Running a dental implant practice is no small feat. Beyond the technical skills required to perform implant procedures, success hinges on operational efficiency and dental implant practice strategy. In our latest Full-Arch Secrets podcast episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Blanco from Anthony Blanco Coaching. With years of experience coaching dental implant practice owners, Anthony shared insights on the five critical mistakes that can stall a dental implant practice and how to rectify them.

The Foundation of a Successful Full-Arch Practice

To build a thriving full arch dental practice, establishing a solid clinical and operational foundation is crucial. While many practitioners focus heavily on clinical skills, the operational side often gets neglected, severely limiting a practice’s ability to scale and succeed.

One glaring example is the reluctance to follow up on leads and referrals. Anthony recounted a story about a prominent physician whose team repeatedly refused to follow up on leads. Instead of insisting on a solid operational system, the physician acquiesced, failing to scale the practice successfully.

The Importance of a Clear Vision For Your Dental Implant Practice

Before diving into the five mistakes, it’s essential to understand the broader context. Anthony emphasized the importance of having a clear vision for what you want to achieve. Goal setting is often reduced to mere numbers—revenue targets, number of practices, etc. However, these goals should be stepping stones toward a bigger vision of what you want your life and dental implant practice to look like.

Anthony’s approach involves working backward from this vision, setting 5-year, 3-year, 1-year, and 90-day goals that align with your ultimate objectives. This method ensures that your dental implant practice supports the lifestyle you desire, rather than the other way around.

Now, Let’s Get to the 5 Big Mistakes Stalling Your Dental Implant Practice (and How to Fix Them)

1. Not Having a Dental Implant Sales System
One of the most common and critical mistakes is the absence of a robust sales system. Many practices lose leads due to poor handling at various stages—from initial phone calls to follow-ups. A well-defined sales system is not just about following up; it involves a comprehensive approach to managing leads, qualifying potential patients, and ensuring everyone on the team knows their role.

A successful sales system includes:

• Properly answering and handling phone calls from dental implant patients.
• Asking the right questions to qualify dental implant patient leads.
• Managing dental implant financing options effectively.
• Training the entire dental team, from front desk staff to treatment coordinators and doctors.

Anthony highlighted the importance of follow-up, noting that many potential patients who initially say, “I’ll think about it,” often convert if the follow-up is done correctly. This follow-up should be pleasant, persistent, and focused on helping the patient make an informed decision.

Real-World Example: ROI on Investment
Anthony shared a revealing story about a doctor who claimed a marketing strategy wasn’t working because he hadn’t tracked the results. Upon investigation, it turned out the doctor had spent $76,000 on marketing but had generated $786,000 in production, achieving a tenfold return on investment. This example underscores the necessity of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) within your sales system to understand its true effectiveness.

2. Not Aligning Your Dental Implant Practice with Your Life Goals
Anthony’s philosophy extends beyond mere dental implant practice coaching; he advocates for a dental implant practice lifestyle approach. He recounted meeting a dentist who perfectly aligned his practice with his lifestyle goals. This dentist worked a four-day week, took twelve weeks of vacation annually, and maintained a healthy work-life balance while running a highly profitable practice. The key was clarity on what he wanted and setting up his practice to support that vision.

3. Not Prioritizing Revenue-Generating Activities Within Your Dental Implant Practice

Anthony emphasizes the importance of infusing cash into a practice quickly, as it can exponentially impact results. Optimizing the sales process is one of the most straightforward ways to achieve this. By conducting comprehensive evaluations of practices and identifying areas for improvement, Anthony acts as a trusted advisor, connecting practices with systems and experts that can enhance their operations.

He underscores the necessity of accountability in following these systems. Ensuring that each team member adheres to the established processes can prevent common pitfalls, such as failing to follow up with patients adequately. This approach not only improves sales but also focuses on delivering maximum value to patients, aligning education and emotion to meet their needs effectively.

4. Not Implementing a Financial Coaching Program

Another critical element is implementing a financial coaching program. Anthony shares a cautionary tale of a practice that increased its collections by $1 million but saw no additional profit at the year’s end. The root cause was a poorly structured bonus program that directed most of the profit to the team rather than the practice owner.

Anthony highlights the importance of understanding financial optics and the return on investment (ROI) of various activities. Practices must know their profit and loss (P&L) statements and work with financial experts to audit and optimize their financial strategies. By doing so, practices can make informed decisions, ensuring increased revenue translates into actual profit and sustainable growth.

5. Never Building a Dental Implant Practice Culture – And by Design
Developing a culture by design is essential. While many acknowledge the importance of culture, few have concrete plans to build and maintain it. A strong culture requires intentionality and clear definitions of core values and virtues.

Anthony stresses the need for practices to define what they want their internal environment to look like and to hold team members to these standards. This involves creating a culture plan that includes clear expectations, accountability, systems, and training. By focusing on hiring individuals who align with the practice’s core virtues, such as being humble, hungry, and smart, practices can build a high-performing team.

The C.A.S.T. Framework
Anthony introduces the C.A.S.T. Framework—Clarity of expectations, Accountability, System usage, and Training. This framework ensures that each team member understands their top priorities and is held accountable for meeting them. Proper training and robust systems are essential to prevent frustration and ensure that team members can perform their roles effectively.

Long-Term Vision for Your Dental Implant Practice
In addition to the 90-day plan, having a clear vision for the next five years, broken down into yearly and quarterly goals, is essential. This long-term planning helps ensure that every action taken aligns with the practice’s ultimate objectives.

Designing Your Life and Dental Implant Practice
Many dental implant practice owners, including dental practitioners, often feel like slaves to their dental implant practices. Without a clear vision and operational systems in place, they end up owning a job rather than a dental implant practice. Anthony’s advice is clear: define what you want from your life and ensure your dental implant practice supports that vision. By addressing common mistakes and establishing a robust sales system, you can transform your dental implant practice into a thriving enterprise that allows you to live the life you desire.

Optimizing revenue generation, implementing effective financial coaching, and building a culture by design are key strategies for enhancing the success of healthcare practices. By focusing on these areas, practices can achieve sustainable growth, deliver exceptional value to patients, and foster a positive and productive internal environment.