The supplies you order make you money. If you wouldn’t write it and sign it – don’t say it.
Are they working hard enough for you?
The supplies you order should not be any more than 8% of your gross production. That should allow you room to use top quality products. But if you are really taking advantage of your supplies – your supply costs should be around 6% of your production or better. It really is relative! Efficient products allow you to finish your procedures quicker, turn over your operatories faster, and basically make more money.
How much thought to you put into that? I have put a lot of thought into this! 27 years of helping offices that keep getting independent reviews as some of the highest grossing, highest netting practices in my area – some of them highest among North American practices (according to some of my customers – not verified independantly)
Are you too cheap to see the value of great dental products?
You get what you pay for. Then again, in dental sometimes you don’t. I have seen products that are way over rated for the value they provide. Complicated procedures, anything that adds time is costing you money. Sometimes a product that seems inexpensive adds inefficiencies that take money out of your pocket!!
Does your ordering person (maybe yourself) evaluate the TIMEfactor for the most significant products in your practice? If you did, then you would be using bulk fill for posteriors, self etch bonding, disposable syringe tips, cassette systems, and your hygiene department would never sharpen another scaler.
Great dental products don’t even have to be more expensive than what you are using – all you need in order to find the great products is a great team member…..
Who really is the expert on the materials you use, and where you buy them from?
Dental Reps work their asses off to impress you. They are there from the day you graduate school and likely still plugging away when you are ready to buy a practice, set up and look for employees.
The good ones are not there to line their own pockets, they are there to form a relationship with you. Develop a solid relationship by providing services well beyond supply ordering.
As a matter of fact, if that’s all your rep is good at – you really should consider firing them. Sure they might be a nice guy – but if they aren’t paying for those expensive supplies you order by showing you how to be more profitable – then you really aren’t getting your moneys worth.
If you want comedy and a good joke, or some donuts – you would be better off to pay for this on the side. Or maybe you are even lucky enough to work with an expert shopper (Dental rep) who consults your practice AND even knows a thing or two about keeping you smiling!!
Buying clubs
They are good for comparing how much money you would be SAVING if you were using them. But how good are they at understanding what YOU really need? How well do they know your practice, the staff you work with and the challenges you face every day?
How could you possibly consult a business on tens of thousands (maybe even hundreds of thousands) of dollars of product without KNOWING the practice?
Ususally people end up going here because of BAD dental reps. Reps who only bring pricing to the table because they really don’t know anything better. They don’t understand how to run a business, how to add value to the service they provide and that any day of the week they could beat a buying club or mail order magazine.
My challenge to you….
Find out who the top dental sales guy is for your area. If they don’t turn your crank – shop around a bit. But give it a chance.
Any rep worth their salt will impress the heck out of you with not only product knowledge, but also an understanding of your business and what tools might help your business succeed.
Now for myself – one of my friends and I are going for lunch….this blog was written while waiting for a great Dentist who is just at the beginning of a lucrative career full of opportunity (told you I’d write about you Dr. E!)
Smile!
Warren Bobinski
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Success in Dentistry and Life
