The first and last impressions your patients have of your practice usually occur at the front desk and in the waiting area. How they are greeted can go a long way in forming their opinion of your practice. Is your front desk staff so busy that they simply direct patients to a clipboard for sign-in, or are they personally greeting each patient with a friendly smile? Think about how you like to be greeted for a business appointment, and put that into play in your practice. Do your patients feel valued, or do they feel like they’re running on an assembly line through the practice during their visit? Not Being Willing and Open to Change Change is scary, but it’s necessary for growth. In business, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Know what practices are opening in your area and what they are doing to attract new patients. Are there things going on in the local economy that may impact your practice? What about major trends disrupting care protocols? Is anything coming your way that might be problematic for the business if ignored? Remember, your way is not always the best way. It’s just a way scian nebulizer. There may be better options available to you, but you have to look. Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s the right way or the only way. Not Utilizing Team Members’ Smiles as an Advertising Tool Seriously, the team members at your practice all should have attractive smiles. They should showcase the practice and be used as a billboard for your messaging. If you do the work for free or at a discount, consider it an investment in marketing your practice dental file. Not Including All Staff in Continuing Education Courses Practice teams should grow and thrive together. No person should be left behind. Invest in everybody’s career, no matter who is on the team. Not Attending Yearly Dental Trade Shows Tradeshows present great opportunities for education and exposure. When you go to a tradeshow, do your homework and research which classes you are going to take and which sessions you want to attend. These events represent a perfect opportunity for the team to earn continuing education credits and bring new ideas back to the practice. Lack of Transparency About the Numbers (Not Including Salaries) You need a game plan, and your team needs to understand what it is dental supplies. You and your team also need to know the score financially. According to Henry, every team member needs to know if you are ahead or behind and where you need to go. Share an overview of how the practice is performing and where you’d like to be, and discuss how you can all get there as a team. Transparency breeds trust. Ineffective or No Use of Social Media to Reach Patients Social media can be scary, as practices worry about what information they can share and promote without violating HIPAA. Set up a profile and some protocols and then consistently post quality information to engage patients. However, you need a signed model release form if you’re going to use images of your patients. Henry recommends practices contact their state dental association and request a copy of the form for use. Don’t rely on Google for these forms, as they must be specific to your state. And, always include the signed model release in the patient’s file.