by Joe Blaes
Yankee Meeting in Boston. It was a grand meeting in a beautiful new convention center. The exhibit floor was a great setting with high ceilings, wide aisles, and lots of room to sit and relax. With a new venue, there are always many things to learn and the Yankee planners had plenty of volunteers to speed you on your way to the next lecture or meeting. I missed the convenience of the nearby mall and hotels at the old center, but this will change as the new area builds up. The bus service was great in getting us to and from all the Boston hotels. I am already looking forward to my visit next year and another lobster dinner!
At the Yankee, I was able to meet with several of the people who write in DE®. Dr. Paul Feuerstein showed me lots of new things happening in the technological arena. Dr. Paul took us to a great restaurant for a terrific dinner. I also met the author of this month’s cancer awareness column, Dr. Larry Hamburg. Larry’s story could be about any one of us. I met him after he finished an hour lecture on porcelain veneers. He did a great job and has a terrific attitude. He has made it through the surgery and is looking forward to celebrating his life. Be sure to read his story, which begins on page 34.
The big news here at PennWell is the Dental Division Web site. We met in Tulsa in January to begin mapping out the changes we want to make. Our goal is to increase the traffic to our Web site by giving you more information that you can easily find. I spent three hours learning about “search engine optimization,” and came away with a new understanding and admiration for the people who run our Web site division.
Because of the way we have set up our magazine, your questions are sent directly to the authors of the columns or feature articles. So I have no idea what kind of response the authors get. I see very little of your feedback or requests for more information. Now authors will share those questions and their answers with all of us in the form of blogs. Also in the works is a blog by me, and a DE® Internet newsletter. And I thought I was already busy!
I know you will be pleased with our additions to the Web site. We would like to have your feedback and suggestions. Please visit our Web site at www.dentaleconomics.com.
I have been doing much reading lately. I have read some for fun, but I have also read a number of business books. It seems to me that dentists have a hard time translating some of the principles in business books to their practices. The overriding focus today is on the principle that success is within each and every one of us. All we need to do is grab hold of it and believe in ourselves.
The next step involves the people we surround ourselves with — our staff members. Staff spelled staph is an infection, and having the wrong people on your team can create a bad infection. The answer is team. If we surround ourselves with negative people, we will get negativity. The answer is to hire people for your team who are positive and energetic and work together as a team to help build your practice.
Two friends of mine who are dentists have just written what I consider is the best “path to success in a dental practice” book that I have ever read. Dr. Matt Bynum and Dr. Art Mowery have written “The Boomerang Effect for Dental Professionals.” These two dentists graduated from dental school just over 10 years ago. They met at the Las Vegas Institute in 1998, and immediately struck up a friendship. In a few short years, they have done it all!
Now, in 2008, they tell you how they did it and, more important, how your beliefs return to create your personal and professional lives. I have just finished reading the book, and it has already changed my life. This is a must have book. Order it online at www.bynummoweryway.com or call (888) 900-BOOM. Then, reap the rewards.
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500
