The latest Dental Business Club ezine is now available

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Simon doesn’t profess to be a financial guru or visionary but he is walking his talk following our joint commitment to e-marketing and the marketing funnel so having said this please help Simon win the Advisor.ca Visionary Poll. The poll started last April and Simon made the Top 20 List, he then made the Top 10 List in January. The deadline for the winner is February 28th so please cast your vote here to help him to win as it will make an extraordinary difference to his business and to the clients that he serves; http://www.advisor.ca/news/industry-news/finals-name-that-visionary-poll-2-12568

Thank you!

“Welcome to BranchOut… the first career-networking tool that allows you to search… browse… and utilize your FACEBOOK friends’ career information as a valuable resource.”

This is the message you receive when you load the application on Facebook called Branch Out. There have been some complaints about its spamming nature and I asked my social media team to comment:

About BranchOut

• Career networking on Facebook (or brings LinkedIn to Facebook)
• Launched in July 2010
• Competitors: LinkedIn, Monster.com, Emply, Identified.com, NextEmployee.com
• received $6M in Series A funding on 17/9/2010 from venture capital firm Accel Partners.
• http://www.youtube.com/user/BranchOutApp

In my humble opinion I think this app is both a brilliant and risky one: it uses the momentum of the Facebook user database. It’s crazy that it has only been done now, and I think more will follow in line with these apps. It is risky in that BranchOut is built on someone else’s platform and there is every chance Facebook will launch something similar in the future (or maybe buy it, which seems more likely as Accel are investors in Facebook too).

From a user point of view BranchOut needs to add the option to adjust your notifications because when you endorse 20 people your news feed can resemble spam. This is how the app goes viral but will equally be the reason why people hide it from their news feeds or uninstall it, so I think it is vital for its longevity to give users the option.

I always enjoy seeing new developments in social media platforms, however in this instance I think LinkedIn remains the more trustworthy and sound base for this specific kind of professional networking information. I’d be interested to hear how others have found using BranchOut?

Brendon Macdonald

Team CB: social media

Have you ever noticed that you walk into a retail establishment occasionally (whether it’s a clothes shop, a restaurant, a hotel or some other place) and the person who engages you in conversation immediately gives off an attitude of enthusiasm?

Sam Walton, the founder of the Wal-Mart Supermarket chain, described them as ‘three baggers’ – a term used to describe the fastest of his supermarket till operators (loading the customers groceries into brown paper bags). Seth Godin has recently described them as ‘linchpins’ in his book of the same name.

There is a certain light in their eyes. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for them. Their motto is ‘no problem, leave it with me, I’ll get it sorted’. They always seem to be smiling. They work really hard but appear to enjoy every minute of it. Even when the going gets tough – they are at the centre of things making sure that the correct conclusion is reached. They don’t focus on problems – they focus on solutions. They are passionate about what they do, loyal to the aims and objectives of the business and deeply caring for their fellow workers as well as their customers, clients and patients.

If they are experiencing problems in their personal life – those problems are left at home when they appear ‘on stage’ every day. If they are experiencing problems in their work life – then they seek out solutions and remedies straight away – no messing about. And, finally, here’s the most intriguing fact of all:

• They can be either 18 years old or 80 years old
• They can be straight or gay
• They can be male or female
• They can have a list of qualifications as long as your arm or absolutely no qualifications whatsoever
• They can look like super models or ordinary kids on the block

So it begs the question – how is a customer service champion formed? And I would suggest that Isadore Sharp the Chief Executive and Founder of the Four Seasons Hotel chain probably had the answer when he says that customer service champions are just ‘brought up that way’.

Something seems to happen to them when they are children and teenagers. Perhaps they grow up in a family environment which recognises core values. Perhaps they grow up in educational establishments that build on winners rather than focus on losers. Perhaps the way that they interplay with their parents, their siblings, their friends and colleagues has an influence on the way that they evolve. Whatever it is – I’m not aware of any scientific study that has pin pointed the cause or for that matter any chemical analysis of what goes on inside a customer service champion’s head.

But you know, intuitively, when you meet one. If you yourself are a customer service champion then it’s almost like having a paranormal experience. You meet each other, you make eye contact, you smile, perhaps you shake hands and in the first millionth of a second you know that you are in each other’s company. You also know when you are not. Which makes the whole interview process obsolete as far as customer service is concerned. It doesn’t matter what it says on the CV or how they sound on the telephone – what matters is that first millionth of a second when you meet them. Because it will be just the same for your best clients – they will ‘know’ that you have somebody in your organisation who shines.

I love meeting people like this. There’s a shoe shop in Truro in Cornwall with one guy who works behind a counter who is a one man cabaret. He looks like a mature student, he has got scruffy hair and he’s slightly unkempt but he is a customer service champion who brings a light into the day of every single person who buys a pair of shoes in that shop. I have met them all over the country – in fact all over the world. Some of them are very highly paid and others are not.

The challenge to you in your business is to interview enough people until you find one – and then pay them whatever it takes to stay in your organisation – because it will be the best investment you could ever make.

Let’s explore the components that constitute CRM. Here is my list – what’s on yours?

 - Delivering moments of truth that have a disproportionate effect
- Telephony
- Where you answer the phone
- How you answer the phone
- What your “brand standard” responses are to FAQs
- Reception
- Where you welcome patients
- How you welcome patients
- What your ‘brand standard’ responses are to FAQs
- How you ensure that MHQs and Smile Checks are completed
- The Patient Lounge
- Environment
- Refreshments
- Audio-visual
- The Patient Toilet
- The journey to the surgery
- The ‘in surgery’ experience
- The after surgery experience
- The post-visit experience
- Creating the critical non-essentials

With my experiences in all aspects of the profession I feel that I would be a great asset to a forward thinking practice which offers the highest standards of care. I love people, which I hope is an attribute that makes me likeable and trustworthy to my team and patients alike.

I am hard working, reliable and a positive thinker. I relish new challenges and enjoy perfecting the skills taught to me in the past.

Please find my professional history below.

Dental Nurse Training: I trained at IDHT at RAF Halton. During my service I was based in the UK and Cyprus.

 Dental Hygienist Training and Employment History:

My home town of Liverpool is where I did my undergraduate studying for my Dip Dent Hyg in 1995. From here I joined Whitby Dental Practice and was with them for 2 years before taking time off to have my daughter, Ellie.

 After relocating to Scotland, I joined the team at the CDS in Morayshire. My role here was very different from that which I had been used to in practice. I also worked part time at Trinity Dental Practice during my time in Scotland.

 I moved to Stafford in 2004 and joined The Priors Dental Practice, Penkridge. It was here that I developed an interest in dental implants, their placement and maintenance requirements. The team at The Priors grew and became a specialist referral practice. I was part of the referral service which I developed throughout the county and beyond.

In 2007 I left The Priors to join The Stafford Dental Practice. I took on a dual role here, part time clinician, part time business manager. The success of the practice was down to many things including offering a range of new services, a re-branding process and very hard work!

I left the Stafford Dental Practice in September 2010 and am now ready to take on a new challenge.

Professional Roles/Positions:

 In 2007 I was asked to be a key speaker at the ADI’s 20^th anniversary congress at the NIA, Birmingham. My presentation was titled “The Role of the Dental Hygienist in Implant Care” and has since been presented many times throughout the UK. The content was also published in Dental Health.

I have also spoken at the WAC where I presented a lecture looking at the Restorative/Periodontal Interface. I was the chairman at this year’s Dentistry Show and have already been asked to speak next year.

I am an active member of the BSDHT and have given presentations to many of the regional groups throughout the UK. I have had several articles published in the dental press including The Probe, Dental Health and Dentistry. I have recently accepted a position on the Editorial Board of Dentistry and will have a monthly column in this publication from early 2011.

Since 2006 I have been a Key Opinion Leader for Philips Oral Healthcare, supporting them with lectures and research. In 2007 I began working with Premier, a dental manufacturer based in Philadelphia. I am now their Product Expert for their instrument range and Enamel Pro Varnish and Paste.

In May 2010 I became a key trainer for Curaprox UK as part of their iTOP program. I am a member of the BSDHT, ADI and FGDP(UK).

I am a moderator on www.hygienist.co.uk, an online forum for dental hygienists and therapists where I have earned my nickname, The Toothfairy!

Thank you for taking the time to look at my CV, please find my contact details below.

 Ann Gilbert RDH

Tel: 01785 245692

Mobile: 07740873073

Email: *protected email*

I’m starting this week’s theme with an overview of one of our favourite subjects at the Dental Busienss Club: branding, marketing and social media

* Understanding the power of branding in 21C dentistry

* Reviewing your own brand and determining the future

* Identifying the patient types that you want to attract

* Agreeing the products and services that you want to offer

* Converting those products and services into branded experiences

* Review of web marketing

• Google visibility
• Your web site and its structure/content
• Your social media marketing

* Review of relationship marketing

•  Your existing patient reviews
• Your “word of mouth” systems
• Your centres of influence
• Local networking
• Strategic alliances
• Your referral study club (where applicable)

Review of direct marketing

• Print media
• Radio and other digital media
• Signage
• Advertising, exhibitions and promotion

* Measuring the ROI on your marketing

* Establishing monitoring systems