all fields. His area of specialty is training your brain for success. This topic is especially relevant for people in the dental industry. Having the right attitude and a positive self-talk can set the tone for the whole day, week, and practice. We talk about how people can learn to train their brains to be more successful in whatever they do. Robb shares tools like positive self-talk, affirmations, gratitude, and having clarity of purpose. He talks about how important it is to visual what you want or even what you are trying to remember. He talks about staying aligned with your core values and many more golden nuggets.   You can find Robb here: Freedom Personal Development Freedom Personal Development - The Only RobbZ Robb Zbierski on Facebook @theonlyrobbz on Twitter Memory Training Programs Robb Zbierski on LinkedIn   Show Notes [02:52] Robb helps people learn how to train their brain so they can be more successful in whatever they do. [03:13] Putting together consistent ongoing top level performance and results. [03:31] Robb worked in the bicycle industry and lost his job 8 years ago. He took severance pay, and got involved in the speaker industry. [05:15] How memory training is one of their most popular programs. Memory training is personal development. [07:07] The importance of the brain. [07:37] Robb has worked in every industry including dentistry. It doesn't matter what you do. People believe that they are so busy that they settle. People have unlimited potential. [09:07] The importance of being effective and how you talk to yourself. [09:56] How busy is a bad word or at least on the fringe. [10:17] The importance of self-talk. Your self-talk begins when you wake up in the morning. Everything goes right into your subconscious. [11:37] Getting into the habit of starting the day with positive self-talk. [12:56] How you are in charge, so talk in a way that takes charge of your day in a positive way. [13:22] It is impossible to be negative and grateful at the same time. [14:12] Practicing gratitude sets off a chain reaction of thoughts in your brain and chemical reactions in your body and it physically manifests itself.

We are diving deep into marketing with a dear friend of mine Xana Winans. She is the owner of Golden Proportions Marketing. I have been in dentistry for over two decades, and I have met a lot of great people in marketing, but Xana is the person who I have seen help me and my clients over and over no matter which way the winds of marketing have blown. Xana and I also do a lot of coaching and teaching together. When I have gotten sick or wasn’t able to speak Xana has taken over for me. Xana founded Golden Proportions Marketing 16 years ago. They work exclusively with dentists. Whether they are private practice, group practice, or multi-location, these dentists are Xana's clients. They are a marketing firm with a comprehensive strategy because Xana doesn't believe in the single magic bullet strategy. Today, we talk about dental marketing and using the right technique for the right group of dentists. You can find Xana here: Golden Proportions Xana@GoldenProportions.com Xana Winans on LinkedIn GPM Express Smart Market Dental Xana@SmartMarketDental.com (570)742-5656   Show Notes   [02:17] Xana founded Golden Proportions Marketing 16 years ago and works with dentists to create an all encompassing comprehensive strategy. [02:59] The number one technique doctors need to learn is how to handle the phone. They can use the phone to double or triple conversions. [04:08] The single most piece of equipment in a practice is the phone. [04:25] How doctors undervalue the importance of phone skills for the person who answers the phone. The person answering the phone is your whole business. [04:59] They need a great phone voice and an excellent disposition. You have to like people and look at the phone as a tremendous opportunity. [05:38] The importance of showing a client that a marketing investment works. [06:07] Call tracking technology was strikingly revealing. [06:24] The doctor needs to provide the right level of training for the front desk. [06:51] We have a large team of call screeners who do nothing but listen to our clients calls. We have recorded over a million phone calls up to this point and time. The number one problem is calls going to voicemail. [07:28] Patients call when your phones are on voicemail.  80% of calls that go to voicemail hang up and don't leave a message. More often or not they have moved on to the next dentist on the list. [08:38] Don't rely on an answering service. This frustrates patients.

Dr. Sam Low is a periodontist, speaker, and consultant who creates CE content that is applicable, easy to understand, and fun and entertaining. He takes a realistic balanced approach to empower dental professionals to take the frustration out of delivering periodontal care. He has been an associate faculty member of the L.D. Pankey Institute for 20 years and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, College of Dentistry. He focuses on creating positive interactions between dentists, periodontist, and hygienists.   Today, we are going to go over some of the big picture and thought process changing aspects of Dr. Low’s work. We do have a live webinar coming up that focuses more on the numbers, so stay tuned for that. I saw Sam at the Pankey Institute, and we have had a great relationship ever since. It is so exciting to have Dr. Sam Low on today’s show.     You can find Sam here:  Dr. Sam Low  Pankey Institute  SLow@Dental.UFL.EDU  DrSamLow@drSamLow.com 

Dr. Eric Rindler is a periodontist in San Antonio. He is an amazing periodontist, but he is also an amazing speaker, lecturer, and risk taker. We met during a speaker showcase at the Seattle Study Club. He did an amazing presentation about trust that involved a bed of nails and a sledgehammer to the chest. It was risky, but also very memorable. Today, we talk about how Eric went back and got his Executive MBA after already being a periodontist. He shares how this process was much tougher, but more rewarding than he thought it would be. He also talks about the difference between key opinion leaders, subject matter experts, and someone who just has an opinion. Eric shares a lot of great information including how to approach dental insurance and finding the best mentors. You can find Eric here: Rindler Periodontics Eric Rindler on LinkedIn Rindler Periodontics on Facebook ERindler@me.com ctgraft@aol.com

One of the greatest dental speakers of all time, and definitely one of the most entertaining speakers on dentistry is here today. Dr. Michael DiTolla is a dentist who practices within the largest lab in the U.S. He gets a first hand look at thousands of doctor’s preps and impressions which gives him intimate knowledge of common habits that get the best restorative results. Dr. Michael DiTolla is the Director of Clinical Affairs at Dentsply Sirona and prior to that the Director of Clinical Research and Education at Glidewell Laboratories. He is a speaker and lecturer who shares techniques to provide exceptional results for average dentists. He is also a host of the AcciDental Geniuses Podcast, and a very funny guy. Today, he shares tips for old and new dentists along with a lot of wit and wisdom. You can find Dr. Michael DiTolla here: Dr. Michael DiTolla Dr. Michael DiTolla LinkedIn Dr. Michael DiTolla Facebook @mcditolla on Twitter AcciDental Geniuses Podcast Dentsply Sirona

The digital world is changing how we do everything from marketing to referrals. Dr. Joshua Austin is a solo dentist with a private practice in San Antonio, Texas where he specializes in family, cosmetic, and implant dentistry. He is also a guy that is always moving. He is a social media genius, the author of the Pearls for Your Practice column, a lecturer, and cohost of the fun and edgy AcciDental Geniuses.   Dr. Joshua Austin DDS shares how reputation matters especially in this ever changing digital world where online reviews are replacing in person word-of-mouth reviews. He talks about the importance of story and how EQ sells. We talk about methods and strategies for getting Google reviews and how Yelp works. We also talk about how to engage people with what interests them and adding a human touch.     You can find Dr. Joshua Austin here:  Joshua Austin DDS Website  Joshua Austin DDS on Facebook  @JoshuaAustinDDS on Twitter  Joshua Austin DDS on Instagram  Austin Dental Seminars  AcciDental Geniuses with Mike and Josh  Pearls for Your Practice Column  JAustinDDS@me.com 

Dr. Brian Schroder shares his best advice for building a successful fee for service dental practice and enjoying the ride along the way with Kirk Behrendt on the Best Practices Show.