Best I can tell, there is one significant difference between Dentists who are massively successful and those who are not. The successful ones do stuff!
Most Dentists take a considerable amount of CE. Way more than is required by your state licensing agency. The successful Dentists take what they learn in these courses and actually do something with it. They take action.
I am reminded of the first client I worked with who had an annual income in excess of $1 Million (not that $’s define success, but income is one way to measure performance). NOTE: This was $1 Million Income, not practice revenue (which was about $1.8 Million).
Not only was this Dentist very successful financially, but he loved his profession, had an awesome Team, his patients were raving fans, and he provided the highest clinical quality of care. He was the total package.
As I worked with him, I became very intrigued about how he achieved this level of performance. My client was more than happy to share his journey that led him to his success. He told me that he committed to take at least 100 hours in CE every year, some years even more. That kept him informed of the latest advances in dentistry and ensured that dentistry was always exciting to him. As he recounted where he took his courses, it read like a Who’s Who of the best CE providers: Dr. Gordon Christensen, The Pankey Institute, Dr. David Hornbrook & PAC-Live, Spear Education, Dr. Peter Dawson, Dr. Omer Reed, Dr. Ross Nash, and Dr. Mark Montgomery among others.
I have met other Dentists who also took courses from these same CE providers, yet they did not have nearly the level of success that my client enjoyed. What was the difference? The difference was that my client took action. After every course, he made a list of items he would take action on from the course. Then he systematically worked to check his action items off his list. Some things worked. Some didn’t. The key is he was applying what he learned.
There is a tremendous difference between knowledge and applied knowledge. Knowledge is wonderful. However, it is only when you apply that knowledge that you gain its full potential.
Let me give you an example of this concept in action. Recently, my Dentist/Business Partner Dr. Paul Nielson heard Dr. Howard Farran on my Thriving Dentist Show talk about how to have a successful practice in these challenging times (http://www.takacslearningcenter.com/tds017/). In this Show, Howard recommended adding services to better serve your patients. Paul heard this message and took action. In November, Paul took the Six Month Smiles course and immediately began to apply this information in our office. Here is the story of a wonderful patient we were able to help as a result of this course (http://www.takacslearningcenter.com/tds053/).
I want to encourage you to take action. Do something! You will be thrilled you did. Keep Smiling!
