How does your team measure up?

Survival of the fittest

By: David Milligan Salt DPM Consultant

Part 1 of 3 

 I have always enjoyed watching sports.  As a youngster I started watching The Wide World of Sports.  It was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat that kept me engaged.   My grandmother and I would trade off.  If I watched Laurence Whelk with her, then she would watch The Wide World of Sports with me.  I remember watching one Sunday when a ski jumper slipped and fell just before the end of the 90 meter hill.  Fortunately he didn’t die.   He did however suffer a major concussion.  On any given Sunday he could see himself on the opening of the show crashing  over and over, and right after his crash the announcer word say “ and the agony of defeat”.   It didn’t seem fair he had worked so hard for his team and this is how he is remembered.   The sad fact is it happens in our dental offices as well.   If we make a mistake, patients talk about it over and over.

 Whether football or dental, high functioning teams must all be fit enough to meet expectations or the entire team suffers.  In 1987 I had the opportunity of meeting a retired 33 year old pro football player.  This guy was healthy and in remarkable shape, ran 5 miles a day and trained as if he were still playing football.   So why wasn’t he?   After playing ball in a small collage and not being recognized for his talents, his only hope was to be given the opportunity to try out for the pros.  That chance finally came with the Chicago Bears.   In 2 of the 8 years he played, he led the team in interceptions.  In the off season before the beginning of his 8th year, while recovering from a knee sprain, he met his new Head Coach Mike Ditka.  One week later he was traded to the Buffalo Bills where he sat out most of the season.   One year later at the ripe old age of 33, he retired.   Mike Ditka took the bears to the super bowl that year because he made sure every player on his team was highly trained and capable.

In the two stories, both athletes were ready to sacrifice their bodies for the team and eventually both did.   In every organization at any given moment, everyone must be ready to sacrifice for the team. Thank goodness when we talk about sacrificing for the team in Dentistry we are talking about covering for someone who is sick or maybe working late or stepping away from our egos and asking for help.  What does it take to be a team player? As a leader your team must know what your expectations are.  In the current environment, if your team is not a high functioning, talented group, you may not survive.   In Price Pritchett’s book, The Team Members Hand Book for Team Work he talks about what it takes to have a great team.  Here are a few of the points from the book.

Article originally published by: Tri-County Dental Society

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Craig E. Waldron

This week's segment features a Newsletter from Craig E. Waldron, E.A.  at Padgett Business Services

SMALLBIZ BUILDER July 2012    PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES®    Vol. 10, No. 7

Part 3 of 3

Tax Deductible Vacations:

If the trip doesn't involve the actual conduct of business but is for the purpose of attending a convention, seminar, etc., IRS checks the nature of the meetings carefully to make sure they are not vacations in disguise.
Be careful to save all material helpful in establishing the business nature of this travel. Meticulous recordkeeping and thorough planning are necessary. Transportation Costs. The cost of traveling within the US is 100% deductible as long as the primary purpose for the trip is business. In contrast, no travel deductions are allowed if the main reason for a trip is personal.

Meals and Lodging. Once at your destination, expenses for such items as lodging, hotel tips, local cab fares, and 50% of meals are deductible when related to business days. However, these same types of expenses aren’t deductible for non -business days. Additionally, no deduction will
be allowed for meals or lodging to the extent the expense is “lavish or extravagant.” Although this term isn't defined in the tax rules, it has been interpreted to mean “unreasonable.”

Personal entertainment costs on the trip aren't deductible (such as a sightseeing tour), regardless of the day on which they fall. But business-related costs such as dry-cleaning, phone calls, and computer rentals are.

Taking Your Spouse. The rules on deducting the costs for a spouse accompanying you on a business trip are very restrictive. No deduction is allowed unless your spouse is an employee of yours or your company and his or her travel is also for a business purpose. This means you can't deduct the travel costs of a spouse, even if his or her presence has a bona fide business purpose, unless your spouse is a bona fide employee of your business.

If your spouse is your employee, and if his or her presence on the trip serves a bona fide business purpose, then you can deduct his or her travel costs. Merely having your spouse perform some incidental business service - such as typing up notes from a meeting - isn't enough to establish a business purpose. In general, it isn't sufficient for your spouse’s presence to be “helpful” to your business pursuits—it must be “necessary.”

If your spouse’s travel is not deductible, you can still deduct your own travel and meals; however, a shared cost - as with lodging - is deductible only at the single rate.

Not sure whether your travel expenses will be deductible? Take a few minutes to give our office a call.

Need more information: Craig E Waldron, EA

Richard Lamoreaux, CPA

9500 S 500 W, Suite 206, Sandy, UT      

 Send Mail to: PO Box 2468, Sandy, UT 84091
                          Voice (801) 565-9878                          

FAX (877) 313-1879
craig@taxpainrelief.com

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Inspiring Employees

How do you inspire employees? 

Eighteen hundred years ago, Patanjali – the author of Yoga Sutra – had this to say about inspiration: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

       Owning your own business is  no easy task. 

How can you make it better for you and your employees? It starts with inspiring them. Well how do you do that? Five ways to help inspire those around you.  

First: Recommit to your vision and mission. It is very important that you believe in what you are doing. If you are burned out, tired, moody and don't believe you can achieve, then those around you won't believe it either. Those who share in a common goal will work to achieve that aspiration.

Second:  Give positive feedback and constructive criticism.  When you appreciate your employees by giving compliments they will continue the behavior you want to see.  Talking to an employee about something they need to change can be difficult, but if you do it with respect you will help inspire them to achieve all that they are working towards.

Third: Put people in position where their strengths shine. An employee who is not good at organization should not be kept in a position where that skill is crucial. People want to naturally succeed and when they are in a place where they feel they are not doing their best it only reinforces a defeatist attitude. Help employees recognize their strengths by placing them in positions where their strengths balance out the weaknesses of another.

Fourth: Train your employees, have others train and give individuals opportunities for trainings in the field when possible.  People are never finished and it is important to give employees opportunities to continue that growth. They will feel more valuable and in turn work to improve your business.

Fifth: Respect yourself, your employees and your patients. Do what you say you are going to do and hold yourself to the same standards you hold your employees to. Do not allow rumors, and negativity rule your business.

Inspiring employees allows your business to flourish.

For more ways to inspire employees see:  

20 ways to motivate your employees
without raising their pay
By: Dave Worman, Dr. Motivation

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Craig E. Waldron

This week's segment features a Newsletter from Craig E. Waldron, E.A.  at Padgett Business Services

SMALLBIZ BUILDER July 2012    PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES®    Vol. 10, No. 7

Part 2 of 3

Tax Deductible Vacations:

Although business is business, and pleasure is pleasure, the world rarely adheres to absolutes.

So, as the summer vacation season begins to unfold, you may want to consider mixing some leisure time in with your business travel. With a little planning, you can get Uncle Sam to subsidize your downtime.

Business or Pleasure. The IRS doesn’t specify the determination of whether a trip is for business or pleasure on domestic trips. However, looking to the rules on international travel for guidance, the number of days spent on each type of activity is the key.

An important factor in determining if the trip is primarily business or pleasure is the amount of time spent on each, although this isn't the sole factor. In general, the trip is “primarily for business” if more than half of the days are spent on business activities.

How to Figure out the time:

The following days count toward your total business days: 

Travel days; 

Weekends and holidays, if they fall between days devoted to business and it would be impractical to return home;

“Standby days,” when your physical presence is required, also count as business days – even if you’re not called upon to work on those days;

Any other day principally devoted to business activities during normal business hours; and

Days you intended to work but couldn’t due to reasons beyond your control (local transportation difficulties, power failures, etc.).

Craig E Waldron, EA

Richard Lamoreaux, CPA

9500 S 500 W, Suite 206, Sandy, UT      

 Send Mail to: PO Box 2468, Sandy, UT 84091

Voice (801) 565-9878                          

FAX (877) 313-1879

craig@taxpainrelief.com

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Featuring Craig E. Waldron

This week's segment features a Newsletter from Craig E. Waldron, E.A.  at Padgett Business Services

SMALLBIZ BUILDER July 2012    

  PADGETT BUSINESS SERVICES®

Vol. 10 No. 7   

                                                                  Craig E. Waldron

 Part 1 of 3

                                                       Prepare for Summer Storms!

Power outages can reek havoc on electronic files. Safeguard your personal and business assets by taking the following steps:

1. Create a Backup Set of Records Electronically. Keep a set of backup records stored away from the original set. Remember to scan paper documents into an electronic format!

2. Document Valuables. Photograph or videotape the contents of your home or business, especially items of higher value, to prove the market value of items for insurance and casualty loss claims.

3. Update Emergency Plans. Emergency plans should be reviewed annually and distributed to all employees. Don’t forget the new hires!

4. Maintain Current Contact Information for Employees and Customers.

5. Ensure that you can communicate with employees and clients in the event of business disruption.

6. Email is your best method when the phones are down!

7. Know How to Get Help. Federal and State agencies can offer assistance, such as FEMA, the Small

8. Business Association, and the Department of Homeland Security. The IRS website also has a downloadable Disaster Losses Kit.

                                      Need more information: Craig E Waldron, EA
Richard Lamoreaux, CPA
9500 S 500 W, Suite 206, Sandy, UT      

 Send Mail to: PO Box 2468, Sandy, UT 84091
                          Voice (801) 565-9878                          

FAX (877) 313-1879
craig@taxpainrelief.com

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A Journey that changes your life

The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget
by Kent Nerburn

Although this is someone else's story I believe it is worth sharing. I want to give proper credit to Kent because this is his amazing story. 

You can find the entire story at: The Cab Ride I'll Never Forget

The pictures I will illustrate it with are mine or I will give credit for those as well.  

In a dental office: 

         When a patient walks in the door we never know what impact we will have on them or they will have on us. It may be the first of many visits but it could be the first and last. In the dental field we have the ability to touch people's lives and they are's. Each moment we are around another we have an opportunity to experience a moment, that changes our lives forever.  

Here is Kent's Story:

http://s4.hubimg.com/u/1182575_f496.jpg

 Kent was a cab driver that got a call late at night to pick up someone. When he showed up at the house he said, "all the lights were off except one." 

            He goes onto say that he had to make a decision. Honk once, wait and leave or go up to the door. He went up to the door and "when it opened sheets were on the furniture and an older lady opened the door." 

They got in the cab and she asked him to drive around. She explained she was on her way to a hospice and the Dr.'s did not give her a long time to live. She did not have any family left and wanted to see the city one last time.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnyCesNXRlM49y65W4x_uMCVo2yf-7zRd73cx9r2sWKYm6qHIuivCHpjqD6dUfp_EtJAzFRsCVosC8jOFE5o8g87BR1pGlFsRK-ZTVN-FwwCsKIQDjXlSqytVHDFhTC0nErmnl6aRIeT0/s400/IMG_2561.JPG

 He drove by places she danced and the home of her and her husband. 

After two hours, she said she was tired. He took her to the address on the sheet of paper. Walked her inside and hugged her before he left.

"Behind me, a door shut. 

It was the sound of the closing of a life." (Kent Nerburn) 

 This moment changed his life forever.


We are often busy during our days. A patient walks in, we're running late, we have to leave to go to our son's basketball game. Do we take the time to talk, ask how their day is and support them? Or do we rush through to get them out the door? 
 Small moments change lives, how did your life change today?

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Benefits of an Apple

Eating apples helps in cleaning teeth and gum.

Apple

It reduces the incidence of cavities in teeth. 

When you eat apples, the fiber in it cleanses the teeth, while the antiviral properties of the fruit keep bacteria and virus away.

 Give an apple to a patient today to keep bacteria away.

ADA News Update

Licorice root fights oral bacteria

oral health care

It looks yummy, but you might want to pass them by for, dried licorice root according to the Journal of Natural Products, suggests that this dried licorice root can help fight periodontal disease,(Stefan Gafner, PH.D.)

  

 

 The Licorice herb is an herb sometimes used to treat sore throats, respiratory and digestive problems and other disorders—might be an effective agent to fight the bacteria. 

Licorice root may be used as a breath freshener ingredient in certain toothpastes

See the entire articel at: Licorice Root Fights Oral Bacteria

So, next time you want a treat, grab some licorice root and whip up licorice pudding or licorice mint tea to help your teeth.

 
 Licorice Root Mint Tea:

6 cups water

2 12 tsps licorice root (dried)

1 cinnamon stick

12 cup peppermint (dried)

12 cup honey

Licorice Root Pudding:

34 cup licorice stick (finely chopped panda brand black, pieces 3 38 ounces)

14 tsp salt

4 12 cups whole milk

13 cup sugar (2 12 tablespoons)

1 tbsp cornstarch (2 teaspoons)

3 large egg yolks

1 12 tbsps unsalted butter

special equipment: an instant-read thermometer 

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YES System Part 2 of 2

  By: Debra Quarles Salt DPM Consultant

                                                          

Understanding: Have I answered your questions?”, nodding your head can show patients not only that you are paying attention but that you also understand.

Corbis PhotosRF Royalty Free

Urgency: Talk to your patients about the urgency of their situation, while helping them to take responsibility for their dental problems. “The problem with that is . . .” Get patients to say “yes” along the way. “Does that make sense?" (Debra Quarles). Do not down play problems but do not over dramatize the work that needs to be completed because your afraid of a no.

Solution: There are always options so, "Don't just recommend what's in your comfort zone,"(Debra Quarles).

Decision: When your helping your patients make decisions about their dental care find out

                             

                What motivates them:  Esthetics, Health Function, Money.  

Find out what propelling forces your patient is motivated by: Elimination, avoidance of discomfort, health, function, beauty, and complexion. 

Show loyalty to your patients by asking them how they found out about your office and rewarding those who sent your new patient your way.  Take care of your loyal patients by giving them a discount, sending them a thank-you post card or letting them know when they enter the office you appreciate them coming in. 

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Yes System Part 1 of 2

Patients can see and feel confidence, or the lack of confidence.  The team must be convinced of the doctor’s ability to care for the patient. 

Seven Stages of Decision-Making:

1. Selection – how they select them or you: It is important that you know how your patients are picking you. If they are being referred to your office you want to make sure to thank your loyal patients and welcome the new ones.  If they are coming to your office because of another marketing strategy you are using, you'll want to know that as well. 

2. Connection: To increase your connection with your patients,  talk louder and faster.  You can lean forward, increase eye contact, touch, increase energy level, and smile while listening to your patients concerns.

                              

Great communicators listen 80%, talk 20%.  

         
 - Ask questions

             - Clarify what your patient is saying

             - Ask if you understood

            - Tell stories

            - Build a relationship

            - Talk with a smile

 

          

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Importance of Brushing

Brushing your teeth is important starting at a young age.  

http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/teeth.html

Brushing your teeth can prevent heart disease, social problems and save you money.  According to article: 25 Reasons You should brush your teeth Posted by David Pegg on February 10, 2012, not brushing your teeth can lead to heart disease.  

Your mouth have tons of bacteria floating around in it, those bacteria can enter your blood stream affecting a variety of body systems.  Check out the full article at, http://list25.com/25-reasons-you-should-brush-your-teeth/.