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We Like To Say Yes by Dr. John F. Miller DDS
Ask anyone who has known me for awhile and they will tell you my thinking is outside the box. My wife Juli will confirm that it’s a little too far outside the box. That is why she is perfect for me, she is my check and my balance. Her eye-rolling or lack thereof guide my daily decision making. It should come as no surprise then, that one of my favorite aspects of owning and running Smile Montana is the creative outlet that is Marketing. When I took over my Columbia Falls practice in 2011 I was terrified. I had a large student loan bill around my neck and an even larger business loan to purchase the practice. Not to mention I opted to be part of the less than 1% of Dental School grads who purchase a practice immediately upon graduation. All of this in addition to a growing family which I was responsible for.
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I had no idea how to run a business and manage employees. I told myself to “Fake it until I Make it,” and somehow feel like I’m still doing that to this day. Dentistry, although it’s a Health Profession, functions just like any other business. We offer a service and we need a steady stream of customers to keep the doors open. How could I possibly attract anyone to come and see me, no one even knew who I was. So I approached marketing my business and my brand with the intent of attracting none other than Me, Myself, and I. What would I look for in a company or product? What would trigger ME to consume? And to be honest, it didn’t feel right in the beginning. While I have always had 100% confidence in my ability as a Dentist, my product as a whole was lacking. I didn’t have the total package and so I went to work on every aspect of the patient experience outside of the dental chair. Before I could market Smile Montana, I needed to create what I call a Patient Centric practice. In the walls of my practice I wanted a culture where the needs of the patient were greater than
the needs of the staff and of the Doctor. This was harder than I was prepared for. I had a people problem, meaning some of my people did not want to put the patient’s needs above their own. These individuals have parted ways with Smile Montana. After seven years I can sit here and write up an article for 406 Women and honestly say that I have the greatest team. With them around I no longer need to fake it because with them I have made it. We are united in our mission to provide a great patient experience. Our motto is that “We Like To Say Yes.” Now, over these last seven years I’ve had the chance to sit back and evaluate folks’ relationship and approach to Dental Care. Some people visit the dentist religiously and never miss a cleaning, while others only come around when something hurts. Surveys indicate that 65% of adults visit the dentist at least once per year. That means 35% of us are not seeing our dentist or hygienist on a regular basis. In other words 35% of adults only see the dentist on an urgent basis.