Janice Hurley is known as the expert to the experts. She is an image consultant with 26 years of experience helping businesses find what really works and how to show your business in the best light. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Organizational Behavior and has since then motivated over a hundred different companies, has authored and co-authored many books, and has been recognized as a Top Clinician in CE for the last 10 years.
In this episode we discuss:
- How positive attitudes can affect both business and personal success
- Making sure you have an effective internet footprint to help bring in clients
- Being considerate of a patients time by never saying the same thing twice
Favorite Quotes:
“The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances” – Martha Washington.
Roughtime/Success Story
The story that comes to mind is a young dentist, that did well for the first seven years. Some things happened and he was looking at the problem of having to cut back staff or cut back their hours. Him, his wife, and myself met together and looked at the situation and I challenged him for the next three months, to believe that it would be better, to believe that the new patients he needed would come in, involve the existing staff with what the challenges were, and to allow them to help him in every way possible. I asked what their goal was and they said to enjoy dentistry and be happy. And yet, what we found that what he talked about when he came home from work was the holes in the schedule or looking negatively at the fact that treatment hadnt been accepted. So what they were asked and what they agreed to do was only focus on things that were positive. And so for three months, as a team, and individually at home, we just focused on what was going to happen and absolutely indeed it did. So instead of cutting back staff and looking at an empty schedule, he took some free time that presented itself with less patients during the week and did more volunteer work. He set up times where he went into the grade schools and did patient education. He went and visited the high school and talked to them about using mouth guards. So we made that turn and sure enough at the end of that three months things were looking better, feeling better, and feeling better between the staff and himself. So it was definitely a time where we either cut back out of fear or we are trying to make and did make a decision based on a position of strength and trusted that things would turn around. So I believe that positive energy will draw in like minded people. And if you are thinking or envisioning or happy with the patient that is in front of you and you are envisioning in a positive manner asking them for a referral after complimenting them and connected with them. We are drawn towards happy people. We are drawn towards people that we perceive to be successful and happy
What Do you see as a challenge to the profession and what is your solution?
I tend to look at dentistry in a more more hopeful light then some of the old school dentists might perceive it because they are taking in the fact that there is less reimbursement compensation from insurance carriers, they are looking at the fact that almost 80% of people will make a choice based on the fact of what insurance plan you take or what you dont take. So I actually look at what is happening in dentistry as extremely exciting because of the fact that other entities are publicizing for you the connection between the health of someones body and the health of someones mouth. You now have physicians that send your patients to you to get their mouth healthy before they have surgery. you are getting advertisements and articles written about heart disease, low birth weight pregnancies, ect, based on the bacteria that is in their mouth, so I am actually very very excited about the world of dentistry if doctors dont take advantage of that fact and they are not asking within their questioneires or their patient history the right questions to make that connection, than that is a missed opportunity. But overall, I think that the path is very bright ahead of us as long as we embrace it and as long as we make sure to coordinate that overall connection with their overall health. If you are not on that new patient exam, diligently looking at the health history, or asking in your questions if the patient has been told about the connection between the health of their body and the health of their mouth then that is a missed opportunity and I think that the path ahead of us is golden and looks really good.
What do you think we might be missing in dentistry?
I thnk its that natural tendency to be self-absorbed. What you really want to focus on is what has changed in dentistry and what has changed in business in general, which is how do patients find you NOW. So they find you on the internet, and if a friend gave your name as the dentist to go see, they are still going to google you and ignoring how many stars you have on those review sites. So thats a mistake. If you have four stars and only five reviews, then the dentist right above you that paid for the google ad, he/she has five stars and forty great reviews. Even thought the friend gave your name, the patient is likely to click on the one that looks more positive. So, its nor about waiting until they get to you. I dont think the average dentist has any idea how many patients they never see, because they are not putting their best foot forward or their time and energy up front on the way people shop right now. It used to be a lot about your website, but I would tell you that that is not the case anymore. Its about the review sites and making sure that you populate the yellow page site with your good reviews, but great photos of you, making sure you have a professional photographer take photos of the outside of your building. Everyone has to up their game on the visual and everyone needs to up their game on the internet footprint.
Best Advice:
“I know you dont feel like it” -Janice Hurley’s mom. The reason that its so impactful and that I bring it to my clients, is that we tend to avoid the things that we dont want to do. I work with my clients on identifying the thing that you least like to do, and lets do it first, because the benefits and results of that are first.
Clinical Advice/Practice Management Pearl:
I think we all need to commit to not saying the same thing twice. So the patient calls in and tells the front desk what that appointment is for, and then they fill out the paperwork that says what it is for, and then sure enough the assistant sits down and asks, thinking that she is giving excellent customer service, and she says “What can I do for you?” and it has already been told twice. So a commitment from all of us, to respect that patient and their time by the way that we schedule, by the way we look at the information that they have already given us, and to start the conversation off with something they have already told us. Not asking a question that puts them on the spot, but being able to say “So I know you are here because of this…” or “I understand that this is what is important to you….” I think that that is important, to really look at them often at a higher value than I see when I visit offices that we do. In our morning huddles, never say anything negative about that patient that is coming in. To really really honor them individually, no matter how different they are from us.
What Technology excites you right now?
I truly like technology that honors the new way that people like to be communicated with, so in other words, making sure you use DemandForce or Solution Reach. Solution Reach being my favorite, but using some form of software that allows you to communicate with the patient, and its not a phone call anymore and making sure that your own paperwork asks the question: “How do you want to be communicated with?” I also love how much better intraoral cameras have become. The quality of the photo, the clarity, the acessability, making sure there is one in every room and youre using camera with a screen that can be placed in front of the patient so that they are seeing it. It cuts down on time and increases the trust the more that you can show the patient instead of just talking about it.
One Must Read Book:
Advice for those just starting out/ restarting their practice:
The more positive you can look at any situation, the more you are going to get out of it. You’re going to advance sooner. Lets say you are are that new graduate, and the only opportunities that you have found that are available to you are ones with corporate dentistry, where a patients doesn’t always get to see you through the full treatment. Your best choice is to look at, what positive you DO get out of it. Align yourself or find a practitioner who’s skills you want to learn something from and that every moment in every day, you are looking at the good in that situation and knowing that you always have choices. You could choose to move someplace else where there is more demand for a dentist but has your type of services. But if you are planning to move to a place more populated with dentists like San Diego, where everyone wants to be, its going to be slim pickings. So never lose sight of where you want to go, and where you want to be, and how you want to feel when you show up for the day. You can create, and are much more likely to create that situation, if you’re the person that looks at the existing situation and sees what you can benefit from. We are drawn towards people that are happy. We want to hang out with people, that view what ever it is that is happening to them as being successful.
How we can get in touch:
- – website: http://dentistrysimageexpert.com
- – E-mail: jhurley@janicehurley.com
- – Telephone: 619-255-1098