Here’s an interesting course on photography from Laura Horton.
photographyflyer

UDB

I’ve been playing around with “units of dental business” and have started to construct a simple spreadsheet to show the effect of days worked and average daily production.

I’m assuming that, up to £1m in sales, you can maintain a 30% net profit margin but that after that, profits decline as a percentage as “people costs” increase.

My conclusion is that, for a private GDP doing high-value work, its better to focus on improving productivity in a 3-surgery practice than it is to add surgeries.

I’d love to hear your comments.

Visit my blog to download the spreadsheet and play.

Check out DentalNurseNetwork

DSC04458, originally uploaded by coachbarrow.

I do my best work when the environment is right.

Came across this unusual work space in the British Virgin Islands – there was a laptop on the desk with a wifi connection when we arrived.

Balmy Caribbean breezes through the window – what a lovely spot.

I have long preached the benefit of organising formal and informal gatherings of business owners, especially in the morning, to share ideas, elevator speeches, referrals.

Most of the time I’m harping on about Business Network International and asking my dental clients to join.

Colin Gilchrist of Red Dress Creative Design writes one of my current favourite blogs - and here he shares some clips from a recent coffee morning.

I just love this (watch with speakers on) – it made me smile this morning – and then I pondered on how many of my dental clients would benefit from attending something similar in their home town – much less formal than BNI but such fun.

And if you cannot find one – create one!

Edinburgh Coffee Morn Stop Frame from brandfeed on Vimeo.

The setting was the Hilton Bristol yesterday morning.

Well, the answer is “yes and no”.

Yes because:

• I have a small bucket of cappuccino before me
• I’m going to drink it
• I just handed over a £5 note and was given 25p change

No because:

• I’m enjoying it in the guest lounge at the Hilton Bristol, surrounded by business-people and not Gordano services on the M5, surrounded by chavs, emmetts, Saga tours, teachers and engineers
• The waitress who served me asked me how my morning was going, smiled, offered additional cakes and pastries, used my name, was dressed nicely, brought the beverage to my table
• I’m sat comfortably, on-line, warm and happy as I work
• It’s a Costa Coffee, in a branded cup and to the “standard” I expect – it tastes consistently nice and I trust them to deliver a good brew everywhere I go

In other words – its a “branded experience” (I’ve written about this all year) in a nice environment, delivered by nice people.

99 pence for the coffee

£3.76 for the “experience”.

And there are plenty of other people around me prepared to pay.

If you want to maintain and increase your prices – provide your patients/clients with a branded experience.

When I arrived at the Preston Marriott last night, I was dog-tired after a crazy week (so far) and a long day.

At least it wasn’t the Holiday Inn Express – counting my blessings – Marriott can be relied on for a good night’s sleep. Their beds are always good.

Lovely hotel set in the grounds of an old country house in Broughton, a few miles North of the city centre.

I lived here for a short time 25 years ago – and loved the area (out for a run this morning along Garstang Road brought back many memories).

The receptionist was busily checking me in, going through her “brand standards”, when another guest arrived behind me.

This is 9.30pm and the hotel reception is deserted bar the three of us.

The new arrival is clearly a regular – a distinguished looking gentleman.

As soon as she sees him, she breaks eye contact with me, ends our conversation mid-stream and reaches round to pick up his key, waiting in an envelope with his name printed on the cover.

He queries the choice of room.

She suggests he take a look and if not happy she will move him.

I have been abandoned – the baton dropped.

I had my key and was organising a taxi for 7:45 this morning to take me to a dental practice nearby.

She and he are chatting about what type of room has been allocated – to him.

My blood pressure is rising, my chest tightening – I’m just too tired to cause a scene.

So I wait – until he has been satisfied and wandered off to check his room.

And she then returns to me.

Unforgivable.

And at 5:45 this morning my room phone rings out and the overnight duty manager tells me that my 5:45 taxi is waiting outside.

Stupid cow.

I don’t want a multi-tasking receptionist, thank you very much.

They get stuff wrong.

Bloody good job I was up and about – if I had wanted a longer sleep there would have been hell to pay.

Make sure your receptionist doesn’t ever do that with a patient – had I been at a first consult for dental implants, I would have taken my business elsewhere, however good the dentist.

I’m amazed to be able to blog direct into WordPress from my iPhone on the go.

I’d like to win the lottery tonight and spend the rest of my life speaking, coaching and writing about the use of technology to build small business.

Sun is shining so best get outdoors.

The glamour of air travel, originally uploaded by coachbarrow.

Exeter International.

Waiting to board the 18:55 to Edinburgh.

Missing home.

I love what I do and who I do it with – but I’m not loving when I do it.

However, a conversation with Phillippa this afternoon has been the
start of putting that right.

True Success will be restored soon.

Taking the first steps is energizing.