“I first heard about Sterling through a dentist friend,” says Dr. Dennis McCullough of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. “I was talking to him at a Christmas party, and he said he was going to give up his dental practice, but then had decided to give Sterling a try.
“Later on, when he had done the Sterling courses, and his practice was doing well, I would ask my friend what Sterling would say about this or that business situation. The answers weren’t the same kind of brush-off answers I thought some other consultant might give. I was impressed.
“Later, I was in the middle of hiring more staff and an associate for my veterinary practice, and the practice had stopped growing,” remembers Dr. McCullough. “I had time off, sort of, but I spent the weekends speaking with employees to try and solve their problems. Somehow, the problems never really got solved. Finally I decided I should do something about it.
Dr. McCullough and his wife went to an introductory Sterling seminar. “We found it so good we signed up right away.
“The courserooms at Sterling in Glendale were different but everyone was very friendly, very willing to help you answer your questions. By the end of a week I was extremely cheerful, because I was so enjoying the coursework, learning things I might never have gotten otherwise. I got back and started applying it.”
One area Dr. McCullough wanted to handle immediately was the staff scene: “The office atmosphere here was terrible, we had people covertly damaging the practice, people wasting our time, people who were connected to our staff who would call in and create all kinds of upset and trouble.
“It took some time to get the staff I have now, and they are a staff next to none. We enjoy each other’s company.
“I appreciated the way Sterling let me make the decision; they let me see what was going on before I did what I had to do; it put me in the driver’s seat,” says Dr. McCullough, then adds, “Our consultant went way beyond what was called for. That’s the way she is, she cares.
“The basics of understanding production, making the employees a kind of co-owner by making them responsible for their jobs and their products, was crucial. The three-basket communication system is also great. Most of the veterinarians I know can’t come close to the number of cases I handle, because they lose messages, they don’t get back to people, and that affects how you can handle the cases.
“We have accomplished far more than we could have without the Sterling training. What we learned has helped us with personnel problems, and let us develop a much better environment. Furthermore, it’s contagious: clients enjoy coming here.
“As a group, we get more done, and have more fun doing it!”
