The Everything Dental Rep

This blog isn’t going to be a big complaint about dental supplies…its’ about value of picking the best performing supplies..

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. 

 ~Berthold Auerbach

I don’t know what I would do without music and art to inspire me (and coffee for that matter.

The playlist, and inside the crazy mind of mine…

Breaking Benjamin…The diary of Jane….i want to get up on stage with these guys and bang my head!  I am sitting on a plane with people staring at me as I am rocking my head furiously back and forth….hey, whatchya looking at Dude? I’m a badass rock n roll dude!

Next song on the playlist….

The Fray…You Found Me…now I went from a badass rockstar to wanting to write a friction love story for my wife!  Ya, I’m a sappy guy who told his wife he was in love within the first week of meeting her.  Probably enough to scare most girls away, and inspire guys to think they want to hit me and snap me out of it.  It’s just that I love people, and getting attached quickly is probably something I do to compensate for moving so many times when I was young….

…then the song changes..

Neil Young…..The Needle and the damage done…I stop writing for a moment and pretend my guitar is in my hand…I love my guitar..she gives me so much pleasure. She understands the creative side of me, and…..and…and I am tired of playing an air guitar, it’s just not the same as having here here with me….skip to the next song…

Rob Zombie…a great driving beat that suddenly inspired me to jot down a few notes for my book The Empire about a serial killer multiple billionaire James Bond type…..

Now back to this..

KISS…..Detroit Rock City…  Hmmmm…bored quickly here after the first verse..heard it too many times, and I’m not in the mood.  Feeling kind of dark after the Rob Zombie and writing ideas down on a new character to introduce into the book…

Avenged Sevenfold…Fiction….from the newest album…I listen just because of how this amazingly talented band manages to find such a unique sound…now I’m back in musician mode…listening to lyrics….so tell everybody, the ones that walk beside me, that I will find my own way when I’m not with you tonight….

That’s it…now I’m bored with this and ready to go back to reading my Stephen Adler book, close to finished reading about this sicko….lol.

Crazy head, love it or lose it….

Warren

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficult

Can you see opportunity in history?

I don’t know where you live, but where I live the dentist population is booming meaning it is becoming more competitive to open and run a dental clinic.  The average cost of opening a single clinic is now in the $600 -$750K range.

Years ago when I started, the economy was slower and many dentists ran large group practices with shared expenses.  They also operated extended hour clinics and satellite clinics in smaller towns.  

I predict we are going to see these times again.  It actually makes good business sense!

Here are some reasons why this is coming, and why we are going to return to large group practices, and an idea for the entrepreneurial dentist….

First – I would suggest in a competitive market to open a beautiful clinic with a group of motivated dentists.  The dentists involved would have to agree on building and maintaining the highest tech dental centre in the market – offering premium dental care.  Part of the agreement for the partners would be to maintain a minimum level of advanced dental courses, maintain the most advanced equipment with a good business plan to reinvest in keeping the clinic advanced.

The beauty is each partner would share in the real estate (the building would be owned in a high traffic area).  The cost would be approximately the same to each partner as opening their own clinic – but all put into one location.  The result would be some major savings on construction and equipment costs.  

Each operating partner would be responsible to pay a portion of the expenses based on their gross.  Associates and auxiliary income would be shared.  

Group practices or multiple dentist buildings used to work, and they could work again…

Second – there are key areas for developing new clinics – rural!  In an economy where housing costs have gone up to the point that bedroom communities are thriving – the smaller towns about 30 minutes to 60 minutes away don’t have access to a full service dental clinic.  I can see partners sharing the cost of setting up a nice, comfortable clinic that would compete with the larger centre clinics.  I would staff this either with associates or each investing doctor would take the appropriate share of business days depending on their initial investment.  If the clinic cost $600k to one and 4 dentists invested $150k -each doctor would be responsible for 1 of the 4 days per week the clinic was open.    These clinics would serve an average patient base of 2000 patients each generating an average of $400yr each – or about $800K per year gross income.  After expenses, each partner should be able to net $40 to $60K per year but also have the ability to sell their share of the clinic for close to what they have originally invested.  So let’s say the plan is 5 years (a good exit strategy plan, because most equipment and technology would still be current and the practice would be hitting the peak patient load).  By this time the doctors would have earned approximately $300K of earned income and still be able to sell their portion of the clinic for $150K for a total of $450K in five years on an original investment of $150K – not bad! If you had 3.5 other days of similar investments you could earn over $2 million within your Corporation with risk you control – all based on the same investment you may have had trying to run just one location.

Additional income could be possible, especially if each partner had extended services – perhaps a cad cam would be brought in and shared among the partners so that lab income could become part of the formula – maybe a therapist and hygiene and spa would be part of the clinic to reduce overhead and increase profitability.  The other great thing would be if each partner brought something a little different to the table – one might offer orthodontic services, another would be the in office oral surgery specialist, another might do the majority of end, and yet another could be the restorative/cosmetic guy.  The best partnerships in this idea would be those dentists that best compliment each other and refer to each other….

The best part of the plan is having multiple partners each willing to put in not only a share of the original investment, but also willing to supply time or associates..

Last

The opportunity to build this clinic and have several specialists in one location.  

Keep all specialists in the same business.  Why not have an Endodontist, orthodontist, oral surgeon and pedodontist and lab in the same practice working as a team?  Interview carefully and make sure this team agrees on treatment and referral.  This could easily be a multiple million dollar proposition with franchising opportunities….

There are so many opportunities – and looking at previous business models could help build a strong future.

This rave brought to you by…

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life!h

Are all dentists really the same? 

Are all health care professionals the same?  Are you limited and bound to provide only the treatment that is covered by a health care plan – or do you have the option to allow your patients elective treatment?  

Elective treatment is the great part about the dental profession, and at the same time can be a difficult thing to learn how to promote.  Often, the treatment planning is based on what is covered by insurance and not always by what is the best long term option.  Is it wrong to offer a treatment plan that meets the standards you believe in, and more importantly what your patient really wants?

So many people I work with are trying to find a way to being new patients Into the practice in a professional manner when you already have all the tools you need ready to go!  If you are already established, why do you need to spend any money ‘advertising’ for new patients when your best opportunity lies right before your eyes?

It’s a simple matter of asking the right questions, and educating.

I used to believe that the least expensive equipment and products were always the way to go for my customers – and I used to have to see 150 customers just to make a basic living.  I always thought that my customer only bought the cheapest stuff, as long as it got the job done.

But I learned.

It took me 10 years to realize this was a mistake.  Just like the least expensive dentistry is not usually the best long term solution for your patient!  I learned that my customers who bought the cheap stuff had more breakdowns, emergencies, recalls and headaches.

As I continued to grow in the business and continued to learn (I am a big believer in CE) , I found that I could work better with those who understood true value.  I started offering more options to my customers. With proper education and time, I was able to develop a top 5% territory in Canada. The only reason to bring this up isn’t to toot my own horn, ’cause I am really uncomfortable with that. The point is to prove to you that a formula that is working for me might be able to work for you.

You and I have some amazing similarities.  I HATE and I am UNCOMFORTABLE selling anything.  I want my customers/patients to get the best treatment using my education and talent.  I give a 100 percent guarantee on my services.  There is no compromise, and not every patient/customer accepts my treatment plan…

That’s ok, because it’s better to not spin my wheels treatment planning for failure.  I am able to provide options that suit any customer/patient – and I always make sure, like you do, to explain the good and bad.  Most of the time my cusomers (your patients) want the best – and it’s usually not the least expensive, short term answer – its the long term value proposition.  And that takes education.

Is education really considered selling?

What if I could help your practice be more attractive to the public so you bring in more business?  Maybe you think that you are quite happy with the way your practice looks already, but I am not afraid to show you the potential!  It’s all about education.  And understanding what ‘lasers’ and ‘cad cam’ and ‘digital xray’ might do for your look….I don’t want to sell it to you if this isn’t your thing, but I will ALWAYS offer you some options, because I have done it so many times and have so many happy customers…can you see the analogy?

An opportunity to do more.

Here is the cool opportunity dentists have that I also have been able to accomplish.  You need to read the analogies into this one…

My territory has grown to include an amazing team!  I have the most experienced technicians (I will call them my preventative team).  Within this team I have an amazing specialist for just the digital and high tech equipment like lasers and cad cam.  They help maintain the high quality products we install, and keep the customers coming back.  Without my preventive team, I would not have nearly the amount of work coming in the door.  I sincerely appreciate this part of my team!

I am lucky enough to have very experienced Customer Service and accounting that go out of their way to make sure my customers/patients get what they need, when they need it.  This part of my team helps make me look good.  They make sure the collections are handled (my territory rarely has receivables over 30 days).  They make sure the customer is delivered what they asked for, or handle the odd times when things don’t go perfect.

The team includes an equipment specialist -  my equivalent to a treatment co ordinator.  He makes sure to iron out all the details of the treatment and makes sure the customer gets ‘educated’ on the recommended plan, then follows up with co ordinating everything from the finances all the way through to installation and training on the product.

There are several other key team members – and every one of them understands that the customer signs the paycheque.

Most importantly the business I work for invests a lot of money educating this team to be the best and how to work as a team.

The most amazing part of this….

If you can see the analogies, then you will also understand this one.  I deliver all this service for less than anyone competitor!!

That’s because the service I offer is unique.  Nobody else does what I do!  The ‘treatment planning’ I offer makes my customers look good, which helps them be more successful.  This treatment planning can help my customers get to a place they wanted to be – but without education they may have thought this place was really expensive!  At the end of the day customers are satisfied, and want to be ‘lifetime patients’, and as their family grows – so does my business in the best way…from referral.

I believe anyone can take orders and maybe even sell dental supplies.  

I believe most dentists can provide basic treatment once they get their degree.

But I am not just another Dental Salesman, and I bet you are not just another dentist…

We are dedicated to educating and providing long term solutions to a loyal base of customers/patients who recognize the value of the service we offer…..

Sincerely,

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life….

I hate people who think they are better than everyone else.

I love those that are modestly confident.

We all have skills, and learning to appreciate what every person I meet can bring to a relationship is a goal of mine.  It doesn’t matter if you are an expert on clinical dentistry, a chair side assistant, a hygienist, receptionist.  Even if this is not your true passion – I know you have a passion for something that would make you a good friend to know!

I have met amazingly talented photographers, musicians, artists, writers….I have met people with an amazing ability to remember every detail about other peoples lives and families, birthdays and those of their kids.  My wife is that person, it astounds me how she can meet someone once and six months later remember their kids name, what their birthdays are and how much that person loves to roller-skate….

You are someone I want to know!  It’s why I am on all these social networks, because the skills you are teaching me are invaluable!  The skills you teach me allow my mind to explore fascinating opportunities.  The ideas you bring excite me and add a lot to a relationship!  

I hope I am able to give that back to you…..

Those of you that think you are better than everyone else, you can go and live your lonely life.  Maybe you have 10,000 people that like what you produce….but do they really like you? Maybe you should take a moment to realize that without these people, you would be nobody.  If you sincerely don’t appreciate these people, you will likely be writing a book someday wondering what went wrong…maybe you have millions of dollars, people who follow you around to kiss your ass only because they want to leech from you, people who are star struck and just hope you will actually take a genuine interest in them….but you won’t.

It’s a lonely life living with yourself and your big ego.

I hope my real friends realize how important they are to my life, and that anything I gain in my life will always be shared.

Without you…..I am nobody, and lonely.

Smile!

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life!

My name is Warren, and I am a tech addict.

I am not alone.  There is a huge growing amount of people that are carrying devices that require Internet, and the demand on the cellular mobile networks is causing a downgrade in voice quality.  I think the cost of cellular data is related to the demand for the product.  The demand is growing, and will grow in a huge way with tens of millions of new mobile devices being added everyday.

There is a huge opportunity here for businesses to take advantage!  

Every company that wants more foot traffic can capitalize on the opportunity to attract wireless patrons.  Look at the demographic of connected people….these are likely people you want in your place of business!

It blows me away that most businesses are not taking advantage of this opportunity.  

Every business that would offer wi-fi has an opportunity to interact with those using the wireless network.  If I had a wireless network I was providing for free, I would use a banner advertisement promoting something in my business.  The banner would sit at the top of the open browser window while they are using the ‘free’ internet service I am providing.

I would also consider an application for my place of business – advertised on the banner.  The patrons who want to use the ‘free’ internet connection would be encouraged to download the ‘free’ app.  Then whenever they come back to my place of business, they could log in and use the internet for free……

Those patrons that frequently ‘check in’ to the store will be rewarded….but the wireless internet is probably enough reason for those searching for wireless to come back to your place of business!

Think of the opportunities….

-every restaurant, retail business, movie theater, public venue, dental office, medical office, public agency, every retail business….there are a million places that free wi-fi would be appreciated and could benefit the business itself as much as those using the service…..

This Rave brought to you by….

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life…

Howard Stern made $583 Milion working for Sirius and is ready to quit.  I have an idea that would help him find happiness – because its’ not just about the money, is it Howard? 

The world is changing so fast – the big companies may be disadvantaged unless they can find a fast way to adopt change.