What’s keeping your customers up at night?firstimpressions.s3.amazonaws.com/Issues/2011/fi_2011-11.pdf · What’s keeping your customers up at night? sales reps can help dental

The Manager operaTing as an island: Collaboration, not isolation, promotes greater productivity in the workplace.

What’s keeping your customers up at night?

sales reps can help dental practices do what it takes to dispel nightmares, such as inadequate patient flow.

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www.firstimpressionsmag.com : First Impressions : November 2011 : 3

November 11content

The Manager Operating as an IslandCollaboration, not isolation, promotes greater productivity in the workplace. ...............................................................p.4

Quick BytesFirst Impressions will profile the latest developments in software and gadgets that reps can use for work and play. .......................p.8

What’s keeping your customers up at night?Sales reps can help dental practices do what it takes to dispel nightmares, such as inadequate patient flow................................p.10

WindshieldTime .......................................................................................p.16

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“it’s easy for some dentists to keep doing what

they’ve been doing. But, the

problem with that is nothing ever changes.”

– sam skinner, a sales rep with Burkhart dental

4 : November 2011 : First Impressions : www.firstimpressionsmag.com

sales

Staying ahead of daily demands and meeting company expectations can force anyone to keep their head down and grinding forward. Despite company efforts to foster teamwork or promote col-laboration, when under the gun, managers typically try to do things themselves. Yet, this attitude or hab-it may be exactly what is holding executives back from reaching the very goals and results they desire.

We have uncovered some new information that suggests that collaboration and seeking the support and assistance of others promotes greater productivity in the workplace. Those who operate independently may be missing an important edge in getting more done in less time.

Your work habitsAsk yourself the following questions to assess your own work habits and tendency to seek the assistance and support of others:

• When was the last time I worked on a project with a colleague?

• Do I typically collaborate or solicit the help of others in completing a project?

• Can I describe a strength or skill for each of the colleagues I work with?

• Do I consider the other resources available to me before beginning a project?

Managers who depend solely on their own ideas, power and grit are forced to ‘reinvent the wheel’ every time a problem needs solving, system needs developing or idea needs creating. Obviously, this is working way harder than is really necessary.

Operating alone is inefficient and fails to lever-age the value of the collective talent in a diverse management team. There is synergy in collabora-tion. If synergy occurs where their combined effect of two or more forces is greater than the sum of their individual effects; then managers who cooper-ate with others create a greater outcome resulting in increased productivity.

It is easy for senior leaders and middle manag-ers to become quite isolated by routinely interact-ing with mostly subordinates. Subordinates are not highly motivated to challenge, criticize or give advice to their managers. They are more focused on making a good impression (which may involve telling the executive what the subordinate believes he or she wants to hear). As a result, managers must fight this kind of separation.

In addition, isolation can lead to feelings of dis-connectedness and loneliness causing dissatisfaction at work. According to Gallup research, 57 percent of managers and 51 percent of executives are at vari-ous levels of disengagement at work. Wow! Imagine

By Anita Sirianni

The Manager Operating as an IslandCollaboration, not isolation, promotes greater productivity in the workplace.

“I t is lonely at the top” is commonly used to express the status among managers and senior executives. According to our observations within medical and dental organizations, this axiom is not only true,

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how productivity is impacted where more than half of a management team is not engaged. Managers who feel disconnected will, no doubt, struggle to lead or create an environment of success for his/her team. The implications can be enormous — and very expensive.

On the cheery side of change, collaboration is a mind-set and a skill-set — both of which can be learned — that can make a big difference to a com-pany’s bottom line.

Consider these five essential skills for building suc-cessful collaborative environments: 1. FosTer a CulTure oF CollaBoraTion: If you

want to make collaborating a reflex rather than a reac-tion, place high value on encouraging all employees to share and get involved. Keep in mind, collaborative cultures are learning cultures — and knowledge sharing is an ongoing process, not an end point.

2. Know ThY resourCes: Maximizing company resources requires more than knowing about its products or values. Inquire and research the technologies available to you, your team or those deployed throughout the company.

3. aCKnowledge ConTriBuTors: Recognize and promote people who learn, teach and share. And penalize those who do not. In all best-prac-tices companies, those hoarding knowledge and failing to build on ideas of others face visible and serious career consequences.

4. CeleBraTe diversiTY: It’s crucial to harnessing the full power of collaboration. Diversity causes people to consider perspectives and possibilities that would otherwise be ignored — limiting op-tions and outcomes.

5. Follow Through: Many teams will adopt and drop collaboration tools, leaving informa-tion fragmented. Create a collaboration task force that helps teams learn how to use tools and resources, evangelize their adoption, and evaluate new options. [Fi]

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Top executives say YES more often than other employees to every question Gallup’s surveys that measures employee engagement.

Three questions where executives score much higher than employees:• The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.• At work, my opinions seem to count.• This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

Four questions where executives score higher, but by a much smaller margin:• I have a best friend at work.• In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.• There is someone at work who encourages my development.• In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.

Source: Gallup Organization Q12 2005 Survey included 332 companies administered to 4.5 million workers.

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editor’s note: Technology is playing an increasing role in the day-to-day business of sales reps. In this department, First Impressions will profile the latest developments in software and gadgets that reps can use for work and play.

Messages only on Facebook appA new app from Facebook, called Facebook Messen-ger, allows iPhone and Android users to access Face-book messages with one click. Messages are deliv-ered through notifications and texts, and you can use Messenger to reach all your contacts, whether they’re on Facebook or in your phone contacts. You can view the full history of all your messages, including texts, chats, e-mails and messages.

prepaid phone you can be proud ofThe Motorola Triumph phone from Virgin Mobile is said to be a prepaid phone you can be proud of. The 3G phone, which operates on the Android 2.2 plat-form, has a 1-GHz processor, 512MB RAM and 2GB internal memory, and facilitates threaded text mes-saging, picture messaging, e-mail and instant mes-saging and more. Because it’s a prepaid contract, the user has to buy the phone outright at a cost of $300. The cost to use it on a monthly basis is $35, $45 or $55 (for unlimited use).

Keyboards for ipadsiPads are a hit with just about everybody except people who have to type a lot. The onscreen key-board just doesn’t do it for them. But Wall Street Journal Technology Editor Walt Mossberg says that a number of products are available that combine pro-tective cases for the iPad with keyboards built into their inner surfaces. Costing about a hundred dol-lars each, they include the Logitech Keyboard Case, the Zaggfolio by Zagg, the Kensington KeyFolio Pro, and the Belkin Keyboard Folio. Caveats: They will make your iPad bulkier and heavier, they have to be recharged periodically, and they only work well on flat surfaces.

simple computer for simple peopleThe manufacturer calls it the simplest computer ever. In-troduced in January, the Telikin is said to appeal to Baby Boomers and older people, who presumably like big print and easy-to-use buttons. The PC comes with preloaded applications and a menu of the top ten personal interest functions -- video chat, photo sharing, e-mail, local and national news, address book, weather, calendar, shop-ping, games and health sites. The base unit costs $700 and has an 18.6-inch screen and 320-gigabyte hard disk.

androids under attackAndroid users, you stand warned. The amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped 76 percent in the second quarter of the year, to become the most attacked mobile operating system, according to McAfee. 2011 has also resulted in the busiest-ever first half-year in malware history. In the second quarter of 2011, Android OS-based malware surpassed Symbian OS for the most popular target for mobile malware developers. While Symbian OS and Java ME remain the most targeted to date, the rapid rise in Android malware in Q2 indicates that the platform could become a bigger target for cybercrimi-nals, affecting everything from calendar apps, to comedy apps to SMS messages to fake Angry Birds updates.

ipad becomes a mobile cinemaTurn your iPad into a mobile cinema with the AnyMP4 iPad Converter, which converts BD/DVD/video to iPad-compatible video format. Editing tools allow users to trim video for needed length, crop video frame to remove black edges, join multiple video clips into one single file, add text/image watermark to personalize the video, and adjust output parameters such as Video Encoder, Bitrate, Resolution and Audio Channels, Bitrate and Sample Rate to improve video quality. Cost is $35. [Fi]

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Henry Schein field sales consultant Bill Oakes frequently hears customers voice their concerns about “holes in their schedules,” he says. “I hear cus-tomers ask how everyone else is doing. What they’re really asking is, ‘How am I doing?’

“When things are tough, [dentists] must ask themselves, ‘What do I need to bring to the table?’” he continues. “There’s an 80-20 rule. The top 20 percent of dentists know this is the time to play their A-game.” Often, that means embracing new technology, not only in the operatory, but in the front office and wait-ing room, he points out. It does not mean equipping

the waiting room with a 20-year-old television from home. “The top 20 percent of dentists will bring in a 52-inch flat screen LG or Samsung TV,” he says. “They’ll bring in a coffee or espresso maker and a cooler filled with water bottles.” They are looking to make a state-ment to patients as soon as they enter the door that “this is a top-notch office,” he adds.

“Dentists want to show patients that this is a practice they want to visit,” says Oakes. “A dentist may be the best dentist in the world, but patients have only their experience to go on. They want to see the highest standard of care, such as digital radi-ography in the operatory.”

Sam Skinner, a sales rep with Burkhart Dental, also hears dental customers raising concerns about

patient flow. In addition, many have seen their re-tirement funds take a beating during the recession. That said, many dentists feel they have weathered the storm, he says. Of course, the effects of the slug-gish economy have varied from one region to the next, and “healthcare in general doesn’t always get as beat up as other sectors with regard to the reces-sion,” he adds.

“Dentists don’t always have a good overview of the [entire] market, so they ask their reps how other dentists are doing,” says Skinner. Some of his cus-tomers’ practices slowed down during the recession,

while others continued as strong as ever. In fact, he happens to be having “an exceptional equip-ment year,” he notes. “Dentists must buy sundries pretty consis-tently, but for the most part, the equipment side is discretionary. But, 2011 looks like it will be a good year with regard to equip-ment upgrades. Many dentists are aware of the need to invest in their practice, and banks still con-sider dentists to be a low risk.

Time to make changesWhile a good number of dentists

may see the necessity of investing in new technol-ogy and equipment to help their practice grow, they aren’t always ready to take the next step. “It’s never easy” to help customers address their concerns about their practice, notes Oakes who, like Skinner, is find-ing that many of his customers continue to be inter-ested in investing in new equipment, in spite of the recession. But for that to happen, he needs his cus-tomers to feel comfortable enough to confide in him. Then, “I need to be quiet and listen,” he says. “When a dentist is comfortable enough to tell me what is keep-ing [him or her] up at night, and I’m smart enough to stop talking and listen, that’s when good things start to happen. That’s often when the dentist realizes it’s time to make changes to [his or her] practice.”

“It’s never easy” to help customers address their concerns about their practice, notes oakes who, like Skinner, is finding that many of his customers continue to be interested in investing in new equipment, in spite of the recession.

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From there, it’s a matter of helping the customer prioritize his or her needs, he continues. “I show my customers prod-ucts that will bring a return on their investment,” Oakes says. “I provide tools that will help them invest well in their busi-ness and provide better patient care. At Henry Schein, we run a practice analysis. I look at ev-erything from the fees a dentist is charging to how often [he or she] takes panoramic x-rays. It’s one thing for a dentist to say he does panoramic x-ray, but the numbers don’t lie.

“The first step [toward in-vesting in one’s business] is awareness,” Oakes continues. “The dentists needs to see that he has 1,600 active patients and [therefore] should perform 400 panoramics each year – or one per patient every four years.” In addition to providing optimal equipment solutions for his customers, Oakes often recommends such products as patient education tools (“Why not get patients into a health mindset us-ing a TV in the waiting room?”), dental branding tools and electronic tools for texting patients (“Patients don’t want to be called on the phone anymore!”).

The age of digital Digital imaging is “especially” growing, says Skin-ner, particularly as compared with other big-ticket items. And, more and more offices are implementing

electronic medical recordkeep-ing systems, he adds. Sure, it can be expensive to network a front office computer sys-tem with the operatory, but as more and more practices add digital radiography, this is be-coming increasingly necessary, he points out.

Oakes finds that, while only about 1 percent of his dental customers are truly paperless practices (most still have paper charts), more and more have added digital radiography and front office scheduling sys-tems. It’s painful to make the leap to a completely paperless office, he suggests. And, it defi-nitely takes dentists out of their comfort zones. “My own den-tist made the [transition], and it definitely was worthwhile,” he says. “He had to close his prac-tice for a week. And, the transi-tion brought his staff to tears. But, in the end, they have an easier, more efficient office.

“It’s easy for some dentists to keep doing what they’ve been doing,” he continues. “But, the problem with that is nothing ever changes. Building a prac-tice [should be] all about creating an environment for success — a modern dental practice that looks and runs like a successful retail business. The den-tists and staff must be on the same page with regard to offering optimal patient health. And the patient experience must be excellent.

“A dentist’s practice must be the kind of place that people want to come to,” he continues. “The physical facility must match the dentist’s marketing website. If you provide a patient with a certain pic-ture [online], they want to see this when they come into the practice. This is key.” [Fi]


“it’s easy for some dentists to keep doing what

they’ve been doing. But, the problem with

that is nothing ever changes.”

– sam skinner, a sales rep with Burkhart dental


Information above is for you, a business entity, and not for patient distribution.©2011 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.

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windshieldtimeChances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s some automotive-related news that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.

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Maxima, acura Tl at top for resale valueThough probably not at the forefront of a car buyer’s mind, it’s important to consider what a vehicle’s future resale (or residual) value might be, say the editors of cars.com. These 2011 model year vehicles are expected to hold the most of their original value within their vehicle class af-ter three years, according to Automotive Lease Guide: Honda Fit (subcompact); Hyundai Elantra (compact), Subaru Legacy (midsize), Nissan Maxima (full-size), Mini Cooper Countryman (sporty), Volkswa-gen Golf TDI (alternative pow-ertrain), Acura TL (near-luxury), Lexus LS 460 (luxury), Nissan GT-R (luxury sports), Subaru For-ester (compact utility vehicle), Subaru Outback (midsize util-ity), Mazda CX-9 (full-size), Mer-cedes-Benz E350 Bluetec (luxury alternative fuel vehicle), BMW X3 (luxury compact utility vehi-cle), Land Rover Range Rover Sport (luxury mid-size utility vehicle), Infiniti QX56 (luxury full-size utility vehicle), Toyota Tacoma (midsize pickup), Ford F-Series Super Duty (full-size pickup), Honda Odyssey (minivan).

internet radio car kitThe Livio Carmen Internet Radio Car Kit is an FM transmitter that stores and plays back music from Internet-only radio stations across the globe as well as MP3 files. A report in the Chicago Tribune says the device plugs into the cigarette-lighter port in the car and transmits music over available FM frequencies.

On the positive side, Carmen is said to be easy to hook up, and the driver can browse Internet sta-tions by category (e.g., music, talk, sports) and genre (pop, oldies, rap, etc.). On the negative side, the de-vice doesn’t work with Bluetooth car radios, nor can the driver listen to tunes while using its USB port to charge a cell phone. Carmen is listed at $59.99.

eight-speed automatic transmission Chrysler 300Chrysler announced it was the first domestic automaker to offer an eight-speed automatic trans-mission with its Pentastar V6 en-gine. The result will be a 4-mpg in-crease in fuel economy, according to the company. The new 845RE eight-speed transmission will be offered initially in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models of V-6 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. The cars are said to go from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds.

Fight brewing over mileage and emissions standardsThe Obama administration and the auto industry were at press time locked in negotiations over new vehicle mileage and emissions standards, according to a report in the New York Times. The administra-tion is proposing regulations that would require new American cars and trucks to attain an average of as much as 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025, roughly double the current level. The standard would put

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windshieldtimeChances are you spend a lot of time in your car. Here’s some automotive-related news that might help you appreciate your home-away-from-home a little more.


domestic vehicle fuel efficiency on a par with that in Europe, China and Japan. The automakers say the standard is technically achievable, but they warn that it will cost billions of dollars to develop the ve-hicles, and they express doubt that consumers will accept the smaller, lighter — and in some cases, more expensive — cars that result.

pedestrians in Florida: Be careful!If you live in Florida, you might consider taking the car rather than walking to the store. That’s because Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa are the most dangerous places for pedestrians, according to a report by Transportation for America. Round-ing out the top 10 most dangerous cities for pedes-trians are San Bernardino, Calif.; Las Vegas, Nevada; Memphis, Tenn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas. More than 47,700 pe-destrians were killed in the United States between 2000 and 2009, and 688,000 were injured. The ma-jority of deaths occur on roadways that encourage speeding but do not provide the sidewalks, cross-walks, signals and other protections for people who are walking, the report finds.

honda Civic falls from graceConsumer Reports said it can no longer recommend Honda Motor Co.’s Civic compact sedan, which had been ranked highly by the consumer magazine for years. The redesigned Civic LX’s score dropped 17 points to a “mediocre” 61 from the previous genera-

tion’s very good 78, according to Consumer Reports. It scored second-to-last in CR’s ratings of 12 small se-dans, followed only by the recently redesigned Volk-swagen Jetta. Consumer Reports’ testers found the 2012 Civic to be less agile and with lower interior qual-ity than its predecessor. It also suffers from a choppy ride, long stopping distances, and pronounced road noise. On the positive side, the Civic provides decent rear-seat room, and it achieved 30 mpg overall, which gives it the second-best fuel economy in its class — behind only the Toyota Corolla’s 32 mpg.

don’t let that escalade out of your sightThe Cadillac Escalade is more than six times as likely as the average vehicle to be targeted by thieves, and has overall theft losses more than 10 times as big, an analysis of insurance claims for 2008-2010 vehicles by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows. This despite the fact that the Escalade is equipped with an ignition immo-bilizer, which prevents vehicles from being hot-wired. “Immobilizers are a good deterrent against joy-riding teenagers, but professional thieves can easily haul away an SUV on a flatbed truck,” HLDI Senior Vice President Kim Hazelbaker was quoted as saying. The Escalade for years has dominated HLDI’s list of vehicles with the most theft claims, and four versions of the luxury SUV appeared at the top this time. Pickups are another favorite of thieves, and the Ford F-250 crew cab 4-wheel-drive comes in second to the Escalade for the most theft claims. The most targeted car, exclud-ing luxury and sports cars, is the Chrysler 300. That’s followed by models known for their power-ful engines, including the Chrysler 300 HEMI, the Dodge Charger HEMI, and the Nissan Maxima. [Fi]

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W e a r e p e o p l e p r o t e c t i o n.®

Learn how eco-friendly practices minimize our global impact at www.GlovethePlanet.com

MINIMIZE THE IMPACT.

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13900 49th Street Nor th • Clearwater, Florida 33762 Phone: 800.366.9545 / 727.787.7250 Fax: 800.763.5491

Glove the Planet™ is Sempermed USA Inc.’s commitment to reducing our environmental

impact. By thinking ahead and consuming less we’re able to do more to minimize our

global footprint with every step we take. Our ethos of sustainability drives innovative

production and distribution practices that lead to greater efficiencies, resulting in less

waste, reduced emissions, and a healthier planet for future generations. To learn more,

visit www.GlovethePlanet.com.

For your free box of Tender Touch™ gloves,email us at [email protected] or call 800.749.3650.For more information visit www.SempermedUSA.com/FirstImpressions

Documents

What’s keeping your customers up at night?firstimpressions.s3.amazonaws.com/Issues/2011/fi_2011-11.pdf · What’s keeping your customers up at night? sales reps can help dental