| In this article, you'll be reading a big dental practice | | | | from the cities. And I had to look at that and say |
| success story from a small town dentist named | | | | that we just can't do that... that we're going to have |
| Ginger Bratzel. In here, you'll see how she struggled | | | | to change this and do this. So I had to develop my |
| from being a small town dentist whose practice has | | | | own system, my own success and my own rules |
| not been doing too well from the beginning.. to a | | | | about how we're going to go about this. And as I |
| successful small town dentist with her own system in | | | | went through and did this, I started getting the |
| her dental practice.. with our help! And this is | | | | attention of a lot of doctors. And not just small town |
| something we focus specifically at our dental practice | | | | doctors... I had doctors from L.A.,New York, Chicago |
| website! | | | | and Boston... asking me "How are you doing this and |
| Here's her success story.... | | | | that?". And I told them "Well, I got my own systems |
| My name is Ginger Bratzel, and I am a small town | | | | and I can do this!" And they asked me "Can we |
| dentist from Socorro, New Mexico, and were located | | | | come to your office and see what you're doing?". |
| south of Albuquerque in a farming type community. | | | | And I said "I don't know... that's just a lot of people |
| Socorro is a little town, it's about 8000 people. And | | | | to try and train!" You see, I wish that I had the |
| I'm proud to say that it is my hometown, and that is | | | | system way back then that was custom-made for |
| why I came back here in Socorro. I practiced | | | | successful small town dentsits. And I went about |
| dentistry so that I can build a career in my | | | | that and I thought about that, and we developed the |
| hometown. I wanted to help my patients, know the | | | | system. That's because that's what we had to do, |
| business to help the community, and also I wanted | | | | build a "recipe" and a script. Not only did I need |
| to raise my family here because I love being here; | | | | something to follow, I needed the blueprint.. I needed |
| animals are a big part of my life, I have some | | | | something for my team to know (I mean you're |
| livestock (goats, cattle) and I wanted to live out here | | | | sharing a vision in creating this). And as we were |
| and this is what we do. But I just didn't fall into this | | | | going through, I need something for them to follow. |
| situation, I built this situation. About 14 to 15 years | | | | So, I teamed up with one of my mentors, an |
| ago, I purchased a practice that was 20 plus years | | | | awesome guy, Ed O' Keefe, a "millionaire |
| old from an older dentist that was retiring, and I am | | | | dental-maker" (that's what I would call him) and he |
| ashamed to say that it was a typical small town | | | | knows dental marketing. So we talked and he said |
| dental practice. It was not very profitable, and it was | | | | "You know what, let's do something specific for this |
| high on stress! The patients were getting care, but | | | | small town dentist, because wouldn't it be nice if |
| they were under the impression that they got a | | | | there would be no need to go through those |
| different level of care. They thought that because | | | | struggles?" And so we created, the first of its kind, a |
| they were just small town people, and they're not in | | | | small town dental success system especially for small |
| Hollywood or New York, they were getting a "patch | | | | town dentist. So wouldn't it be nice to know how to |
| and fill" kind of dentistry and extraction type | | | | get new patients in a small town... and do it |
| dentistry (which is not true), and they just don't | | | | effectively and economically.. and have success with |
| know any better! So they didn't take what they | | | | it? And it's because the systems that work with |
| wanted, what they needed and also what they | | | | other people doesn't work with us. What about |
| desired. They just took what there was. And so, I | | | | finding and building a "super-star" team? Like I told |
| built a practice... but then on the 2nd month that I | | | | you earlier, I had to let go or lost this so called team |
| was on the practice, either I had to fire or I lost a | | | | in the first two months. So I had to go about |
| hundred percent of the staff! So think of the | | | | developing it and building it. So we wrote a recipe |
| situation: I'm in a small town, my home town and | | | | card on how we're going to do that.. like "how are |
| everybody knows me, and I lose everybody! How | | | | you going to make hygiene profitable?". Most people |
| am I supposed to go on and build the practice? You | | | | ( and not just the people from small town ), think |
| know, I have some relationship with them from being | | | | that most patients are not so concerned with these |
| a hometown girl, but I don't have a professional | | | | area.. that the patients are not concerned about |
| relationship with them. So, we struggled and built that | | | | tissue management, not concerned about other |
| practice up, built a super-star team and we were | | | | issues... and I beg to differ, because you know we |
| going through it. But it didn't go fast. There was a lot | | | | did that in our office in a matter of three months.. |
| of knocks on the road, and I made a lot of mistakes. | | | | and we were averaging about $797 a day, and in |
| But I was working under the assumption, as most | | | | hygiene production! And I had a superstar hygienist in |
| people do in dentistry (which was totally wrong), that | | | | a matter of three months... and turned that around, |
| they call it the "7-year rule", that you can't be | | | | then I was doing $3,000 per day (and that's with one |
| profitable and you won't be really successful in any | | | | hygienist!). Now, I would beg to differ that most of |
| business until about the 7th year in your practice. So | | | | the small town dentists can't make $3,000 daily. So, |
| you just need to knock it out and do your dues, pay | | | | how's this hygienist doing it? The answer to that is |
| your dues and you'll have that opportunity. So there | | | | "We wrote a system, we got the recipe!" and we |
| were times like my dental assistant got paid more | | | | can show you how to do that, too! We also went |
| than me! Think about that: I'm the doctor, and I had | | | | through and talked about how you can attract |
| 100% of the debt, I had 100% responsibility, and I | | | | non-price sensitive patients, because you know what, |
| had 100% of the risks... and my 20-year old dental | | | | you have one thing small town people don't have |
| assistant that I trained, who was a waitress before | | | | money, and I beg to differ... because you just don't |
| that is getting more money from me. I mean, that's | | | | know where you're looking, and you got to look at |
| just screwed up, right? So that's what the | | | | the right place! So these people are not |
| consultants were telling me, you just keep working | | | | price-sensitive; they want value, they want the best |
| hard and eventually you'll find it. And so I said "That's | | | | they can do for us and they don't have insurance |
| beat and that's just plain not true... and who says I | | | | involvement (most of them don't have insurance). |
| can't start on the top?". So I looked at what the | | | | Let's count it that most people, in any town, go look |
| other dentists are doing and I have seen what kind | | | | people with the insurance and hope to get the most |
| of marketing they were doing, what kind of practices | | | | out of them. And I say "You know what? Go find |
| they were building... and 97% of them were all the | | | | the people you want the dentistry... because that's |
| same! And I said to myself "That's them... and this is | | | | where you need to be looking!" There are also hidden |
| me... and I built my own practice... and I built it for | | | | dangers in small town practices... and we went |
| me, my family, and I built it for my patients!". And I | | | | through and identified them to make sure that you |
| just didn't understand it, at that time, that I was | | | | don't fall in the same pitfall. So, whether you've been |
| building the best practice for them so they know | | | | practicing 5 months, or 15 or 25 years, you need to |
| what they we're getting into and I was giving the | | | | cut that slack out of your life! It's because we want |
| best care of dentistry (so no more "patch and fill" | | | | to build systems (remember that I told you we |
| dentistry; no more extraction type dentistry... I was | | | | made the recipe cards) which is stress-free for the |
| giving them the best, and I built the practice on my | | | | doctor and also stress-free for the staff where it |
| terms!) So I went about building this "dream team", | | | | could be repeated. And you don't need all the hassle |
| and I wasn't getting them, I had to create them (and | | | | in your life.. because you got the staff in there... and |
| they're not boring and they're creative). And we built | | | | if you just empower them and you train them... and |
| a high-tech dental office in a small town environment, | | | | that's the biggest thing! You're going to make them |
| and we wanted it to be special! We needed to | | | | accountable and you got to train them to do it. And |
| specialize in things nobody else specializes into, and as | | | | they can have the success that you want to have |
| I am going through building this, researching about all | | | | for your practice. And you know what, I love it at |
| these top dentists and all these top practices, what | | | | the end of the day when they're jumping up and |
| was 99% that was out there were made by people | | | | down and they have created all of that for me. |