communication in the workplace

Why Gratitude Matters in your Dental Practice
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Why Gratitude Matters in your Dental Practice

Hello Friends,

November is Gratitude Month – Gratitude helps to strengthen and motivate your team, encouraging employee loyalty and engagement. This is needed now more than ever! Yes, they may show up each day physically but are they engaged? Are they also there mentally and emotionally?

One of the most common issues that I hear from dental employees is that they don’t feel appreciated. Feeling a lack of gratitude is often the main reason why they leave their employer or suffer a decline in positivity and productivity.

Hint: Sadly enough, I hear the same thing from the employer – my team doesn’t appreciate me, and/or my team is unthankful. So if you’re an employee reading this you’ll find that these same ideas for showing gratitude may be used for showing appreciation and gratitude to your employer. 🙂

Don’t assume they know that you appreciate them just because you give them a paycheck every week. Show them by your words and actions that you value and appreciate their contributions to the success of the practice.

Here are several ways for you to express and show gratitude for your dental team…

Greetings – Say hello & goodbye to your employees at the start of the day and at the end of the day.

Use your Manners – Say please and thank you. Make it a habit to say please every time you ask for something. Saying thank you improves your office, your health, and boosts morale.

Thank you notes – a thoughtful handwritten thank you note will go a long way in helping someone feel appreciated and valued.

Praise – Commend and praise your employees in front of and to your patients.

Give them your attention – Conduct quarterly commendation and performance evaluations. This also gives them an opportunity to share with you how things are going for them and their ideas to improve the office.

Feed them – Bring in breakfast, snacks, or lunch.

Invest in them – Thoroughly train your employees (new & old) on your practice goals, systems, expectations, software, telephone skills, dental procedures, protocols, etc.  Include regular continuing education – you can do this with in-office training, webinars, lunch and learns, and seminars/classes outside of the office.

Gifts of Appreciation – Surprise your team with thoughtful gifts of appreciation (gift cards, cash, treats, etc.)

Work Anniversaries – Acknowledge work anniversaries. Don’t take their loyalty for granted. Make sure they feel wanted and appreciated.

Encourage Creativity – Host “Brainstorm Sessions” with prizes for creative marketing ideas, solutions to improve office efficiency, welcome more new patients, patient retention, and how to have more fun as a team.

Give them your time – Spend time outside the office with your team engaging in fun team-building recreational activities. Do this at least quarterly.

These are simple and inexpensive ways to let your team know how much you care. I encourage you to put them into action. When you do you’ll quickly learn that it is a triple win – a win for your team, a win for your patients, and a win for you (you’ll not only enjoy better health but practice growth too).

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. “—Northrup Christiane

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address to bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea.

Doctors, if you would like to grow and improve your dental practice and have wondered what it might be like to work with me and what coaching is all about… please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation coaching call at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Did you enjoy these tips and ideas?   I would love and truly appreciate it for you to please take a second to leave a review/recommendation for me here on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK – Thank you!!!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty (Dental Coach)

Dental Team Building Activities, Rewards, and Incentive Tips and Ideas
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Dental Team Building Activities, Rewards, and Incentive Tips and Ideas

FOR MY MOST RECENT TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES, IDEAS, & INCENTIVES Visit HERE

Hello Friends,

In response to the many requests that I receive for ideas to motivate and reward employees,  I’ve compiled a list of Team Building Activities, Incentives, and Reward Tips and Ideas. I have also included several team building and customer service book suggestions.

For ideas and tips on how to have a happier and more productive dental team, please visit here: A Happy Dental Team is not just a dream!

Of course, in order to have a truly happy and productive team, it starts with you!

Set the Example – Lead by example.  Treat your employees how you would like them to treat your best patient! If you want to see positive change in your practice, you must consistently lead by example. It starts at the top. You set the tone for the day, make certain that it’s a happy & productive one.

Work Hard, Have Fun, Create Beautiful Smiles.

dental team building activities rewards incentives book suggestions tips and ideas

Have FUN! – Have more fun in your office with Team Building Activities and Events!

Here are some ideas to get you started…

In Office Fun: Potluck lunch, Ice Cream Truck, Carry out lunch (team choice), Crafts, Games, & Puzzles. Make little gifts that you can give out to your patients at their appointments.

These articles have some really good ideas for team building activities: Six Quick Teamwork Games to Engage Employees at Work and this one: When I work – Team Building Games

Fun with Social Media – Utilize your social media pages to show your patients and potential patients what a fun office you have.

Videos – post fun team videos on your office social media pages.

Employee Work Anniversaries – Celebrate employee work anniversaries and post pictures to your social media pages.

Pictures – take fun/silly pictures with the team and your patients to share on social media, your website, and in newsletters.

Fun Dress Up/Theme Days –

What: Decorate the office, team dresses up, small prize giveaways and snacks.

Theme Ideas: Luau, Decades, Superhero, Disney, Western, Carnival, Sports teams, Pajama Day, Silly hats/hair/socks, Etc. (visit party & dollar stores or orientaltrading.com for a ton of theme ideas)

Creativity – Brainstorm sessions with prizes for marketing ideas, solutions to improve office efficiency, and how to have more fun as a team.

Accountability – “Great teammates hold each other accountable to the high standards and excellence their culture expects and demands.” – Jon Gordon

Book Club – Purchase team building/self-improvement books for your team. During a team meeting, discuss portions of the book. Or purchase electronic devices such as a Kindle Fire for each employee and download books that can be discussed during a “book club team meeting”.

Team Building Book Suggestions:

Bring Your Whole Self to Work: How Vulnerability Unlocks Creativity, Connection, and Performance – Mike Robbins

Move Your Bus – Ron Clark

FISH! – Stephen C. Lundin and Harry Paul

Fun Is Good – Mike Veeck & Pete Williams

The Energy Bus – Jon Gordon (Actually, ALL books by Jon Gordon!)

Our Iceberg is Melting –  John Kotter

Who Moved my Cheese? – Spencer Johnson, MD

Everything is Marketing – Fred Joyal

The Go-Giver –  Bob Burg and John David Mann

How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie

Full Steam Ahead – Ken Blanchard

Million Dollar Dentistry – Gary Kadi

Be Our Guest –  The Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni

Start with Why –  Simon Sinek

Any other books that I should add to the list? Please message me or comment here and I’ll be sure to add to the list as soon as I read it.

Incentives/Rewards – Sometimes unexpected rewards work better than expected monthly bonuses for reaching goals. Every office is different, so if you have something that is working well for you and your team, by all means, continue doing it. However, if you would like some reward/incentive ideas for reaching daily/weekly/monthly production, collection, new patient, service/product, social media, and other goals but want to keep the rewards unexpected or more spontaneous, here you go…

In addition to  simple, yet appreciated, thank you cards; Spa Gift Card, Cash, Lunch/Breakfast, Purse/Tote bag, Gift Baskets, Plants/Flowers, Jewelry, Movie/Theater Gift Cards, Tickets to Game/Concert, Amusement Park tickets, Restaurant gift card, Gas cards and Car Wash Gift Cards.

If you would like even more ideas, be sure to follow this Pinterest Board: Employee Appreciation Gifts & Meeting Activities / Team Building Activities

Outside the office Fun: Bowling, Paint a Canvas, Shopping, Dinner, Cooking Class, Wally Ball, Baseball Game, Spa, Escape Room, Field Day (Team up with other offices), Concert, Skating, Batting Cages, Mini Golf, Pottery Class, Theater,  Pool party, Skiing, Nature hike/walk, Etc.

Continuing Education – Continuing education, not just for the providers but for the entire team is a wonderful way to ensure practice growth. Not to mention, it’s a great team-building experience, one that will give you a happier and motivated team. You can do this with in-office training, webinars, lunch and learns, and seminars/classes outside of the office.

Consider incorporating a dental continuing education class with a fun event, for example, CPR Course and Pool Party.

If you really want to have some FUN continuing education, take your team to TBSE! Have you heard about The Best Seminar Ever? Better known as TBSE? Seriously,  it absolutely is the best seminar I have ever been to. If you’re ready to boost your team and take your practice to the next level, please check it out here: TBSE -The Best Seminar Ever

Community Involvement – Visit the local farmers market, art/street fairs, Races/Run/Walk for-a-cause, Fundraisers, Parades, Etc. Be active in your community. Pass out freebies imprinted with your office information to the people attending these community events. Be sure to take pictures of you and your team out and about in the community and share to your social media pages and website.

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” ~ Dale Carnegie

It is my wish that these ideas and tips will help you and your team experience greater happiness at work. If you have any other ideas or things that have worked well in your office, I would love to hear about them. If you have any questions or concerns about what you’ve read today, please contact me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

Did you enjoy these tips and ideas?   I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review/recommendation for me on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Dental Employee Conflict Resolution Tips and Ideas
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Dental Employee Conflict Resolution Tips and Ideas

Hello Friends,

The month of April is Workplace Conflict Awareness Month – 

This is a topic that should be discussed at a team meeting. Why? Conflict Happens! Make a plan and an agreement as to how all office conflict will be addressed and resolved.

Betty Hayden Consulting Dental Team Conflict Resolution

Steps to deal with office conflict:

  1. Calm down and talk with the other person. (Don’t go to anyone else to discuss the conflict.)
  2. Attack the problem, not the person. Focus on behaviors and events.
  3. Listen carefully – listen to understand and not to be understood.
  4. Brainstorm solutions with a focus on the future, what it will take to move forward.
  5. Celebrate your Success.

For additional ideas visit Forbes.com for 5- Keys to Dealing with Workplace Conflict. 

To manage conflict, Excellent Communication is Essential.

Communication  – 

  • Job descriptions and expectations must be clearly defined. This is a great time to ask every team member to write a list of their job description and responsibilities. Have them indicate next to each task how often it is done (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, varies, etc.). This will help you determine if and when and by whom these tasks are being accomplished. You might find some important tasks are not being done at all or not often enough and so on.  

  • Team Meetings/Morning Huddles are essential for a happy and smooth work day. Visit HERE for some tips on how you can have a successful morning huddle.

  • Address quickly any needed discipline or correction, don’t wait for a staff meeting to address these problems. Instead, meet one on one with the offender.

  • Avoid office negativity, it’s toxic and will infect your team – Rather, focus on and share positive experiences.
  • Your team must know the why, what, and how. They may know the what and the how but not the why, often times, this is why employees are there just to collect a paycheck. Talk about what you believe and attract those who believe what you believe. People buy the why not the what. 
  • Positive Gossip Only! Entire team agrees to stop gossip. Refuse to listen to it. Rather, encourage the person to go directly to the other person they have an issue or complaint about. Unless of course, they can let it go and move on. 

In addition to communication, Proper Training is Imperative–  Don’t hold back in this area! Invest in your team. Thoroughly train any new employees on your practice goals, systems, software, telephone skills, dental procedures, protocols, etc.  However, training isn’t just for your new employees, everyone in the office needs regular training. This leads me to the next point…

Continuing Education – Continuing education, not just for the providers but for the entire team is a wonderful way to ensure practice growth. Not to mention, it’s a great team-building experience, one that will give you a happier and motivated team. Think about this, your administrative team is the first and last impression made on each and every one of your patients. This includes potential patients that call your office. Certainly, you want to have the very best training and education for not only your clinical team but your administrative team too. You can do this with in-office training, webinars, lunch and learns, and seminars/classes outside of the office.

For example, have you heard about The Best Seminar Ever? Better known as TBSE? For real, I attended TBSE last year and it absolutely was the best seminar I have ever been to. If you’re ready to boost your team and take your practice to the next level, please check it out here: TBSE -The Best Seminar Ever

It is my wish that these ideas and tips will help you and your team experience greater happiness at work without unnecessary negative conflict. If you have any questions or concerns about what you’ve read today or would like to set up a complimentary telephone consultation to learn how I can help your office grow and succeed, please contact me at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com.

If you enjoy the complimentary ideas that I share each month, I would love and truly appreciate for you to please leave a review on GOOGLE and/or FACEBOOK

Have you signed up to receive my complimentary dental marketing and practice management ideas that are sent right to your email inbox each month? If not, take a second and sign up. Or send me your email address and I will send you an invite to follow. This way, you won’t miss a single idea!

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest

Dental Tips and Ideas for April
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Dental Tips and Ideas for April

Hello Friends,

Your first quarter is coming to an end and that means it’s time to make plans to have an awesome second quarter.

Here are some practice management and marketing ideas to help you grow your dental practice, exceed your current and potential patient’s expectations, and to have more fun as a team!

Dental Marketing and Practice Management Tips and Ideas for April…

spring dental marketing and practice management ideas betty hayden consulting

~ Dental Marketing Ideas for April ~ 

April is National Garden Month –  So let’s think and talk about the month of April and how we can use gardening & spring flowers to market your practice and exceed your patient’s expectations.

 Here are some ideas for you:

Theme: Spring Flowers

Focus: Implants and/or Oral Cancer Screenings (See: April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month Tips and Ideas)

Fun Give Away: Flower Seed Packets w/a label and business card attached.

Flower seed packets can be purchased at most Dollar Stores for around .20 a packet. Great deal!

The labels you attach to the flower seed packets can say:

“Your referrals help grow our practice, Thank you!“

“Our Office Blooms Because of you!“

“Please enjoy these flowers growing as much as we enjoy your referrals growing our practice.”

 Your patients will love these little flower seed packets give-aways! Often times they ask if they can take one for a friend/family member. Of course, they can! This is why you want to make certain the office name & info is on the packet.

For awesome ideas for flower seed packaging/presentation visit my Pinterest board HERE

National Pet Month – People love to talk and brag about their pets. Use this week to ask your friends/patients on your social media sites to post pictures of their pets. Post pictures of your team members pets.

Turn it into a contest: the pet with the most likes wins a special treat. 

Give-away: hand out dog treats packaged with your office information. Even if a patient doesn’t have a dog surely they know someone who does…great way to get your office name out there!

~ Social Media Post Ideas to Improve Engagement ~

Vitamin C Day: 4th

No Housework Day: 7th

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day: 12

National Garlic Day: 19th

Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day: 26th

Sense of Smell Day: 28th

Now on to the Practice Management ideas for April:

Hygiene Continuing Care/ Recare Opportunity:

Cleaning For A Reason Week: 18-24 – Send out email & text reminders to your patients that are due/past-due for their hygiene visit. Time for their Spring Cleaning! The “reason”? For their health’s sake – or, consider donating a portion of the production to a local charity.

Community Involvement Opportunity:

Community Spirit Days (1-30) – What a great opportunity for your office to get involved in the community. Check your city’s event calendar for events and activities.

Are there any charity/sporting/community events that you and your team can participate in or sponsor?

Be sure to share a variety of local community events on your social media sites. This will encourage your patients to look to your office page to learn what’s going on in the community.

National Dental Hygienist Week (Canada): 11-17

Administrative Professionals Week: 22- 28

See Employee Appreciation Ideas Here: Employee Appreciation Gift Ideas Pinterest Board

Just for Fun!

National Humor Month / Laugh at Work Week: 1-7 – Find ways to laugh each day at work all week long.

National Fun at Work Day: 5th – Have a silly theme for this day. (For example, Crazy hair, silly socks, decades day, etc.)

So there you have it, some fun & educational ways to help your patients and potential patients smile and exceed their expectations during the month of April. Not to mention, have more fun at work!

If you are interested in having me help your office create a custom marketing campaign that includes ideas for special offers, office fun, patient give-aways/drawings, community involvement, cross-marketing with local businesses and hygiene continuing care/incomplete treatment scripting, please contact me today at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com

Don’t miss out on any of the ideas that I share each month! Are you receiving my complimentary Practice Management and Marketing Ideas in your email inbox each month? If not, please start following us today. If you prefer, send me your email address at bhaydenconsulting@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation to follow my blog

Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty

P.S. Please stop by and say hello to me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest