Sean Crabtree and Cameron Bailey from the Crabtree group are here today with Sully and Peyray. The Crabtree Group goes beyond dental practice management and creates dental business strategies to help dentists build and grow their practices. They share individualized methods with dentists to help them decide what type of practice they want to have and then help develop a strategy to get there.
They are also the hosts of the Dental Profits Podcast that we were on last year. In this episode, we talk about knowing yourself, how communication is key, and getting your team on board with your goals. We also talk about intake phone calls and the importance of asking open ended questions and pre-qualifying patients before they walk in your door. We talk about the three big issues most offices have. Sean and Cameron share insights into treatment plan presentation, the importance of having a coach, and more.
You can find Sean and Cameron here:
Show Notes:
[03:03] Voices of Dentistry is a podcast convention for dental podcasters.
[03:58] Sully and Peyray were a guest on the Dental Profits Podcast.
[04:44] The Crabtree Group grows dental practices. They are dental strategists.
[05:50] They ask questions to identify opportunities for growth. They try to find the systems and strategies that need to be put in place to grow the business.
[06:40] Find where you are and develop strategies to get to where you want to be.
[07:52] They help find the strategies and implement the system.
[09:16] It all starts with what the dentist actually wants.
[10:45] You can't create until you go there in your mind. The Crabtree Group can help support the vision.
[12:07] Peyray realized that to improve his practice he needed to be aware of what he wanted. He also wanted an in-house coach.
[16:33] Cameron has been doing this for almost 10 years.
[16:59] Sean started about 22 years ago. He worked in a telecommunications business. He had a client who was a consultant. He wanted an opportunity to make an impact and started working with this consultant.
[19:45] Sean discovered that people in healthcare didn't understand value creation or sales. He created the Crabtree Group about 12 years ago. Cameron joined 10 years ago. They both had a background in sales and marketing.
[23:16] Two big challenges are getting the phone to ring and what you do after the phone rings.
[24:08] Prepare the patient on the intake call. Qualify the patient.
[25:50] Ask open ended questions and bring the patient along on the journey.
[29:40] People in healthcare want to help. Instead, take control of the call. Answer the question with a question.
[31:48] Sully and Sean do a mock phone call walk through.
[34:06] It's helpful to record the calls or have them transcribed.
[41:31] It's too much for the doctor to have to sell every single case.
[42:18] Create a culture where the people on your team are trying to get better and record the calls and send them to the Crabtree Group.
[43:20] Look at ways to better handle cancellation calls.
[45:36] Communication is everything. You have to learn to communicate to address challenges.
[50:12] Use the gifts of your team members and help them understand how roles support other roles.
[51:32] Treatment acceptance, collections, and hygiene are the three first things that stand out to Sean and Cameron in a new practice.
[54:38] Bring the patient back for a large treatment plan presentation. Value creation. The doctor needs time to develop a plan to present to you.
[58:21] Your practice is a vehicle of where you want to go. You have to figure out where you want to go.
[59:35] Sean and Cameron have an online course. They also offer group coaching. Some of their clients have doubled their practice.
[01:02:08] The doctor can make or break the success of the practice. It's important to get past your comfort zone. Communication is also key.
[01:04:23] To be successful you have to commit to it.
[01:07:11] You don't have to be perfect to be wildly successful in dentistry, but you do need to commit.
[01:08:32] Successful entrepreneurs and celebrities all have coaches.
[01:10:49] Put energy into finding people who fit your vision.
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources:
The Millennial Dentist Website
@Millennialdentist on Facebook
On Instagram
Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on Instagram
Dr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram
Interview With Sully Sullivan and Peyman Raissi - Dental Profits
Sully meets up with Michael Arias and Joshua Scott to talk about dental marketing. Michael Arias is a dental marketer who focuses on ground marketing. This is literally hitting the ground and going to nearby businesses and building relationships. Michael shares why this method works and how to do it with an objective in mind.
Joshua Scott is the owner of Studio 8E8 dental marketing. His approach is building a brand through story and having an interactive website that is an experience. We talk about the importance of building trust and educating a patient before they ever walk in the practice door. We also talk about the ever changing world of digital and dental marketing and how generational differences play a role.
You can find our Michael and Scott here:
MIchael Arias The Dental Marketer YouTube
Show Notes:
[01:12] Michael Arias is the developer and founder of Ground Marketing which is an unconventional way of attracting the attention of potential customers or patients.
[01:38] Joshua Scott is the owner of the Studio 8E8 dental marketing company.
[01:50] Scott and Michael are good friends.
[02:30] How marketing is shifting towards storytelling and finding ways for people to relate to you.
[03:16] Michael used to be a nutritionist, and he had a client who was a dental consultant.
[03:40] In the past, Michael helped My Fit Foods build up their client base. The methods that he would use was ground marketing.
[03:58] His dental consultant friend offered him $1,000 if he could find him to 2-5 new patients. He decided to refine a strategy for dental marketing.
[05:03] You have to go in and ask for business cards for the dentist down the street. You also offer them cards and an employee sign up sheet.
[06:13] Joshua calls what Michael does hustle marketing. Marketing needs energy behind it. You have to put energy behind it to put things in motion.
[09:12] Why spend thousands on SEO instead of going next door and talking to people?
[10:20] If a dentist doesn't want to do it, they need someone on their team to do the ground marketing. If you go in, come out with a result.
[12:43] Every YMCA has a health fair. Call to speak to the director or receptionist. Have someone go in and set up a booth and give out floss. Know how to talk to people on the spot.
[14:54] Dentistry is human service. We need to keep the human part in dentistry.
[15:27] Joshua's approach is allowing clients to tell their story in a way that is exclusive to them.
[15:41] For Joshua, dentistry is an inspiring, innovative, beautiful type of business. It's his job to make the websites reflect this.
[16:36] The website needs to be an experience and help dentists tell their story in a way that connects.
[17:35] How a website is an opportunity to tell ourselves before a patient or customer even walks in the door.
[18:37] We should track patients we get to our website.
[19:12] Just looking at the new patient metric can be a short-sighted method.
[20:09] Before making a purchase, people need eight or nine touches before buying.
[20:47] Patients are ready to buy when they come in because of all the previous touches.
[21:21] Sully is into video and telling his story.
[24:48] Why let other people control your practice and deal with patients who make you miserable?
[26:38] When building a business you're trading time for money.
[27:04] There comes a point when the trade-off of time becomes more important.
[28:24] The more you say no to stuff, the more time you have to say yes to the important stuff.
[29:56] At some point, your practice needs to be about you being happy.
[30:39] It's important to step back and ask what do you want and what are your goals instead of blindly following what everyone else does.
[31:29] We need less new patients than you think. We need to actually do the dentistry that the patients need.
[32:44] Building a business is a long-term process. Keeping your patients long-term will give you all the work that you need.
[34:05] Sully's Dad was way more willing to listen to new ideas than many established dentists. By being open-minded, they are unstoppable.
[35:35] The key is getting small victories with the established doctor.
[38:48] Companies that can adapt and shift are always more profitable.
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources:
The Millennial Dentist Website
@Millennialdentist on Facebook
On Instagram
Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on Instagram
Dr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram
Sully and Peyray are on a flight to attend the 3rd annual Voices of Dentistry Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. They are excited to visit the booths of other dental podcasters. Last year, they had their own booth and didn't have time for anything other than recording. Peyray will also be speaking this weekend about dental photography. He has a lot of ideas about how useful photography is for treatment planning. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
Show Notes:
[03:47] Peyray has a lot of powerpoints with great information for his presentation.
[04:07] You can see some of his work on his Instagram account. When you take great pictures, you can sell a lot of dentistry.
[04:33] You can learn so much by looking at the pictures of your cases. You can also go back and find any mistakes that you may have made in order to not repeat them in the future.
[04:55] Photography has made Peyray a better clinician.
[05:19] After dental school, he bought a camera and started taking Udemy courses and watching YouTube.
[06:19] He also learned from Eduardo Aguilar.
[07:26] Photography is a lot about the lighting and anyone can benefit from having a softbox.
[07:52] Tomorrow Peyray is going to share the settings he uses, the tools that he uses, and encourage people to go practice.
[08:34] Invest in your future and get a Nikon or Canon DSLR camera. He has the D810 full frame. The D7500 is also a great choice.
[10:36] Photography helps with documentation, and documentation is the key.
[11:39] His full arch patients and aesthetic patients get photography.
[12:46] Sully takes five or six shots of every patient. Patients can diagnose their own dentistry when they see the pictures.
[13:58] They block off some time for new hygiene patients to get photos. To Sully, hygiene is a loss leader.
[15:27] That would be four or five new hygiene patients a day.
[16:36] If a hygienist recognizes that the patient needs more than $2,000 worth of work, they make an appointment to bring them back.
[17:32] Always address the patient's chief complaint.
[21:00] It's important to take the time to communicate with the patient. Having a good team also helps.
[21:51] Sully shares the new patient experience at his office.
[26:24] Sully also does in office payment plans. They are at the point, because they are selling cases not individual procedures.
[28:54] There are a lot of missed opportunities with dentists who don't do sedation dentistry.
[30:51] Peyray goes to ADA sedation meetings. You can do so much more if you learn how to use it. IV brings a level of predictability.
[32:41] Peyray gives people something to relax the night before surgery, then nitrous, and then an IV.
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources:
The Millennial Dentist Website
@Millennialdentist on Facebook
On Instagram
Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on Instagram
Dr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram