A dental disaster story
Running a formerly great practice into the ground. A cautionary tale.
Recently I visited a dental office that I used to know well. The office was formerly the “go-to” practice in its suburb for high-end dentistry.
Twenty years later when I got the opportunity to revisit, I was curious to see how things were going.
Would the practice still be successful? Would it still be the premium dental office in the suburb? Would it continue to attract high-end clients?
The answers were: No, no and no.
The practice had become a shadow of its former self. A cautionary tale for what can happen with poor management to even the best practices.
The first thing that stood out to me as I walked up to the front door was the uncared-for look of the building and a pile of mail under the door. I thought maybe the front door was not in use so I walked around the back to the car park.
The car park was a disaster — weeds everywhere, dead bushes, overgrown planter boxes, parts of the fencing falling down. The overall impression was that the building was derelict.
Inside the practice, the decor, painting and maintenance were woeful. Broken light globes. Cheap, nasty signage. Ugly decor with a hideous mural. Terrible colour scheme. Junk, mess and disorganisation everywhere.
If I walked in as a patient I would immediately turn and walk out again. There is no way I would trust a dentist who worked in such an office to touch my teeth.
How the practice survives is anyone’s guess. Maybe they do lots of internet marketing? They would need to because I’m sure that repeat business would seldom occur.
What would I do to fix this problem?
I feel sure that almost all of my regular readers would not inhabit such an office but I hope you get something out of these steps regardless. If I took over this practice here’s what I would do.
Firstly, I would think about who my ideal client is. Who do I want to target? Then I would spend a long time thinking about what they want in a dental practice. How do they want a dental practice to look and make them feel?
Then I would employ an interior designer to create the decor to achieve that. Dentists love to think we are geniuses in all areas but unless you are really unusual, interior design is not your thing.
Then, once the office looked right I would maintain it to the highest standard. No paint chips, no weeds in the carpark, everything pristine.
Rightly or wrongly, patients judge you and your dentistry by your office. If the office is perfect they will assume competence. If the office is messy or ugly they will assume incompetence.
One final suggestion.
At least once per week come into your office through the patient entrance and look around. Be super critical, because your patients will be.
Having a great looking office does not guarantee your success but it certainly is a huge step in the right direction.
