Ten years ago I was disenchanted with dentistry. I was struggling, burning out. I was working 5½ days a week, but my practice wasn’t growing. Since my staff didn’t grasp what they were really supposed to do, a significant number of patients weren’t accepting the treatment I knew they needed. I had high office turnover, not much income considering what I’d spent on school, and little to no family life. I was so frustrated I just wanted to earn enough to sell my practice without feeling like a failure, get out of dentistry and do something different.
I knew I was a good dentist so that wasn’t my problem. Since I’d been taught how to do dentistry in school, but not how to manage a business, I figured lack of management know-how might be the trouble. As a final effort before throwing in the towel, I decided to try a management company.
I’d been receiving promotional material from Sterling for quite a while, and since I had nothing to lose, I sent in the reply card asking for their free two hour DVD on practice management. It was as if the speaker had studied my practice before writing his script. He talked about every difficulty I had as if he’d been watching my staff in operation. I decided to give Sterling a try and called for their free consultation. The results speak volumes.
Today I have two doctors working for me, my staff know, love, and do their jobs with excellence. I have little to no turnover problems, and the practice produces eight times what it did before Sterling. Next year we will easily top $3,000,000. I work three days a week and I can take time off whenever I want to.
Ten years ago I was looking for ways to get out of dentistry. Today I love my job and don’t see myself ever retiring. My only regret is not finding Sterling earlier.
If this hits home for you, do yourself a favor and click here for the free Practice Management DVD ≫ They helped end my frustration and got me on the road to prosperity.
Scott Scharf, DDS
