Why Work with a Dental Coach?
(3 Pillars of Success)

Dental coaches are becoming increasingly popular in the dental industry. A dental coach is a professional who helps dentists and dental practice owners improve various aspects of their businesses, such as patient retention, practice management, and marketing.

One of the key benefits of working with a dental coach is that they can help dentists and practice owners identify and overcome any barriers to success. For example, a coach can help a dentist improve their communication skills, which can lead to better patient satisfaction and increased revenue.

When it comes to working with an experienced coach, there are three core systems they will implement to achieve success:

1. Business systems

Dentistry is only one aspect of practice ownership. When operations don’t run smoothly behind the scenes, it can create unnecessary stress and chaos for a dental practice. These business systems include things like bookkeeping, payroll, taxes, supplies and more.

There are typically only two approaches to handling the business systems. You’ll either need to outsource the work to a third party like Synergize Dental, or you’ll need to have processes in place for your internal team. Whatever you decide, a dental coach can help you develop a plan for success.

2. Growth systems

Believe it or not, this applies to every dental practice. Of course practices that are new or struggling to bring in new patients will need coaching in this area. But just because a practice is hitting consistent revenue numbers, doesn’t mean they are exempt.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do we have a high conversion rate for patients calling in?
• Are we getting a good flow of new patients each month?
• What does your case acceptance rate look like?
• Do you have systems and processes in place for financial coordination?
• What is the average lifetime value of your patients?
• Are you staying on top of necessary credentialing?
• Do you have a reliable collections process in place?
• Is your hygiene department operating at maximum efficiency?
• Do your assistants have enough training?
• Do you feel like you have a clinical mentor to help with new or difficult procedures?
• Are you investing in your practice with a set marketing plan and budget?
• How are you holding yourself and your team members accountable?

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into growing a dental practice. Everyone needs to generate new patients through marketing efforts and have systems in place to keep and retain existing patients.

The practice growth systems enables dentists to spend more time doing the things they love. Whether that spending more time chairside, or working on the business systems, growth will provide more opportunity.

Another benefit of working with a dental coach is that they can help dentists and practice owners stay current with the latest industry trends and best practices. The dental industry is constantly evolving, and it can be difficult for busy dentists and practice owners to keep up with all of the latest developments. A coach can help keep them informed and provide valuable insights and advice.

3. Culture systems

Building a positive and productive culture can be accomplished through effective leadership and team dynamic understanding.

Leadership skills can be developed for any member of a team. It’s all about inspiring teams to work together toward common objectives and outcomes. Typically, a good place to start is by creating a vision or mission statement for you practice. This will give everyone on the team a chance to buy-in to the higher purpose of their daily tasks.

Team dynamics will help you understand different personalities and how to communicate more effectively as a whole. Dental coaches can help you discover basic behaviors critical to team success, assess those behaviors within your team, and learn how to nurture those behaviors going forward. 

A good place to start when developing a strong culture system would be:

• DiSC Personality Tests
• Conflict Resolution Courses
• Communications Training
• Leadership Workshops

Perhaps it’s better to think of a dental coach as another round of dental school (but more fun). They can be a valuable resource for dentists who want to improve themselves and their business. We can work together to identify and overcome any roadblocks that are preventing you from building your ideal dental practice.