A Little Help From My Friends…Beverley Carlyle, business manager at Ballynahinch Dental Practice in Northern Ireland

Running a dental practice is by no means an easy task – there are so many different aspects to consider from staff, to regulatory compliance, to managing the accounts. As a practice owner or manager, you may feel that you have everything under control, but are you making the very most of your practice?  

Sometimes, you need someone to come in from the outside to help you realise how your practice is actually performing, particularly if that someone can offer bespoke and highly effective advice. The team at 7Connections have all the experience and expertise they need to analysis your practice, identify all your strengths and weaknesses, and then help you implement any changes necessary.

The Discovery Day is designed for just this – one of the team will come to your practice, evaluate your systems, protocols and overall business strategy, and then provide fresh ideas on what and how to enhance the practice for increased productivity, profitability and success.

Beverley Carlyle, business manager at Ballynahinch Dental Practice in Northern Ireland, recently enlisted the expertise of 7Connections partner Chris Barrow, who ran a Discovery Day with her and her team.

“I have worked with Chris in other practices in the past when I contacted him to visit the team at Ballynahinch Dental Practice,” says Beverley. “I saw him turn those practices around so I already had a lot of confidence in him as a business coach – what he does really works.

“As a practice, we were looking to increase our turnover and check how viable our business actually was, so we were keen to take part in the Discovery Day with Chris Barrow and the team from 7Connections.”

Chris visited the practice only weeks ago to led the Discovery Day, combing through each and every aspect of the business to show the team exactly how the business was performing, what areas could be improved and how.

“The Day itself covered every area we hoped it would, providing us with a fresh and far more accurate perspective of how the practice was performing. Claire, the practice principal, and myself took part in the whole day, while other members of our team such as our hygienists were also able to get involved when they were not with patients.

“It also set us up very well for the full service coaching. I had already recommended that we go ahead with this stage, and before the Discovery Day was even over, everyone in the practice was in full agreement. All the team thought Chris was great, although he wasn’t how everyone expected – he didn’t wear a suit and he was very down-to-earth and highly approachable!

“Talking about the strengths and weaknesses of your business can feel very personal, and many people can feel embarrassed about discussing such matters with people they don’t know.  I think it is so important for the team to feel comfortable with their business coach in order to really evaluate the practice, and find out where changes and improvement can and should be made. Chris and the team from 7Connections took the time to listen carefully to what each team member had to say, making everyone feel very comfortable and ensuring that we were all on an even level with each other.”

With any business coaching or support, it is of course important to make the very most of the opportunity, and as soon as possible. Beverley was delighted to find that yet again, her team was able to take practical and realistic tips from the Discovery Day, which could be put into practise straight away.

“From working with Chris this time and from my experiences of working with him in the past, I have found that improvements are made to the practice immediately. As soon as you start implementing the systems and strategies Chris suggests and helps put in place, you start seeing results. You also have very realistic expectations which is great, as Chris is very to-the-point and always says it how it is.”

For those practices thinking about working with a business coach, Beverley is keen to highlight the benefits to be enjoyed from such a venture.

“For any practices considering enlisting the extra business support, I would say don’t hesitate! The benefits you receive as a result of an unbiased analysis of your practice ensure the investment is a highly effective one. For all those practices who think they can do better but aren’t sure how much better, or how they might achieve that, I don’t think they can afford not to work with a business coach.”

“I also think there are a lot of practice owners, managers and principals out there who don’t really know or understand the current performance of their business – although many would say that they do. Sometimes you need the extra experience and the honed-in expertise of a coach to get a totally accurate picture and really understand how you and your team can improve the business.

“In addition, it is important to tailor your business strategies to meet the demands of both the industry and the local community. Unless you go to every single exhibition, show and conference, and visit every single online forum, you can’t possibly know what is happening in every aspect of dentistry. The business coaches from 7Connections do – as a team they do attend the shows and the lectures and take part in online discussions, so they can pass on that knowledge. They have also seen what works and what doesn’t, and can offer new ideas to help us enhance our business and reach our full potential.”

So if you think you could benefit form a little extra business support and advice, contact the team at 7Connections today – you might gain more than you think!

For more information about 7connections business coaching

please call 01647 478145

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