We are a group of Dental Consultants who offer, improved practice morale; a happier, more profitable patient base;and improved home life; increased collections. (And yes, our average is 35% in year one.)

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How rumors can impact you



Don’t communicate information you wouldn’t want communicated about you. Rumors fly around the office before you can even turn your head. Do not be known as the “gossiper” or the “sharer” of the office.  Gossip is information that is meant to hurt another person or information that is shared about another that is not truth. Although, it maybe easy to get wrapped up into gossip, spend your time not taking from the bucket of your co-workers but filling them up with positives. 

Salt social media specialist Austine Etcheverry, suggests that you keep your opinions about your co-workers in your head. You do not want to run the risk of doing damage to a healthy co-worker relationship because you spread a rumor about someone. It may feel that it is harmless gossip when you are spreading it, however, it may be hurtful to the others in the office. 

Our communication with our co-workers will determine the overall attitude of the office. Patients pick up when we have an office that does not respect each other or if we have an office that supports open communication. Take the time to use positive and supportive words to your teammates. 

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Communication Received



When receiving communication from other team members, always assume the positive.


It is easy to get busy and jump to conclusions about a message we receive, especially if it is via email. However, when you assume individuals are communicating with the office and with your best interests at heart, you decrease the chance of a negative situation arising. For example, a co-worker informs you that you forgot to clean an instrument or you scheduled a patient on top of another. It may be easy to become defensive in an attempt to explain yourself. However, the other way to think about things is that your colleague wants you to be the best you can be and therefore, does not want you to continue to make errors.  

I work as a mentor for special education teachers. A few days ago the team decided that a different student needed the support of an IA. I was not going to see this individual in person for a few days. So, I informed the instructional assistant of the change via email. I later received a phone call about how upset this individual had become due to this change.

She did not assume the positive in my email. She believed that we were going to detach her from her relationship with her student. However, in fact we were trying to provide support to another student that needed it while her student does not need support at that time. Miscommunications can easily happen when you are threatened and do not trust the individuals you work with. And when they think you are trying to hurt them instead of help them.

Take the time to explain and build relationships. I have often found that when someone assumes the negative it usually stems from a place of jealousy, anger or a mistrust in the relationship. Take the time to develop a more positive relationship with your co-workers in order to better communicate in the work place.  

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Staff-to-Staff Communication-Communication Given




Be nonjudgmental in your communication. If you have a team member that comes to you and asks questions, you may feel it is a question they should already know the answer to or that you have already answered it. But in order to build stronger communication with our teammates we need to support the learning of others.  Everyone doesn’t learn at the same pace and you may find yourself in a situation where you need his or her knowledge about a topic. 

We live in a society where it is easy to make snap judgments about a person. We may judge the way they dress or maybe the way they talk. However, by freely and openly communicating with others we will find that we learn more than if we are shut down because we are focused on other things. 

This means, not judging others for the questions they have or the comments they make. By allowing others to freely learn information without judgment we let our coworkers build on their own strengths instead of shutting them down.  It is critical for team morale to support each other and
this means incorporating supportive communication.  


Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Austine Etcheverry is a positive, dedicated professional with over 10 years of experience in the dental field. Austine has a keen eye for designing websites and blogs. She has experience in social media and search engine optimization.


Monday, April 21, 2014

Staff to Staff Communication




Communication mishaps can be funny to some or quite hurtful to others. Read this article to find out how to increase the opportunities for positive communication with your co-workers. 

Exercise:
Practice this exercise with your co-workers. Make two lines of people, facing each other with some distance between you. Walk towards each other with your arms crossed and a scowl on your face, but tell your co-worker across from you something nice. When you are finished change roles. What did you experience? Was the intended message received? Did you believe the message? 

Communication either verbal or nonverbal is the key to the relationships we build with the individuals around us. Last time in our article we discussed communication between doctor and team members.  This time we are going to focus on team-to-team communication. There are several principals you can apply when communicating with coworkers that will help you build stronger relationships and decrease opportunities for miscommunication.  Verbal communication is the message that we are delivering when we talk to people around us. It may be the words we are saying or it may be the tone behind the words.  

In order to help communicate better, you can institute a simple stop and think policy. Stop before you talk and think about the words that you are going to say. It is important when communicating with other staff to communicate in a professional manner, even if you disagree with the message.
Nonverbal communication is the actions behind our words. It is our body language and our hand gestures. It is the look in our eye or the smile we have when communicating. Our nonverbal communication is sometimes stronger and communicates more than our verbal communication. If you are saying something nice, but your arms are crossed it gives off a completely different message.   
Our nonverbal communication should be assessed while we are communicating with co-workers in order to deliver a successful message. Are you smiling? Is your body language relaxed, or are you standing straight and tall? Are you pacing back and forth?

We may think that our words are the message but they are only one part of the message.



Article was originally published by Tri-County Dental Society 
Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Austine Etcheverry is a positive, dedicated professional with over 10 years of experience in the dental field. Austine has a keen eye for designing websites and blogs. She has experience in social media and search engine optimization.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Is aggression your style?




On Monday we discussed individuals that have a passive communication style. Now, we are going to focus on the characteristics of an aggressive communicator. I'm sure that all of us can think of a person we have interacted with lately that discuss topics at a heated level. Everything may seem intense, critical and everything maybe an emergency. These individuals are not afraid to share their opinion on items and will be happy to tell you what you should do when you have a problem. Individuals with this type of communication may use aggression to intimidate you into completing a task their way.

Communicating with patients that are aggressive:

You may have a patient or two that comes to mind when you began to read about this type of communication style. This patient may show up late and demand that you see them anyway. They may tell you how horrible the work was and tell you they would pay you if it had been done better. This type of patient may also lack self-esteem and may be trying to make up for it by being aggressive. They will probably yell louder than you could or should.

When you are working with this type of patient, be calm and breathe. It is important that you stand your ground if you are in the right. You do not want them thinking they will get their way by throwing a “fit.” The facts are important. Make sure you have all of the information in front of you and make sure you back up what your saying with data.

When you are working with these type of patients, own up to mistakes, and fix them right away. However, you also want to make sure that you use a firm voice. If you appear weak or nervous then they may attempt to take advantage of the situation.

Dealing with an aggressive individual it can be stressful, especially if you are a passive individual. However, by practicing dialogue before you talk to this type of patient can help you to feel more comfortable in the situation. 
Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Are you a passive communicator?




Individuals communicate in a distinct style.  Each style has a set of unique characteristics. If you are aware of your own communication style it will help you to communicate more effectively with others. However, it can also help you to better establish a relationship with patients and co-workers.   
Passive communicators may talk without expressing their opinion. They may have low self-esteem and believe that their opinion is not important.  Individuals who are passive in their dialogue may shy away from heated discussions and do not typically share their feelings about situations. When they are unhappy they may not say anything until it bubbles over.


How to communicate with passive patients:

If this type of communicator is a patient in your office, it will be important to develop a trusted relationship. Help them to express their opinion, especially about their dental care. When asking questions, you should use empathetic listening skills and ask supportive follow up questions that demonstrate a caring attitude. Stay calm when talking to individuals with this type of style and give them facts to support the information you are sharing with them.

How to communicate with passive co-workers:


It can be difficult to work with someone that doesn’t express their opinions or someone that doesn’t get angry until it has boiled over and then they apologize for getting angry. When working with a co-worker that is passive it is important to again use empathetic listening. Give them opportunities to express their opinion when they are not on the spot.  If you have to talk to them about a situation, it is recommended that you use a calm tone and do so in private.

The key to communication is making sure that you deliver a message that is received. By understanding different communication styles you can more efficiently communicate with the individuals around you.  

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Is a Dental Consultant Right For You?



There are hundreds of consultants that can offer you advice. But are they right for you, and do you need one at all?

How is your profitability? It is important for you and your office to know what your numbers look like. Do your reports show a steady decline? Take a look and analyze the following: accounts receivable, annual production and collection, treatment opportunities, and new patients. These numbers determine where focus needs to be placed to see the results you want.

Are you working long hours? If you come into your office early, work crazy all day with no breaks and no lunch you may want someone to help you organize your schedule in order to help make your day feel less busy, while still increasing profits.

Next, assess how your staff’s morale is? Have patients commented on the low energy of your office. Or do you have negativity seeping into the office? It can be difficult to build morale and increase productivity when you are dealing with day to day negativity. Sometimes all you need is a little outside support.

Is retirement in your future or do you just see mounds of work ahead of you? At some point in your life you may chose to sell your practice or you may decide it is time to retire. However, it is difficult to sell an office that does not have the profits needed to benefit the buyer. Your consultant from Salt can help you develop a short or long term plan that will help you receive the best market price for you business.

Salt Dental Practice Management consultants are there to help you build your business and if you have answered yes to several of these questions it maybe time for you to contact us.

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

PHONE:       866-809-5549
EMAIL:     info@saltdpm.com

Monday, April 7, 2014

Salt Dental Practice Management



A Call for Action

Months ago someone suggested you call a dental consultant. Time has gone by, and you find you are still in the same situation. But you wonder, what can a consultant do for you? Will it work? Will they make me fire my staff? Will they charge a lot?

All dental consulting companies are different, and while I can’t speak for everyone, I can tell you that at Salt Dental Practice Management we are committed to helping you achieve the practice you want.


We won’t make you sign a contract. Salt doesn’t require you to fire anyone. We may suggest changes, but will never push you into anything you are not comfortable with. Salt will help you rebuild your practice enhancing the potential it has by coaching, supporting and helping you reach short and long term goals.

We have internal and external marketing strategies to increase your patient base.  Our consultants have more than twenty years of experience in the dental office to help you create a marketing plan that is based on your individual practice. When we suggest a strategy to you though, it doesn’t stop there, we’ll also help you implement the strategies and keep you and your team accountable through weekly, bi-weekly or monthly meetings.

We’ll enter your practice, assess your needs, build a plan and develop a relationship with you and your staff. This business is not about us as a company but about you as a customer. At Salt Dental Practice Management we work hard so you can enjoy more success.


Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Other External Marketing




There are other forms of external marketing besides social media sites.  Last week we discussed asking for a referral from other patients, but you can also ask for referrals from other specialists. If you focus on general dentistry and there are other specialists in the area you or your staff can bring a gift basket to them or drop off another item that markets yours. Think about how you can help your office stand out against the background of others.  
 


It is important to develop professional relationships with others that you can let your patients know about when they need it. The more helpful you are for patients the more you will stand out to them.  If you do not make bridges then find an office that does superior work in this area and market not only your business to them but their business to patients. This type of relationship can go along way to help build and increase patients that come into your office.

Another type of marketing that you can do that is easy is carry business cards or post cards with your monthly special on it. While you are out and about hand out your business card when the time arrives. If you’re at a game and people ask what you do, you can have a business card handy. While it may not always be the right time and place you never know who will be your next patient. Have your employees carry them also if they are comfortable.

    Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.