I don’t think there’s any question that in the minds of most Americans, the economy is in a slowdown, though whether it’s media driven or real economic decline could be argued. Most dentists and labs I talk to see a slowdown. At times like these, dentists tend to stop presenting treatment plans as normal, and they change their behaviors to compensate for what they believe their patients are thinking. We sense the sky is falling and create our own reality. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We can take the slow time to work on the practice from the inside out. Economy lulls always come in phases, and when it goes down, it will eventually go back up.
I like to take the slowdown to work on sharpening communication skills and customer service. We can train staff, hold more staff meetings, do the best job and offer the best customer service to the patients we are treating in the slow time. Then, when the economy turns around, the practice is stronger and you’re set up for explosive growth.