New Dental Practice Management and Marketing Book - A Must Read for Every Dentist!

In Dentistry’s Business Secrets: Proven Growth Strategies for Your New or Existing Practice, Dr. Edward Logan offers up information garnered throughout his eighteen years of private dental practice.  Written by a dentist for dentists, this new book is a must read for every dentist who is starting a new practice or looking to enhance the productivity of a current dental practice.

“Dentistry’s Business Secrets is a true compendium of business best practices they did not teach you in dental school. If you own a dental practice, manage a dental practice or are considering purchasing or starting your own dental practice, you need this book!”
Mark KennedyManaging Director, ETS Dental

Whether you are a young dentist opening your first dental practice or an experienced dentist wishing to maximize your profitability, Dr. Edward Logan’s new book, Dentistry’s Business Secrets: Proven Growth Strategies for Your New or Existing Practice, will help you achieve your goals.  Summarizing nearly two decades of experience building three successful dental practices from scratch, Dr. Logan’s 460 page book outlines a complete template for success.  This massive resource covers a wide range of topics including choosing a perfect location, hiring an ideal dental staff, maximizing profits through accurately calculating patient co-pays and managing dental insurance, treatment planning for case acceptance, becoming an optimally efficient clinician, saving for retirement, reducing overhead, optimizing a dental practice website and exploiting the vast resources of the Internet to powerfully market a dental practice.

While Dr. Logan’s dental school education prepared him well for clinical dentistry, after graduating he found that he needed to seek further instruction on the business side of dentistry.  Dr. Logan attended countless seminars, read dozens of dental practice management and marketing books and networked closely with other dental professionals to learn the intricacies of running a successful dental practice.  Through the opening of three scratch practices, Dr. Logan has had the opportunity to learn by experience what techniques work and what techniques fail to bring about practice growth and personal fulfillment.  His book outlines more than just dental practice management and marketing strategies.  Dr. Logan personally shares strategies he has learned to avoid professional burnout and create a deeply fulfilling work life while saving the time and financial resources necessary for a rewarding personal life.

Leaders throughout the dental industry are raving about Dentistry’s Business Secrets. 

Founder and CEO of DentalTown Magazine and DentalTown.com, Dr. Howard Farran states:

“Dentistry’s Business Secrets by Dr. Ed Logan is a gift to dentistry.  If you are a struggling or brand new practice, this book just might be the inspiration you need to help turn things around!” 

Bill Bender, a well known CPA who works exclusively with dentists, says:

“Dr. Logan has written a cookbook that should be mandatory reading for all fourth year dental students. It would also serve as a great resource for those who have been in practice, no matter the length of time. This book covers every topic of concern to a dentist and almost nothing covered in the book is taught in dental school. Kudos to Dr. Logan.”

Matthew Horne, a practicing dentist in Austin, TX states:

“This is a must read for every dentist, no matter where you are in your career! Dr. Logan relates the principles of profitability that create successful practices in a very systematic approach, all the while showing you how to avoid the costly mistakes that so many dentists have endured.”

Dentistry’s Business Secrets: Proven Growth Strategies for Your New or Existing Practice is now available through the Dentistry’s Business Secrets’ Website.  A dental practice management resource CD with over 25 documents is also available for purchase.  The resources on this CD were developed by Dr. Logan and his staff in order to enhance patient communication, marketing and day to day business operations.  The Dentistry’s Business Secrets’ Practice Management CD includes new patient forms and letters, marketing checklists, a dental insurance verification checklist, employee interview and reference questions and marketing piece samples.

About – Brief bio

Dr. Edward Logan is a general and cosmetic dentist practicing in O’Fallon, Missouri.  Dr. Logan graduated from the University of Washington School of Dentistry in 1993 and has since built three successful practices from scratch, one in Southern California and two in the Midwest.  After years of learning the business side of dentistry, Dr. Logan decided to write a book to share his knowledge with other dentists who are just starting new practices or desiring to increase their current productivity.  Dentistry’s Business Secrets: Proven Growth Strategies for Your New or Existing Practice was published in February, 2011. 


http://www.dentistrysbusinesssecrets.com/

Guide To Interviewing an Associate Dentist Candidate

Here are a few helpful resources for a practice owner or practice administrator preparing to interview associate dentist candidates. For more up to date tips and helpful information, follow up on our Facebook fan page, Twitter, or on our blog. A candidate version is available here.


Before the interview:

• Be sure to check all licenses for disciplinary actions.
• Will the candidate be relocating? Know the advantages of your area.
• Have answers to these commonly asked questions.
• Plan your questions to include a balance of technical, experience, behavioral and opinion questions.


Sample Interview Questions

• What attracted you to my position?
• Where have you worked?
• How long have you been in each position?
• What would your current boss say that you do well?
• In what areas would he/she say that you needed to improve?
• How often have you been late over the last year?
• In which insurances did you participate?
• What was your average production at that office?
• What lead you to look for other positions?
• What kind of notice period do you have to give?
• Do you have a restrictive covenant that would keep you out of this area?
• Are you right handed or left handed?
• Are you familiar with the equipment used in this office?
• What are your clinical strengths?
• What do you prefer to refer out?
• In what areas do you have interest in further training?
• How would you describe your practice philosophy?
• What days are you available to work?
• Are you interested in eventual partnership or ownership? How soon?
• What are your income expectations?
• What motivates you?
• If you have ever been in an office with a light schedule, what did you do with your free time? What did you do to help fill the schedule?
• Which of your strengths and achievements do you feel best distinguishes you from other candidates I may speak with?
• What do you like the most about this position? Least?
• Now that we have spoken are you interested in pursuing this position further?

Be sure to explain what the next step would be and when they can expect to hear back from you.

After the interview:

• Check references before considering an offer. Here is how.

• If you feel that you have found the best available match, move quickly to get a commitment.

• Before making an offer, be sure that you know the current market standard. Income potential varies from community to community. Here is an excellent resource for understanding that your associate should be able to earn: are offering market values: http://www.levingroup.com/pdf/desurvey/December%20DE-LG%20Survey%20Story_1_and_2_2010.pdf.

• Make sure that your contract is complete: Employment Contracts - What a New Dentist Should Know.

Other factors to consider when writing up a contract include:
• Restrictive Covenant
• Compensation Considerations

Onboarding:

• Make your expectations clear from the beginning.

• Make them feel welcome.



Posted by Morgan Pace.

Morgan Pace is the Southeastern U.S. Account Executive and Senior Recruiter for ETS Dental. He can be reached at mpace@etsdental.com or 540-491-9102. ETS Dental is a Dental Recruiting firm specializing in finding and placing General Dentists, Dental Specialists, and Dental Staff throughout the United States. www.etsdental.com

Proper Interview Attire for New Graduates and Experienced Professionals

You may not get the chance to make a second impression if you don’t take the time to make a great first impression.

“He was sloppy and unshaven. At first I thought he was a homeless person coming into the office.”

“She showed up in jeans, a wrinkled T-shirt, and dirty sneakers. I understand that she is a recent graduate, but the least she could have done was ironed her T-shirt.”

These dentist candidates were NOT asked back for a second interview.

As a recent graduate or seasoned dentist, you have years of training and experience. So, why not make sure to get the offer by backing up your clinical skill set and experience with a first impression that leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that you ARE the right candidate for the job?

Your attire and actions speak louder than words. Even if you don’t feel traditional business interview attire is necessary, at the very least, choose business casual clothing and be sure that it is neat, clean, and pressed.

Below are just a few links you can refer to for proper interview attire.


http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewdress.htm


http://healthcareers.about.com/b/2008/10/17/interview-attire-for-medical-professionals.htm

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/interviewimpres.htm


Written by Rob Knezovich, Account Executive/ Recruiter for ETS Dental. You can reach Rob at (540) 491-9107 or rknez@etsdental.com. Find out more at www.etsdental.com.

Snooze You Lose

This is a very busy time of the year for both candidates and practices. Graduations are in full swing, residencies are nearing an end, and contracts are coming up for renewal. As a search consultant, we specialize in helping practices hire the best Associates and candidates in finding the right opportunity. Here is some advice to ensure that both hiring practices and candidates don’t lose out on a great situation.

When conducting a search for a practice owner, we screen and present to them qualified, interested doctors, then the interview process begins. The time lapse between when we present the candidate to the owner and the owner making contact with the candidate is very important. With each day that passes, the candidate will begin to think that the owner isn’t interested in them, and they will start looking for other options. Showing interest or intent to hire isn’t enough. If you want to attract the top talent, you need to be prepared to act quickly. Create a clear, documented plan for bringing on a new Associate and have a sample contract ready that can be easily tweaked to your needs.

On the other side, candidates who are actively pursuing opportunities should understand that time is of the essence, as well. When you receive an offer from a potential employer, please take the time to review it carefully, but don’t take too long. Once you reach the offer stage, be prepared to move quickly. We recommend that an Associate be ready to accept or decline an offer within a few days. Your actions speak louder than words. An owner may view your delayed response as a show of indecisiveness and they may begin to wonder if you really want the position, in turn making them question their desire to hire you.

In the past two months, we have seen over a dozen practices miss out on hiring great candidates because they failed to act in a timely manner. We have also seen many great candidates miss out on excellent opportunities because they took too long to make a decision. You’ve heard the expression, “snooze you lose.” We hope you don’t miss out on that exceptional candidate or that fantastic position!


Written by Marcia Patterson, Account Executive/Recruiter for ETS Dental. You can reach Marcia at (540) 491-9118 or mpatterson@etsdental.com. Find out more at www.etsdental.com.

Perceptions of the Job Market Lag the Numbers

Michigan is often thought of as an economically stagnant part of the country. Its unemployment rate is one of the highest of any state. It is home to the Motor City which is in perpetual decline and has become shorthand for America’s economic vulnerability. Yet, Michigan added 79,000 jobs in the last year, 25,000 more than New York, which has a workforce more than twice the size of Michigan’s. The state’s unemployment rate, while still in the double digits—10.3 percent—is down a full 3 percentage points in the last year.

One of the worst effects of a deep recession is that when the economy does improve, people don’t recognize it. The current recovery—if it is even being described as one—is labeled as anemic, fledgling, or jobless. While over 13 million people remain unemployed, during the last four months, the economy has averaged close to 240,000 new jobs a month. During the most recent period of expansion—2003 through 2007—the economy averaged 160,000 new jobs a month.

“When people refer to ‘today’s economy,’ few people think of that as a positive thing. Yet, by more than a few metrics, today’s economy is growing,” says Rob Romaine, president of MRINetwork. “In the last six months, while unemployment is high, it is one of the last remaining negative measures of our economic situation.”

The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators, which was set at 100 points in 2004, after falling throughout the recession, rose to 114.1 points in March and has grown rapidly since October. One of the only components holding the index back is consumer confidence.  A recent New York Times/CBS poll found that less than a quarter of Americans think the economy is getting better, yet, in at least a technical sense, the economy has already been growing for over a year and a half.

“In recent months, we’ve seen the pendulum start to swing from an employer-driven market to a candidate-driven one,” says Romaine. “We are seeing conditions in the labor market today that haven’t been visible since early 2007. Candidates are receiving multiple offers, more aggressive counter offers and are increasingly being tempted with more impressive perks and incentives.”

According to Wanted Analytics, a job board analytics company, U.S. job postings are up more than 10 percent from a year ago. Some bellwethers, like postings for HR positions, grew by more than 30 percent and heavy tractor-trailer truck drivers—a harbinger of shipping demand—surged more than 180 percent.

“Companies that are hiring today tend to think they are on the leading edge, when in truth they are increasingly the norm,” notes Romaine. “As the most recent earnings season has shown, many public companies’ revenues are good and their margins are even better. Yet, behind those numbers are employees who are overworked and have had to take on the responsibilities of those who were laid off. If companies don’t hire to ease their burden, their best people stand to be lured away by other organizations.”

Romaine continues, “Corporate and consumer perceptions of the economy tend to lag the actual situation, which makes strategic planning difficult. Companies planning to get a jump on hiring before the competition are already at least a few months late.”

Provided by ETS Dental and MRI Network. Check us out at www.etsdental.com.