With this newsletter I will change the format from monthly to quarterly to keep up with the demand on my time
April 6, 2003 | 
Author A complimentary e-newsletter from Linda Miles for the professional dental community.
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 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
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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