Why dentists need to think like retailers

In a world full of selfies, "everyone gets a trophy," and our pursuit for the "winner, winner, chicken dinner," it's no wonder that so many private practice owners are running predominantly self-centric practices/offices. It's all about me -- I mean you, after all, right?

You need to keep your practice afloat, you spent all that money and time in dental school, and you have a family to support and lifestyle to maintain. But until you turn the mirror around to focus on the patient, you will never be as successful in your practice as you can be.

Jay Geier is the president and founder of the Scheduling Institute.

I've spent enough time with thousands of doctors to tell you that, unless you are completely intentional about your business not being about you, it will be. Let's face it, at our core we are incredibly selfish people. And it's not easy to turn that around, but it is critical to your practice's success.

The patient needs to be at the center of your practice. Everything you do needs to be a reflection of that. And it isn't easy. I teach my clients that they cannot underestimate what is required to develop the capacity to put the patient first and you become second. This may mean that you have to completely transform your practice, which is a process that is not without growing pains. But if you are patient and intentional, the rewards are great.

To begin this transformation, you need to be in the right mind-set. You have to think like a great retailer. Patients want retail. Remember, we're dealing with "all about me" people. We've become a society seeking immediate satisfaction. We want what we want, when we want it. Retailers have stepped up to satisfy this movement, and you need to too.

Extra days

What does that mean for you? That means you need to be open six days a week -- Monday through Saturday.

"Saturday, too?" You ask. Yes! Saturday is a crazy logical day to be open. It tells your working patients that you get it and you want to serve them when it is most convenient for them, not you. So if you have the ability to hire additional hygienists or an associate, do it. In any case, you need to figure out how you provide service six days a week.

Convenient hours

Your office hours need to reflect a retail mind-set as well. You're open in the morning, you're open in the evening, and you're open when people are available to come see you.

Think about it like this: Have you ever had to take a child to the emergency room (ER) before? You arrive with certain expectations. But can you imagine if you pulled up to the ER with your kid throwing up in the back, and the ER has a "We're closed" sign? What do you do? Would you ever go back? Your hours need to make sense, and they need to be clearly understood by your patient base. Clarity and convenience are key.

Same-day service

You need to be able to provide same-day service. This concept is especially key when it comes to attracting new patients. The sooner you can get them in your door, the better chance you have of keeping them from going through someone else's. Offering an appointment two or three weeks out is simply an invitation to try out the guy down the street.

Consider this: Does your dry cleaner provide same-day service? Of course it does! Do you know what you are paying for it? Probably not! Why not? Because the convenience factor far outweighs whatever the cost may be. These wise business owners have figured out that convenience dictates the decisions their customer base makes, so they incorporate these conveniences into the way they operate.

Results

If you can't accommodate what your patients are coming to expect with extended days and times and schedule flexibility, you will see a decrease in your new patient numbers. After all, if your current patients can't be seen when they want to be seen, they certainly aren't going to refer their friends, because there's a better chance they'll get even further displaced.

Dentistry is changing. You're going to see it more centered around what's convenient for the patient, not what's convenient for the doctor. You can be ahead of the game and, more important, your competition, by transforming your office into a patient-centric office.

Jay Geier is the founder and owner of the Scheduling Institute, a dental training and practice consulting company. Go to www.5starchallenge.com to find out how to transform your practice from self-centric to patient-centric and be more successful.

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