If you watch basic cable TV, you may be familiar with the show Bar Rescue on Spike. In it, consultant Jon Taffer visits a failing bar and turns it around. Generally, this involves upgrading the menu, correcting some operational problems, weeding out unruly staff, remodeling the interior and renaming the establishment. Add a healthy dose of drama and yelling and you’ve got a recipe for a successful turnaround.
As an unabashed fan of the show, I am regularly amazed by the parallels between the rescue projects on the show and the operating challenges for dental and orthodontic practices. How could I possibly compare the average watering hole with a professional practice? At the essence, you’re simply running a business in both cases so key similarities are present.
Specifically, and without any yelling or drama, here’s what I’ve seen:
The overall experience of the customer/patient is vital to your success
For a bar, it’s not just the drinks, the food, the staff, the music or the ambience that creates the experience. It’s a combination of all of these factors. Whatever the combination of factors for each person, the most important thing is that people walk out after their visit saying “boy, did I have a great experience here tonight. I’m coming back and telling all my friends about it.”
For you, the goal is still the same. Maybe the patient loves your location, hours, personality, office layout or flat screen TV. Probably some combination therein. Whatever the case, you want to keep a close eye on each person and see how you can make them happy. That causes word of mouth to spread wildly.
Running a profitable business and providing a quality product/service are not mutually exclusive
When Taffer and his selected experts visit a bar, they upgrade the quality of the specialty drinks, the menu and the facility for the specific purpose of making a profit. They do not do it simply to make the patrons smile.
For you as well, the things you do to increase the quality of your service ultimately lead to improved business. If it doesn’t, you probably aren’t upgrading your service to a suitable level to impress patients.
You need to be prepared for a variety of visitors
In the case of a bar, some people meet for a quick drink before heading somewhere else, some plan on a full night of revelry while others might be on the prowl. No matter what the situation, you need to be able to make that person happy. Maybe a few “quick drink” people will become “full night of revelry” patrons if they are treated properly.
You face a very similar situation. When a new patient arrives, they may come with pen in hand to sign up for treatment, may be shopping various offices for the best deal or unsure of he/she is walking into. Whatever the case, your job is to quickly divine which type of patient you have and give comfort on any potential fears and objections.
Good information allows you to make good decisions
Early in virtually every episode, there’s some version of the reading of the numbers. Taffer may review an overpour/underpour schedule, the basic financial statements or another helpful report, but it is important to note that good information is a vital starting point for analyzing results. From the key numbers, you probe deeper based on what you see. For example, if Taffer sees that the bar is overpouring, he’ll looking at staffing reports to see which bartenders were on duty when the most severe overpouring occurred.
The same is true for you. We’ve certainly beaten this drum enough, but without good information, you may be lost when it comes to solving problems. Or, worse, you may not know anything about a problem area until it’s too late.
You can’t be all things to all people
Bars come in a great variety of types: after work spots, sports bars, college hangouts, dance clubs, live music spots, dives and a whole host of others. Not every patron is appropriate for every type of bar. The key is to attract as many as possible from the target demographic, know what is important to them (not the bar owner) and provide an environment comfortable to them.
For you, the same is the case. Within the target market of mothers, there are subsets that each practice will want to attract. Maybe you are working on convenience for working moms or pricing for moms on a tight budget. You try to be the practice for as many people as possible, but not everyone will be a fit for you because of location, pricing, personalities or whatever. Don’t be distressed. Continue to push toward your specified target market.
One thing to not necessarily copy: a remodel and name change doesn’t always solve your problems. On the show, those projects tend to be backed by large advertising and branding campaigns via the power of a national cable show. Take caution if this is your path to ensure growth.
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