“There’s an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love,” Steve Jobs said in 2007.” ‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.’ And we’ve always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very, very beginning. And we always will.”

Developing a ‘demand driven’ dental practice is like skating to where the puck is going—not where it is. With all of the options patients have today, it’s critically important to understand demand. Demand is customers’ needs and desires (emotional, psychological, and physical) that they want satisfied and have the purchasing power to satisfy. Meet the demand and you can satisfy your patients better than your competitors. The key is recognizing trends and patterns in markets and customer segments to determine what customers will want in the future. “If you’re waiting to ask your customers what they need, you are already too late because they are telling your competitor the same thing they told you,” says Rick Kash, co-author of How Companies Win, a bestselling book that tells why companies must shift their attention from simply supply or service focused to demand focused.

Companies need to understand not just current demand but latent and emerging demand, says Kash. And he isn’t talking about just big businesses. One of the most compelling things about How Companies Win is that the authors’ frameworks apply as easily to dental practices and neighborhood’s dry-cleaning shop as major retailers.

“Some people see trend and see threat. Others see the same trend and see opportunity,” says Jim Carroll, a healthcare keynote and futurist.  Wireless and mobile health is providing transformative opportunities in dental and overall health care.  One of the big trends unfolding today is the huge velocity behind wireless and mobile health applications and the rapidity of changing patient/consumer behavior, he adds.

The statistics around mobile technology are, of course, well known, but Carroll adds that they are worth repeating:

• It took two years for Apple to sell 2 million iPhones
• It took 2 months for them to sell 2 million iPads
• It took 1 month to sell 1 million iPhone 4’s
• It took 1 day to sell 1 million iPhone 4s
• It’s estimated that Apple sold 5 million iPhone 4s’s in the first 4 days of release

But it’s what consumers are doing with these technologies that provide so much potential for innovation. With respect to health care, the numbers are quite staggering:

• 78% of consumers are interested in mobile health solutions
• Medical and health care apps are the 3rd fast growing category for iPhone and Android phones
• The Apple App store now has 17,000 health care related apps 60% of which are aimed at the consumer and focused on interactive healthcare and wellness monitoring

What we have happening here is a massive trend in which people are changing their behaviors, actions, wellness, and day-to-day routines in which they actively manage their health circumstances through the personal digital assistants which are becoming an ingrained part of their lives, explains Carroll.

The centuries old relationship between dentist/doctor and patient is changing in a massive way. Innovation is all about anticipating opportunity in the midst of these changes.

Looking Ahead: How to Predict Where Demand Will Emerge Next

Gaining a key business advantage comes from understanding the future of demand while it is still forming. There are ways that you can do this beyond simply asking your patients who often don’t always know what they want. Here are recommendations from How Companies Win:

• Think outside the box: Look across multiple markets to draw lessons to apply in your own practice, i.e. the dominance of Google, the convenient service of Zappos, etc.
• Look at consumer trends (lifestyle, workstyle, fads, demographics) to anticipate how to interact with emerging trends, i.e. iPad, mobile phone technology, gaming, social media, etc.
• Look at consumer healthcare trends outside of dentistry, i.e. 70% of adults in the U.S. are overweight; the number of adults with diabetes has more than doubled since 1980, etc.
• Look at adjacent categories to see what you can learn from best practices, successes and failures from businesses similar to your own, i.e. cosmetic surgery, lasik surgery, day spas, etc.
• Look at the most profitable segments of your own patient base to detect even small variations in their behavior and buying patterns
• The rise of social media networks has amplified the consumer’s voice. Take advantage of the real-time ability to monitor buzz on the Internet (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to get an “over-the-horizon” view of emerging opportunities
• Check out sites such as IdeaStorm for Healthcare and Life Sciences — a community dedicated to collaboration of how to improve the efficiency of Healthcare with IT solutions. This site affords consumers the opportunity to post their ideas regarding the improvement of health care services.

Imagine the dental practice of 2020. What do you see?

Answer PDA’s One Question Survey & Win a Free iPad!

What ONE tip, technique or product would you recommend for predictable, profitable endodontics?

Click here to take the survey. This time, we’re sweetening the deal! Forward this survey to a dentist friend! If they win, you’ll win too!
*Survey to be completed by doctors only.

The weekend isn’t over – be sure to check our Facebook page often for more streaming video updates!

Dominoes Everywhere for the holidays from Jared Lyon on Vimeo.

The reception room is the first and most impressionable space in your practice. What’s your waiting room saying about you and your practice? The end of year is a perfect time to take stock of this impressionable space. Often, because we see it on a daily basis, we tend to overlook little things that are obvious to visitors such as dated or dog-eared magazines, chipped wall paint, or faded artwork.   Have someone you know and trust wall through your space and give you honest feedback.

And take heart… enhancing your reception area need not break the bank. We’ve provided links to companies that offer affordable amenities for your office. Here are 5 quick and inexpensive decorating ideas to revitalize your reception room:

1. Color sets the mood!
One of the quickest and most affordable ways to transform your reception room is with paint. The color of your reception room is one of the most important decorating decisions you can make. It attracts and sets the mood for your office and speaks volumes to your patients. Say ‘goodbye’ to white walls! Use warm, neutral and inviting paint colors which help ease any tension and anxiety patients may be feeling about their appointment. Click here to learn more about choosing the best paint colors for your reception room.

2. Background music soothes and calms!
Consider all of the senses when enhancing your reception room. Just as paint color can have a calming effect, so can music.  Soothing background music without commercial breaks releases mood enhancing chemicals in the brain and can help contribute to a relaxed state of mind. Choose music that is instrumental and lyric-free. It should contribute to the overall effect of your reception room, but not subtract from conversations that are taking place between patients and team members. Additionally, you’ll be glad to know that what’s good for patients is also good for your employees. In a recent large-scale study, 87 percent of businesses said that background music improved employee morale and productivity. Consider Internet-delivered background music providers such as Pandora. It provides a wide variety of music and allows you to instantaneously update your musical selection.

3. Artwork can jump-start conversations!  
Spruce up your walls with beautiful and serene artwork or photographs that complement your room’s style. Avoid poster art which tends to fade over time, and instead, opt for a large piece of canvas artwork or a series of murals on the walls. Also, let your personality show through. If you are an avid hiker consider nature scenes. If you like to garden consider beautiful florals. Water sports? Think soothing beach or costal scenes. Showcasing artwork that reflects your personal interests is a great conversation starter. Z Gallerie offers a stylish and affordable selection of artwork and for a limited time is offering 20% off on all artwork purchased online and in stores.

4. Real plants or flowers provide an organic touch!
Plants are a great addition and studies show they generate feelings of vitality and wellbeing in waiting rooms that otherwise may appear stark or cold.  Take care of your plants; their appearance and health makes an important statement about your practice. Healthy and thriving plants send a message that the doctor and team care. Also, avoid fake or ‘permanent’ plants which tend to collect dust. There are various internet companies that offer a wide variety and affordable selection of exotic plants and flowers which can be delivered weekly to your office door.

5. Patient amenities show you care!
Be sure to consider the comfort and needs of your patients when revitalizing your reception room by adding patient-friendly features, such as a complimentary drink station, coat rack, tissue bar and hand sanitizers. Also, be sure to provide a wide selection of ‘current’ reading material including books and magazines.

Did you know we’re giving away a FREE iPAD before Christmas? Click Here to take our quick 1 Question Survey and be automatically entered for a chance to win. Survey to be completed by doctors only.

iPad + Velcro from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

John Gottman’s pioneering research found that marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. Additional research also shows that workgroups with positive to negative interaction ratios greater than 3 to 1 are significantly more productive than teams that do not reach this ratio.

So what does this mean for you and me? For most of us it means we need to increase the number of positive interactions we have at home and at work and reduce our negative interactions.

We need to engage each other with more smiles, kind words, encouragement, gratitude, meaningful conversations, honest dialogues and sincere positive interactions. And to foster these actions we need to create personal and team rituals that help us interact more positively. If we make them part of our organizational process and individual habits they are more likely to happen.

For instance, at home you might decide to take a walk with your spouse each night after dinner and talk about the positive things that happened at work. The more you practice this the more it will become ingrained in your life. At the practice, you might make it a point to smile at your team and patients more often. As the practice leader, you would spend more time praising your team for the things they do right rather than always focusing on what everyone is doing wrong. A manager I know makes it a point to personally praise 5 people every week. At the practice, you might share a positive message every morning during the huddle. Or perhaps have team members share patient success stories. The ideas are infinite. The key is to intentionally cultivate more positive interactions to fuel success.

ABOUT JON
Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL and NBA teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. Visit his site here.

This helps you meet each challenge head on and continue to take the practice to the next level.

The keys to a successful and proactive team is delegation but how do you ensure your team will rise to the occasion? Join Dr. Baird & Vicki as they give you the strategies to allow your team to work their strengths and watch your practice skyrocket into a productive environment.

Author insert a music with WS Audio Player.
(Download) this music.

Eleven years ago I looked out into the Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day with fear in my heart and uncertainty in my life. I had been fired from a “dot.com” company two weeks earlier with only two weeks of severance, no insurance for my two young children and only two months of savings in the bank. My wife and I had just invested every dollar we had and even took out a second mortgage on our home and $20,000 on a credit card to open what would be the first Moe’s Southwest Grill in Florida.

The restaurant was set to open January 13th and we had no earthly idea how we would pay our home mortgage and other bills since I planned on keeping my salary and job while my managers built the restaurant business. Now, it was New Years Day and I had no job, no salary and a restaurant opening that at worst would fail miserably or at best take a year to be profitable.

I thought of all this as I prepared to jump into the icy cold water-to take a symbolic plunge that this would be the year of NO FEAR. Regardless of the circumstances I was facing, this would be the year where I would trust and go for it. This would be the year I would be bold in actions and faith and humble in spirit. No longer could I do it alone. Now I needed a miracle and I decided to act as if my future depended on me and pray like it depended on God.

By jumping into the ocean I was declaring that no longer will I allow fear to cut off the flow of abundant and positive energy in my life. No longer will I allow fear to paralyze me. Instead of fear I would trust.

Now, eleven years later, as I write this I am preparing to jump into the ocean once again on New Year’s Day. It has become my yearly ritual – to remind myself to follow my passion, live life to the fullest, surrender and to stay one step ahead of the fear that hovers around me.

And as I take my leap into the ocean I want to invite you to jump in with me. Perhaps not in the ocean but in the depths of your mind. This jump doesn’t necessarily require water but rather a leap of faith in your belief system and a shift in your mindset. The antidote to fear is trust and it is only a thought away.

No one is going to push you over the chasm of struggle to the life that you want. God will nudge you but you must take the leap. You must make this jump in your mind and then with your actions. You must make this jump with trust, determination and faith. After all, they don’t call it a leap of fear. They call it a “leap of faith” for a reason.

You will always feel fear. Everyone will. But your trust must be bigger than your fear. The bigger your trust, the smaller your fear becomes.

And the more you trust the more you become a conduit for miracles. I know. A consulting project presented itself out the blue and we were able to pay our mortgage. A check came in the mail, the right opportunities came our way and somehow, some way my family and I were carried. A year after the restaurant opened I started this newsletter which eventually lead to me writing books, speaking and doing the work I do now.

I know that 2011 was not a great year for many people but I believe New Year’s Day represents a fresh start and it presents a new opportunity to create the life and career you want. All you have to do is jump in with all that you are and all that you wish to become.

Are you ready? How will you make 2012 your best year yet?

-Jon

P.S. People often ask me what happened to my restaurant. Well, thankfully I eventually opened 4 restaurants and sold them seven years ago knowing it was time to focus 100% on the work I’m doing now. Thank you for your support and for sharing this message with others.

ABOUT JON
Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL and NBA teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. You can visit his website here.

Face your fears and make 2012 your best year ever! Join us at an upcoming PDA Workshop. In this total immersion, 3-day program designed for doctors and teams, we’ll show you exactly how to consistently produce $1,250/hour – in any geographic market. Our easy step-by-step teaching will get you the results you’ve been aiming for. Click here to learn more.

Answer this month’s one question survey and win a Free iPAD!
“What ONE tip, technique or product would you recommend for predictable, profitable endodontics?”
*Survey to be completed by doctors only.

Want to sweeten the deal? Forward this survey to a dentist friend! If they win, you’ll win an iPAD too!

The primary driver of growth at Zappos is from repeat customers and word of mouth. Zappo’s philosophy is to invest money into the customer experience, such as its surprise overnight shipping upgrades, 24/7 customer service, 24/7 warehouse operations, free shipping both ways, and a 365-day return policy.

In Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com outlines the company’s 10 core values as:

• Deliver WOW through Service
• Embrace and Drive Change
• Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
• Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
• Pursue Growth and Learning
• Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
• Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
• Do More With Less
• Be Passionate and Determined
• Be Humble

The values are reflected in everything Zappos does, but “the proof” as they say, “is in the pudding.”  There are thousands of examples, but take this one as posted on Shmula.com. The Zappos customer was returning a pair of shoes that didn’t fit her mother’s feet and, unfortunately, her mother passed away shortly after the customer made the request to return the shoes:

“When I came home this last time, I had an email from Zappos asking about the shoes, since they hadn’t received them. I was just back and not ready to deal with that, so I replied that my mom had died but that I’d send the shoes as soon as I could. They emailed back that they had arranged with UPS to pick up the shoes, so I wouldn’t have to take the time to do it myself. I was so touched. That’s going against corporate policy.Yesterday, when I came home from town, a florist delivery man was just leaving. It was a beautiful arrangement in a basket with white lilies and roses and carnations. Big and lush and fragrant. I opened the card, and it was from Zappos. I burst into tears. I’m a sucker for kindness, and if that isn’t one of the nicest things I’ve ever had happen to me.”

As tangible services become identical, it’s the intangible that make the difference.

Ask yourself if Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, Inc. started a dental practice, what would he do differently?  How would he add value and raise service levels?

Take this opportunity to revisit and reexamine everything that is being done in your practice and challenge yourself and your team members to make one improvement each week that better reflects your practice’s core values. Go ahead… ‘think outside the box.’