3 Questions To Ask A Dental Consultant

If your dental practice is doing well, hiring a dental consultant might seem unnecessary at first. But if you want your practice to be successful year in and out year out, it’s important to have a strategy. A dental practice consultant can help you set and meet goals for you as a dentist but also for your practice as a whole. Instead of wasting time doing research and potentially making avoidable mistakes, a dental consultant can help streamline the process and take away some of the guesswork. Here are some questions to ask a dental consultant to ensure you both are on the same page.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?

Different consultants have different goals. Some dental consultants work with clients looking to grow their practice and sell it. Others help struggling practices to continue on or build a business from the ground up. Your specific goals will determine the kind of dental consultant you want to work with and how they can help you. Certain methods and strategies might work better than others depending on your goals. Before working with a dental consultant, even a highly recommended one, make sure you share and understand your goals.

WHAT ARE YOUR METHODS?

Do you want to get your dental career started on the right path? Are you looking to put in place the practices and procedures to make your existing dental business more profitable? Send Dr. Coughlin a quick email today!

Another important question to ask a potential dental consultant about is their preferred methods and strategies. The coronavirus pandemic has uprooted every industry, including consultants, so ask about the expectations and practicalities about working together. Will meetings primarily over Zoom or other tele-meeting platforms? Will they come to your practice or will you need to travel to their offices? How does the consultant plan to bill you? These questions can help clarify some potential issues ahead of time, especially if the communication is clear on both sides.

DO OUR VALUES MATCH UP?

Core values are vitally important to your practice. If you want to work with a dental consultant and your core values do not match up, that’s a problem. Values can include anything from the overall feel of your practice to thoughts on staff engagement, client and employee expectations, and so on. These components are a big part of how your practice runs and operates. In order to have a team and practice that runs efficiently and successfully, understanding and agreement of basic core values help unite people toward a common goal. The culture of your practice influences your success, so it’s imperative that any dental consultant you work with understands and appreciates the values that are important to you.

Looking for a dental consultant? Dr. Coughlin brings 30 years of experience managing 14 successful dental practices. Contact us today to see how he can help coach, grow or sell your business.