The Four Pillars of a Successful Practice

A successful dental practice can take on many different guises, but the pillars that hold up its success will always be integral to the business. If you are starting a practice, or looking to grow your business, make sure these essential pillars are in place to lift your potential to all it can be.

An outstanding product

Dental professionals are highly skilled experts, and as such have a product which is of great value and high demand by the general public. You can have confidence that your evidence based treatments form the basis of a successful business. Adding to your product portfolio through CPD is a service for your patients and also an addition to your business.

Systems that serve people

You are in the business of serving people. Your patients will expect high quality care from a professional, but delighting them with the quality of your service will ensure that your patient gives you more than their trust, they will turn into walking advertisements for your practice. Being a human, and thinking about your individual patient needs will put you in a different league in terms of service. If we are served by someone who tailors their service to us as an individual it creates an emotional response. The large coffee chains know this, and writing your name on your cup to go is a personalised service that touches us. It can be as simple as remembering a previous conversation and asking questions that matter to them, or as big as someone in your practice taking the time to escort a patient to their car in the rain with an umbrella. Do not be scared of serving in a way that will surprise your patient and shape their feelings on your practice.

A marketing machine

A marketing machine can be an army of patients who sing your praises to all, or a state of the art website with a combined social media strategy. Successful businesses are always serious about finding new business, and the only way to do this is by having a strategy to keep doing it. Technology or systems can really help here, ideally you want to be reaching patients 24/7, find a system that works for you and your target market.

A culture that seeks improvement

Constantly seeking improvement will reward you as much as your colleagues and patients. As people we need to feel that we are progressing, and the feedback from progress is essential to remain engaged. Developing skills, systems, services and a business will feed your passion for your practice. Having a passion is contagious, your colleagues and your patients will catch it, adding to the success of your practice.