Blog - The Ortho Cosmos

What’s SWOT?

October 13, 2017 by Sean Holliday Leave a Comment

Business Strategy

The SWOT analysis is a business development tool used is strategic planning. Developing your business strategy and strategic thinking in orthodontics are important methods to improve your business metrics and outcomes. Patient care is a key component in the clinical care we provide, and developing a business strategy is extremely important for the business we support.

S – Strengths
W – Weaknesses
O – Opportunities
T – Threats

The SWOT analysis is encouraged when an initial or a continuous business plan is being developed. This plan is a critical component in setting practice growth in motion and staying on a continuous path of improvement. The key to a strategic plan is to take account of where you are now, where you want to go, and what you will do to get there.

Strengths

The key in identifying your strengths, is placing focus on the positive things you are doing. By acknowledging them, you can work to nurture and expand them. These should come both from your perspective, as well as the perspective of your patient base. Some areas to consider include: Knowledge and reputation, tangible assets, competitive advantage, company culture, quality service, patient experience, and innovative ability

Weaknesses

Recognizing weaknesses stems from the concept of self-awareness. You should be well aware of what you are good at, but be honest and caring in the fact that we all have weaknesses. That gives us the opportunity to improve those weaknesses, and perhaps turn them into strengths. Plugging holes in your organization or your systems allows you to gain tremendous improvement and reduce stress. Take a look at: Your vulnerabilities, market weaknesses, what needs improvement, poor timescales, falling behind competition, are there limited resources, outdated technologies, issues with reliability of data, or poor planning.

Opportunities

Almost any challenge presents you with an opportunity. When focused on strategic thinking, opportunities abound. Take a look at your strengths and weaknesses for inspiration to many opportunities for your practice. Some of these include: Changes in the market, emerging technology, competitor vulnerability, global influences, changes in social patterns, and rapid growth rate.

Threats

Threats are obstacles you face. They are not necessarily bad situations. Especially when you set high standards for your team and don’t compromise on those standards. We should work with threats or work beyond them to make the changes we desire. It is important to acknowledge threats to mitigate any potential damage they could instigate. Some potential threats out there involve: Political or legislative issues, emerging competitors, a shift in consumer behavior, bad debt or cash flow issues, competition for talent, and poor management strategies

When utilizing the SWOT analysis, involve your team in the exercise. It is important to prepare and ensure you are using accurate data and metrics of where your practice is. The analysis should be detailed and not based on guesswork. Accurate and relevant data in orthodontics is an asset. There are data sources out there from advisory groups, consultants, as well as comparison data from third parties that can help your decision making.

Plans without action are but a dream. Remember that once you have setup your strategic plan and reviewed the SWOT analysis with your team, it takes action to make it happen. Set a list of goals and action items from your SWOT exercise. Setting reach goals and manageable goals will help with your success.

The Importance of Self-Awareness in Orthodontics

October 12, 2017 by Scott Frey Leave a Comment

The Importance of Self-Awareness

One of the most important attributes you can possess in life and in business is self-awareness and the ability to accept your shortcomings so that you can focus all of your attention on your strengths.

Perhaps this is stating the obvious, but most orthodontists don’t really know or embrace who they are or what we are as a specialty. Sure, we can all talk about what we do, how we do it, and a good number of us probably have a general understanding what their mission statement and practice culture is about. However, many fail to understand and align every touch point in their practices with their strengths, and they’re not even sure where to focus.

Stop Trying to Be Everything to Everyone

Conventional wisdom tells us that the path to a successful practice is by connecting with a broad and diverse market; however, much like our personal lives, this is simply not reasonable or possible. You cannot be all things to all people, and neither can your practice.

People seek you out for treatment because they connect with you; they believe in you. Without this connection, treatment is nothing more than an impersonal, pragmatic decision based on whoever is offering the least expensive deal.

This simple truth is precisely why understanding who we appeal to and why we do what we do is so important. It is the difference between being marginal and exceptional.

On the road to self-awareness, start by asking yourself these questions:

What are your/your practice’s strengths and weaknesses? Know them and then focus appropriately.
What is your/your practice’s personality? Embrace it and talk about it.
Who relates best with your story? Understand your audience and why/how people connect with it.

The Layers of Technology

October 6, 2017 by Sean Holliday Leave a Comment

There is a fun line in the movie Shrek: Ogres are like onions because they have layers. This reminds us not to take things at face value. Consider that scary piece of technology also has layers of opportunity. When I talk to many doctors about implementing pieces of technology in their practice, there is a common theme where leveraging that capital investment falls short as a value add.

Take into consideration that the digital space offers many opportunities outside of the analog world we are used to. The layers I refer to are best explained when you think about the use of a smart phone or smart watch. If your intention with a smartphone is simply to make better phone calls, you are missing the big picture. A smart watch is also a piece of technology that is not intended to just tell time. If I wanted a timepiece, then there are probably much more elegant devices out there that do the job. The smart watch integrates apps and layers of functions that measure my heart rate, remind me to take a break to breathe, measures the number of steps I have taken, tracks my golf swing, sends me messages, links to my calls, integrates with my car, sends me reminders, and with a voice command serves as my personal assistant.

Beyond phones and watches, many of us are integrating pieces of technology in our practices. They become a means and not an end. These tools are often used as an alternative to an analog process, where the layers of benefit are often missed:

Intraoral Scanning

If your focus on scanning is to replace alginate or PVS impressions, then you are missing several of the benefits this technology offers. The impression is a basic benefit. We often take a digital process and integrate it to replace an analog one without implementing the added layers this equipment delivers. Most intraoral scanners offer several different add ons that build value for both practitioner and patient. The Trios scanner, for example, offers full color images in 3D, where this could replace intraoral photography. The outcome simulator Trios will be offering as well as the iOSim iTero has integrated into their device suddenly offers a layer of benefit to the patient on boarding process and treatment presentation. The digital and visual treatment presentation tool now delivers a new workflow in planning treatment, progress tracking, retention and post-tx monitoring.

CBCT

I have heard that once you go 3D, you will never go back to 2D. That is clearly a benefit in a diagnostic tool. I see many doctors taking a CBCT and reconstructing 2D images to get back to our comfort zone. In that case, I can see the argument that a pan and ceph have lower doses, lower costs and similar benefits for the average patient. It’s like using that smartwatch simply to tell time. The benefits of 3D imaging expand the layers of benefits to view cases differently and open up the transverse plane, better perception of asymmetries, fewer artifacts, volumetric measurements, and a better representation of the actual patient we are treating.

Aligner Therapy

Let’s tackle the obsession with aligners vs. braces, are they comparable in outcomes? As orthodontists begin to actually learn how to use this technology, and the technology improves in predictability, we start seeing the destination of both appliance systems becoming more similar and equal for some of us. If we leave it at that, then we have also missed the added layers of benefits aligner therapy systems offer to patient experience, practice efficiency, and practice growth. If you are offering aligners as an alternative to braces, then you are leaving a lot on the table and similarly using a smartwatch to tell time. Clear aligners are less about the clear part, and more about the journey. A braces practice and an aligner practice cannot operate with the same systems. The scheduling, clinical flow, CAD workflow, treatment presentation and marketing efforts are not the same. Trying to fit the round peg of aligner therapy into the square hole of brackets and wires continues to frustrate many who wonder why they can’t see beyond the high lab fee. If you are working to implement aligner therapy in your practice, don’t forget about those layers beyond the exterior.

Fixed Appliance Therapy

Let’s not forget that brackets and wires are still the most common tool used in the orthodontics today. Treatment becomes less about moving teeth, than on the layers added to the treatment experience. Orthodontists are more than just tooth movers, and we must consider how the choice of fixed appliances can save time, save office visits, change perceptions and enhance the motivation to achieve the desirable result. There are many layers of opportunity in the development of fixed appliance technology.

3D Printing

The integration of 3D printing still makes many rant that it is a useless digital toy that is an expensive alternative to plaster. Again, the analogy applies. If your limitation in using additive manufacturing for printing models is to replace plaster models keeps proving my point about missing the layers of benefits. Additive manufacturing will continue to disrupt the orthodontic lab industry in ways we have only started to imagine. The availability of free/cheaper software solutions, faster turn around and full control of the CAD/CAM process within the average orthodontic practice have more layers of benefits than I can put into this post. As stated above, taking this tool and making it fit into the analog process and traditional scheduling and orthodontic methodologies misses most of the benefits that add layers of value. Manufacturing in-house changes the game, period.

These are but a few of the technologies out there that I see don’t get their due acknowledgement. We keep comparing them to the traditional methodologies, where their potential to improve our specialty are not fully realized. The benefit of time is that it is a constant, and the inevitable progress will continue to move forward whether we embrace it or not. Across industries and professions, technological innovations will continue to add to the layers of benefits being offered and change the landscape.

Top 3 Reasons to Optimize Your Forces with Invisalign

October 5, 2017 by Scott Frey Leave a Comment

Optimized Your Forces

We have discussed in previous posts how to navigate the optimization hierarchy, optimization thresholds, and why orthodontists struggle optimized attachments, but recent discussions have made it clear that it might be time to reinforce some of the basic logic behind utilizing optimized features with Invisalign. Without it orthodontists are using an inferior product.

There are 3 main reasons why choosing to optimize your force systems should be a no-brainer:

Force Systems Backed Up by Data – Using force systems derived from extensive testing and data analysis from thousands of matched cases, removes the potential for observational bias and will always be a superior option. Although many orthodontists still feel nostalgic towards traditional attachments, opting to use outdated mechanics when an optimized solution exists is simply not science based.
More Efficient ClinChecks – You will be far more efficient in designing your ClinChecks by working collaboratively with the Invisalign System’s AI engine instead of allowing your time to be consumed by manual attachment design. Allowing the software to design attachments, while making intuitive decisions about optimization selection, allows orthodontists to focus more time on diagnosis and movement planning and frees up substantial time to make your digital workflows much more scalable.
More Esthetic for the Patient – Since optimized feature sets rely mainly on aligner forming features instead of changes to tooth shape, optimized attachments end up being much smaller and less prevalent than going the traditional route. Attachments that are less noticeable and having fewer attachments overall is always welcome by patients.

Productivity vs. Efficiency in Orthodontics

September 20, 2017 by Sean Holliday Leave a Comment

We all want to be more efficient, and certainly more productive with our time. In orthodontic practice, like any other business, efficiency and productivity can seem as very similar terms. But innately, they are a different mindset.

Efficiency is about doing the same with less.

Efficiency is a great goal when it comes to treatment time and other metrics. We want to achieve the expected results with less time and less resources to minimize the cost of treatment and/or improve treatment profitability. I would caution that concentrating on efficiency in staff utility can limit practice growth.

Some practices work to improve labor efficiency by finding ways to reduce the number of labor hours required to produce the same level of output. This translates into savings because the company spends less on wages and other labor-related costs. Efficiency, then, is about decreasing in an effort to improve profitability.

Productivity is about doing more with the same.

For a practice, it is directly tied to performance. With higher productivity, an orthodontic team can produce more with the same amount of relative work. In contrast to efficiency, productivity is about expanding the output in order to deliver greater growth from the same workforce.

When it comes to practice productivity, implementing better techniques and systems are best suited for doing more with the same amount of resources. The biggest difference from efficiency being that you are driven to grow and leverage increased production to reduce the costs of business and leverage that growth to improve other metrics. This further reinforces the concept of the top line vs. bottom line in orthodontics.

Consider a productivity mindset that is fostered by avoiding bottlenecks in your practice that prevent team members from getting things done. This includes simplifying office systems so an orthodontic team can deliver great care to patients without complex and bureaucratic steps. Every business is fraught with organizational obstacles that prevent growth. Orthodontic practices are no different.

Productivity mindset is also nurtured in organizations that inspire their team’s talent to achieve their best potential. Inspired employees can produce more than 2 times what a satisfied employee does. This comes from a practice culture that promotes inspirational leadership. This leadership style promotes a positive office culture that leads to greater productivity.

In today’s economic climate, developing a productivity mindset is important to nurture growth. Efficiencies are certainly important in treatment, but think about implementing steps to gain productivity with your orthodontic team.

Are All Aligner Systems Equal?

September 19, 2017 by Sean Holliday Leave a Comment

Aligners are aligners are aligners…right?

With the advent of digital technology, clear aligner therapy has become a large growing segment of orthodontic treatment. In the modern-day orthodontic practice, clear aligner therapy has opened the door to the treatment of many patients who would never have sought out orthodontics. This treatment modality continues to grow at a significant pace, and with that growth, have come more options for doctors delivering care.

For patients, a clear appliance is an appealing treatment method. There is no doubt that the popularity of this esthetic appliance is a preferred choice amongst patients [1,2,3]. Most of us continue to see patients ask for clear aligners and the Invisalign appliance by name. The marketing efforts of Align Technology, Inc. and the innovation of mass production 3D printing have leveraged this treatment technique into a powerful message. The growth of the adult market in orthodontics is largely driven by the improvement of clear aligner treatment. This change in modality continues to drive adults into orthodontic treatment and has started to change the expectations of adolescents. There are many communities where children look forward to the alternative to braces.

For doctors, the primary concern that is expressed is the quality of outcome. As this method becomes more common, there is a call for data, proof, and literature that shows clear aligner therapy can keep pace with the outcomes orthodontists expect from fixed appliance treatment. Most outcome studies are linked to the development of the Invisalign product as they are the market leader [4,5,6,7,8]. Their technology advancements keep moving the needle of progress forward and grow the applicability of aligners. This growth in treating various malocclusions also leads to more analysis of the clinical outcomes that are being delivered. It begs the question of whether other entrants into the clear aligner market can deliver a comparable product.

Amongst the top reasons doctors are concerned about the clear aligner appliance, is also the cost factor. Lab fees become an added feature that we all have to consider. There is certainly a desire amongst orthodontists for competition in the clear aligner space to bring down the laboratory costs for doctors. We should also consider the cost of the appliance goes beyond the lab cost, but also in the time economics. The significance of doctor time, staff time and the additive nature of the manufacturing process all play a role in the decision making. As we consider the impact aligner therapy has in each of our offices, the CAD workflow has several areas of cost and ROI. Each aligner option has its own workflow, and the digital workflow is a foreign concept for many doctors. The freedom in having technicians prepare cases delegates a lot of duty from the doctor to a third party. Most of us realize that this delegation is not a replacement for doctor time since our involvement in the design of the appliance is critical to improve outcomes. It appears to me that many “lower cost options” and do it yourself options come with significantly more doctor time involved. This is changing through software development, but it becomes a risk. When deciding amongst aligner systems, the investment in time is a key feature to keep in mind.

Kleenex and Aligners — Is Invisalign® the Kleenex® of clear aligner systems?

When reviewing all the options available for patients, it is important to consider aligner therapy goes beyond the plastic. The development of the plastic used in the appliance is an important focus, but have you thought about all the factors that matter in choosing an aligner system? Many are available these days, and more are coming.

The main factors I would highlight in the decision of clear aligner systems are:

Material Science

There are a variety of plastics currently available for aligners. Invisalign began using the EX30 material back in the late nineties. They evolved their materials into the multilayer plastic: Smart track back in 2013. The latest Smart track plastic is proprietary and only available through the Invisalign product. Other aligner systems allow the use of plastics that are not under patent protection. These are similar to Align Technology’s EX30 material, and include Zendura, Essix plastics, Invisacryl, and others. With the varying types of plastics, the forces transmitted onto the teeth becomes an important factor. The modulus of elasticity, force degradation, temperature effect, thickness, fit and adaptability all become key metrics [9,10,11].

Software

The key to a digital system is the software that creates the CAD data. The interface of any software becomes an important decision maker with all of these options. Just like any other software you use, browser, email, word processor, and operating system all vary by the user experience. Software support, ease of use, learning curve, portability, replicability and system requirements all matter. For example, a CAD software that only runs on high-end hardware is a totally different beast from a CAD software that is cloud based and can be viewed on any device, including a smartphone. Unless you run a digital lab, orthodontists have to scale the portability of CAD data into at least every operatory in the office. Some clear aligner systems require installation and use of a native software platform that is not cloud based and very demanding on its hardware requirements.

The integration of this software is also important, so the ecosystem that it inhabits is another key feature. For example, how seamless is the link between the digital impression capture into the CAD software design. As more digital scanners become available, they will all have export features that provide image data. Just like switching between a Apple ecosystem to a Windows platform present many challenges, using various software platforms can affect compatibility and efficiency. The iTero ecosystem is an example of the software integration that Align Technology has worked hard to integrate. This ecosystem obviously links scans to aligner case submissions to improve digital workflow, but also links the clincheck process to outcome simulation and progress tracking of clinical cases.

Scale

Clear aligner treatment can be used as a small subset of an orthodontic practice, or can command a significant amount of production in an orthodontic practice. The term “share of chair” has become more common in describing the percentage of utilization of aligners vs. fixed braces in the orthodontic business. Many clear aligner systems have the advantage of a lower cost per case compared to the market leader, Invisalign. With lower costs and a potential commoditization of aligners in the orthodontic marketplace, why would anyone consider using a more expensive system over a cheaper alternative? My perspective is scalability. Having tested many different aligner systems, scaling both the design and manufacturing of CAD/CAM designed aligners has many factors that Align Technology has mastered and that become a challenge for the average orthodontic practice.

Since clear aligner systems cost more than fixed appliances, the advantages when using clear aligners come from time economics. A digital system has the potential to reduce staff and gain productivity. The challenges I have experienced is in the digital workflow and the clincheck dilemma. This means that digital workflow requires digital efficiencies and care in the doctor time needed. The best clear aligner systems should protect the time economics of taking lab workflow into the practice. Delegating more of the workflow into an experienced company can save time. Taking on more of the workflow in-house will add challenges in developing a scalable model that does not trade laboratory savings with a significant increase in staff time and worse yet, doctor time.

Outcomes

When it comes to a comparison of clear aligner treatment data, the market leader continues to be the Invisalign system. Since more than four million patients have been treated using this clear aligner system, the power of data in orthodontics becomes much more evident. Simple cases can be treated with CAD methods and aligner manufacturing that was available two decades ago. Invisalign did it back then, and the large surge in clear aligner options will do so as well. The change in upcoming treatment quality and outcome studies will likely be affected by the data driven treatment design. The addition of data-driven staging and optimization are the current examples of how the Invisalign product has evolved from a rudimentary appliance, to a competitor to fixed appliances. As aligner systems are released to the market, the data-driven decisions in the design of the appliance will be a critical component for doctors who are concerned about the outcomes they deliver from plastic. Everything from attachment design, staging, to force systems, make a difference. Experience in the design of appliances and manufacturing play critical roles in the use of different clear aligner systems. Are you a practice that treats only simple cases? Have you developed a skill in treating more complex cases? The applicability and predictability of the aligner system you choose to use makes a difference in the choice of current appliances.

Branding/Marketing

Consumer acquisition has also become an important factor in the clear aligner market. Since Invisalign has become a household name, they have leveraged the name recognition to get millions of people asking for the product by name. So far, Align technology is the marketing leader in this arena and continues to drive prospective patients into its doctor locator website and more recently into its concierge service. These marketing efforts are clearly meant to keep the large investment in branding within the Invisalign brand. That is part of the cost of using their product, and a value add promoted by Align Technology, Inc. This comes from the fact customer acquisition continues to be a concern for most orthodontists, and new patient flow is the life blood of an orthodontic practice.

References:

1. Miller, et al. A comparison of treatment impacts between Invisalign aligner and fixed appliance therapy during the first week of treatment. AJODO. 2007 March;131(3):302

2. Rosvall, et al. Attractiveness, acceptability, and value of orthodontic appliances. AJODO. 2009;135:276.e1-276.e12

3. Abbate, et al. Periodontal health in teenagers treated with removable aligners and fixed orthodontic appliances. J Orofac Orthop. 2015 May;76(3):240-50

4. Djeu, G., C. Shelton, and A. Maganzini, Outcome assessment of Invisalign and traditional orthodontic treatment compared with the American Board of Orthodontics objective grading system. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 2005. 128(3): p. 292-8

5. Kuncio, D., et al., Invisalign and traditional orthodontic treatment postretention outcomes compared using the American Board of Orthodontics objective grading system. Angle Orthod, 2007. 77(5): p. 864-9

6. Gu, J., et al., Evaluation of Invisalign treatment effectiveness and efficiency compared with conventional fixed appliances using the Peer Assessment Rating index. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. 151(2): p. 259-266

7. Zheng, M., et al., Efficiency, effectiveness and treatment stability of clear aligners: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research

8. Kravitz, et al. How well does Invisalign work? A prospective clinical study evaluating the efficacy of tooth movement with Invisalign. AJODO 2009 Jan;135(1):27-35

9. Kohda N, Iijima M, Muguruma T, Brantley WA, Ahluwalia KS, Mizoguchi I. Effects of mechanical properties of thermoplastic materials on the initial force of thermoplastic appliances. Angle Orthod. 2013;83:476–483

10. Fang D, Zhang N, Chen H, Bai Y. Dynamic stress relaxation of orthodontic thermoplastic materials in a simulated oral environment. Dent Mater J. 2013;32:946–951

11. Hahn W, Dathe H, Fialka-Fricke J, Fricke-Zech S, Zapf A, Kubein-Meesenburg D, et al. Influence of thermoplastic appliance thickness on the magnitude of force delivered to a maxillary central incisor during tipping. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2009;136:12.e1–12.e7

SmartForce Optimization Thresholds

September 18, 2017 by Scott Frey 2 Comments

SmartForce Optimization Features

Effective utilization of Invisalign’s optimized attachments and features depends on a number of factors, not least of which is proper selection from the optimized attachment hierarchy. However, to be able to leverage the attachment hierarchy efficiently the orthodontist must first understand the various manufacturing thresholds for optimizations.

We have laid out all the SmartForce Optimized Attachments and Aligner Features in the table below so that you can determine which combinations of optimized features have been triggered by your prescribed treatments.

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The Middle Seat

September 13, 2017 by Sean Holliday 3 Comments

Do you ever wonder why there are still middle seats on most flights? In a recent trip, I remembered the frustration boarding an overbooked flight and getting seated on the middle seat on the plane. The fact that most planes are a large sardine can stuffing as many people as possible takes away all the joys of travel. The airline business is the prime example of what can go wrong in a business culture. The service erodes, and with new travel bargain websites, the race to the bottom is in full effect. It wasn’t always this way. Many newer, nimble, airline companies are realizing that great service does not have to add incredible expense. By purchasing long, skinny planes, some airlines are getting rid of the least popular seat: the middle seat. There is a way to improve the flight experience outside of purchasing first class tickets. Soon, domestic flights continuing to force customers into the middle seat will perform what is equal to economic suicide.

Consider that the middle seat is a service or product a business offers that people don’t want, but are coerced to accept anyway. On a plane ride, all seats arrive at the same destination, but the experience sure varies. Seat selections often leave the middle rows to the last minute bookings or stand by passengers. Despite paying a similar fare, it’s a long frustration that many endure in order to make their destination.

Now think of what the middle seat means in orthodontics. Think about the areas of your practice that would be considered the middle seat. Beware of habituation, because most of us have not critically looked at the middle seats we have in our offices: The undesirable appointment times, the appliances patients would prefer to avoid, impressions that gag, separators that hurt, broken brackets, unavailable emergency visits, long wait times, inflexible financial arrangements, extended treatment or inefficiencies that add appointments to treatment. The list can get pretty long if we take the time and courage to critique our process.

Orthodontic treatment isn’t just about the outcome, or “destination,” it’s mostly about about the experience. Whether your service is “first-class” or you serve those who typically ride in coach, think about those middle seats that will not be tolerated in this new economy, and this educated consumer.

You Can Only Sell What is True

September 12, 2017 by Scott Frey Leave a Comment

The idea that “selling” orthodontic treatment is some sort of trick of influence is incredibly misguided. The reality is that you can only sell what is true.

If you can’t deliver on your promises, people will know. If what you are offering your patients isn’t “true” for them, they will seek treatment with someone who better understands their needs. End of story.

Treatment goals are treatment goals, and as healthcare providers providing the highest level of care should not be a question, but the idea that your proposed “solution” is the best or only way to address your patient’s needs is merely your opinion. The patient may not find that to be true. The concerns, emotions, and beliefs that patients hold when they come to your practice and develop during treatment are real to them, and they should not be dismissed by an overly paternalistic, “Daddy knows best” approach to treatment.

Being a good “salesperson” is about delivering true patient-centered care and learning to listen so you can design a treatment approach and experience that is an optimal fit for the individual.

Are Your Patients Groupies?

September 11, 2017 by Donna Galante Leave a Comment

A “groupie” for most of us is someone who is obsessed with a particular band and follows them on tour. Some of you reading this may relate to being obsessed with a particular band in your high school or college days!

However, if you look up the definition of groupie, you will find that Webster’s dictionary also defines a groupie as an ardent fan of a celebrity or of a particular activity.

Wouldn’t you love to have “Doctor X or Practice Y” groupies?

Of course you would!

I know you are thinking that it could be a bit “creepy” to have patients be that “obsessed about their dental health…or about your practice…but really would it be that bad to have say 20% of your practice be these “ardent fans?”

Of course not!

Several Christmases ago, we hosted a group of college students (friends of my daughter) on their way to Lake Tahoe for a 3-day concert called “Snow Globe.”

This event takes place outside in December in Lake Tahoe, so you can imagine it is quite cold and snowy.

I love outdoor concerts as long as it is balmy and I can wear jeans and a t-shirt. The idea of being outside in “freezing” weather and paying for it, just does not appeal to me.

However, my daughter and her friends are official groupies of several “Indy” bands and will travel and even endure less than ideal weather conditions to listen to these bands play for hours or even days.

The entire concert for 3 days is outside. Yes, outside at night when it gets even colder in Lake Tahoe. Typical temperatures will be in the single digits in the evening, just to give you an idea how cold it can get!

Of course this did not stop my daughter and her friends from standing outside to listen to their favorite bands play well into the evening.

Bundled up with as many clothes as possible and hand and feet warmers, they bared the elements because they are “ardent fans” of these bands and I believe they would endure sub –zero temps to listen to them play.

Another concert venue, last April, in Palm Desert California, my daughter and her friends attended what is known as Coachella. Again another 3 day concert, this time in a “hot zone” where temps during the day reach over 100 degrees and there is no shade, just dust and tacky vendors.

Of course the tickets for this event sell out in less than 1 minute at $400 a pop and will resell later for double to triple that price. All this value for the privilege of being in 100+ temperatures listening to music for 3 days in the desert.

There is a lot we all can learn from these “groupies.”

Obviously, they are ardent fans of the type of music that is played at these venues. But there is more to it than that…

They are a destination; an event, the place to be and those that attend have bragging rights to the fact that they were there at the concert enduring the freezing temperatures or the blazing heat.

How can we get our patients to be such fans?

Here are my proposals on how we can make “groupies” of our patients:

1. Provide outstanding service and exceptional results.

My daughter and her friends love these bands because of the great music they produce. They would not endure the weather, the crowds and pay the high-ticket prices to listen to music they were not in love with.

Likewise our patients want the same thing from us. They want to experience exceptional service and receive extraordinary results. They want their smile to be incredible, their bite to function perfectly and their dental pain to be eliminated.

2. Become a “celebrity” in your area.

There are many ways to enhance your celebrity status without having to be on Dr. Phil or the Oprah TV shows!

You can write articles, blogs or even an entire book and give it out to your patients as a new patient gift. Your staff can talk you up about your accomplishments, your training and your awards and recognition even before the patient sees you. You can get interviewed on TV or radio or even hire a PR firm to help you get some local media attention.

It is not that hard to be the “expert” or “celebrity” in your local area. It takes effort and some focus on doing the right things that will get you crowned the “King” or Queen” of orthodontics

3. Provide an unforgettable experience in your practice.

My daughter and her friends endure extreme hot and extreme cold. Unforgettable, no doubt. That’s the first thing they talk about when they get back home. The extreme weather conditions.

However, the conversation quickly reverts to how amazing the concert was and the music and the bands and the people and the……you get the point. The entire experience is what they are ultimately excited bout.

Unforgettable or memorable experiences are how the patient is treated once they are in your office. It is about getting back to the basics.

I know you have all heard this saying from Zig Ziglar, “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It is so true!

It is about the human interaction, the little things you and your team do to make your patients feel special, welcome, listened to and ultimately loved.

This is how you develop patients into “groupies” and have a practice that is extraordinary in every way possible that is ultimately providing you and your family an epic life and making a huge and memorable impact on your patients’ lives forever.