I would have to say that there are many things I like about the Fourth of July, but my favorite is eating desserts. We generally have a hundred or so assorted adults and kids over for the Fourth of July celebration. While we supply all of the meat, a lot of the guests bring side dishes and desserts. If I have not said this before, my wife is an incredible cook and especially loves to bake. With this said, through the years I have become much more “picky” about the kinds of desserts I eat, and especially whose desserts I eat. If they don’t meet the “better than Connie makes” test (that’s my wife) I won’t touch them.
I am always bragging about my wife’s recipes and passing out their written ingredients and baking instructions to anyone who wants to become a world class “Southern” baker. The strange thing about this is that when someone else does the baking, the finished product rarely tastes the same. You see, recipes are awesome if they are well written, if you can read, if the ingredients are accessible when you are ready to bake, if you have the proper cooking utensils, and if you actually follow the instructions. The caveat is that if the item doesn’t taste the same, someone changed the recipe: Added a little more of something, altered the ingredients, or there were too many cooks.
Good is good, no matter where you go. The question always comes down to: Can you duplicate this? How much skill will it take? Is it transferrable and reproducible? In recipes and in Dentistry, I say yes, yes, and yes. Is there a great, almost perfect model for the “business” of Dentistry? Can dentists become successful in any part of the country? Can you find great staff no matter where you live? Will the public appreciate the effort and skill that you and your staff bring to dentistry?
YES.
It is still possible to make the perfect cake and have the perfect icing, too? Please realize that these are two different areas and each is equally important. The cake represents the basic business structure that has to form the foundation for any type of practice. The icing is the difference in an amazingly great cake and a mediocre dessert that no one is lining up to get. The icing represents the internal marketing that is spot on because you understand the demographics of those who live around your practice: Age, income, educational level, needs, and desires. It’s the finishing touches that insure you will have raving fans. You would think from the large number of practices that struggle and never reach their potential that this “recipe” and its “ingredients” are just too difficult to find and implement. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Success can be just a call away. I want to encourage each of you to email me and request a one-on-one review of your practice. I will send you a short two page spread sheet to fill out, and request a copy of your Profit and Loss statement, along with a copy of one week’s schedule. As soon as I receive these, we can sit down and go over all of the numbers as well as how to fix any blockages that may appear. I have never had a phone call with a doctor who, after doing this, was not surprised at how much better they understood their practice and the business of Dentistry. It costs nothing; it’s the perfect recipe, so why wouldn’t you let me walk you through how to have the perfect practice. This is how you Summit.
Michael Abernathy, DDS
[email protected]
972-523-4660 cell
PS — I know that this is a huge request (probably a 30 minute assignment), but based on the last few years of practice, how is what you are doing now working for you? There is always room to improve, so take a chance and take the time to actually respond. Statistically, you will spend more time planning a vacation than working on the future of your career. Make this a different year! Call or email me today.