Dentaltown August 2018 - 91

"Are your programs and solutions built to address both my
professional and personal goals?"
With this question, you're making sure the consultant understands that just
because you want to grow your practice, it doesn't mean you want to do so at
the cost of your personal life. It should be just the opposite-the programs should
help you build a successful business while allowing you to live a more fulfilling life
outside the practice.
Because here's what you don't want: working really hard to achieve your financial
goals, only to get there and realize you're spending even more time at the office, less
time with your family and feeling more burned out than ever. What good is making
the money, but never being able to enjoy it?
The best programs are structured to create a practice with multiple streams of
revenue, multiple producers, and team leaders who drive growth through all employees.
The doctor should develop into the business owner and visionary-not just a dentist
who feels like her or she has to be "chained" to the business for it to survive or thrive.

"Do your programs address the office as
a whole-both doctors and staff?"
You can't transform into an independent practitioner and reach your business
and personal goals if the success of the practice is solely reliant on you.
A consultant shouldn't let you buy into the idea that all the responsibility is on
you (or all on your staff). If there are issues that you're trying to fi x, the consultant
should acknowledge everyone's roles need to be addressed because, for true success,
everyone needs to be involved in the process. Otherwise, buy-in is difficult to achieve,
which leads to flat results.
Plus, one of the most important elements of success is human capital-your
employees. They're also one of the most underleveraged assets within a practice.
The best consultants should help the members of all different practice departments
better understand how their individual success depends on the group's success.
Ultimately, you're striving to put repeatable systems in place that create a win-win
situation for both the doctor and their team.

"How long have you've been doing this?"
If the coach or consultant is going to be imparting advice to you, you want to
make sure they have a track record of success. You'll want to get a strong sense of
"been there, done that," and that they have proven processes that were built over
the course of working with many clients. Their goal should be to make sure you
don't make the same mistakes that they've already helped all their other clients fi x.
Another common misconception is that a coach or consultant with a small active
client base is better than one with a larger base, because many clients assume the former
will give them more time and attention. In reality, you want to work with people who
have many active clients and a real depth of experience-someone who can help you
become more independent and equipped to handle things in the future, instead of
dependent on someone to hold your hand through every challenge that may arise.

dentaltown.com \\ AUGUST 2018

http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown August 2018