For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles& Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.

Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

Dynamic Data, Winter 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

As the year 2003 comes to a close, I hope this finds each of your practices enjoying the fruits of your labor. Practicing dentistry, just like many things in life, is not as simple as it was twenty or thirty years ago. Remember when family life was easier when parents and children were not going in a dozen different directions every week? Leaving a busy practice each day and going into chaotic “down time” has added to the stress of working parents. Remember when all you had to do is place an ad for dental staff and the hardest part of all was selecting from the top three applicants. Now you are lucky if you get three applicants at all. And if they are breathing, you interview them and hope one of them will be adequate. Technology was supposed to simplify our personal and professional lives. While we agree that we cannot live without it, the learning curves, updates, breakdowns and service headaches, add more stress. While many of us who have been in dentistry more than 40 years have seen the highs and lows of these stress producing changes, we can also attest to the fact that we have never seen such potential in dentistry as in the past five years.

It is not uncommon for practices to double their production when the entire team is sharing the same goals, speaking the same positive language (verbal skills), and improving the customer service within the practice. Dentists have always been great employers over all other professionals. Today, dentists are better leaders, better businessmen/businesswomen, and by all accounts, more enthused about practicing dentistry. What has created this welcome change? It is a combination of things, but uppermost, they have developed an awareness of the skills that they didn’t learn in dental school. See the following article I wrote after visiting some pretty stressed out dental practices over the past twelve months.

STRESS IN PRACTICING CAN BE ALLEVIATED

The more time my consultants and I spend in dental practices, the more we realize why dentists and staff members are stressed about practice management issues. In dental school, dentists were not trained how to hire, train and manage personnel. They had very little training in communication skills for presenting dentistry and no leadership training in how to set goals and lead their team to victory. They had perhaps, one or two very brief classes in practice management systems such as collections, insurance, scheduling for maximum productivity, time management, hygiene department efficiency and overhead control. It is no wonder practices operate at a range of 3o to 80 percent effective. Some of the luckier dentists had more extensive training or were born with the intuitive management skills to figure out most of it. But remember, it can be the top 10% of efficiency that generates another 40% of productivity. So…..no matter how good the practice seems, there is always another level (or many) to attain.

Staff members blame their dentist(s) for not training them in the clinical and business areas of the practice. Dentists blame the staff for not being more efficient, better communicators and more accountable. Who’s to blame???? NO ONE. The schools have problems trying to teach the clinical requirements in four years to graduate their students. Besides……if the schools offered courses on these subjects, “until there is a management or staff problem, the students would not be interested in knowing how to fix them”. Learning to discourage broken appointments, reduce accounts receivables, build a hygiene department, how and when to hire the next employee and what to look for in personnel, is total Greek to them. The staff can’t perform at a 10 on a scale of 1-10 without proper training, yet most often, having the dentists train their own employees is not effective and the training often falls on deaf ears. Besides, if the dentist doesn’t know these managerial skills, they can’t teach their team to do them with perfection.

Since the inception of dentistry’s first and foremost practice and staff development program (DBCs) in1985, Linda Miles and Associates have taken the mystery out of managing a dental practice with easy-to-implement effective systems. The two-day Dental Business Conferences allow dentists and staff to leave the course with a PhD in communication with patients and each other. They will discover when a system in their practice is not healthy and “which string to pull” to get it back on target. More importantly, they will marvel in how to market their services and create a schedule that will, in many instances, double the practice in one to two years. While nothing takes the place of our custom-designed in-office consulting programs, the two-day Dental Business Conference is second to none for those dentists who realize their practice is not reaching it’s full potential. Or, for those who realize neither they nor their staff are excited about facing another week, month or year the way things are.

Register today for our two-day Dental Business Conferences taught personally by Linda Miles in Norfolk and Virginia Beach in March and September ‘04. These same DBCs are taught throughout the US by our DBC Certified Presenters, Janelle Kent, Susan Kulakowski, Gayle Christensen, and Lisa Grothouse in the two-day or a concise one-day format for those dentists and staff that find being away from home or office overnight is an obstacle. They can also be designed for Study Clubs or Dental Associations for 50 plus attendees in the city or town of choice, offering a 20% courtesy to members in exchange for marketing and having 50 or more attendees. Call Lee Tarvin at 800-922-0866 (9-12 AM ET) for full details, or visit our web site and leave a message of interest at www.DentalManagementU.com

End of article.

We applaud those dentists who realize their staff make or break their practices’ success. They can also add to your stress or be part of the every day harmony enjoyed by strong dental leaders. Life is too short to have half-committed employees. Either they are “on your bus or off”. Recently when I asked a dentist why he had a non performing negative person on board for 13 years, his answer was the common, “I don’t know, except the person I have may be better than the person I have yet to meet”. These employees typically have their doctors held hostage and believing if they left, the practice would fail.  When I asked him if she was worth the minimum $10,000 per month loss ($120,000 per year) plus her salary, his answer was “NO WAY”. Over the 13 years of being a non-performer and the root cause of a dozen other good workers leaving due to her negativism toward change and others personally, this doctor has lost over 1.5 million dollars and had no idea in dollars and cents what it had cost him. While my message is usually, “it’s a lot easier to mend the fence than to keep finding and training new horses”, I will also add, “if the horse is dead, get off!”

If your practice is in dire need of an assessment from the business systems of scheduling, collections, insurance, broken and failed appointments, hygiene department effectiveness, reactivation of lost patients, fees, staffing numbers and performance, leadership, communication and overhead control, call our office before the end of   the year to reserve a two or three day consultation by two of the leading practice management experts in dentistry (Janelle Kent or Susan Kulakowski), my two senior consultants. We are having a fee increase January 1, 2004 which still has our fees at a very reasonable rate versus some of the other “leading management companies” that total package fees, after all travel and days missed from work, can total $50,000 to $100,000, with debatable results. Susan and Janelle have over 20 years each in dentistry and I have personally worked with them for over ten years. Having our clients call and leave messages of thanks for sending them into their offices and that “they have changed not only our practice, but our lives,” makes me very proud of these ladies. Even if your consultation is held in 2004, reserving your dates now and having your retainer paid by December 20^th will secure the 2003 fees.

While at the ADA in San Francisco, I was privileged to meet the CEO of a dental survey company and his spouse who own DrevLamb Research. See full information below which explains how these surveys reveal to DrevLamb exactly what dentists need to know about patient satisfaction regarding their care, the dentist and the staff. In the staff surveys, dentists will be shocked and/or amazed at their staff’s true feelings about the practice as a place to work and their dentist as an employer/leader. E-mail me directly for a brochure, or call Drev/Lamb directly mentioning you saw this in Dynamic Data’s News. In my opinion, this is the best business information you can gather to start the new year. Many dentists say, I have my own surveys, or my consultant has already done that for our practice. That may be true, but with the creativity of this company, this vital information has never been more complete or presented in such a way that you can use it in a flash to rectify the problem areas. I’ve researched dental survey companies for two years and none hold a candle to these. To say I’m impressed with the results I saw would be an understatement.  As General Schwartzkoff said at Discus 2001, “A leader is not a true leader until he (she) admits they have a problem. For it is only then that they can go about fixing it.”

DrevLamb Research  (12/01/03)

A diagnostic tool is now available for dentists who want a refreshing, valuable look at their practice.  DrevLamb Research, a market research firm based in New Orleans, specializes in dental surveys and practice area profiles.  Patient feedback surveys provide a convenient and confidential way for your patients to honestly evaluate key aspects of service, express their opinions, and provide useful information.  Patients appreciate the chance to give feedback, boosting their satisfaction, retention, and referrals.  (A parent feedback survey is also available for pedo/ortho practices.)  Staff surveys allow team members to anonymously evaluate your practice, which can boost morale as well as reveal hidden sources of inefficiency or conflict.  The user-friendly patient and staff survey “report cards” give high marks for areas of strength and provide constructive feedback for areas that can be improved.  For specialists, referral surveys help maintain a healthy referral network by gathering valuable feedback from doctors who refer patients to your practice.

The practice area profile is a tool that can increase your chances for success if your practice is in transition or is developing a strategic marketing plan.  Based on your particular needs, profiles can map the geographic dispersion of patients, identify areas for relocation or targeted marketing, and describe key demographic and economic trends of the area surrounding your current or proposed practice.  All survey and profile reports are in full-color and customized for each practice.  For more information, please contact DrevLamb Research at 504-899-2814, or visit www.DrevLambResearch.com.

My 2004 speaking dates are 95% filled with 2005, 45% booked. I personally consult with 10 client practices each year, which is a great joy to meet any new staff that may have come on board since my last visit, to celebrate their success and to offer additional ways to make their five-year business plan a reality. Some of my clients are building new offices, some are focusing on total fee for service practices, others are involved in new clinical procedures that changes the marketing mix, and others just want a fine-tuning of an already wonderful practice. This year I’m doing a private consultation cruise with a very large group practice, doing a one-day private seminar for another large group practice in Virginia with which I’ve had a long-term relationship, and in 2005 I’m doing a follow-up consultation in Jamaica with a wonderful long-term client.

EXCITING NEWS FOR 2004:

Our fabulous four day SunFun TOTAL TEAM APPRECIATION cruise aboard the IMAGINATION out of Miami is March 11-15 is still taking registrations. This is the trip that pays dividends all year long and keeps the office totally focused on appreciation of patients, the employer, each other and enhances the doctor to staff appreciation, which results in happier, accountable staff. It also outlines the value of appreciation for lab techs, sales reps, accountants, attorneys, financial advisors and all other non-salaried parts of the dental team. Dentists who are registered before January 15^th will have the opportunity of a personal mini consultation to discuss their three major areas of practice concern with me personally or one of our consultants. Our ports of call are Key West and Cozumel. Call our cruise director directly at toll free (877-673-4270). What a nice holiday or end of the year gift this would be for a deserving team.

Besides our SunFun Cruise to Mexico in 2004, other out of country speaking engagements for 2004 include Toronto, Canada on Thursday, May 6^th and the Masters of Dentistry Extravaganza in Sydney, Australia, October 22-24. See their site at www.Mastersofdentistry.com.au  As of November 2003, I am planning to open a speaking /consulting division in India with a health care consultant there, and have tentative plans to do a three city speaking tour in India late 2004 or early 2005. Kathy Metaxas, founder of the Masters of Dentistry Extravaganza in Australia, has been very successful with our two day Dental Business Conferences throughout AU and NZ and will be taking our Women Working With Women program there in 2005. My two senior consultants in the US (Janelle and Susan) started their long-term contract with the AF Dental Clinics worldwide this month and are very proud to be part of this exciting AF Dental Clinic Optimization program.

The Speaking/Consulting Network in it’s 8^th year will be held in Vegas from May 22-24 for new attendees and May 23-23 for returnees. If you have any desire to enhance or start your speaking, consulting and writing business, this course is for you. See our web site for full details. Register now for easy payments each month deducted from your credit card. Remember, after the first year the tuition goes in half and the third year of attendance, it goes in half again. We want to only attract those who are SERIOUS about the speaking, consulting and writing business. We also attract those without egos who don’t think meeting planners and audiences are “blessed by their presence”. We attract only those who open their hearts and minds to further the profession of speaking and consulting, and those who are willing to replenish the well after they drink from it! It’s so exciting for me to open the journals and read our SCN members’ articles each month and see their names as speakers on major meetings. This year our Spotlight on Speaking will be a half-day on Sunday afternoon, facilitated by our Board of Directors Chairman, David Reznik. Twelve lucky SCN members will showcase ten minutes of their best material for other attendees to critique. A limited number of meeting planners and editors of dental journals will be there to “shop” for upcoming speakers and authors. If you are a meeting planner and wish to attend the 1-4 PM session on Sunday, May 23^rd, please let me know by return e-mail or call Lee at 800-922-0866. This year we have two “VIP Guests” and dozens of exciting sessions planned to propel the speaking and consulting business to new heights for those who attend.

Our Women Working With Women programs for 2003 were all home runs with dozens of happy dentists and hundreds of enthused staff whose only complaint was, “I wish we had brought our entire team”. Our extended program for 2004 and beyond is at the printers now and the dates will be on our site as soon as the hotel contracts are back. If you would like this program to come to your area, it is not too late to add another location to the three we have planned. We are offering our WWWW members to have 10% courtesy off ALL our products AND services in the future. There will also be a 2005 Annual Retreat for everyone who has attended in 2003, or for those who will attend in 2004. Our annual retreats will be in Jamaica, Cancun or Bermuda on a rotating basis. Your vote (as an attendee in 2003 and a proposed attendee in 2004) will help us select our first site for February 2005. We will work hard on Friday and Saturday mornings with afternoons free to enjoy the locale, and our work families in a non-working environment. Someone mentioned having a tea party one afternoon on the beach like the Ya-Ya Sisters. (Long Island Iced Teas on the menus…….). It will be rewarding to have group consulting with others with the same practice concerns and also the fun of fellowship in the afternoons. See our contact numbers below for voting on the retreat of 2005 location or a free brochure. 10% off our consulting services can be a huge savings for our members. The big question is: Can male dentists and male staff attend and be a WWWW Member? The answer is YES! We need men who support and work with women. Who knows…. along the way, it will improve males’ relationships with their spouses, their daughters, moms, and sisters in addition to their female staff. As one male dentist in Atlanta said in our opening statements, “I’m here to learn how to control my thermostat”!!    

Here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful and blessed 2004. Also, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, seminar attendees and their staffs. The most exciting part of my month is reviewing client monitors to know our consulting information is working even beyond the goals originally set. (Perhaps we only accept outstanding clients?) Thanks also to my wonderful meeting planners of 2003 and the many hosts at these meetings who rolled out the red carpet treatment. And a huge THANK YOU to publicly thank Mrs. Lee Tarvin for being my right hand at LLM&A for the past twenty years in February. If I did not have Lee’s assistance and my husband, Don’s support and assistance (for 42 years), I would accomplish only half what I do. Please feel free to call us at 800-922-0866 (AMs best), or e-mail me at the address below.

Sincerely,

Linda Miles

Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know.

Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – Winter 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles & Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.
Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

DYNAMIC DATA, FALL 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

I keep hearing the phrase, “where did the summer go” from clients, family, neighbors and friends. Rainy weather over the entire east coast this year made outdoor activities less frequent (except for mowing the grass). Maybe as we get older time passes faster, but even young people have asked, “where did the summer go”? Now it is back to school for the children and the time for getting very serious about one’s business before the end of the year holidays. For dentists and other business owners, this means taking a good look at the first eight month figures knowing they have only four months left to make this year one of their best years ever. While many practices in my audiences have been only “holding their own” for the year, the majority of our active clients, (those we monitor monthly), are doing fantastically well. Our firm, which is normally slower in the summer months, has had the busiest summer of the past five years with many new projects evolving from the distribution of my new book, DYNAMIC DENTISTRY. Our fast forward press releases will begin mid September in over 1000 business journals, newspapers and news stations. As much as we look forward to interviews about business in general and dentistry in particular, our year could get even busier. Thanks to the first year book sales, my alliance with the American Dental Assistants Association and the military dental clinics worldwide, we are feeling very blessed and extremely honored. And above all else, hearing from dental practices across the country (and some locally) that are doing so well, makes us even happier.

One of the highlights of my summer was speaking at the ADAA House of Delegates and their membership meeting in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel. I was also awarded the coveted US Army Dental Command coin at this meeting. The ADAA proudly provides educational opportunities for military personnel and it’s heartwarming to see their participation at the ADAA annual conferences. If your dental assistants (clinical and business) don’t belong to the ADAA, it is time to encourage their membership in this wonderful organization. (Also your hygienists to the ADHA). I hope that each dentist reading this will also consider paying their assistants’ dues in ADAA, which are less than $150 per year, depending upon the state in which you practice. It is only by networking with others who do their job that your staff realize it is not a job but a very rewarding career. With the offer to pay their dues come certain expectations. Doctors, you should not just pay their dues as a gift without expecting a nice return on the investment. The stipulations should be: “You must attend at least 80% of the functions in your local dental assistants organization. And, you must bring back at least one good idea that can help our practice from the monthly meetings you attend.” Without expectations, it becomes just another benefit. You will quickly learn who on your team is career-minded and who has a job only when you make this part of your employee benefit package. Attending the ADAA annual session and networking with the leading assistants from all states made me proud to say I came from dental assisting to where I am today thanks to a dentist offering to pay my dues many years ago. Thanks, Dr. Wilson.

While in Nashville I also addressed the American Association of Women Dentists with an excerpt from my new seminar, Women Working With Women”. That was another highlight of July. I am encouraging every female dentist who is not a member of AAWD to become involved. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but was more than pleasantly surprised with the women dentists I met. They are true leaders in dentistry, not just AAWD, and enjoy the camaraderie of networking with like-minds who share their joys as well as frustrations. The mentoring process is alive and well at AAWD with the older dentists having such an impact on the younger ones and the students who were there with their instructors from several schools.

Speaking of the WWWW seminar, our Vegas seminar was a huge hit with the only negative comment, “I wish I had brought my entire staff”. Our second and third WWWW seminars for 2003 are Saturday, September 20^th in Atlanta and Friday, November 14^th in Chicago. To register or for more information call Lee at 800-922-0866. Having happy and accountable employees who get along well is the main objective of the WWWW program. I hope to see you and your staff at one of these seminars soon.

Our weeklong Alaskan Cruise was an incredible trip with perfect weather at the prime early July sailing. Don and I enjoyed a few days in Vancouver before setting sail on July 5^th.   As a bonus, we had in attendance Veterinarians as well as dentists, spouses and staff. Interestingly, the vets’ practice management and staff issues are no different than those of the dentists, so it was a fabulous experience for all in attendance. I especially enjoyed the mini-consultations with every doctor during our time at sea and feel we made some new “forever friends” on the cruise. Thanks to our travel agency and management staff, especially Peggy Shandy, for making every detail of the trip memorable, smooth and exciting. Also, thanks to Bent Ericksen for his Friday morning presentation on staffing issues. If you have not experienced a LLM&A SunFun Cruise, set sail with us March 11-15 for the newest SunFun topic “APPRECIATION—(The True Key to Success)”. Offices with a high degree of appreciation for the dentists/employers, associates and coworkers have the highest degree of success and the lowest degree of turnover. Too many practices do not show true appreciation for patients and the referrals they bring. Leadership includes the appreciation of staff and how to show it. If you are a frequent cruiser, you will again have the time of your life in Key West and Cozumel, not to mention the on-board fun. Many practices in the past, celebrating a good year and in anticipation of a following great year, made the SunFun Package a holiday gift for their team. The presentation of a gift certificate outlining the spring cruise brings exciting responses. Now that’s a gift that will pay big dividends back to you all year! If you are interested in this idea, call Peggy, our cruise director or her staff, at 877-673-4270 very soon. Dental supply sales representatives, laboratory staff, accountants, and office design companies should encourage their clients to be on this cruise. One of our topics on appreciation includes having more appreciation for the above named professionals with whom dentists work who are not part of their office support staff, but who play a significant role in their success. See our ads in Dental Practice Report and Dental Products Report or visit our site at www.DentalManagementU.com

So many dentists are totally unaware of one of the major problems facing their practices this decade. That is having VOICE MAIL answer their phones during patient hours. In many offices, the staff love the idea of not having the phone as a priority but it’s a known fact that the telephone is the lifeline to the outside world and patients expect to have a live person accommodating them immediately. Patients hate going through the “electronic receptionist” as VM is called. In making a dozen or more calls per day to dental practices across the country, I’m amazed at the high percentage of offices that are too busy to answer the phone. The ONLY time you should consider VM is when your practice is as large as you want it to be. If your practice has had a declining year (or years), learn whether this is a problem in your practice. Because family members use a private line to call in, many spouses of dentists aren’t aware this is happening. Do you really think the staff will say,  “oh, by the way doctor, seven patients today complained about not being able to reach a human when they called the office?” NO WAY!! Or, “doctor I’m sure you’d want to know that 6 of 7 times the VM took calls today, the caller hung up”. And remember for every person who complains there are eight to ten who simply left the practice. Some staff love not being interrupted with the phone. What they don’t realize is that the phone is their paycheck next month. Not having the phone as a priority this month could mean a definite decline and the losses come right out of the doctor’s back pocket, not anyone else’s. I’ve hesitated writing on this subject because our office has so many calls daily that it is impossible for our staff to answer them all personally. Therefore sometimes you will get our VM. You may say that is the same as your office. But because we don’t deal with dental emergencies and all of our calls can be returned, it is different. After 25 years, I’m not into GROWING my business, but maintaining it with a smaller staff and fewer people. When your practice reaches this stage, you may then use VM on occasion but not until it is at that stage.

One of the telephone communication tools I am however VERY in favor of is TELEVOX. The TeleVox list of products includes HouseCalls, an electronic confirmation system, Vox On-Hold Messages if you need to put a caller on hold for a minute or two, and Web Services. HouseCalls integrates with practice management software to deliver customized appointment reminders, account notices, birthday wishes, or any message the office chooses such as a relocation of your office notice. HouseCalls lets the staff focus on your in-office patient care, such as answering the phones live. With over 5000 customers, TeleVox takes its commitment to service and support seriously. For more information and how its products can benefit your practice, please contact Laura Ehlert, Marketing Manager at 800-644-4266 toll free, 251-633-9252 ext. 1326 or laurae@televox.com Also visit TeleVox on the web at www.televox.com Dentists who are TeleVox users, especially for those time-consuming confirmation/courtesy calls, love the idea that the important incoming calls can be given a new priority. When a dentist called our consulting division saying his August was down $8000 less than last year’s August, the first thing I asked is “how is the phone being handled”. When I told him of the VM nightmare many dentists are unaware of, he said that lightening hit his phones last week and took care of the problem. He admitted that the calls were on VM and that a patient mistakenly called his home number and was shocked when his wife (a life person answered). The patient told the wife that 9 of 10 times over the past year, VM took the calls. The doctor is also sure that it has been one of the major downfalls.

For CE in the past three months I attended the National Speakers convention in New Orleans for 5 days in July. It was wonderful seeing so many dental friends at NSA. I’ve been a member since 1982 but had not been to the annual convention in several years. I learned so much that I plan to share at our annual Speaking Consulting Network next May 22-24 in Vegas. For any of our readers who are not familiar with SCN, we are in our 8^th year. It is an annual conference for seasoned or start-up speakers, consultants and authors who wish to enhance their own speaking, consulting or writing business. Read more about SCN on our web-site www.DentalManagementU.com.  I will also be attending the DENTRIX Symposium the end of September in Provo, Utah. It is an exciting two days of 30 or so dental consultants and the DENTRIX corporate staff putting their heads together to make managing your practice better. I try to stay in tune with the latest updates in technology of the top three or four software companies as well as network with other professionals. This is what makes the entire profession better.

If your chairside dental assistants are in need of additional hands-on training and communication skills, my friends, Sheila and Courtney at EDA (Exceptional Dental Assistants) will be holding their Level I course in Richmond, VA, Friday, September 19 from 9-4 and their Level II on Friday, October 24^th. It is not too late to register if you hurry. 804-739-4375. I find that dental assistants are in dire need of four handed skills, laboratory techniques, charting, radiographs, sterilization and maintenance of equipment skills. This is all covered in Level One. Level Two includes the New Patient Experience, chairside communication, temporaries, child prophys, sealants, cosmetic whitening, and laboratory tracking systems. All this for ONLY $215 (1^st attendee, and $175 each additional from same office). If these courses are sold out you may ask for their next courses.

For all of the dentists in the US who have ever wanted to go to Australia you may be very interested in attending the Masters of Dentistry Extravaganza in Sydney in October 2004. I will be presenting along with many American speakers for this exciting conference. Log onto the web site for inquiry information and to be placed on the mailing list for receiving a brochure www.mastersofdentistry.com

Even though summers gone, it’s not too late to get your practice improvements in place before year-end. Have your staff all “singing from the same sheet of music” communications-wise, improve time management and scheduling woes, have accountable helpful team players, and improve the net profit and productivity by 20-30%. Call Lee today at 800-922-0866 for one of our consultants (or me) to reserve a half hour complimentary consultation to discuss your practice concerns. Our goal is to send the doctor and staff home on a happy note each day.

Linda Miles, CEO

Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered
complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in
touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to
unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message
to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know.

Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached
at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at
www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at
lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – Fall 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles& Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.

Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

Dynamic Data, Summer 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

Dentistry in the first five months of 2003 is having a tremendous recovery from the downslide of many practices the last quarter of 2002. It was like 9-11 actually happened a year late for some practices but thank goodness the slowdown was very temporary. The practice monitors we enjoy reviewing with our clients monthly are seeing months in early 2003 that are their best ever by concentrating on the management side of the practice during the “lull of last year”. Office morale is at an all time high, especially for the offices that sailed with us the end of March. What an exciting and fun time we had in Key West and Cozumel. My thanks to our behind the scenes cruise staff and their travel agency for the fabulous time enjoyed by over 400 dentists and staff. For those of you who did not get to enjoy our SunFun this year, plan early for 2004 and enjoy a $150 per person allowance by registering before August 1. Next year we sail on March 11-15 from Miami on the Imagination vessle. See full details to register and the topics that have been prepared specifically for this cruise by visiting our web-site under Seminars at www.DentalManagementU.com

The past few months have been a whirlwind of exciting meetings and travels with an anticipated slower pace this summer to enjoy my creative time. Having my newest manuscript written and edited over last summer made the entire year of 2002 extremely busy. We are now in our fourth month of book sales and they are far ahead of our first twelve months prediction. With the tech schools and military clinic sales we are pleased to say DYNAMIC DENTISTRY is our star performer of any product released over the last 25 years. To order your autographed copy (ies), call 800-922-0866, fax to 757-721-2892, order on-line at our web-site above, or e-mail your order to Lee Tarvin at leetarvin@cox.net. We will need your mailing address, the names and titles of each staff member and doctor. Remember you save $10 per copy by ordering ten or more. ($35 for one and $25 for ten or more). Large group practices, dental supply companies, labs, or specialists who wish to use the book as gifts to customers or referring dentists and staff can order 100 or more books at only $15 each. Dental study clubs may order together and get the large quantity prices for their entire study club members and staff as well (100 or more). On larger orders allow a two-week delivery time for autographed copies.

If your business and clinical assistants have not registered for the ADAA Meeting in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel July 17-20 please call 312-541-1550 for registration information. I will be addressing the House of Delegates Meeting on the 17 and would love to meet your staff there^. The ADAA also offers a 6-month complimentary membership to any chairside dental or business assistant who sends in the registration form from Dynamic Dentistry. There are also 5 CEUs being offered for completion of the 25-page questionnaire in the back of my book. Dentists and hygienists are encouraged to give their copy of the comp 6-month registration to a deserving assistant in their office.

How have the first five months of the year gone for your practice and you personally? Based on what we hear from our clients and seminar attendees, these are the major concerns dentists have presently:

Finding and retaining good staff. We all know that the level of competency of each team member creates the outcome of every day. “You are only as strong as your weakest link”; so they must all be high achievers with excellent communication skills, good work ethics, a professional image and a caring disposition. Unfortunately some dentists continue to hire low! By this I mean they are wanting above average in the traits above but are offering below average compensation and benefits. Career minded individuals will stay where they are appreciated, respected and the work environment is healthy and conducive to self-motivation.

What is the secret to some dentists finding and retaining good people? They realize they must invest in their people in order for them to invest in their business. They also know that the staff will treat the patients EXACTLY the way upper management treats them. They know that “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”. They include their staff in management decisions that affect the staff. They offer incentives of extra pay for extra effort and are happy when the goals are reached, they celebrate their successes with the people who make it happen. They treat each member of the team with dignity and respect, no matter which position the staff member holds. There is no favoritism, which creates low morale and jealousy. These doctors are not afraid to invest money in staff and practice development, realizing that their own clinical skills and new technology are important, but second in line to practice management and the staff being well trained.

What do we see in the field? Some dentists who hire, rarely train, rarely praise (but how can they praise because the staff’s performance s below average due to no training). It’s a true vicious cycle of staff turn-over, more headaches and sleepless nights for the dentist, staff apathy due to weak leadership skills of the dentist and or Office Administrator who is expected to fix the problems from the top when they have never been fixed at the root.

This problem will continue to exist unless the owner dentists take responsibility for changing the turnstile of level 3 or 4 staff who could become level 10-12 with training. So many times we had calls over the past few months of dentists needing to bring or send their staff to our two day Dental Business Conferences but opting not to make the $695 pp (for 3 or more) fee, because “what if the staff had the training but then left the practice and this dentist has trained the competition’s staff? “ Please know that “staff who are not trained and stay with you are far more expensive than staff who are trained and leave”.

An example of this is a dentist who brought his staff to our DC Dental Business Conference last November. His practice was already very productive and busy. He also invested in having one of our consultants come into his practice in early February. His staff members were wonderful to work with, like new play dough, versus set in their ways people! His practice is up over $30,000 PER MONTH the first four months. His out-go for the DBC training and the entire one-year practice enhancement program will end up being about one-twelfth his total increase for the year 2003. Where else can you recoup 7-12 times your investment the first year after this type of training? The good news is, the practice will only continue to grow and have professional fun working as a great team of people long after the initial investment. We don’t tout our consulting firm as the largest, we think of ours as the best!

If staff turnover, office morale problems lower than expected net income or total frustration is part of your daily activities, we can do something about it. But first, the owner must admit there’s a problem. Only then can they go about doing something to fix that problem. With the Hinman, the cruise, the busy month of May with OH, CT and the DISCUS meeting, we are busy but there’s always room for one more client. If you have been our client in the past we welcome you to look at your performance and environment after our services and compare them to the way things are now. If we can be of additional service, please call for a copy of our continuation services available to the 1200 practices that have used our consulting in years past. Just as your patients can’t come for one prophy and stay healthy, practices can’t have one consultation or DBC and continue to be successful. It is an on-going process of success.

A problem facing senior dentists is the sale of their practice with so many dentist/associates opting to start their own practice for less than most practices are being sold. With the shortage of dentists becoming greater over the next decade, the thought of having an unsaleable practice is a major concern for many dentists 50 years of age and over. Especially for those who have counted on the sale of their practice as their retirement money.  What are their options? Keep working (which many have decided to do after the stock market decline over the past four years). Sell the practice to more than one younger dentist and stay on as a one third owner or an associate, or keep trying to hire and retain just the right associate who is productive and will hopefully do a buy-in in the future? Most of the million dollar plus practices need more than one dentist. If you think staff turnover is rampant, associate relationships are even worse these days. For a complimentary copy of an article I wrote for the Snyder Group on this issue of “Why Associateships Fail”, send your fax number to me at lindamiles@cox.net and I will fax the completed article which is better than the WordPerfect rough draft. I also discuss this in my two newest tape series, “Life Cycles of a Successful Practice” and The Four Cornerstones of Success”. These can be ordered on our web-site or by calling 800-922-0866. Save $100 by ordering both sets and receive a copy of Dynamic Dentistry complimentary. (All for $185 plus S&H)

In one month we set sail on our Alaskan Cruise July 5-12. I will be able to have a 20-30 minute personal one-on-one with each practice owner as we are at sea several days of the week. I look forward to meeting those of you who are registered. We are still taking last minute sign-ups so if you wish to have the time of your life of super interaction, relaxation and Alaskan scenes at their peak, while getting off season rates, call our cruise line today in time to get your documents sent. That toll-free number is 877-673-4270. As a bonus in addition to my two half day lectures, Bent Ericksen will be presenting a four-hour workshop for dentists and spouses on staffing issues and just how to manage any staff issue you may have had in the past or will face in the future. For those of you who don’t know Bent, he is the leading expert in human resources in dentistry. All management consultants look to Bent for their personnel manuals, systems of personnel, and any issues relating to the legalities of hiring or dismissing staff. Visit their site at www.bentericksen.com 

If you have not registered for our Women Working With Women Seminars to be held this fall, please know we have a limited number of seats at the three locations (Las Vegas, August 22-23, two half-days), Atlanta, September 20 (Saturday), and Chicago November 14 (Friday), so please call or e-mail for your complimentary brochure or go to our web-site above for full details. Gina McMeans and I look forward to assisting male and female dentists with team building at it’s best by outlining the major reasons for staff conflicts and how to avoid them in the future. Even if your staff seems to get along well, this course will outline the three qualities that make for the ideal employee in dentistry, which are attitude, teamwork, and communication skills. One frequently asked question is: Are male dentists and male staff welcome to attend. By all means, they will leave with a new respect for how women think and respond which helps in all interactions. We all know, one’s paycheck is not based on longevity or experience, but attitude, performance and results! “If the money is not coming in the front door, the doctor can’t send it out the back door in the form of raises and better benefits”. In my 42 years in dentistry, I have never met a selfish dentist but I have met some frustrated dentists who would like to pay their staff more if the income was there to do so. Staff must become totally accountable for their own futures in dentistry and realize how in control of their doctor’s destiny they are with their every day contribution to the practice. The WWWW course will outline that in full detail as well as create an atmosphere of harmony in the offices that attend.

Have a great summer. Call or e-mail us if we can assist you or your staff in any way. Hope to see you sometime in 2004.

Sincerely,

Linda Miles, CEO

Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered
complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in
touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to
unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message
to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know.

Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached
at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at
www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at
lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – Summer 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles& Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.
Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

Dynamic Data

Spring 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

With this newsletter I will change the format from monthly to quarterly to keep up with the demand on my time that my new book, DYNAMIC DENTISTRY has created. Off the press only 6 weeks and already our firm’s busy-ness has increased dramatically as they are flying off the shelves. Autographing alone takes hours per month and the PR firm that will be handling the direct contacts to our market will have hundreds of hits going to our web-site within a few weeks. I keep trying to slow down and it just isn’t in the works!

Our six Certified Dental Business Conference presenters in the US and Kathy Metaxas of Australia, have taken a load off my travel to bring that particular program to all regions of the country. Their reports from audiences the past three months have been overwhelmingly positive. The only regret of any dentist who attended alone or with only their business staff is that they did not bring their entire staff. As you know, management is a total team effort and dentists all over the country are complaining that it is difficult to find qualified staff with positive attitudes and great skills. This two-day experience brings to the practice the needed skills in financial discussions, scheduling, recall effectiveness, chairside and business communication skills, teamwork, and marketing. If you are a member of a dental study club or society that would like to sponsor the two day Dental Business Conferences, call Annie, our DBC Director at Project Connection at 800-309-5063 and she will arrange for one of our presenters to come to your city upon request. The Workbook Masters are ready; the nametags and name cards for tables are available for each group. All you need is to get at least ten practices together and arrange the hotel and food functions. Their set fee allows for a 46% reduction in tuition per person for your group doing the arrangements. This is based on an estimated 50 people from 10 practices. We recommend a 90-day advance notice, as our presenters are busy consulting and speaking throughout the country.

It has been a whirlwind of travel the past month. The AADPA meeting in Tucson was one of the best in the ten years since Don and I started attending. Held at the beautiful LaPaloma Resort, hosted by Don Gary, the 2003 Meeting Planner, it was a home run. For you dentists who are not familiar with the American Academy of Dental Practice

Administration, it is one meeting you should strive to attend. It attracts the best practitioners focusing on management from each state. AADPA is by invitation only. To get on the invitation list for the 2004 Meeting at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in Vegas the first week of March 2004, call Kathy Uebel, Executive Director, at 800-689-7515 (Chicago time). One of the celebrity speakers this year was Dennis Waitley. He’s still going strong after 30 years on the platform. One of the best messages left with the audience was that he and his wife of 40 years have given their grown children the best gift of all times. They gathered the family together to announce their gift, which is the gift of earning! All their money will be donated to charitable foundations so the children must make it on their own! Now that’s a sobering thought for children of affluent parents!

Seattle/King County hosted my 14^th year in the past 25, when I addressed their group on March 14^th. It is always good to see Greg Kaveny, Executive Director and his staff, not to mention the dentists and staff from the great NW. Next year I will be doing a joint lecture for the Seattle/King County and Snohmish County Societies on Friday March 26^th.

The Hinman was an exceptional four days as usual. The total hospitality of this fine group of southern Atlanta area dentists and spouses rivals all meetings in dentistry. It is every speaker’s dream to be invited to this world class four-day affair. Hinman had record-breaking numbers of over 20,000 total attendance in spite of the beginning of the war in Iraq.

The last week of March was our SunFun Seminar Cruise to Key West and Cozumel. We were blessed with perfect weather every day, great food, service, and entertainment. We had over 400 excited dentists and staff members, many of whom had cruised with us before. Also on board were my six Dental Business Conference presenters who assisted me with 58 mini 30-minute consultations while at sea. How nice to get to know every dentist in the group! It was a fun-filled well-organized event thanks to Peggy, Noelle, Bonnie and Sue of our Cruise Headquarters and travel agency. We are in the process of taking reservations for our weeklong Alaskan cruise July 5-12 on board the Holland American line. Please call our SunFun toll free number for more details or to register for the best cabins (800-673-4270). Also, we are in the process of planning the next April team building cruise the latter part of April. Dates, itinerary and cruise line will be announced soon. Again, call the SunFun Headquarters above toll-free number to get on the list for a brochure as soon as the venue is firm.

TROJAN Dental is now available in additional states for updating insurance information on a monthly basis. Offices that have the TROJAN system report instant information that reduces hours of staff time on the phone with insurance companies verifying patient benefits. It also allows patients to make decisions regarding their treatment options. To learn more about this wonderful service for only pennies per day and monthly automatic updates call TROJAN direct at 800-451-9723.

CASE PRESENTATIONS. As every dentist knows, case presentation and acceptance is even more difficult in these slow economic times. One of the most important factors of case acceptance is altering the presentation to the patient you are talking with. If a dentist has only one style of presenting to all four behavioral style patients, their case acceptance is less than 50 percent effective. Knowing the patient’s style without going through a lengthy profile is the key.

If the patient is a high “D” they only want the facts as this stands for direct, decisive and impatient. These are people who can make a decision based on very few facts. They are easy to detect when they walk in as they are always in a hurry to be seen, hate to be kept waiting and want to know three things: What do I need? How much will it cost? And how soon can it be done? If the dentist is a passive presenter who seems wishy-washy with the diagnosis and treatment presentation, the patient is thinking, OK, do I need it or not? Or you’re the dentist, do what needs to be done but make it fast! These are the patients you must leave flextime in the schedule to accommodate quickly before they change their minds or go elsewhere.

The high “I” behavioral style on the DISC profiles is the patient that talks non-stop and is very interested in image and influencing others. They are motivated by esthetics and are the most generous of all behaviors, as well as being impulse shoppers. Using words such as “you not only need a healthy, attractive smile, you deserve it”, reaffirms the decision they are about to make in investing in their teeth and smile. These are your best esthetic dentistry candidates.

The “S” style stands for steadfast, loyal and dedicated. Their greatest fear is abrupt change and loss of security (money), to be exact. They only deal with people they like and trust. Presenting large treatment plans on the first or second visit can make the “S” leave your practice and never return. With the “S” you must let them know there is more treatment later but not to be concerned about until we complete phase one. Getting the “S” patient into a holding pattern to stop their emergency situations, then letting them know on subsequent appointments what else you can do for them is key. Too much too soon is instant departure for the “S” and 50% of the population is a high “S”. 10-15 % are high “D” or “C”, and 25% are high “I”.

The “C” patient stands for cautious and correct. Perfectionists off the scale. These patients want four years of dental school in a five-minute discussion. They ask many questions, like statistical data and are comforted by pictures, drawings, etc as part of the plan. These are your research analysts, computer geniuses, engineers, etc.

Besides knowing the patient’s behavioral style, it is nice to know the presenter’s style and know you must adjust to the person you are talking to. For more information on the Getting to Know You Patient DISC cards or the profiles for dentists and staff, visit our web-site at www.DentalManagementU.com. The patient product has been in the works for over two years. Approved for reproduction, last month, I’m happy to say you can now take the guesswork out of wondering which style your patients are. Available in lots of 100, 500, and 1,000 complete with a score pad for in-office use. Takes only three to five minutes for patients to fill out and costs only pennies per patient. Recommended for all patients, not just new ones. Be sure to tell them to circle ONLY ONE answer for the four questions for accurate scoring.

In your part of the world, I hope it is spring. We are finally seeing green grass and the annuals are starting to peek through the mulch in the yard. The golf course is shaping up and the flowers will soon be planted. Here’s hoping you and yours have a wonderful spring. Please call or e-mail me with any questions or ideas you may have. With the onset of the war, the stock market is beginning to show positive signs; hopefully the dental economy will follow suit. The trickle down effect from your patients’ financial situations has had an impact on the entire industry. If you remember back to the early 80’s and early 90’s, these too were lean times. With mid 2003 upon us, we should see an upturn soon. They say the stock market goes with women’s hemlines. Ladies burn all your long dresses and bring on the minis!

Don’t forget to look at our site for the three upcoming NEW fall seminars, Women Working With Women (from sabotage to support). The cities are Vegas, Atlanta and Chicago (Skokie). Atlanta and Chicago are being held at the wonderful Maggiano’s Conference centers. The food is something you will talk about for ages! Make plans now to make this your fall staff retreat. Hotels fill up fast in these cities so call Lee today for the recommended hotels near Maggiano’s within walking distance. 800-922-0866. The Vegas Hotel will be selected 90 days before the course. It will be on the strip. After this exciting and participative course, notice an immediate change in your teams accountability, enthusiasm and teamwork. You can receive a brochure upon request by e-mailing me at the address below or reviewing the topics on our web-site (also below). Gina McMeans and I look forward to seeing you and your staff on our front rows.

Linda Miles, CEO
Linda Miles and Associates

Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached
at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at
www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at
lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – Spring 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

For subscription (or unsubscribe) details, as well as Miles & Associates contact information, please see the end of this newsletter.
Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

March 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

The East Coast is still battling the worst winter in many years. It was great being in Tucson for the AADPA meeting last week where the weather was warmer and dryer!  In spite of illnesses, the threat of war and the economy, the practices I’ve monitored the past two months are reporting a strong first 60 days of 2003. This is a nice rebound for some that had a lower than usual last quarter of 2002.

My new “baby” arrived on February 25^th by freight weighing in at over 9,000 lbs. It’s my new book DYNAMIC DENTISTRY. Because of the delay in shipping due to weather on the East Coast we are busy shipping all the pre-release copies at the present time. The Army purchased 2300 copies as our largest order thus far and is making it mandatory for their clinic and business staff. Interestingly, they do not have to present or collect fees, deal with insurance companies, worry about the bottom line like a private practice, and they must take the employees that are sent to them, yet they are very interested in making their facilities the dynamic environment I write about in the book. Yours can be sent by ordering on our website www.DentalManagementU.com or calling 800-922-0866. Only $35 for one copy and $25 per copy for ten or more. (One for each staff member to write in, highlight and refer to often.)

Also my newest audio tapes The Four Cornerstones of Success and the Life Cycles of a Successful Practice are on special with the book for $185 plus S&H. These audio tapes are great for listening while you walk, run or drive.

Last but not least, visit our 25^th Anniversary Birthday Party at our Hinman Booth #1141. My consultants Susan and Janelle, will be there each day with the MOOSE from our Alaskan Cruise to welcome you. We will be giving $25 off every product order over $200, $250 off the One Hour Practice Analysis Consulting (PAC), $250 off our $595 9-video series for Lunch and Learns, $250 off our two day Dental Business Conference registrations for the remainder of 2003, and the GRAND PRIZE is $2500 off our one year Practice Enhancement Program (PEP). The Moose will be given in a drawing along with a fee break on the Alaskan Cruise the 7^th-12^th of July, 2003. To register for the Alaskan cruise, call our SunFun Seminar Center at 877-673-4270. Our W. Caribbean cruise is sold out with over 400 in attendance. For those of you going this year, see you in two weeks!

______________________________________________________________________

Rather than write a lengthy personal message this month, I would like to pass along the newsletter I receive weekly from my speaking friend, Dr. Alan Zimmerman. He speaks from the heart and delivers a powerful message. Feel free to register for your own Tuesday’s Tips with Dr. Zimmerman newsletter that I read every week without fail. I would also highly recommend Alan as a speaker for one of your upcoming meetings.

Have a great month of March and enjoy Alan’s message.

Linda Miles

**********DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE*****************

These are tough times. There’s no getting around it. And who knows when things will get better or easier. But I do know this. When times are tough, organizations tend to go in one of two directions. Some organizations cut out all their training and professional development. They think they can’t “afford” that kind of “stuff” anymore.

Other organizations do just the opposite. They spend more time in training than ever before. They know they’ve got to equip their people with the positive attitudes and the people skills that will get them through the tough times.

That’s where I can help. I’ve helped more than 2000 organizations get outstanding results by teaching their people to use a few, simple communication skills.

Just don’t wait too late before you ask me to speak. My speaking calendar is already 68% filled for the entire year, and it’s only February. And last year I had to turn down dozens of requests for programs because I was already booked.

So if you’re thinking you might have a meeting sometime this year, if you’re thinking I can be of help, give me or one of my staff members a call. We can talk about your needs and see what the next step might be. Call us at 1-800-621-7881.

Thanks.

Dr. Alan Zimmerman

*******************************************************
***********Tuesday’s Tip with Dr. Zimmerman************

#141

February 25, 2003

Tip:

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

Dr. Alan Zimmerman’s Comment:

Dr. J. Allan Peterson, the author of several books on relationships, says that 69% of married people do not work at building their marriages. They simply take each other for granted.

He says the average husband has the attitude of “Why do you have to chase the bus once you’ve caught it.” And the average wife has the attitude of “Once you’ve caught the fish you throw away the bait.”

Unfortunately, with that little work being put into relationships, with that attitude toward relationships, it’s no wonder people grow up and find out they only have one thing in common. They just happened to be married on the same day.

At the root of so many relationship problems is the fact that so many people just stop giving to each other. Or they give the wrong things to one another.

You see it all the time–even in parent-child relationships. Parents often give the wrong things. Indeed, they’re more likely to give the children “things” than they are experiences. They mistakenly think that’s what the kids want and need. Then, when the kids grow up, they have nothing to remember.

One jokester put it this way. He said, “When I was a child, my parents gave me a bat for Christmas. Unfortunately, the first time I played with it, it flew away.”

Of course, it’s not an entirely new problem. Some parents didn’t understand this giving concept years ago. Charles Frances Adams, a 19th century diplomat, wrote in his diary one day, “Took my boy fishing today. A wasted day.” His son, Brook Adams, wrote in his diary the same day, “Went fishing today with my father. Greatest day of my life.”

I think the same problem exists in many organizations. Many organizations make the mistake of giving their people ” things” instead of “experiences.” They give their employees a decent salary, a few benefits, and an occasional T-shirt with the company logo.

That’s fine. But strong, healthy, lasting work relationships need more than things. They need their organizations to give them some positive experiences as well. Gilmore and Pine make that abundantly clear in their best-selling book, ” The Experience Economy.”

The bottom line is simply this. Any good relationship, whether that be at home or on the job, is built on a foundation of loving and giving. Oh, you can call it different things. You can use different terms–such as caring, service, and recognition–but it all boils down to loving and giving.

So how do you do that? Let me suggest some simple principles of giving. You can apply these principles to anyone with whom you live or work.

First, GIVE NOW. Don’t wait for the employee’s annual performance review or your wife’s birthday to give. They already expect to receive something, so that lessens the impact of your giving. Give now.

It’s like the cow and pig having a discussion. The cow talked about how he gave milk and cream everyday. But the pig was angry. He said, “I give my all–ham, knuckles, even my skin for brushes. So why do they love you so much and not me?” The cow replied, “Maybe it’s because I do my giving when I’m living.” He gave now.

Second, GIVE WHAT THE OTHER PERSON WOULD APPRECIATE. No one tries to be intentionally insensitive, but it happens all too often. I see it when the boss gives his employees tickets to a baseball game, but some of his employees could care less about baseball. I see it when a husband gives his wife a new TV set, but he’s the one who does most of the TV viewing. You’ve got to give what the other person would appreciate.

One gentleman understood the necessity of giving what the other person would appreciate. Every morning he passed by the house of a lonely, elderly widow and would give her  a rose.

One day, as she was entertaining a visitor, she said, “The rose comes from his garden. Here he comes right now, taking a walk with his friend.”

And sure enough, the gentleman handed her a beauty. With a gallant bow, he said, “I grew this one just for you.”

As the gentleman and his friend walked away, the gentleman explained sheepishly, “I’ve never been in a garden in my life. I buy her a rose in the florist shop down the street every morning. It gives her such
a happy look for a few moments.”

Give what the other person would appreciate.

Then third, GIVE EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT. Give when it’s not easy. Such sacrificial giving often brings the best results.

Cecil Osborne discussed that in his book, “The Art of Understanding Your Mate.” He discussed the case of a woman who told her counselor, “I hate my husband. I can’t stand him. I not only want to divorce him, but I want to make things as difficult for him as I can.”

The counselor wisely perceived something else was going on. So he said, “I have an answer for you. When you leave my office, I want you to go home and start catering to your husband’s every whim. Love him. Compliment him. Pamper him. Make life as easy and wonderful for him as you possibly can. Then when he gets to the point where he needs you and is flowering in the glory of your attention, file for a divorce. That will fracture him.”

The woman left, and for months the counselor did not hear anything from her. One evening at a social event, however, he saw her across the room. He asked, “I haven’t heard from you since we talked. Did you divorce your husband?”

“Divorce my husband,” she gasped. “I love my husband. I took your advice. Every bit of it. We’ve never been happier.”

The counselor’s strategy worked. When the woman gave when she didn’t feel like it, when she didn’t want to, when it wasn’t easy, the relationship improved.

Finally, GIVE EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT GET ANYTHING IN RETURN. That’s the very nature of giving. If you expect something in return, you’re not giving. You’re exchanging.

One 5-year old boy understood this principle. His story was told by a hospital volunteer.

The volunteer said she got to know a little girl, a patient named Liz, who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother. He had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the disease.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. The boy hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it, if it will save her.”

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale, and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”

Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. But he was willing to give even though he wouldn’t get anything in return.

Follow these four principles of giving, and I guarantee better relationships in every part of your life.

Action:

I challenge you this week to be the best giver you have ever been. Give to people at home, at work, anyplace at anytime. Just follow the principles I’ve outlined, and notice what happens. Notice how people respond and how you feel. There will be some wonderful outcomes.

And then, if you’re real brave, share your stories with me. If I use your story in an upcoming issue of the Tuesday Tips to inspire others, I’ll send you a free audio cassette of one of my programs.

Have a fantastic week!
Dr. Alan Zimmerman

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***************LET’S TRADE FAVORS*********************

I hope you are benefiting from my “Tuesday Tips” on motivation, leadership, positive attitudes, and work relationships. I personally write each and every one of them, and I spend several hourseach week trying to give you practical, powerful tips that really work. And I promise to keep on giving you the best information. That’s my gift to you.

But I’d like a small favor from you. I’d like you to recommend the “Tuesday Tips” to lots of other people. I want to reach hundreds of thousands of people because I know the information will makea positive difference in their lives. All you have to do is send them to this link http://www.drzimmerman.com/motivatingyourself.htm where they can sign up for their own subscription.

And you don’t have to worry. All e-mail addresses are kept strictly confidential. They will never be given out.

Thanks. I like trading favors.
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========TWO DAYS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE============

I just finished another Peak Performance Boot Camp. It was a great success because the people were fabulous, and the content was outstanding.

If you haven’t attended one of Dr. Zimmerman’s Peak Performance Boot Camps, you’re not only missing out, YOU’RE CHEATING YOURSELF. You’re not getting all the self-esteem, balance, energy, motivation, teamwork and cooperation you could have.

I invite you–No–I urge you to sign up for the only remaining off-site Peak Performance Boot Camp in 2003. It will be October 27-28 in Minneapolis. I guarantee your absolute satisfaction. And I’ll even give you over $1500 of free products and services, when you sign up.

IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO SIGN UP. We already have 8 registrations for the October Boot Camp. And there are some generous discounts for early-bird registrations.

The last Boot Camp sold out and this one will sell out. Don’t wait. Call us today at 800-621-7881 or click here http://www.drzimmerman.com/bootcamp.htm for more information on my website.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Alan Zimmerman is a full-time professional speaker, who has given more than 3000 keynote, half, and full day programs across the country and around the world. His high energy, high content, high involvement programs help: 1) create more positive work environments, 2) where people are motivated to give their very best, 3) while working with colleagues and customers as a team.

When you hire Dr. Zimmerman, you will receive an outstanding program that your participants will love. They will learn skills they can use immediately – on and off the job – to get better results immediately. And they will have fun in the learning process.

Click here http://www.drzimmerman.com/programs.htm or cut and paste this address into your web browser for Dr. Zimmerman’s complete list of programs.

Feel free to call Dr. Zimmerman or his staff to discuss your program needs or e-mail any questions you might have. He would be happy to respond.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP
Tel: 952-492-3888
Fax: 952-492-5888
E-mail: Alan@DrZimmerman.com

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Weekly tips for success in your career, business, relationships and life from best selling author, Tim Connor. To subscribe go to: www.timconnor.com

==============COPYRIGHT AND REPRINTS==================

Reprint permission is granted when the following credit appears: “© Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman, CSP, 2003. Reprinted with permission from ‘Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tip,’ a weekly Internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription, go to www.DrZimmerman.com

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================PRIVACY STATEMENT=====================

Your e-mail address is absolutely confidential. We will NEVER give, sell or share your address with anyone.

======================================================

Until next month,

Linda L. Miles, CEO

Linda Miles and Associates

Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know.  Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – March 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

Dynamic Data

Spring 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

With this newsletter I will change the format from monthly to quarterly to keep up with the demand on my time that my new book, DYNAMIC DENTISTRY has created. Off the press only 6 weeks and already our firm’s busy-ness has increased dramatically as they are flying off the shelves. Autographing alone takes hours per month and the PR firm that will be handling the direct contacts to our market will have hundreds of hits going to our web-site within a few weeks. I keep trying to slow down and it just isn’t in the works!

Our six Certified Dental Business Conference presenters in the US and Kathy Metaxas of Australia, have taken a load off my travel to bring that particular program to all regions of the country. Their reports from audiences the past three months have been overwhelmingly positive. The only regret of any dentist who attended alone or with only their business staff is that they did not bring their entire staff. As you know, management is a total team effort and dentists all over the country are complaining that it is difficult to find qualified staff with positive attitudes and great skills. This two-day experience brings to the practice the needed skills in financial discussions, scheduling, recall effectiveness, chairside and business communication skills, teamwork, and marketing. If you are a member of a dental study club or society that would like to sponsor the two day Dental Business Conferences, call Annie, our DBC Director at Project Connection at 800-309-5063 and she will arrange for one of our presenters to come to your city upon request. The Workbook Masters are ready; the nametags and name cards for tables are available for each group. All you need is to get at least ten practices together and arrange the hotel and food functions. Their set fee allows for a 46% reduction in tuition per person for your group doing the arrangements. This is based on an estimated 50 people from 10 practices. We recommend a 90-day advance notice, as our presenters are busy consulting and speaking throughout the country.

It has been a whirlwind of travel the past month. The AADPA meeting in Tucson was one of the best in the ten years since Don and I started attending. Held at the beautiful LaPaloma Resort, hosted by Don Gary, the 2003 Meeting Planner, it was a home run. For you dentists who are not familiar with the American Academy of Dental Practice
Administration, it is one meeting you should strive to attend. It attracts the best practitioners focusing on management from each state. AADPA is by invitation only. To get on the invitation list for the 2004 Meeting at the beautiful Ritz Carlton in Vegas the first week of March 2004, call Kathy Uebel, Executive Director, at 800-689-7515 (Chicago time). One of the celebrity speakers this year was Dennis Waitley. He’s still going strong after 30 years on the platform. One of the best messages left with the audience was that he and his wife of 40 years have given their grown children the best gift of all times. They gathered the family together to announce their gift, which is the gift of earning! All their money will be donated to charitable foundations so the children must make it on their own! Now that’s a sobering thought for children of affluent parents!

Seattle/King County hosted my 14th year in the past 25, when I addressed their group on March 14th. It is always good to see Greg Kaveny, Executive Director and his staff, not to mention the dentists and staff from the great NW. Next year I will be doing a joint lecture for the Seattle/King County and Snohmish County Societies on Friday March 26th.

The Hinman was an exceptional four days as usual. The total hospitality of this fine group of southern Atlanta area dentists and spouses rivals all meetings in dentistry. It is every speaker’s dream to be invited to this world class four-day affair. Hinman had record-breaking numbers of over 20,000 total attendance in spite of the beginning of the war in Iraq.

The last week of March was our SunFun Seminar Cruise to Key West and Cozumel. We were blessed with perfect weather every day, great food, service, and entertainment. We had over 400 excited dentists and staff members, many of whom had cruised with us before. Also on board were my six Dental Business Conference presenters who assisted me with 58 mini 30-minute consultations while at sea. How nice to get to know every dentist in the group! It was a fun-filled well-organized event thanks to Peggy, Noelle, Bonnie and Sue of our Cruise Headquarters and travel agency. We are in the process of taking reservations for our weeklong Alaskan cruise July 5-12 on board the Holland American line. Please call our SunFun toll free number for more details or to register for the best cabins (800-673-4270). Also, we are in the process of planning the next April team building cruise the latter part of April. Dates, itinerary and cruise line will be announced soon. Again, call the SunFun Headquarters above toll-free number to get on the list for a brochure as soon as the venue is firm.

TROJAN Dental is now available in additional states for updating insurance information on a monthly basis. Offices that have the TROJAN system report instant information that reduces hours of staff time on the phone with insurance companies verifying patient benefits. It also allows patients to make decisions regarding their treatment options. To learn more about this wonderful service for only pennies per day and monthly automatic updates call TROJAN direct at 800-451-9723.

CASE PRESENTATIONS. As every dentist knows, case presentation and acceptance is even more difficult in these slow economic times. One of the most important factors of case acceptance is altering the presentation to the patient you are talking with. If a dentist has only one style of presenting to all four behavioral style patients, their case acceptance is less than 50 percent effective. Knowing the patient’s style without going through a lengthy profile is the key.

If the patient is a high “D” they only want the facts as this stands for direct, decisive and impatient. These are people who can make a decision based on very few facts. They are easy to detect when they walk in as they are always in a hurry to be seen, hate to be kept waiting and want to know three things: What do I need? How much will it cost? And how soon can it be done? If the dentist is a passive presenter who seems wishy-washy with the diagnosis and treatment presentation, the patient is thinking, OK, do I need it or not? Or you’re the dentist, do what needs to be done but make it fast! These are the patients you must leave flextime in the schedule to accommodate quickly before they change their minds or go elsewhere.

The high “I” behavioral style on the DISC profiles is the patient that talks non-stop and is very interested in image and influencing others. They are motivated by esthetics and are the most generous of all behaviors, as well as being impulse shoppers. Using words such as “you not only need a healthy, attractive smile, you deserve it”, reaffirms the decision they are about to make in investing in their teeth and smile. These are your best esthetic dentistry candidates.

The “S” style stands for steadfast, loyal and dedicated. Their greatest fear is abrupt change and loss of security (money), to be exact. They only deal with people they like and trust. Presenting large treatment plans on the first or second visit can make the “S” leave your practice and never return. With the “S” you must let them know there is more treatment later but not to be concerned about until we complete phase one. Getting the “S” patient into a holding pattern to stop their emergency situations, then letting them know on subsequent appointments what else you can do for them is key. Too much too soon is instant departure for the “S” and 50% of the population is a high “S”. 10-15 % are high “D” or “C”, and 25% are high “I”.

The “C” patient stands for cautious and correct. Perfectionists off the scale. These patients want four years of dental school in a five-minute discussion. They ask many questions, like statistical data and are comforted by pictures, drawings, etc as part of the plan. These are your research analysts, computer geniuses, engineers, etc.

Besides knowing the patient’s behavioral style, it is nice to know the presenter’s style and know you must adjust to the person you are talking to. For more information on the Getting to Know You Patient DISC cards or the profiles for dentists and staff, visit our web-site at www.DentalManagementU.com. The patient product has been in the works for over two years. Approved for reproduction, last month, I’m happy to say you can now take the guesswork out of wondering which style your patients are. Available in lots of 100, 500, and 1,000 complete with a score pad for in-office use. Takes only three to five minutes for patients to fill out and costs only pennies per patient. Recommended for all patients, not just new ones. Be sure to tell them to circle ONLY ONE answer for the four questions for accurate scoring.

In your part of the world, I hope it is spring. We are finally seeing green grass and the annuals are starting to peek through the mulch in the yard. The golf course is shaping up and the flowers will soon be planted. Here’s hoping you and yours have a wonderful spring. Please call or e-mail me with any questions or ideas you may have. With the onset of the war, the stock market is beginning to show positive signs; hopefully the dental economy will follow suit. The trickle down effect from your patients’ financial situations has had an impact on the entire industry. If you remember back to the early 80’s and early 90’s, these too were lean times. With mid 2003 upon us, we should see an upturn soon. They say the stock market goes with women’s hemlines. Ladies burn all your long dresses and bring on the minis!

Don’t forget to look at our site for the three upcoming NEW fall seminars, Women Working With Women (from sabotage to support). The cities are Vegas, Atlanta and Chicago (Skokie). Atlanta and Chicago are being held at the wonderful Maggiano’s Conference centers. The food is something you will talk about for ages! Make plans now to make this your fall staff retreat. Hotels fill up fast in these cities so call Lee today for the recommended hotels near Maggiano’s within walking distance. 800-922-0866. The Vegas Hotel will be selected 90 days before the course. It will be on the strip. After this exciting and participative course, notice an immediate change in your teams accountability, enthusiasm and teamwork. You can receive a brochure upon request by e-mailing me at the address below or reviewing the topics on our web-site (also below). Gina McMeans and I look forward to seeing you and your staff on our front rows.

Linda Miles, CEO
Linda Miles and Associates

Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered
complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in
touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to
unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message
to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know.
Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached
at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at
www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at
lindamiles@cox.net
Miles & Associates – Spring 2003
Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free

Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757.721.3332
757.721-2892 (Fax)
800.922.0866 Toll-free
www.DentalManagementU.com

Dynamic Data, January 2003

Dear Doctors and Staff,

Happy New Year to you and yours. With the holidays now behind us we are still feeling the spirit of the season, working diligently to tie up loose ends of 2002. I hope the month of December allowed for some “kick-back” time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Here’s hoping that 2002 has been a good year for all of you and your practices. Sometimes the word GOOD means more than having increased productivity. Sometimes, it is the lessons we learn from those we love and take care of that mean more than monetary gains.

I received a real Christmas feeling about a month ago when I had a heartfelt telephone conversation with one of my favorite clients. In our time together I had goose bumps as he explained his year of not being as in touch as we normally are. One of his long-term employees, age 42 was diagnosed with cancer early in the year, with a very weak prognosis for survival. His other long term Office Coordinator lost her parents and had knee surgery. I was amazed as this wonderful doctor explained to me that in spite of lower numbers this year; he had had HIS BEST YEAR EVER! Wanting no recognition for his kindness, he explained to me how he had gone to every doctor’s appointment with his cancer patient staff member so that he could be there for her family. He explained how he was there throughout her lengthy surgery to be able to ask questions her family may not have thought to ask. His real love for his team is immeasurable as he went on to say how they had all pulled together during these two staff members’ many missed days, and how much he owed to the rest of his staff and his wonderful associate for carrying the load for him when he was not there. The real goose bumps came when he quietly explained to me that going through this year with these women who are like his sisters, had done more for him than his kindness had done for them. Now that’s the true sign of a leader. I can only surmise that these acts of kindness should serve as a beacon to every man and woman in business as to the real meaning of commitment. And……Dr. Bob, when you get to dental heaven, even though you expect nothing in return, there WILL be a star or two in your crown. I hope every dentist reading this message will share it with his or her staff. The good news is that his two staff members are back to work job-sharing one position as two part time employees. The patients, their co-workers, and the two doctors could not be happier to have them back as one happy family.
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We are having exciting responses to the new Linda Miles signature package of recare cards for the hygiene department. Log onto www.hycomb.com and check out the new and exciting designs. For those of you who wish you had the perfect letter sample for any situation that occurs in the practice, while you’re at it, scan the valuable index of letters in VTY (Very Truly Yours).
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One of the most interesting problems that consultants are discovering these days is the mis-information in the practices computer generated monthly reports. Take for instance the Aged Analysis of the Accounts Receivables. Unless the practice takes into consideration the credit balances that can greatly offset the debit balances, their reports are inaccurate. Some practices separate and exclude the accounts that have been turned over for collections, which also gives a false report of the true money that is owed to the practice. If your practice does not have a set policy on adjustments, please create a policy soon. “There will be absolutely no adjustments or write-offs without the written permission and signature of the dentist.” Internal auditing is weak at best in most practices, leaving the doctor wide-open to become one of the four out of ten dentists who will be embezzled this year. Most practices are not even balancing daily. The dentist believes that if the deposit slip matches the collections for the day that must mean they have balanced. We could go around the world on honest errors and deliberate wrongdoing in the dental business arena. Start the year off with a forensic audit from your bank or accounting firm, invest in additional computer training for the doctor and staff, request the important computer generated reports, review them with the financial coordinator or practice administrator, and ask detailed questions. In fact, it is a good idea for every dentists and spouse of dentist (who is the co-owner of the practice), to become consultants to their own practice to safeguard their assets. Allowing the business to be wide open for problems is like one staff member said, “If he, (the dentist) doesn’t even look the reports our computer generates, why should we care whether they are in order.” And, “thank goodness I work for him and really do care, as he would be an easy target for someone who didn’t”.
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Our two day Dental Business Conferences are getting tons of press with the ads in Dental Practice Report, Dental Products Report, The Dental Assistant Journal, Care Credit mailers, and thousands of brochures. These exciting practice and staff development courses are limited for a smaller group interaction so before the reservations in the city nearest you are filled, call Annie, our DBC Director at 800-309-5063 today and reserve your seats. Some of the quotes from our last DBC in Northern Virginia include:

“ The seminar has provided me with more useful applicable/timely information than all my other practice management seminars & groups that I have ever attended or utilized. What a truly dynamic speaker!” Dr Matt Brokaw, Richmond, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)
“ There were so many great topics, examples and suggestions no one can leave this course without leaving with positive changes to their practice”. Teresa Weakley, RDH, Dr Matthew Brokaw, Richmond, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02

“As a new employee to the dental community (10 months), I wish I would have been to this seminar after my first month of joining a dental team. I could have started out my career with so much information.” Kathleen Cubbage, Appt Coordinator, Dr Steve Gardner, Harrisonburg, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)

“This conference was a wonderful team building experience for us. We realize some changes we need to make and recognize our successes. Plus it was a treat to spend time with each other socially and in a learning environment.” Stephanie Chapman, Office Administrator, Dr Jorge “Rick” Rios, Leesburg, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)

“ I have been to now 5 different dental meetings. At some meetings the speaker said, “never hire people with no dental background” or simply didn’t give me any information that I could take back to my office and use. I want to thank you for #1 making me feel ok about not having a lot of ”experience” and #2 actually giving me ideas, scripts and ways of handling patients. I took more from this meeting than all the other meets put together. Thank you for helping my career!”
Michelle King, Appt Coordinator, Drs Flesch & Hollander, Arlington VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)

“Your course here has tied it all together for me. My doctor had given me your videos and scripts but seeing you in person greatly influenced how I will be doing my job.” Carol Joseph, Office Administrator, Dr Robert McGrail, Fredericksburg, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)

“ Great program! Linda provides a wealth of information for every practice, established or just starting out!” Dr Rod Mayberry, Oakton, VA (DBC-VA02 11/1-2/02)

AND A FEW FROM THE DENTSAR SEMINAR IN NOVEMBER IN THE GRAND CAYMANS.
“ Thank you for sharing your knowledge and helping dentistry for all these years.” Dr D’Wayne Fowler, Ellijay, GA (Dentsar Seminars Grand Cayman Island 11/8/02)

“ Linda Miles lays it out on the line. She really makes you feel motivated. She’s very interesting. We already have implemented different ideas already in our practice.” Mary Ann Stein, RDH
for Dr Vivian Letizia, Woodstock, NY (Dentsar Seminars Grand Cayman Islands 11/8/02)

“ We’ve seen you before and there’s always at least 1 major thing that impacts or office greatly.”
Klarissa Convertino, OA for Dr Ronald S Sambursky, Vestal NY (Dentsar Seminars Grand Cayman Island 11/8/02)
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The month of December found me consulting for a two-day follow-up in Alabama in one of my favorite client practices. This solo practice in the 80’s, when I began my visits, is now a three-dentist practice of highly skilled doctors and staff. The two 31 year old dentists who have purchased the practice from my client have the senior dentist and the core group of long term employees to thank for paving the way to a very successful situation. Their staff members are the best combination of employees I’ve seen in a practice this size. After several visits, our clients are more like family, which makes the travel worthwhile. After being delayed by the ice storm that immobilized the Charlotte area on what was to be my day off in Charlotte, I finally made it the day before I was to speak for the New Dentist Forum at the Holiday Dental Conference. The numbers were diluted by the fierce storm that kept homes without electricity for over a week, but it did not dampen the spirits of those who were there.
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ATTENTION all speakers and consultants! Registrations are now being taken for the 7th Annual Speaking/Consulting Network being held in Charlotte, NC at the Embassy Suites Hotel (4800 Tryon Street) May 1-3. There are 40 spaces for first time members and 60 spaces for returnee members. Those who wish to have their space reserved should call Lee Tarvin soon at 800-922-0866. Monthly payments for the registration fee can be deducted from your credit card every 10th of each month if you wish to have installments. On day one the first timers will convene to go over the extensive workbook that is considered every speaker/consultant’s best investment. It is 20 years of how to’s in marketing and managing a speaking business from A-Z. Checklists and the importance of writing and being published, how to’s in developing the passive income part of the business through product development, and important references that are only shared with SCN members are part of day one.

There are now currently 17 hands on projects to be covered with all attendees on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3. From a panel of pros to how to go International, from group consulting to the inside scoop of how to use numbers to improve consulting skills. Speakers and Consultants at all levels of their career make it an annual ritual to attend SCN for the planned events but also to network with other members, the invited VIPs and Corporate Sponsors. This year for the first time there will be optional Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning private seminars given by Gina McMeans on conflict resolution, Dr. Steve Gutter on developing a strong hygiene department and David Reznik and Kathy Metaxas on forming speaking alliances with other members as well as program development. All registered members will be included in the marketing of these optional courses.
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If you would like to start the New Year with a 20-40% increase in production and a huge reduction of stress, invest in an in-office consultation or a follow-up date. Susan and Janelle, our two senior management consultants receive rave reviews from the practices they are working with at the present time. The majority of staff in dentistry need additional training in order to perform at a high enough level of excellence to receive compliments. Dentists are frustrated with the less than ideal performance of their staff or their lack of communication skills with patients. Or, dentists are taking a look at the year 2002 figures and wondering where their growth potential went when they know their practice is one of the best. The truth of the matter is, the best want to be better, therefore these are the practices we hear from for in-office consulting and hands on one day staff development programs. Some practices don’t need a full blown one year practice consultation. They simply need to invest in a one day focused staff development program to enhance the skills the staff already possess or to bring newer employees up to speed very quickly. Talk to your dental colleagues in town and bring our consultants in for a day in several practices so that you may share travel expenses. Their schedules are filling quickly and will become even busier after the Dental Business Conferences convene in March and our Hinman Exhibit Booth. Call 800-922-0866 for more information or to be referred to our consultants personally.
We at LLM&A would love to hear from our readers. Unless I’m out of the country, your e-mails will be answered within two days. Let us hear how your 2002 year went. What was great and what was less than expected?

Watch for articles I’ve written in Discus’s new TEETH magazine, the new and exciting WOMEN IN DENTISTRY (Journal of the American Association of Women Dentists), Dental Practice Report’s quarterly HYGIENE SUPPLEMENT, Dental Practice Report’s PRACTICALLY SPEAKING.

Sincerely,
Linda Miles
Please keep in mind this newsletter is being offered complimentary in response to the many requests to stay in touch with our clients and followers. If you wish to unsubscribe to Dynamic Data please send an e-mail message to lindamiles@cox.net to let us know. Miles & Associates’ corporate headquarters may be reached at 800.922.0866. Fax us at 757.721.2892. On the web at www.DentalManagementU.com, or via email at lindamiles@cox.net.

Miles & Associates – January 2003

Miles & Associates
Linda L Miles & Associates
P.O. Box 6249
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-0249
Phone: 757.721.3332
FAX: 757.721.2892
800.922.0866 Toll-free