Happy Holidays as we begin the new year of 2008. We hope your 2007 has closed on a positive note and that 2008 will be a wonderful year of great patient care, improved teamwork and prosperity. More importantly, I hope your work environment is a pleasant place each day with happy, accountable team members and patients saying, "yes" to the treatment they deserve.

From all indications, it has been an exciting year for most of our clients, but a bit disappointing for some of the non LLM&A clients and seminar attendees we have spoken with over the past few months. For some practices it has been a down year….many said their first in twenty years! It’s pre-election, coupled with the economy, plus higher fuel and heating costs. Some folks my age are reporting their electric and home heating bills have now exceeded their monthly mortgages of thirty years ago! With those types of reports, in 2007 if you finished anywhere near 2006, you had a good year. If you had a downturn, you are among the majority….and if 2007 was an increase over 2006, pat yourselves on the back and celebrate with your team.

What is a practitioner to do when times are slower? The worst thing they can do is play into the decline, which only makes it worse. When the leader is down, the practice continues to go down. While I don’t believe in lying to yourself, your team nor your patients, I do believe in telling the truth in advance….very different than lying!! Start the New Year off with very positive body language, very positive conversations with patients and your team. Talk about what’s right, rather than dwelling on what’s not right (at the moment). We all know that better times follow slow times. It’s a matter of time before the blue turns green again. The faster the leader changes their mood, the quicker you will see this turn-about. We know it’s NOT EASY to talk positively when production is down and you have open time on your books for the first time in fifteen or twenty years. BUT….as the leader, it is crucial for the healing process of this downturn (if you had one).

Three rules to follow:

1) Come to work in a happy mood and let your team and patients know you are happy to be there/see them.

2) Use your downtime to hold in-office hands-on training to allow each team member to learn from each department what they do best. Thirty-minute table clinics given by doctors, hygienists, clinical assistants and administrative staff while someone else answers the phones, will be two hours well spent each month. (For a complimentary copy of our recommended table clinic topics for nine out of twelve months)….you add the other three, email me at lindamiles@cox.com.

3) Attend practice management and clinical courses when things are slower….this will help increase productivity and improve morale. Then when the times change and the busyness returns, you can hit the ground running with newfound skills and techniques. I know it costs money to do so, but your alternatives are not good….Keep doing what you are doing and you will stay stuck for months to come. Break the cycle of sameness so your down-time will disappear. Improved verbal skills are the root of all improvements. Having your team well prepared for the excuses patients use to NOT come to the dentist will keep patients on the schedule. Learn that broken appointments start chairside….not at the desk. Let your clinical team know it’s their responsibility to stress the importance of the next visit while patients are seated today. Learn why dentists cause more than 50% of the no-shows in hygiene by what they aren’t saying in the hygiene operatory during the examination. In other words, get the entire team on fire for having a great 2008 NOW. Otherwise, you might be having the same conversations a year from now about how slow things are….99.5% of our active clients are up by 15-35% this year. In some cases, they have had to FAKE IT UNTIL THEY MADE IT, but the power of positive leadership and happy team members is key in having a positive year in a negative economy. (See Cruise offer below for the "CE DEAL of the DECADE")

Rhonda Savage, DDS, LLM&A’s new CEO and I have had a wonderful first six months of working together. I’m totally enjoying my new role as LLM&As Ambassador while working with a dozen of my long-term clients and speaking about three times per month.

Our two day Dental Business Conference in Vegas last month was a huge success with two International practices being represented…Thanks Monica from Integrity Smiles of Australia for coming all the way to Vegas to the conference….And thanks Dr. Randy Narayan and his team (Michele, Katelyn, Sasha and Jennifer) from Vancouver, Canada. The US practices truly enjoyed having time to interact with you! Rhonda and I are hearing tremendous reports back in less than 30 days of how one practice went back and created the white board, as they call the flip chart, and have begun the quest of making changes but in a systematic way thanks to the DBC. Our next two day Dental Business Conferences are in Myrtle Beach, SC, June 13-14 and Branson, MO next fall, October 10-11. We hope you will make plans now to attend one of the two.

Our most exciting soon-to-be annual two-day session is the Practice Administrator Workshop (PAW) in Sarasota February 8-9. This is for dentists who need to know how to utilize this key employee (Practice Administrator/Practice Manager), for Practice Administrators (Managers) who have the title but little training, and little respect/cooperation from the rest of the team. The PAW is also attended by dental spouses who bring their replacements after trying to leave the front office for months or years. The course focuses on:

• How a practice benefits by having a Practice Administrator
• Valuable practice management systems improvements
• Communication and Case Acceptance
• Leadership, teamwork, duties and accountability issues
• Marketing and management ideas to propel the practice
• Overhead control numbers and how to keep them in line
• And much, much more!

There are 18 seats left, so if you plan to be there, call Lee at 800-922-0866.
See our new CEO, Rhonda Savage’s letter below:
"Don’t FOLLOW Your Dreams…CHASE THEM"
Linda Miles, Founder LLM&A

By: Rhonda Savage, DDS, CEO LLM&A

Dear Friends in Dentistry:

Welcome to 2008!  I always feel excited and invigorated by a New Year; we have a new benchmark to set; an entire New Year to create and shape to our desires!  It’s time to review the past year and set our goals for the year to come.  At Linda Miles and Associates, it’s been a wonderful 2007.  Linda has been a joy to work with, as you all know, just from knowing Linda!  We’ve had great success for our consulting clients as well as tremendous audience attendance at our Dental Business Conference and our speaking engagements.  Just as your success is driven by your entire team effort, our rewards are driven by your achievements! Our success at Linda L. Miles and Associates has been outstanding because of your enthusiastic embracement of our systematic approach to dentistry, love of professional fun, energy for learning and commitment to doing the very best for your patients. On behalf of everyone at LLM & A, we truly thank you for all your support over the last 30 years!

Linda mentioned earlier that many offices have struggled this year that have not had difficulties in the past years.  Economic downturns can affect us all, but I agree with Linda that sometimes, we have to fake it until we make it. I’ve personally had some very difficult times as I know many of you have had…divorce, death in the family, losing a key team member…and I’ve had to fake it until I’ve made it.  I’ve had to firmly, religiously, and daily put a smile on my face and push through whatever the difficulty was because other people were depending on me to be a leader. Besides "faking it", though, what can we do to get through the tough times? The success of a practice hinges on the attitude, work ethic and support of every team member.  No one person is more important as another.  By cultivating leadership amongst the entire team and focusing on doing your very best for your patients, I believe you can have your best year in 2008!

I would like to talk about steps you can take to have your best year ever!  Having your best year is not a matter of doing one thing right, or even making one thing better.  It’s a matter of making everything better, so you can get to the best!

Here are some steps for having your best year ever:

1. First, it does help to know you’re not alone. All dental offices are in the same boat. The analogy of boating applies directly to dentistry.  Linda likes to talk about the dental office being like a huge ship that often has anchors thrown overboard.  Anchors can be many things, for example: a lack of current technology, unmotivated staff, inefficient systems, poor communication or a burned out doctor. Pulling in those anchors and sailing smoothly are important to the success of the office.

   I enjoy the boating analogy because in our family, we love boating!  I grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska where boating and fishing are a way of life, much like the air we breathe and the need for sleep. Sharpening our navigation skills will help us avoid the need to place a distress call! We can sharpen our navigation skills by belonging to organized dentistry.  The AADOM, AGD, AADPA, the ADAA, the ADHA and the ADA are all organizations that we can benefit from by joining and participating in; much like all organizations, though, you’ll get out of them what you put into them. We’re not alone when we are members of organizations, belong to a study group, network with local offices, have a mentor (or be a mentor).

2. Start every morning with a positive attitude.  Focus on self-improvement.  To have your best money year, you have to have your best personal year!  E-mail me at rsavage@harbornet.com for an absolutely fantastic suggested reading list.  One of the greatest issues we have faced this year in the practices we’ve consulted in has been Lack of Leadership by not only the doctor but also the staff.  Leadership is not something we’re born with; there truly are no "natural" leaders.  Leadership is cultivated and nurtured over time and is definitely something we can all learn.  "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." John F. Kennedy planned to say those words in a speech in Dallas on the day he was shot. Great leaders lead by example; John F. Kennedy was one of those great leaders.  Live by example for your team.  Get up earlier and be one of the first to work.  You can’t expect your team to be more excited about dentistry than you are!  Have a deep belief in your dentistry; have pride in your fees and make sure your staff is as enthusiastic about your fees and your dentistry as you are.

3. Develop "Ownership mentality" for your team, versus "Unionized Thinking" Management style has changed.  We’ve moved away from the "It’s My Way or Highway" method of management.  This way of thinking went out with polyester uniforms and the golds and greens of the 1970’s.  There are no successful "Lone Rangers" in dentistry. Moving back to the boat analogy, if we think about saltwater and currents, working with the current and using it wisely has two immediate advantages:  increased speed and decreased fuel consumption. Working with your team will speed your practice towards your most successful year ever.  Hire great employees-people who smile, love to serve, can multi-task and who have the intelligence to think on their own.  This of course will require that you pay them more, train them more and provide a work atmosphere that both employees and patients love.  This also means a happy, not condescending, doctor.

4. Define Yourself: 

   1. Develop a mission statement. Share it with your staff.
   2. Develop a greater pride in accomplishment. Celebrate your successes as a team! Bob Nelson wrote an excellent book titled: "1001 Ways to Reward Employees"
   3. Start branding yourself.  ADA Intelligent Dental Marketing has a book written by Joel Harris titled "Breakthrough Dental Marketing" that can help you with branding and marketing.  Contact them and mention Linda L. Miles; the book may be complimentary.
   4. And then double your referral base.  Whether you’re a general practitioner or a specialist, new patients are the life-blood of a practice. Many offices ask for referrals, but the best referral is earned. Your patients can sell for you way better than you can. Many of the offices we consult in are concerned about marketing.  Doctors, contact us personally for a complimentary 30-minute practice analysis by calling our executive director, Lee Tarvin, at 1-800-922-0866. We can be helpful in bringing your practice to the next level with marketing, team development and systems implementation.
   5. Work on your case presentation; begin by recording yourself.  This may be painful and revealing.  You’ll learn why the last patient did not schedule their restorative work and you’ll learn what skills you need to improve.  Do this weekly; consider professional coaching!  Also consider personality style training.  The old adage "do unto others ….as you would want done unto you" is not correct!  Patients want to be talked to… the way they want to be talked to, not as you want to talk to them.  50% of your patients will not return to you if you over-present their needs before you’ve earned their trust and loyalty.
5. Remember that "Little Things Matter":

   With a well-found boat, the proper gear, an eye to the weather and a flexible schedule, salt water can be enjoyed year round.  The same is true of a dental practice.  While we can’t do anything about a change in the economy, as with the weather, you can do a lot to prepare for it.  Staying abreast of current continuing education and technology, reading the reports the staff run for you, training staff at effective staff meetings and maintaining the atmosphere of camaraderie in your practice will create an environment that staff and patients enjoy. It’s the little things that make a difference to staff and patients, and I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about time and love and truly giving. Everybody wants validation and appreciation.  Writing somebody a handwritten note can be the best gift ever! The art of appreciation is as vital in your practice as the art and science of dentistry. Patients will not judge your dentistry by the margin of your crown; they will judge the quality of your work by the tone of your voice and how you treat your staff.

Sincerely, Rhonda

CONTINUING EDUCATION "DEAL OF THE DECADE"

Continuing with the ship analogy, Rhonda and I would like to enhance your practice in 2008 by encouraging you to bring your entire team to our February 19-23, 2009, Doctor and Team Appreciation SunFun Seminar Cruise. We set sail from Ft. Lauderdale Thursday, February 19, 2009, (boarding from noon to 3:00 PM). The two half-day lectures (Friday and Sunday 8-12) will be phenomenal with 12 Speaking Consulting Network members giving their best material in concise presentations on various dental topics (clinical and management). On Saturday, our group of 200-300 practices, VIP meeting planners, editors of leading dental journals and 50 exhibitors will spend the day in Cozumel, Mexico on the beach for a private beach party (part of your seminar tuition of ONLY $995 for one doctor and 5 guests).

Call Lee today at 800-922-0866 to register for the course. She will give you the information for booking your cabins NOW while the best ones are still available. Go to Pennwell Publishers website to download a copy of our LLM&A Continuing Education Trip Kitty Incentive Bonus Plan and to hear an interview facilitated by Kevin Henry with Dr. Rhonda Savage and LLM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HviW0gLb2U4
http://www.dentaleconomics.com/downloads/

We feel CE earned by the team’s participation is CE that is appreciated the most. You can also email leetarvin@cox.net or lindamiles@cox.net for a copy of the CE Trip Kitty Incentive Bonus Plan. DON’T MISS THE BOAT OF OPPORTUNITY as it’s leaving the dock with or without you, your spouse and your team February 19th of next year…..That means you can plan your trip now and work toward the goal of making 2008 your best year ever! Cabins will go fast…..don’t wait.

Sincerely,
Linda

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