“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

TIMEfactors – it’s not just about money.  It’s about a higher level of patient care.

What if you could provide the highest level of patient care at less cost to your patient? The idea of TIMEfactors isn’t just about exploring profit for the business of dentistry.  It’s truly more about offering a higher level and more affordable care for patients.

It’s simple.

TIME = money.

When a company finds ways to produce a better widget in less time, everyone wins.  The customer seeks out the better widget, and if the company offers the better widget for the same price or less than the ‘old’ widget – then the company will profit in many ways.

The company can use the profit to…

-Re-invest in better and better widgets (constant improvement)

-offer a higher level of customer service

-higher better talent

-compensate their staff better (thus retaining the best talent)

-keep the cost of the widget affordable and bringing in even more customers

Learning techniques and materials in dentistry that are proven to benefit the patient with scientific and street clinical success benefit all of us.  The most important part of this whole formula however is TIME.  If the procedure is better, less expensive and provides a higher level of care and can be done in LESS TIME….what should happen with the end product?

TIMEfactored techniques are proven products that every successful office needs to consider.

I will explore the most valuable TIMEfactor techniques and products over the next few weeks. Let’s start with the intra oral camera.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  It takes about 6 minutes to speak 1000 words – so in my opinion an intraoral camera picture saves you about 6 minutes of explaining.  If your chair time is $500 an hour – then every minute is $8.  Sounds about right! Every picture you take will MAKE YOU about $50.  Not just in time saved explaining procedures, but also in the accepted treatment plans.  It is just a fact.  Intra oral cameras offer a HUGE return on investment.

Take 10 pictures a day in your hygiene and watch your treatment plans be accepted at a level of about another $500 a day.  So now that $5000 investment doesn’t look so bad does it? Even if we are very conservative – it still only takes about a dozen accepted treatment plans to pay for an intraoral camera.  Never mind the huge volume of time saved trying to explain what you see.

MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS FORMULA.  PUT THESE CAMERAS IN YOUR HYGIENE ROOMS.  They aren’t made just to show off that fantabulous composite you just placed to your colleagues!! These are serious business builders, and an essential tool in successful dentistry.

An intraoral camera is about $5000.  And I don’t think one for your office is enough.  These should be available for every operatory, especially in hygiene where your treatment planning starts.  Don’t like the $25,000 cash outlay all at once? Then lease it and pay about $500 A MONTH to install these in every room.  That’s just ONE ACCEPTED treatment plan per month yo!!  This wasn’t about the money either, it was about sincerely help a patient save a tooth, save themselves from pain, help them feel better about their looks, gain more confidence.  Do it for the RIGHT reasons….and we all win.

TIMEfactors = better dentistry. More affordable dentistry. Better patient education. Happier better compensated staff.  More holidays. Teamwork.

Smile!

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life.

The Everything Dental Guy

“There is no love without some type of loyalty.  Love without loyalty would be meaningless, so I try to love deeply and devote my all…and when I get that back, I find a truly meaningful relationship….”

Warren Bobinski

Statistically a dental office spends between 6 – 8% of their annual gross production on dental supplies.

This number usually varies MORE because of the actual FEES you charge than the COST of supplies.  Dental supplies cost about the same regardless of supplier.  YES, you can and always will find a ‘better deal’ on something if you put enough time and effort into it – but if you are putting that much time and effort into it, you are spending dollars to save dimes.

Its true, it’s proven over and over and over again.  RK house (and hundreds perhaps thousands of industry examples) publishes it, and I have seen the latest numbers.  As a matter of fact, I am PROUD that the majority of my customers (Saskatoon and north as compared to Regina and south) are in the low range on this list!!

That is just using ONE SUPPLIER (for the most part)!

Do you know how much you spend?

Most people think they need to spend so much time shopping around for dental supplies at an office.  It’s really not the problem.  You likely spend more of your after tax income (as a percentage of your income) on food at home than you do on supplies (as a percentage of your gross)….and you probably only shop for groceries at one or two places.  You shop there because they are fair, offer you a good service and are convenient.  And they likely STILL don’t offer a service level that you could enjoy from a dental supplier…

Your dental supply guy has a STRONG MOTIVATION to be a TEAM MEMBER FOR LIFE.  And the reward for him or her should be a loyal, full-time position.  Because when they have that position, it means they will go out of their way to make sure you are getting the BEST DEAL!!  They will use their experience in selling dental supplies ALL DAY LONG and their education on all the different materials and management to SAVE you money.

Us dental supply guys lose motivation with price comparisons.  Honestly.  We are all pretty much willing to guarantee lowest prices – because the truth is in our industry there is no more than a few percentage difference in legitimate (not grey market) dental suppliers.  Instead the major suppliers reward loyalty with reward programs – and at the end of the year you will see 95% of dental offices fall into a supply category of between 6 – 8% of gross income regardless of where or how they shop.  It’s really insignificant, especially when you learn that all along using one supplier honestly would have lowered your overall costs and was much less stressful.

Most offices eventually learn that shopping around usually only makes a difference of about 1% in your gross income and usually MORE not LESS!!

The reasons your Dental Supply Bill is stupid.

#1 – Waste.  It is easy to find several thousand dollars of dental supplies in offices with high dental supply overhead.  This is often caused by shopping around and getting compromised product that you end up hating and can’t return.  Or product that isn’t working and has no warranty, or product that has short expiry date, or product you thought you were going to use and never got around to, or product that your staff doesn’t realize is so expensive and eats like it’s the last meal on earth. Offices with big overhead usually have staff who don’t care and waste product.  It’s much easier to waste, lose, or have expire a $200 bottle of bond than it is to save $200 on a single order for this bond.

#2 – Bad Inventory Management.  Use a tag system.  I can find thousands of dollars in almost any office that is expired, and it shouldn’t be.  This happens often with offices that use multiple suppliers because they order large quantities so they don’t run out, and they double order because they can’t remember where they ordered it from, or they buy from compromised sources that offered the seemingly good deal because of dated product, or product that wasn’t CANADIAN HEALTH approved for sale and was mislabelled.  Again, staff aren’t assigned to rotate supplies, or there is no organized system for stocking and product gets lost in the office.  Have you ever misplaced a $500 bag of burs? I have seen it.

#3 – TIMEfactors.  You buy product that you thought was the best – but you didn’t consult with the expert materials person, your expert team member,  your dental supply rep.  We are paid as a team member to have your back!! We WANT to make sure your overhead is really low, that means we are doing a FANTASTIC JOB, and you are PROUD of us!! And we get a raise because your office buys more supplies from us because you are busy being efficient!! The same way you provide a beautiful smile for your patient and hope they come back and tell all their friends and family.  That is how we work.  It’s personal, and we are proud of our knowledge and what we do.  Let us find those products for your office that MAKE YOU MORE MONEY and MAKE YOU EFFICIENT.  Tell us what you want, and watch us work! Cheaper gloves? Check.  More efficient infection control? Check. Reduced chair time for your favourite procedure, a more accurate impression, a stronger cement, a more efficient endo system…check, check and check!!

#4 – Deals.  You would never be able to know all the deals that are available for your dental purchases.  Your staff could never possibly know.  It takes an EXPERIENCED REP with SOLID RELATIONSHIPS to understand and take advantage of the best deals that your overhead low (and make us look good).  Your staff don’t have personal relationships with the reps from dental manufacturers, they don’t read and understand the latest dental product journals and take the time to understand the impact that stocking at the right time might have on your bottom line.  All  you have access to are flyers, and the best deals in our industry don’t come from flyers!! They come from relationships.  I PROMISE you (and many of you have experienced it) that on average I pay MORE than the difference in any deal you may find with the “insider” deals I bring, and the ability to bail you out of bad product or equipment situations.  This is what we do all day long, everyday – and we are damn good at it.  I promise you, it’s rare that your staff care as much as your dental supply rep.  The only way we get a raise is by making sure your office is running at LOW SUPPLY COSTS – otherwise we get ‘fired’.  Your staff likely care more if the dental rep brings them donuts, or tells them a good joke, or is good looking….sad.

#5 – GUILT.  You order product from good sales guys.  Those guys who can sell ice to Eskimos.  The ones who tell you at some course they ARE THE ANSWER to all your woes.  You go home from some CE event with about $5000 of product in your hands because you got it for 50% off!! Then it sits on your shelf and expires, or you start to use it and the Eskimo Ice supplier didn’t actually tell you that now you have to pay 3X as much as you thought to implement this hot new technique in your office.  The staff aren’t motivated because they didn’t go to the course and don’t understand it. It takes way more time than you actually thought, and the treatment planning on the new thing isn’t going so well.  Boom….a few thousand bucks is now sitting in the cupboard gathering dust, and you can’t sent it back.  Too bad you didn’t talk to your TEAM MEMBER DENTAL SUPPLY GUY FIRST to find out the truth on this product….we always have your back, because we want to be there tomorrow, and next week, and next year and when you retire….get it?

Our motivation is to work closely with you from the day you graduate and work as an associate all the way to the day you buy your first practice, then help you build your business to a level of profitability and life style that makes you think you have the greatest job in the world, and eventually help you to sell to that associate I introduced you to and start the cycle again.

A good dental supplier is the TEAM MEMBER that will be there for LIFE! 

If you remember our true motivation for helping you, then you would realize why it hurts a little when other people try out for your “lifetime team members” job when they already seem to be performing well for you.  If you feel the need to “shop around” how about you just have a discussion, a business meeting,  on how your rep can perform better and make you happier…you know they are always happy to oblige!

Smile!

Warren Bobinski

The Everything Dental Guy

Success in Dentistry and Life

TIMEfactors

“The first rule of being a leader; Everything that goes wrong is your fault!”

There are about 100 CDA in this province (Saskatchewan) that decided not to renew their license this year.  It made me wonder why the average CDA only pursues an average 10 year career, and I also thought about the offices that have very long term employees.  The staff that tend to stick around for many years….and this motivated today’s blog. (Interesting article on average US salaries for CDA)

My application to your office began with the hope of becoming a team member.  There are a lot of analogies in this little blog – I hope you think of me when you consider what I am saying here. The most loyal and long term relationships bring a lot of benefit.  This isn’t just about your afterhours life – it’s about your ever day life.

You get what you give.

Here is what life lessons have taught me about team members loving you…

#1 – Communication.  When you first hired the new team member you told them exactly what was expected.  You handed them a procedure and office manual so they knew the team they were about to join had similar goals and ambitions as they had for their career.  You told them that you have morning huddles to talk about the days goals, and the patients, and what direction you wanted to take for the day.  As a great communicator, you learned to LISTEN and RESPECT what your staff were telling you – and the goals for a higher level of patient care shines through every team member!

Without great team communication, a team member may fall out of love.  They may think you are only interested in yourself, and not share the same beliefs.  They don’t feel like a team member – they start to feel like an ‘employee’ who is only paid to do as you command….who wants that? Would you?

#2 – Education.  In order to create a team, you have regular ‘practices’.  When you go to learn a new play, you take your team with you and you ALL LEARN.  It’s a beautiful thing to watch these new plays come together and for a team to click!! It means everyone is on the same page, and good team members motivate each other.  It prevents that staff meeting that is all about grievances, and becomes a meeting that everyone looks forward to.

Take your staff to regular CE – we ALL need that to stay motivated about our choice of career. Without continual improvement – the job becomes mundane, and you start to look for something more interesting to do. Hey – start with my upcoming Dr. Ross Nash course hands on!! See the attached file and sign up for Friday May 3!!

#3 – Appreciation.  Trusting your team member is on the same page as you.  Bring home the flowers and chocolates – show that appreciation regular and at unexpected times!  We love that smile and when our leader is happy – it goes both ways doesn’t it! And how good does it feel when a patient (or staff member, or boss) sends you a thank you card, or smiles at you and thanks you for changing their life?  Your staff are motivated to perform and do well at their jobs – just as you are.  They start with a motivation to do well, and just like you – want to impress the $(!% out of you!!  But if they keep doing their best, and the best isn’t good enough…..they stop trying.  Wouldn’t you?  Some people that show you they actually care by rewarding you and making you feel good get a little extra attention.  From my point, if I don’t feel I can add any benefit as a team member to a practice, if I can’t use my skills – I move on.  It’s not a team I want to be a part of! Would you??

It HAS to be sincere too!! Don’t be a Fake Frank!! When you are properly communicating and having those regular team learning sessions – it’s easy to see who is making the plays and who isn’t.  Make sure to SHOW and TELL those people how good they are, and mean it!!

#4 - Loyalty.  If you want loyalty from your team members – you need to show it to them.  If they are facing difficult situations, have some respect.  Have their backs! Think about their personal lives – because life isn’t just about producing enough money to keep everyone happy! It’s about making enough out of our passions to enjoy other interesting life pursuits.  We all have family that needs attention, and sometimes it happens when we least expect it.  If you are loyal and understanding – your team members will give it back.  And if you are following rules #1, 2 and 3 – you won’t doubt they have your back when you will need it too!

One way to show loyalty is with proper compensation. Respecting personal time, sick time, family time and family values.  Sharing your success as a team, but also sharing the tough times! This IS NOT DONE in reverse.  You can’t just pay more and expect people to perform without supplying #1 – 3.  You can’t just say “I pay them more and give them more benefits than any other office in town” and expect that alone will result in better staff…..matter of fact, some of the worst places to work probably have some of the best compensation and benefits packages and a team of miserable, underperforming staff.

You MUST be a leader.  There are many examples of dysfunctional sports teams that try to buy a talented team only to run into a lot of ego issues, and even with the biggest payrolls – very poor performance.  It takes sincere effort, and sincere loyalty to build a strong, trusting team that NEVER WANTS to break up.  They do so well together, and have such respect for each other!! They KNOW that the other team members HELP THEM perform better, and they NEED that person on the team!!

#5 – Constant Improvement.  When the first 4 parts of this formula are rocking, you have NO WORRIES about making investments in your goals.  The team benefits from the best locker rooms, the highest standard of benefits, the greatest team environment.  This type of leadership leads to the most valued team in the league.  It’s the team that is wining that everyone wants to be! It is a team that is ALWAYS current to the patient, offering the BEST of the BEST in treatment plans and facilities.   Investments in constant improvement  pay off with compound interest.

I have seen it, and I work with many offices that take this advice. They become those offices without (or at least a lot less) those stressful staff issues, they are the offices where it’s FUN to work.  Everyone wants to work there.  They fly their staff to meetings regularly, the staff are highly paid…and yet the overhead is low as the production is high. And mostly, the LEADERSHIP is HAPPY and ENJOYS being there!

It’s out there.

Smile!

Warren Bobinski

The Everything Dental Guy

Success in Dentistry and Life

TIMEfactors

“Don’t be mad because I don’t care anymore – be mad because I once did, and you were too blind to see”

Relationships of any type are not to be taken for granted. Once they are, things go wrong.

Look at me, Mr Analogy here.

I regularly compare my personal relationships to my business relationships.

Why?

It hurts to lose a trusted relationship. Doesn’t matter the relationship type when you really are proud of yourself and think you are trying hard to keep it working.

In the beginning….

All relationships start with a bit of “marketing”. You need to turn a head to get noticed. (Flowers, date nights, friend referral, website, social media, yellow pages – in the case of a salesman, a “special offer” of something for a good price maybe, or an excellent presentation on a new product you want…)

One way to be noticed is to be different than that other guy!  Focus on being better and get talked about. (Think of how your Friends, family and social media would talk about you and encourage it) When you put in a lot of sincere effort with confidence eventually that relationship you are pursuing may be willing to “try you out”.

When you sincerely care, ask open and honest questions. (New patient exam, treatment plan, DemandForce…do you both want kids, like to go to movies or travel?)  DON’T BE FAKE! Treat(ment) that person like any person you care about….like you want to be treat(ment) your self!!  During the relationship you develop keep it interesting with constant improvement (you have heard me preach this enough times).

If you sincerely like that person in your new relationship, you try harder. (They do like your treatment plan!) And the more they give you – the more you give back. (Maybe they send you a thank you card….flowers….gifts….)

At some point you develop a bond. And a trust. (And referrals/introductions to family and friends)

Relationships – to me – are not about winning. It’s not about getting more than you give – if It is only about having it your way, or winning – then eventually these relationships will fall apart.

And now that you have them….Too many relationships get taken for granted.

Too often in a relationship we assume that what we have been doing is good enough and stop learning or asking.  Relationships fail without  constant improvement. They fail to offer even more to their loyal partner, customer, employee and take these relationships to exciting new places. These relationships often find themselves un-attractive to others!! Worse, they are un able to admit it because they think it’s still working because THEY are still getting some benefit out of the relationship – but fail to see the point of view of the other person….

These people are likely a little chunky, a lot egotistical, and like to take a lot of time off to do their own thing, and never help with the dishes!!!

Sound like some marriages that end?

Other relationships end because they become boring and predictable. Neither party puts any effort into being interesting or trying something different – and just outside the window there are plenty of new and exciting things to try (like the new office across the street with motivated staff, new equipment, digital xray, bleaching, massaging chairs, televisions, same day crowns, laser therapy, same day endo, implants, tons of cosmetic options for making them smile!) For some reason it takes a kick in the pants before eyes are opened up. Then all of a sudden a new, sincere effort comes – and it’s often too late.

The patient saw that new clinic across the street which just looked better, took better care of itself, and showed them the attention they wish they had gotten at your office.  They INVESTED in the care of the other person, and showed SINCERITY in their intentions – not just what they wanted, but how they would want to be treated!

There are other people who NEVER seem to benefit from a sincere and caring relationship. They are eternally “single” and always looking for that right opportunity. Usually these people are looking for the type of relationship that’s all one way win (them) or they are just too wishy washy to commit and enjoy a mutually beneficial and beautiful relationship. They remember those “good ones” that got away. They see other happy people, and wonder how they could have that too…well, duh.  Treat others….pretty simple!
Life experience has taught me (and obviously I still have a lot to learn) a relationship is built on a sincere desire and effort to continually improve.

It’s built on open and trusting conversations.

It’s built on not doing all the talking (I can still learn here!)

It’s built on two way trust.  To trust others, you must first be able to be trusted.

It’s built on not only listening, but really listening.

It’s built on good times and especially bad times.

All these things lead to my favorite part of a relationship….

Smiles!

My blogs tend to Focus on dentistry and often are “self promotional” (ya, sorry about that). Well today I wanted to share some cool ideas, and just everyday things that make life more comfortable and fun.

This is the focus of life for me. Finding ways to make “work” more like “play” not only for me – but for my friends!  So here are a few things that I wanted to share that may bring some joy to your life as well…

#1 - Pinterest. Another social media sharing platform. It’s “hobby porn” – a place to find people of similar interests that post pictures of those interests. For example, I love music…guitars…motorcycles…cars…travel…dentistry.

Strange bunch of stuff for sure, but using Pinterest allows me to get a real picture from my friends who discover cool new things – and a picture is worth a thousand words.

Businesses are now using Pinterest to show off their latest wares – so if you are “subscribed” to your favorite interests – you can see the latest pictures of “cars, motorcycles, shoes, purses, travel, cats and dogs, cute kids,  dental techniques, smiles, parenting, home decor, you name it!!” It’s a custom picture magazine of only things you like! Link to Warren’s Pinterest (cause I know you just love Motorcycles, Golf, Guitars, Travel, Dentistry, Meals I’ve made, and My style!)

My Pinterest is https://pinterest.com/dmdrep/

#2 - iPad. Use it for work, use it for play. With hundreds of dental applications – it is now a legitimate business write off, a way to see what is going on at the office, educate patients, get your own CE, order supplies, get your email, cruise the Internet, and then play some Angry Birds….Suggested Apps to check out…go to the App Store and search “Henry Schein” for our ordering app and literature apps, Dental Product Shopper for an electronic magazine app, Dental Product Report,

GURU Patient Education app, there are HUNDREDS – I will publish a separate blog with other great ideas (CE, Note taking, File sharing, etc.)

#3 – Texting. Many of you are not only on this insiders email list, but we share an even more personal relationship via text.  It’s a great way to keep in touch from anywhere in the world, a moments notice, share a quick picture, a thought.  Many of you get first crack at limited deals (like the $495 laser!!) or first crack at opportunities (like the CDA, hygienist, the associateship, free tickets) or even a good joke among friends. Text is good.  If you are going to do it, I hope you have a smart phone and “emoticons” little smileys to show how much you love it!! Text me, eh 1-306-222-0590 tell me you just read this and agree!! Link to download “emoticons”

#4 – Honeywell Thermostat – yes, a thermostat is on my list! Having the ability not only to program the heat and air conditioner for the week based on my schedule, but being able to remotely program the thermostat from my iPhone is VERY COOL!! Another close contender was “THE NEST” – a thermostat that learns your schedule and self programs for energy savings. Check out these links.

http://www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com/products/thermostats/thermostat_products.html

#5 – Breville You Brew –  LOVE LOVE LOVE Coffee.  Nobody can make a better cup than I can with my own custom blended, fresh ground beans immediately brewed and precisely dispensed.  This is the best coffee maker I have ever owned – I don’t have to measure out the right amount of beans to grind, and then hope it comes out at the right strength.  The coffee I now brew tastes exactly how I like it day after day regardless of one cup or a pot.  Very cool! I know many people LOVE their Keurig  - and I am a fan of the idea, just not the price of every cup.  I would go broke making the amount of coffee I love…and besides, there is no way I can make my own special blend of beans and play with different bean grinds!

Tell me about your “Life Recommends!!”

Smile!

“Don’t be an imitator be an innovator, design your life and live it your way, not someone else’s way. Stand up, stand out and start living uniquely, creatively and awesomely.”

Build your business by being different than the other guy.  Challenge the norm.

There are million, and multi million dollar practices built on being different.  Learning and seeking opportunities to offer techniques to patients that nobody else is offering.

At some point in time, a dentist invented clear orthodontic treatment and built a BILLION dollar business around this idea! He recognized a need in the market – and now thousands of dentists and specialists are offering his idea to the public.  Why not be different?

How about Saskatoon? Does everyone here still want and need to be that ‘family dentist’….the same as the guy across the street? Of course, YOU are all able to fill a hole, drill a cavity, pop on a cap.  But how many of you offer what your patients really want or need? Implants? Same Day Dentistry? Laser Dentistry? Sleep Appliances?

There is a market for this, and it can be interesting and rewarding to “Be Different”.

Henry Schein offers a “Sleep Complete” CE program (this is based in the US, so be sure to do your due diligence).  Can you build a practice around treatment like this?

How can you market these services in Saskatchewan given our guidelines? Social Media? Twitter, Pinterest? Why not?

By building a Social Media platform in your office, you are extending an opportunity to your current patients to TALK and WRITE and BLOG about the services you offer.  You are offering your patients a way to MARKET YOUR PRACTICE without you having to do this using the most powerful marketing in the world….

Word of mouth.

Give your patients an opportunity to “TWITTER”  about you when they LIKE what you “POST” or “TWEET” or “PIN”.  Why not “PIN” those pictures of that beautiful smile you just created? Or allow your patients to “PIN” their beautiful new white smile they just left your office with using that new laser and Cad Cam? Build that social media page and let your patients do that marketing internally for you!!  Put up a video of that technique on YOUTUBE, or share that video using your well constructed web page? BLOG about your thoughts on Sleep Apnea, or Implants?

This all builds BRAND AWARENESS and gives an opportunity for your current patients to LIKE, TWEET, SHARE, PIN what you are doing…and gives your BRAND the SEO (search engine optimization) you are looking for.  Those patients GOOGLING your name will now see a 4 or 5 star rated dentist with satisfied patients writing about their experience and LIKING, SHARING and PINNING you all over the place…

Let me help you…here are some links to get started…

#1 – MOST IMPORTANT – Build a website….http://www.bitebank.com

#2 – Build a Facebook social media page.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php (make sure to add me to your friends list, eh?)

#3 – Register a Twitter name https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990-how-to-sign-up-on-twitter

#4 – Start a regular blog (even once a month, if you want to have a BRAND you have to INVEST TIME) http://en.support.wordpress.com/getting-started/

#5 – Start and pin practice pictures and add friends from your circle on Pinterest http://business.pinterest.com/

#6 – Extend your network!! Join other professionals at Linked in, Google Plus (HUGE for dentists by the way!), Dentaltown, Dentinal Tubules, Klout, many more (who has time though?)

“I don’t believe your problem is actually your problem…it’s your reaction to the problem that’s your problem….”

Warren Bobinski

Different.

Being different is taking full advantage of life.  There are times when being just another guy may seem like a good proposition.  Especially when faced with difficult challenges.  Especially when you do something different and the spotlight turns on you because of it.

Taking chances to become different meant for me to become a writer (blogger) and explore sincere thoughts on the state of our business.  More than once over the last 30 years my heart raced when writing or stating an uncensored thought.  But as often as I felt awkward stating my case, it felt right.

Over the years, you watched a ‘different guy’ recreate the dental business in his own small way.  Starting with my father at Dominion Dental Supply – we offered a loyalty program called “MOM” or Monthly Order Management.

My first industry stab at being different, it worked well. Everybody loves MOM right?

We rewarded loyal customers in a simple way.  The customer received the best quantity rates on anything they purchased regardless of quantity.  Even small customers were rewarded for their sincere loyalty with big clinic discounts.

To this day I BELIEVE IN LOYALTY AND REWARDING THIS BEHAVIOR by giving it back!

Business boomed in short time…honestly it was too successful.

Technology and efficiency always played a big part of ideas.  But KISS was always a motivation as well (probably because that’s as much as my brain can handle!)

The flyers we published at Dominion Supply were created by yours truly.  The ideas for promotions and give aways, of introducing new time saving ways, problem solvers.

And importing.

Dominion Supply brought in product from NSK Japan – which led to exploring a passion of mine, the health food business.  For about two years, I grew BodyMaxx from nothing to sales of about $15,000 per order…profitably.  Circumstances ended the business.  But more lessons were learned about taking chances, about marketing not only to my direct customers the retailer or service providers – but more importantly appealing my products to their customers and making it easy for my customers to provide their own customers an outstanding experience.  Lessons were learned about selling direct, marketing via small magazine ads.  Success.

The lesson learned was that Canada has stringent laws on importing health foods, labeling – and another lesson was learned about accounts receivables!  I wish they were as strict in the dental business, there are several suppliers importing and selling in the ‘grey and black’ market that would not get away with this in any other industry! But then again, it’s up to me to help educate my friends, and up to the buyer to beware…and also to know better.

Over the years, part of being different meant having to be first with a fax, a computer, pager, cell phone, email, newsletters, text message, 24 hour availability, time organization, websites, smartphone apps, social media, blogs….what’s next? Guess who is working on that!!

All of this being different is how I help our industry friends! For me there is no resting on the laurels, that’s just not fun at all! I WANT to INVENT – TO SOLVE – TO FIND NEW WAYS!

So here is where it’s at lately…and some of the trouble maker guy I have become….

Exploring how to market via website has taught me how to get 100,000+ hits in a month on DMDrep.com, has helped me get a bakery website to be the on the first page of bakery searches for Saskatoon within just a few months!! The point is to explore every opportunity that may benefit my friends.  I want to understand how to bring in more patients to your office.  To understand what motivates a patient to accept a treatment plan – to help those that work with me be “different” and become leaders in the industry doing what they LOVE TO DO EVERY DAY!!

There are people in the industry who told me they think what I was doing was a stupid waste of time. Friends can’t be customers. Nobody is loyal. Nobody cares. There are some who said they were friends, and then were not there when you asked for that helping hand…

There are people that told me some of the things I published weren’t appropriate, or that I was not qualified to say what I was saying. Some tell me to my face that the ideas are good, then go off and steal your ideas (lesson learned) or make fun of you behind your back…

The lesson learned is to take it all in stride.

I am proud to have invented – TIMEfactors, DMDrep, The Everything Dental Guy, Success in Dentistry and Life…a smartphone app that never published but is all over the place now, dozens of songs, and hundreds of blogs, several books yet unpublished….

If you are going to lead a life of no compromise.  Live an outstanding, different life.  One of adventure and thrill – you learn….it’s just a part of being….

different.

Smile!

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life

TIMEfactors

The Everything Dental Guy!

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Bill Gates

**Update – Superior Propane has responded, and it seems like they will be taking steps to assure this doesn’t happen again.  The manager who phoned was very pleasant, took responsibility and compensated me for my trouble.  As a consult to many in the industry – Social Media is a GREAT TOOL to use to become a better business.  The problem isn’t the bad reviews – or bad things being said about you – the problem is not responding or listening.  In this case, a social media blitz garnered results and will likely help a company solve some internal issues and become better with the over all experience**

I could have died a few weeks ago.

January 12^th to be exact.  We woke up to a house that was just 9 degrees! Maybe I am being a little melo-dramatic here, but this was not a nice way to wake up on a morning that was -20++.  First thing you do is check your furnace and it wasn’t running!

Living on an acreage is a new learning experience.  And one lesson I have learned is to NOT TRUST SUPERIOR PROPANE! This is one company that is a great example of poor customer service.  I am really sorry to be a negative nelly! My first reaction to an issue like this is to try to help a company/service be better.  Runing out of Propane in the middle of winter though is already barely tolerable.

When I first set up my account last October/November with Superior Propane (about 6 weeks before moving into my new home) I was told I had to fill in some paperwork – which came by email. And so I did my part very quickly.   The current owner of the home had also told Superior Propane he was moving out and needed them to measure the remaining fuel in the tank so we could make sure he was compensated.  When I set up my account, I wanted to understand how fuel delivery worked.  The customer service at Superior Propane told me that I didn’t have to do anything – they would start me on the same fuel delivery service initially as the previous owner which was about every 6 weeks.  I mentioned that I had another gas appliance, and that I wanted to be on an equalized payment plan – which they put us on immediately.  So December 1, I start paying for fuel and believed everything was taken care of.

Waking up January 13^th – on a Sunday – and finding out that the tank is empty is not a pleasant thing.  At least Superior has an emergency number to call! I phoned and was told there was NO SCHEDULED DELIVERY in my name or address!! They had set up my account, then didn’t do ANYTHING after that! The previous owner was already arguing with them about not getting his credit for previous fuel in the tank (nobody came to measure – so we have no idea what was left on December 1!)  The last time they filled the tank was October 31, 2012 and the driver was instructed to not fill it after that date!!!

Thankfully – several hours and a VERY COLD house later we got our fuel delivery.  The driver told us he used to fill the old owners home and he was worried about us (not too worried obviously) and he had requested from his ‘bosses’ to check in on us and was told not to….really??  So I phoned the next week and spoke with a customer service lady who told me she would make sure this didn’t ever happen again! Thank goodness, right??? Wrong….

Just to be sure, I followed up another week later and spoke to another customer service agent to just ‘check up’ on when the next scheduled fuel delivery was.  We were scheduled for around the end of October (150 days)!! No more fuel delivery this winter, I guess Superior thinks we are just hibernating here- and are happy to take $205 a month from my account and build up a nice little nest egg until they supply some heat again!!

Obviously this wouldn’t work – and after being nice on the phone, having a few laughs, I thought this was finally worked out.  I asked the CSR to make sure someone phoned me to confirm that we would indeed get some more fuel maybe end of February.

 Nobody called back.

In the meantime, I get a ‘contract’ in the mail from Superior Propane – several months after I have already set up an account – for the tank that is in the yard.  A Rental agreement! Now I get that? WTF?? And it was basically a blank contract they wanted me to sign with “fill in the numbers” commitments.  Ya right! I sent back a copy with a handwritten note that I agree to rent the tank, but will not agree to any numbers since the service has been poor (and kept the original)

I decided to phone in before mailing this back and spoke to “Goran”.  He said that they STILL did not have me in the system for a fuel delivery, and agreed that it was ridiculous that it took this long to get the ‘rental’ contract.  He told me there was nothing he could do but pass me along to an elevated situation and have someone call me back about fuel delivery.

 And that never happened.

 Two more calls later, and I am almost out of fuel again (30% remaining is scary now!).  Goran tried to manually enter a delivery – and it never happened.  They assured to fill my tank no later than January 21…..nope.  It didn’t get in the system.

Finally Goran physically calls the local driver, Tyler and has him call me.  Tyler says this is the first time he has ever heard of me as a customer, and this is a regular occurrence for the company he just started with.  Both Goran and Troy are apologetic, embarrassed and I don’t think this is their fault at all.

I am publishing this blog and spreading it around the ‘social media’ world.  If this does get read by anyone who gives a $h1& at Superior Propane, I hope they take this as a positive sign instead of getting mad.  I WISH I could help you improve whatever is broken in your system.  I TRIED to phone and be nice a dozen times to no avail.  This is the power of social media, and I am not here to be nasty but only to help you recognize an issue and give you an opportunity to fix something perhaps management doesn’t realize is broken…..

I am still alive and barely surviving this winter (aren’t we all!).

Now on to dental business!!

Smile!!

Warren Bobinski

Success in Dentistry and Life

TIMEfactors

“What some people call ‘work’ takes up a large part of your life.  If you find a way to sincerely enjoy that large part of your life, and you want to be TRULY SATISFIED EVERYDAY then you need to do great work and have fun while doing it – and the only way to do that is to LOVE what you do….”

Warren B.

Rants and Raves.

Here we go with my summary of the National Sales Meeting….grab your coffee – you will need it!!

Acteon

 Sopro Camera the only camera and caries detector in one!!

This company has the only caries detector and camera all in one.  I like the idea…but I haven’t sold any or heard a lot.  Would need more research if you are interested.  Again…I like the idea and would consider putting this into an office on a trial if you do too…

Satelec Implant center – We Do That!! A TOP NOTCH implant center if you are considering getting into implants, we really should talk…goes well with CAMLOG offerings you will soon be hearing a lot more about!

AXIS

 MUST HAVE ALERT – AXIS ZIRCUT BURS AND PORCELAIN POLISHING SYSTEMS

Wall chart custom organization very cool! $1195 order get wall chart and organizer free…includes the ability to QR Code scan your burs.  One of the most challenging items to order – I often get people saying I need a ‘football diamond’ and a KR-1 and a package of those flames.  Oh ya and a couple of different cylinders and a tapered.  Also those green polishers and some of the strips with holes in it.

What??

Axis Wall charts and organization is totally TIMEfactors dude! You already use the product all you have to do is build a minimal order to get a few hundred dollars worth of organization going.  Let me do all the work with the rep and get you set up!!

Henry Schein Brand product highlights

Wow!!

Kavo is my choice of handpiece – and still will be.  However, I am VERY IMPRESSED just looking at the quality and hearing about the matching 2 year warranty to Kavo!! Henry Schein Brand handpieces would be very difficult to tell apart from the name brand – but considering they are about ½ the price – they are WORTH considering check out some of these deals…

Electric 1:5 fits Kavo $899

2 year warranty Kavo Style highspeed $625 (similar Kavo is about $1300 street price for one)

We also make an LED Kavo style coupler!

Of course there are several dozen winners in our product line – this is a completely whole separate blog.  I am just trying to ‘keep it light and highlight the winners’ ….oh boy.

SSWhite

Similar to the Axis deal – but not as well stocked for us unfortunately.  I really like this product line – the quality is excellent and the deals are really good.  If you don’t mind a bit of a backorder then check out this current promotion…

$499 order of diamonds also gets you – 6 aluminum bur blocks and  an organization cabinet

I like what they say here – but no clinicals for proof – but if they are right I am ready to give their surgical burs a thumbs up (and I have actually preferred their brand surgery burs for years!)

SS White claims that their oral Surgery burs save 3 – 5 minutes (they say this is published by key opinion leaders)

SSWhite burs are built beyond ISO and ADA specs and you can get up to 40% free to reduce your but costs (1000 plus 400 free).  I have several customers ordering this brand and never take back ‘broken heads’

Must have – Fissurotomy burs no anesthetic combine the Fissurotomy bur with the smart bur.  If you aren’t using Fissurotomy burs – you need to check out this technique – TIMEfactors,  minimally invasive and no anesthetic….Watch the technique on youtube!

Diadent

This company rules in the endo world – I bet you are using their product in your office already – but you may not have everything you should….check out a few winners here and save yourself some money and hassle of running around to those ‘direct sellers’ who try to stock you up on ridiculous quantities when all you really wanted was one…

Endo Clear same as smear clear $15.90

Dia Prep same as RC Prep $28.99

All brands of Specialized GP and Paper points (protaper, Twist, K3…you name it!) – you don’t have to go to Dentsply or Brasseler to get your GP and PP – we have it all!

Dia Gun $1595 (see YouTube video!!)

Dia Pen instead of Touch n Heat $1066.  Ya – it’s about the same price, but WOW convenience of a smaller handpiece and more competitive tips (I really like the cost of the ‘gas’ for this car!)

WATCH THE TECHNIQUE VIDEO!

DemandForce 

So many of my customers are using this….so many still don’t take an hour to learn about it.  They tell staff to learn about it instead and they still don’t take advantage of the power of this product.

If I ran a company servicing thousands and wanted to know what my customers think, and how I could better market to them -  I would definitely pay attention to this product.  The true value is not just the ability to confirm appointments electronically – the real ROI comes in the ability to

INTERNALLY MARKET!!

Did you just learn implants? Do you have patients in your clinic that might benefit from your latest education? Why wait until they are recalled (if they come) to let them know? Send out an email update, a newsletter, a promotion.  Target specific patients within your practice, target patients outside of the practice using the social media tools…

The latest features of Demandforce is the powerful NETWORK!! Using location based apps within most mobile devices, you are now ALSO FEATURED with other services that use DemandForce -  like automotive shops, hair salons, Chiropractors – anyone who books and confirms appointments actually! Anyone who is looking to control reputation and customer satisfaction… DemandForce is not just dental (like smilereminders for example) they are MULTI-BUSINESS and NETWORKING is what makes this product so valuable!!

Get it?

Septodont

Are you still awake? Try to hang in there – we are over half ways!!

Bio Dentine new packaging

Hedy

Not happy with your gloves? As a rep I have trouble sampling because we carry over 100 brands!! Hedy has tried to ease the process by making is simple for reps to order samples for their customers…but you could probably log on as well.  Check it out, I will!

Http://Www.Hedysamples.com free shipping, mobile direct to you (Canada only)

Hedy has a new glove they claim is the ‘best’ for sensitive skin.  Check out the new Latitude Nitrile PF nitrile built for sensitive skin and let me know what you think.

NON LATEX DAM – Hedy non latex Dam is currently cheaper than our house brandplus right now it’s on sale 2 plus 1 – the quality is excellent and I have several customers now using this product to save money!! A good rep knows the prices of product for his customers – house brand is NOT always the way to go (I hope the right guys see this message and change some of the prices, hint hint).  Sometimes though – it’s just a sale that makes it worth looking at too (just to be fair)

Premier Dental

Must have alerts!!

TSZtech uses the same technology as the diamond built to mill the crowns! Every office needs at least a package if you are doing any work with ceramic crowns.  Trust me. Kiss me later.

Disposable diamonds – sterile every use, inexpensive, always sharp – a TIMEfactors recommended product. Fresh, sharp, cheap diamond for every single patients ($1.75 per use average compared to $2 – $5 for your current diamond)

Enamel Pro – top rated enamel varnish – this is a trend in offices.  NO MORE FLUORIDE TRAYS, RINSES, FOAMS.  Go this way and your patient benefits with the most fluoride uptake and you benefit with TIMEfactors.

Enamel Pro Prophy paste – less expensive than nupro consistent and contains ACP – I like it!! Tons of great flavors too…

Traxodent – simple tissue management. No brainer if you are using cord still you owe it to yourself to try this!! Did you know 98% would refer this product to a colleague?

Ivoclar

MUST HAVE ALERT

Ivoclean prior to cementing any lab product to prepare the prep – a highly recommended MUST HAVE for every office. “Proper cleaning after try in”. Take the challenge if you head to PDC and you will understand why you need this product. We tested this at our meetings hands on.  I get it.  You should too.  A kiss me later product.

Check out the Ivoclar/Cerec Doctors Video 

Whaledent/Coltene

Componeer – most of you are building anterior “veneers” anyways – this product is TIMEsavers rated. Check out the YouTube video – about 40% less chair time!! Get in our our upcoming courses in Saskatoon!!

This curing light even merited me going to the website to check out.  I am honestly a bit sceptical with Whaledent/Coltene curing lights – was not a fan.  I would give this one out for ‘trial’ if anyone wanted to go ahead.  Sounds like a TIMEfactors style product and the price range is right.  Would like to wait a year or two on this – but with curing lights sometimes thats all you get anyways and the next best thing is out….so perhaps this is worth getting now?

SPEC3 new cuing light cures to 2mm in 1 second on 3K mode. Ortho mode entire full arch of brackets with 2 x 3 sec intervals per bracket. (One button touch fires the light 16 times!)

GC Dental

FujiCem users will enjoy the new FujiCem2 which is 50% stronger, offers a lower film thickness, has the reviews I like to see (Dental Advisor 5 star) , fluoride releasing, easy to clean, direct placement….

MI Paste is that WOW re mineralization product that is a no brainer. White spots, Ortho, Pedo, geriatric…you already know what a fan I am of this product. This is a MUST HAVE product with the majority of my customers not only ordering this, but recommending to colleagues AND saying WOW!!  Remember, however, this is a costly product.  You must find a way to bill your patient for remineralization treatments in order to recoup your roughly $15 per tube.  And don’t just recover costs, you are in business to make money, right? Put on your thinking hats here….this is a profit center when handled properly.

Kerr

Another product that has moved up my MUST HAVE list very quickly.  Rave local reviews, 5 star independent reviews, Vertise Flow is a no brainer self bonding flowable…think liner, use it for no etch porcelain repair!  Do a youtube search and see how this product is used as a liner, and for porcelain repair…then think of the many other places this product would win over your current materials TIMEfactors!

Caviwipes/cide is now 1 minutes kill time! TIMEfactors recommend! This will be my new top choice (side by side with Optim) for infection control.

Henry Schein Technology –

I have a whole separate blog coming out for this – way too many cool things to put in a supply list blog.

Henry Schein iPad app is one

Personalized Shopper – means you will never miss another sale!! Sign up today (country specific so no link, sorry)

Medicom

Some of you need to look prettier. So Medicom has now launched New mask colors – lush lawn green, Azalea pink, Sky Blue. Get them. Be pretty.

Pssst……Did you know masks are only good for 1 hour of treatment/maximum wear time?? After that you may only be filtering out the smell of a fart…did you actually read that? Very un professional of me, I apologize.  Wake up!!

DEXIS

Having a digital Phopshor plate like ScanX or Optime is like the minimum in digital imaging – I still have trouble believing, and so do most doctors who have digital, that the entire market is not yet converted!! It’s so beyond DUH!!

But upgrade to a direct sensor is like upgrading to HDTV.   Owning DEXIS is owning the gold standard for the industry.

Using film is like….um…..well, using film.  Do you get the picture?

It’s out dated, and its time to change. EEEEKKKKK!!!

My customers are close to 100% digital – my biggest base of customers are now going from first generation Phosphor digital (which I  still like by the way for the ‘perfect’ solution) it’s hard to believe that some of you haven’t gone digital yet! The last few I converted from film to digital could not believe they waited so long.  It’s costing you money if you DON’T go digital.

I have said it a zillion times, I breathe it and live it every day “TIMEfactors” – time is money! And digital is a no brainer, beyond that actually.  If you have not converted yet – I don’t even know what else I can tell you.  The evidence is overwhelming.

I-Cat is the leader in 3D – again the gold standard.  Our local Orthodontists use this, and if you are thinking of implants, you need to consider this. Lowest dose, most comprehensive software tools, and fastest workflow!

Gendex and Instrumentarium are competitors in the digital field. Kind of.  They are both owned by Danaher and offer features and benefits as well as a price range to suit any doctor. The support behind the products (for my area anyways) is top notch – and that means a LOT with products like this.  I had several issues recently with Instrumentarium/Novus sensors, and the reps delivered better than satisfactory solutions. It’s impressive and worthy of the 5 star ratings that these products get (my choice is still Instrumentarium among the two – but they are both excellent!)

Pelton and Crane

MUST CONSIDER

Helios LED light is a game changer. If you aren’t using LED lights in your operatory, you are missing out on amazing technology.  LED is replacing all halogen in most industries, and has obvious features – longer life, cooler, energy efficiency….but most important – and the game changing part is the light itself.  Once you experience the beautiful white light…pardon the pun…but you will “see” the difference, and there is no going back from that!

Pelton Cabinets are the finest quality, engineered pieces of equipment you can buy.  I HATE calling this stuff cabinets because to me Pelton engineering means these are real pieces of well designed equipment.  They are built to last a career and hold their value.  You can’t compare a knock off copy of a cabinet that looks like it would work the same, but it’s not engineered to be the same at all.  You get what you pay for, and as a full clinic evaluator and appraiser – brand name cabinetry retains its’ value and costs less over time.  Easy as that.

Pelton Makes the most comfortable and ergonomic chair hands down.  Soft, massaging upholstery, sliding arms, well engineered and backed by a world leader in dental equipment.  They also offer chairs from the Marus line in the economy range all the way through the 3000 series top end chair. Every budget, every time.

Solaris was designed with OSHA and exceeds standards set for a sterilization center. These are beautiful, engineered piece of equipment that will pay dividends in TIMEfactors!  An efficient work flow of dirty to sterile used with cassettes, an everything in one unit that has the water filtration for your sterilizers (which they also make) a spot for the instrument washer of your choice, and handpieces maintainer.

Sci Can

Statim G4 series is the latest technology and it’s so cool! When your sterilizer has a problem, or needs a service – your new Statim will automatically send your favorite technician a message with the code or that service is required! Not only that, but it’s an offsite data logger, and you may soon see this technology tied into your practice management software.

Optim is my favorite infection control product line, and I am not alone.  This highly rated and recommended product is safe for your staff to use and doesn’t contain those nasty chemicals found in many competitive products. I’m looking after you here taking care of not only your patients health but you and your staff as well! This is my product of choice for infection control, including cold sterilization.

G4 is a technology you will see integrated into hydrim instrument washers and stat matic hand-pieces maintainers. These devices will be Internet connected and you can figure out the possibilities of having key pieces of equipment connected to a network….automatic ordering of supplies? Automatic messages to technicians? Storage of cycles in your charts for infection control? Kewl…..

We were told by the Sci Can rep that  instrument washers are mandatory in Indonesia….and yet we still use ultrasonic with solution that is not always changed when maybe it should be?  Instrument washers are a good idea for infection control and the upcoming models are Internet connected, handle more cassettes and are 35 minutes dry to dry…

Want to be TIMEfactors efficient in sterilization? Get 2 smaller Hydrims so you can keep those instruments moving!! It makes sense, and makes you efficient.

I had more if you can believe that – but eventually I know the attention span isn’t there.  This email took up a whole flight home from Vancouver to Saskatoon!

Thanks for taking the time to read….it’s good to be able to help my friends….

Smile!!

Warren Bobinski

“The Everything Dental Guy”

Success in Dentistry and Life

TIMEfactors

“I’ve always been of the mind that business and friendship do mix.  There is nobody in the world I would rather help than a friend, and a mutually beneficial relationship builds long term bonds that for me become friendship.  Being able to share my successes with friends is everything, and it’s hard to find time for those who just don’t get that.”

Warren Bobinski

Harley, the dog

Our dog Harley. He says Hi!

If I could move my feet better, I’d be out playing hockey.  But this frozen turf is really slowing me down this year and winter seems to be dragging.  Day after day of record cold combined with the ridiculous north winds and getting beaten with snowflakes that now seem to weigh a thousand pounds….ugh!!  It’s 7:24am and the sun is not up yet, but our new puppy Harley definitely is!! Our chocolate lab is 9 months old and adopted from the SPCA is amazing! Harley is catching on to house training quickly as well as leash training and listening to commands.  Having a dog was a huge commitment at this stage of life for us! It’s just like taking responsibility for a toddler – but even with the extra stress, it seems like it just goes with acreage living!

The stupid calf muscle has decided to take it’s time healing (nothing to do with being 46 years old!) and preventing me from rough housing with my hockey comrades.  It just makes winter that much longer, and means that I figure out other activities to relieve stress….not easy!

But Harley, the fun loving boy he is has become the subject of the week! What can a dog teach anyone about dentistry?

Well here is the story…

My vet called me, it was impressive.

My sister is a Vet rep.  She referred me to a friend of hers, Dr. Lorrie Fraser / Delisle Vet service.  A referral is the best way to get a new patient isn’t it? It is flattering that someone liked you enough to tell another person.  And it makes you want to impress that person even more and try to get more of the same!!

Well, Dr. Lorrie Fraser – I have to say I was VERY impressed! And it didn’t start off perfect either.  Dr. Fraser was working a surgery when we came in and was running about 30 minutes late.  We were early.  She was late.

However, the moment we arrived the front end girl came and sincerely apologized and asked if there was anything she could do to make us more comfortable…would we like to go wait in a more private room? If we would like, there was a restaurant down the street we could go to and come back…again apologizing profusely!!  They obviously have concerns about running late!!

We went and ate and when we got back, Dr. Fraser came out herself and told us she would be ready in just a few minutes.  We loaded up Harley onto a table in her operatory and she came in and introduced herself.  She explained how she likes to treat patients at her clinic, and then the procedures she was performing (a scrape, temperature probe, needles), she looked over Harleys health history, and thoroughly examined Harley then administered shots (which didn’t hurt, yay!!).  It was very obvious she LOVES dogs – having 4 of her own shepherds, and also offering kennel services as well as happily recommending others who may be able to babysit our little playful pup!

After a thorough 30 – 45 minute exam and visit we walked out and she charged us $50.  Yup! That’s it!! She honored a ‘first exam’ deal and only charged for the rabies shot.  That is impressive!! I totally understand overhead costs, and this visit cost her money…I’m not even sure if she knows how impressive and powerful this type of marketing can be – do you?

Harley slept like a log that night – makes me think that drugs for dogs may be an answer to getting some sleep! The next day, I headed up to North Battlefords and got a call from Dr. Fraser.  She wanted to ‘check up’ on Harley and make sure everything went well!!

WOW!!

You get it now don’t you? It’s that WOW patient experience!! And who do you think I would refer to ANYONE as a vet now?

But here is the part that she (and yourselves) may be missing out….social media.

When you provide a WOW experience like this – do you really give your patients a chance to SHARE and LIKE this with ALL their friends??  Sure, they will tell the next person they see, and they WILL remember if someone ASKS directly who they should see for a professional service.  But why not give them  OPPORTUNITY yourself?? My vet rep sister will get a copy of this blog to share with her good friend…and hopefully make some small investments like yourselves in marketing like this! It can be powerful!

DEMANDFORCE is the #1 opportunity for you to CHECK UP and MAKE SURE your patient not only left satisfied, but gives them an outlet to PUBLICLY SAY SO!!  A couple dozen clinics in Saskatoon are now using this amazing service to BOOK APPOINTMENTS – and are shy about collecting email addresses or cell numbers.  WHY?? And don’t use it JUST to save your front end staff time (huge ROI and TIMEfactors) – use it for the MARKETING!! SEND those PATIENT SATISFACTION FORMS – let your patient know you SINCERELY CARE with a personal follow up as well and PERSONALLY ask them if they would please fill out the survey to make you a better clinic and provide that WOW experience!!

Quit being SHY – I can GUARANTEE you there are colleagues in Saskatoon who are not shy about gathering marketing information and will have FACEBOOK, TWITTER, WEBSITES, DEMANDFORCE, and offer many convenient ways for your patient to maybe give them a try – or at the very least let their friends brag about them publicly.

BITEBANK – do you even have a professional website? This is a service that provides thousands of dentists with websites, and allows you to use those excellent reviews and MARKET your practice!! The pages are NOT STATIC, and include PATIENT CE, an ability to blog (highly recommend), online patient scheduling, an ability to tie to social media – the very important SEARCH ENGINE results, an ability to MEASURE RESULTS, the ability to do custom newsletter, offer a SMILE WALL, and so much more!! POWERFUL and PROFESSIONAL results for under $100 a month, and NO SETUP FEES!

LIKEABLE DENTIST – A little more about this new (to Canada) social media tool in a minute…first a bit about my favorite subject….facebook.

I have personally invested in FACEBOOK (https://www.facebook.com/dmdrep) (at about $20 by the way).  If you don’t get it…just put on your thinking hats a bit.  Facebook now has over ONE BILLION ACTIVE members who spend an average of 7 hours a week online, and the product is now pre-installed on most mobile phones.  About 18% of all internet users time is spent on Facebook….and they have been collecting all this data (which users volunteer to give up) for several years!! The latest announcement from Facebook is Social Graphing.  This is powerful and as my friend Fred Joyal of 1-800 fame mentions in his blog on the subject (check it out here … http://goaskfred.com/facebooks-graph-search-is-a-call-to-action/)

“but let me give you just one amazing statistic: 28% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook before they get out of bed!”

The ability to turn that WOW EXPERIENCE into a shareable and LIKEABLE EXPERIENCE is POWERFUL MARKETING – and it’s at your FINGERTIPS if you just pay a little attention to something that many people don’t seem to be getting.  What if that 18-34 year old that is waking up in the morning and checking their FACEBOOK see a post from their good friend about their WOW EXPERIENCE at their dentist? WHY NOT? What is that worth to you? And I am trying to give you the ABILITY to do this SIMPLY with these tools!!

I don’t need to beat you over the head now do I?? Some of you get it, and are busy building large networks of LIKES – some of you kind of get it and have started your websites and use DEMANDFORCE and started facebook pages…but are you actually making any TIME investments and educating yourself on the subject?

Maybe it’s time for SCHEIN to do a social media seminar? Let me know if you would attend, and maybe I can make this happen!

See all the attached .pdf or just follow the blue links…or lets go for lunch and BUILD YOUR BUSINESS!!

In the meantime, just….

Smile!!

Warren Bobinski

….”The Everything Dental Guy”,  “DMDrep”, “Success in Dentistry and Life”, “TIMEfactors”…..

The opinions expressed in these emails and blogs are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the amazing company I work for or keep…..