FAQs

It’s an interesting subject that we’ve studied extensively over the years. Our research shows that doctors benefit from taking time off. We discovered that the number of days worked per week significantly affected diagnosis per day, with a drop in productivity after four days of work. To combat this, we recommended taking Fridays off.

Additionally, we found that diagnosis per day started to decline between six and eight weeks after the last vacation, which we termed “diagnosis fatigue syndrome.” It’s a phenomenon where fatigue can lead to a reluctance to recommend treatment. We also considered the stages of productivity, from a productive phase after a vacation to a mechanical phase, and finally, burnout.

We encourage doctors to shift their perspective, viewing time off as preparation for effectiveness rather than just a reward for hard work. Doctors should monitor their own productive phases, recognizing when they enter the mechanical phase or burnout. Ideally, doctors should aim for between six and 12 weeks of time off per year, with some even taking an entire month off annually.

The key is finding the right balance between work and time off for maximum effectiveness.

We love this question because, as dentists, we don’t receive training in leadership during our dental education. There simply isn’t enough time for it. When we transition into private practice, suddenly, we are expected to be leaders.

We firmly believe that leadership is something that can be developed, not just something you’re born with. We invest significant time and energy in helping you become the best leader you can be because strong leadership is crucial for a successful dental office. However, we’re not looking for dictators; our goal is to cultivate leaders who empower team members to think like business owners and make the right decisions within the practice.

Tom Peters once said that most businesses are under-led and over-managed, and we aim to flip that narrative by creating strong dental practice owners who lead with a clear vision. Good leadership reduces the need for micromanagement. A great leader can inspire team members to excel in their roles, fostering longevity and a sense of ownership among the team.

During our program, we emphasize behavior, much like we teach our children appropriate behavior. The same applies to adults; there are behaviors that work and those that don’t, especially when it comes to leadership. So, when someone says, “I’m not a good leader,” our response is that they haven’t chosen to behave like a leader up to this point. Changing behavior and emulating leaders you admire is the key.

Ultimately, leadership is about behavior, and it’s a choice that you can make.

No one likes selling dentistry and in fact we don’t like selling dentistry traditionally because what that implies is that we are pushing dentistry onto patients and so what we are really focusing on is having our team ask questions to the patient to find out and really discover what is the patient’s why.

Once we find out what’s motivating the patient, we go even further to find out what is the emotional motivation.

For instance, when a patient expresses their desire to keep their teeth for a lifetime, we respond by asking them why it’s essential to them. We diligently train your team to feel at ease while asking such questions and discovering the patients’ genuine preferences. This approach represents a paradigm shift away from traditional sales tactics that patients often find pushy.

It transforms the patient-provider relationship into more of a partnership, focused on understanding their desires. Furthermore, our bonus system significantly boosts team motivation in this regard. We actively collaborate with your team, providing training on asking the right questions and related strategies.

We’ve extensively studied how people make decisions, a process that heavily relies on emotions and the right brain. Every decision, whether it’s about breakfast choices or more significant matters, starts with an emotional, right brain-driven choice.

The left brain’s role is to gather data to support and justify that initial emotional decision.  The left brain, responsible for details and data, doesn’t actually make decisions. Instead, it gathers data to validate the initial emotional decision made by the right brain.

In dentistry, it’s crucial to engage the patient’s right brain by having conversations that resonate emotionally.  When discussing complex cases, like a 10-unit veneer case for a patient’s daughter’s upcoming wedding, it’s essential to address their right brain, which is driven by emotions.

We can help you learn how to effectively engage both the right and left brain during these conversations. Understanding which side of the brain you’re interacting with at any given moment is a valuable skill we can help you develop.

Our coaches include experienced dentists who have completed our program.  Additionally, we have team members, with the youngest having 20 years of experience with us. When our consultants visit your office, they bring years of experience to the table. They engage in monthly interactions with team members, ensuring that the coaching is sustainable and that the systems remain in place even if there are team member changes.

So, our coaching doesn’t solely involve dentists coaching dentists; it comes from coaches who have personally applied the Blatchford principles in their own practices. It’s coaching rooted in practical experience, not just theory.

Over the years, we’ve developed an effective approach. Our consultants typically visit the office once physically. During this two-day visit, they spend the first day observing various aspects. Our in office visit takes place after your team has attended the ‘Dynamo’, our two-day seminar, and started implementing the principles discussed.

We help customize these systems to match the specific office’s needs. The consultants and coaches are available to team members as needed to ensure the successful implementation of these systems.

Sustainability is a key focus, as we aim to create systems that can continue even with changes in team members, which is a natural part of any practice. While physical visits occur once, our consultants now utilize technology such as video conferencing to further ongoing engagement with doctors and teams.  Providing this technological means of continued virtual support, on an as needed basis, has proven to be both efficient, effective, affordable, and sustainable.

Many of the concepts we teach have roots in our own dental practice experience. Over the past 40 years, we’ve had the privilege of working in over 4000 practices. And, from this, we have gained valuable insights into various practice models and approaches.

The key differentiator is that not only are we dentists, but we are dentists who have successfully applied these concepts in our own practices, transforming them from good to great.  Our consultants have all been with us for 20 years or more, and they’ve emerged from practices we’ve worked with.

Importantly, we never hire individuals directly from offices we consult with. Instead, our consultants are experienced professionals who have joined us after retiring and selling their practices.

By working with Blatchford, you will benefit from the wisdom and expertise of seasoned veterans who have not only built successful practices but have also made them highly valuable for sale. Learn and implement tailored strategies and execution methods in your retirement plan.

It’s crucial to ask about the ROI when considering hiring a coach or consultant. Many coaching programs focus on gross income, emphasizing how much they can gross or the number of new patients. However, we have always centered our program on net income. We track progress on a monthly basis, emphasizing that it’s not just about gross income; net income is what truly matters.

We’ve had clients who didn’t need to increase their gross income but were able to double their net income within the first 12 months of our program. Now, with our program extended to 18 months, we consistently see double or even triple net income. Clients typically achieve an ROI of two to three dollars for every dollar invested during the first 18 months, and this increase continues throughout their career.

Some clients have experienced the equivalent of a 10-to-1 return. For example, one recent client, after working with us, increased their practice’s gross income from $750,000 to $2 million, with approximately 70% of that additional million contributing directly to their bottom line.

And finally, when considering the extra free time our clients gain, while not quantifiable in dollars, it is equally important. Doubling the time you have for family, hobbies, and enjoying life is often more valuable than financial gains.