I would hazard to say that all of us have found our self in a rut. It seems to be that quiet killer of excellence and growth. It slips up on us as life happens. We remain in this rut because it is easier than digging our way out. A vast majority of doctors tell me that their rut is different from everyone else’s. If you find that you have been in a rut for years or even decades, you will agree with this definition of a rut: “A rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out”.
The “average” practice is almost always a rut for doctors. It is a rut because you never intended to be average, or at least never intended to stay average, but there you are. It should have been just a signpost along the way towards constantly improving and doing better. I was speaking to a doctor and trying to explain how average happens. Average is the default setting for showing up. Having a nice office in a decent location is just the entry point for building a practice. Years ago, most of the things we used to strive for in our career are now merely starting points to even get into the game. The bar has been raised and success is defined differently. Average should never be a destination. You deserve better.
With that said, does it really surprise anyone that anything worth doing is “up hill”? If you get to the point where average is good enough, you have settled for a legacy of “just ok”. You’ve seen the commercial where the patient asks the nurse if Dr. Surgeon is really good. Her response is: “He’s ok”. Not very inspiring and surely not where we thought we would be. As we move through the last quarter of this year, take a look at all you have done and ask yourself: “Is just OK good enough?” I hope not. While we may never arrive at perfection, we need to commit to always improving our practices and our lives.
Now take another look at what you’ve done so far this year. Are you doing about $53,333 per month in collections, have 20-30 new patients a month, one hygienist and an overhead of about 70%? This is average, and while some might consider this OK, OK should never be enough. You deserve more.
Every year, just about this time, I offer to sit down and review every readers practice. No sales push, no incrimination, just an honest look at where you are, what your challenges are, and what you will need to do to overcome them. To do this all you need do is click on this link to download a Growth Analysis Spreadsheet. Just fill it out and return it to me. I will also ask for a year-to-date Profit and Loss Statement and a copy of one week’s schedule. As soon as I have them, we can set up a call and go over your numbers while looking at the challenges you might face. You have nothing to lose. You will receive an education on where you are and solutions for you to begin to work on. It always surprises me at how few doctors actually take me up on this offer. The ones that do find they understand their situation and can now move forward to make this year one of the best ever.
This is how you Summit.
Michael Abernathy, DDS
[email protected]
972.523.4660 cell
PS. I’ve stated this before, but it’s worth repeating here. I intentionally include my personal email address and cell phone number above, hoping that you will reach out to me if you have questions or concerns. That’s a positive action on your part. Will you do it today?
PSS. If you are concerned about clicking on a link to download a file, just call or email me and I will send it directly to you via email.