As kids, our imaginations took us to wild places we might never have visited in real life. A grassy hill became an island rampant with pirates searching for lost treasure. Trips to the grocery store turned into a top secret mission for the best snacks. The possibilities were endless, and we made the impossible possible. Things change, however, as we grow and become more practical in our thoughts and actions. We might not see the potential in our careers, and the dreaming stops.
This mindset was the case for one of our doctors, Dr. Tom Peterson, who worked the dental grind for years until he nearly burned out. Yes, he made a comfortable living running his practice, but he wasn’t really living. He put in long hours, accepted all insurance that came through the door, and he was just going through the motions with routine cases. His body, mental health, and family suffered for it. He missed his kids’ early years, dinners at home, and some weekends because of the hectic schedule.
His dreams of how things could be lay dormant…until one day he realized he couldn’t keep up the pace without dire consequences. He was missing out on A LOT of his own life, so this dentist slammed on the brakes, and he took a turn down a path much less traveled by the average dentist.
He discovered a way to adjust his systems to work in harmony, keeping overhead costs down, attracting high value cases, recruiting the best team, and gradually replacing insurance-based cases with fee-for-service patients. These strategic moves, taken in small, calculated steps, have given this dentist back his time.
How is Dr. Peterson doing now?
He knows where his marketing dollars are going, and what he’s getting in return. He can tell you the life-time value of each patient, along with what it’s costing him, per lead, to grow his client base. His front-end team is well-trained on receiving and converting calls to appointments, and they have a fine-tuned call-back process in place. His practice website, filled with engaging and informative content, brings in a consistent flow of new prospects, and it continues to rank high in search engine optimization (SEO).
Things are better than great at his practice thanks to his team and the systems he has in place. He’s spending more time with family, inviting friends over for frequent dinners, and he’s hitting a few rounds of golf during the week – something that was unimaginable years ago. He’s living the life he once only dreamed about.
If you can relate to the challenges Dr. Peterson faced, and you feel like you’re losing your battle with the dental grind and want more out of life, grab a copy of his story here. Let his journey inspire you and rekindle your imagination of what’s possible. You don’t have to stay in this rut. Yes, it takes work. But anything worth doing – especially when it comes to your family, health, wealth, and happiness – takes grit. Let your imagination run wild. You might be surprised at how powerful it is.