DYNAMIC DATA NEWSLETTER tm Summer 2003

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, 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