Expectations Exceed Job Descriptions
A well trained staff can escalate your production. A dental office does not hinge on one pivotal person. It takes a complete team to make your office run smoothly and efficiently. You need your staff if you want to have a successful business that makes you money. Your staff needs training and guidelines to be productive. Most dentists give a new staff member a sheet of paper with a job description on it. Throughout the day you may tell your staff how you want them to handle each situation, but seldom does a dentist tell the staff what they expect from them. Job descriptions are much different than job expectations. While most employees will perform the functions of their job descriptions, a good employee that knows what your expectations are, will regularly meet and exceed your job expectations.
If you’re not sure on the difference, let’s make it simple:
Cleaning an operatory after a patient leaves is a job description. Telling an assistant that you expect them to clean the room as if the last patient had AIDS and she/he was going to be the next patient in the chair, so it needs to be absolutely sterile every time, is an expectation.
Expectations exceed job descriptions. Set expectations and your staff will surprise you on how well they meet them!
Now if you are that handy dandy, you can do it better than anyone, hands on, micro manager, you will not get the same results. Good employees will exceed your expectations daily, however if you micro manage them, they will shut down and stop performing to their full ability. Consciously or sub-consciously your staff will underperform because you are going to check every move they make anyway. Why should they continually try to get better, you will catch any and every mistake and bring it to their attention anyway! If your staff is under performing and you are having to run everything, then you are all working harder, producing less, and MAKING LESS MONEY.
CALL US NOW at 805-423-2512 or email us at info@dentalmarketinghub.com and we can help get you and your staff back on track to working smart and making the money you deserve!
Eliminate The Guilt Factor
Filed under: Blogging, Email Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Interactive Internet Dental Marketing, Internet Marketing
You come to the office everyday intent on giving every patient the best quality care that you can. Inevitably, the patients complain about the cost of treatment and how they just bought YOU a new car. Although you know that you receive only a portion of the profits your business is making, you start to feel uncomfortable and even embarrassed about the amount of money you make. You rationalize that you spent a lot of time and money on dental school and you deserve the pay you get. You know it is not as much as some doctors are making, but still you feel guilty and little by little it causes your positive attitude to diminish and it decreases the satisfaction you get from your work. You imagine telling the patient where to get off, but you can’t really tell a patient off now can you! Well, you could, but that wouldn’t be the wisest business decision!
The problem really isn’t that the patients like to complain and remind you of how much money you make. The problem is that the patients haven’t come to appreciate the work that has been done for them and you have not properly instilled the trust they need to consider you the Best Dentist Ever.
So maybe if you just smile a little more and tell them you’re the best, they will buy it and you can be happily guilt free!! Or you can learn better ways to present yourself and your treatment plans so patients will accept more treatment and not complain about the price! Call us now at 805-423-2512 or email us at info@dentalmarketinghub.com to eliminate your guilt factor.
Sweeten The Deal, Then You Can Have The Raise You Deserve!
Filed under: Employee Bonus, Employee Performance, Performance Management
Every day you stress about production and collections. Will you have enough money to cover your overhead? Patients complain about the cost of treatment and you think to yourself, how could they be so ignorant to the fact that you spent a lot of time and money becoming a dentist, you have a lot of bills to pay, you have staff you are responsible to pay on time, malpractice insurance, and so on. In your mind you break it down by how much you personally make per hour and you’re not happy with it. Some days it’s enough to make you throw in the towel.
Open your mind to the fact that your staff stresses in the same manner. They come to work every day, give your patients the best care they can, do everything you ask of them, and still struggle to make their bills each month. They get frustrated that they seem to work harder, but do not gain financially. When they approach you about a raise, you respond with the same excuse that every dentist has used for the last 50 years… I can’t afford to give you a raise right now. Without you seeing, their eyes are rolling to the back of their head because you’re still sporting your tan from your two week vacation in the Riviera! A vacation they will never be able to take! They start looking for a new job so they can get the raise they deserve. You now have to interview, hire, and train new staff, which costs you money.
If you think your patients don’t notice the entire staff turnover, you’re wrong! Even if a patient only comes for their 6 month checkup, they notice if the staff is new. When patients constantly see new staff members they begin to question your ability as a dentist. If the staff won’t stay, why would the patients!
So here are the facts:
1. When employees feel like they are making what they are worth, they are more productive and remain loyal to employers.
2. When you have low staff turnover, patients will trust you more and be loyal.
3. When patients are loyal, they commit to more treatment and refer more people.
All of this makes YOU more money! 
So go ahead, give your staff the raise they deserve, or sweeten the deal, then you can have the raise you deserve!
Making what you are worth is more important than ever, for you and your staff. For help in finding inventive ways to implement a compensation program that will work for you CALL US NOW at 805-423-2512 or email us at info@dentalmarketinghub.com.
POOF! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY TURNED YOUR STAFF INTO TRAINED MONKEYS!
Day after day it is the same old thing. You are shocked that your staff can’t seem to get one thing straight without being told exactly how to do it or exactly what to say. Is it your imagination or are they really getting worse with each day that passes?
You have a morning huddle with your staff every day, so you’re feeling pretty good about yourself! You let them tell you how much the office produced and collected the day before and what they expect the numbers will be that day. You talk about if there are any concerns with scheduled patients and determine where you can fit in any emergencies. You may even offer a few words of encouragement for a productive day. Then it happens! You start seeing patients! Within an hour you started the unconscious routine of huffing and puffing the second something goes wrong, you get a little snappy when your assistant is not reading your mind fast enough, you mumble under your breath because the front desk threw in an emergency at the wrong time, and you just rolled your eyes when the hygienist explained to you that her patient didn’t want to wait for an exam. On top of all your body language communication, as politely as YOU can, you are telling the staff every move to make with every patient and every phone call. By noon your frustration level is so high that you want to scream.
Nope! It is not your imagination at all! You have successfully turned your staff into trained monkeys! They don’t make a move without a direct order from you! The initiative they once showed has been diminished by your subtle criticism of their efforts. You have been completely unaware that you have lead your team to the bottom of the production latter. Soon your office will be swinging from the rafters! Wonder what your patients think? They are probably not having positive thoughts of trust and faith in you and your staff!
ALL IS NOT LOST! Think back to when you were younger. Think about the jobs you had before you became a dentist. Did you have great bosses or did they leave much to be desired? Which qualities have you emulated? You have the ability to be a great leader for your team! If you learn leadership skills you can turn your team back into motivated professionals. At Dental Marketing Hub we can help you learn the advanced leadership skills you need which will reduce your stress and ultimately increase your production. CALL US NOW at 805-423-2512 or email us at info@dentalmarketinghub.com and lead yourself into a better future without trained monkeys!