The motivated team member as ambassador

Checked out of Thorpe Park at 6.00am this morning, so that I could drive down to Derbyshire and avoid the rush-hour traffic around Sheffield. Breakfast at the Dakota. My check out in Leeds is handled by the same girl that has worked there for years – always smiling,  always cheerful, always helpful. It’s not usual to
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Younger dentists and NHS income

I’m grateful to Bonnie, who forwarded this link to me yesterday: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7271232.stm                Interesting stats on the percentage of salaries from cosmetic dentistry in the under 35s:In 2000-1, 65% of the income of dentists under the age of 35 came from the NHS, but by 2005-6 that had nearly halved to 36%. This compares to dentists
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Gifts for patients

One of the many things I like about Marcos White and the team at The Courtyard, is that they are willing to give all of our ideas a try. Here is the ipod shuffle that they give as a “thank you” after a patient has agreed to proceed with Invisalign (invisible ortho) – packaged with
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Cost cutting in NHS dentistry – and grumbling GP’s

Heard the one about the NHS corporate that have instructed their nurses to autoclave the teepees so that they can be reused?It’s amazing what we hear as we travel around the profession. This week begins three solid weeks of Breathe Business Club meetings, Team Training Days, gigs and practice visits. A cursory glance at the
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Building the coaching practice

I couldn’t resist this shot of the “boys toys” as I arrived in Devon yesterday for a strategy meeting with Simon and Ernie. Just in case any clients are out there thinking “I supposed I paid for that” – the answer is “yes you did” and “thank you”. Personally, I would want a business coach
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What matters most?

Monthly management meeting yesterday – held, as often is the case, at the beautiful home of our Finance Director Mike Hutchinson in Flushing, looking across Penryn River towards Falmouth harbour. Mike’s catering is legendary and the first hour of our meeting occurs in the kitchen, where we all enjoy frothy coffees and catch up with personal
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Like I said….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/02/17/ccdentists117.xml  Have a good weekend.

UK independent dentists are doomed

That’s right – doomed. Doomed to exctinction. Why? Dental corporates overwhelming the NHS market and competing for UDA’s on terms that cannot be matched; Virgin Healthcare hoovering up your best team members and offering families “points making prizes” on affordable private care; The GDC introducing a raft of new regulation and legislation to constrict and
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Dental business models

I’m beginning to see the emergence of three distinct business models in private and independent UK dentistry: the traditional PRIVATE PRACTICE – where a dentist combines with other dentists and therapists/hygienists to provide general or specialised dentistry; the PRIVATE MINI-DENTAL HOSPITAL – where the principal has created a team of specialists and generalists and the
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Business vision – how big is BIG?

Working with the Birmingham Breathe Business Club this week. We facilitated an “imagineering” session yesterday afternoon, asking the delegates to choose a date for the “finish line” of this phase of their professional lives – and then to sketch in what their business will look like at the line. Responses ranged from “sell for £4m
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