Michael Kesner, DDS
Dentistry is one of the most difficult professions to master. You not only have to be an excellent clinician; you must also be an expert in many different areas of your business (e.g., effective communication, team leadership and inspiration, business systems, capital expenditures, profit and loss statements, business growth strategies, marketing).
This means that you must wear many different hats. You are not only the owner/CEO, but also the COO, HR director, marketing director, bookkeeper, and of course, the clinician whose services generate revenue. Unless you happen to have superhuman powers, there is no way that you can perform optimally in all of these areas without help.
You need a mentor - someone who has achieved the level of success that you aspire to and who can teach you how to get there. Sometimes, mentors are also consultants. I have had many mentors over the years; some were great, some were not, but I learned extensively from them all. The great mentors helped me to grow my business rapidly in ways I could not have done alone. The not-so-good mentors cost me a lot of time and money. On the bright side, I learned what not to do in my practice!
A good mentor helps you see what you can't see yourself. He or she gives you a roadmap to making the changes you need in yourself and your business to be successful. If you keep doing the same things, then you will keep getting the same results. The only way to have different results is to change the things you are currently doing.
The key to success is in the implementation of information. Simply having the information doesn't change anything in your practice - you must take action and use this knowledge. A good consultant will hold you accountable to implement these changes. They will also help you navigate any roadblocks or hindrances.
All successful businesspeople have had mentors in their lives who helped them achieve success. The same goes for successful athletes. From Donald Trump to Tiger Woods ... their success is in large part because of the help of a mentor, consultant, or coach.
You can be an excellent clinician and still not be financially successful. For many years I took extensive CE, improved my clinical skills, and increased the dental services that I could offer. Yet, I was still just barely able to pay the bills and pay myself. After 13 years, I burned out. This led me on a journey to discover the secrets to practice success. I was able to grow my practice from $675,000 to over $4 million in only five years.
Let me ask you two questions: Do you see yourself as a dentist who unfortunately must also run a business? Or, do you see yourself as a dentist who has learned to leverage your clinical skills to build a thriving business? Most dentists identify with the first category, not the second. If running a business doesn't come naturally to you, a consultant helps you learn how to do so successfully. Simple as that.
Take it from me ... someone who has "been there, done that." In addition to seeking and learning from a mentor, hire a good practice management consultant. Unlike other types of mentors, a consultant comes with a price, but don't fret over the cost. Your return on that investment will be huge as your practice revenue goes up and your stress goes down. How much would it be worth to you to double or triple your monthly revenue while cutting your stress in half? Cost should never be the issue - only your return on investment.
A good practice management consultant, coupled with a dentist willing to make changes in how he or she practices, can accomplish these kinds of results in 24 months or less. Make 2015 your best year ever! Stop wasting time thinking about it and hire a good consultant.
Mike Kesner, DDS, has a practice that ranks on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest growing companies in America. He is the author of the book Multi-Million Dollar Dental Practice and the CEO of Quantum Leap Success in Dentistry. They teach more production, higher profits, and less stress. Contact him at [email protected].
