Approach Business Growth

The road to success is rarely straight forward. Early in my MBA we learned the difference between intended and realized strategy. I think we can all agree the last year has given us all a few twists and turns.

E X P A N S I O N Everything is going well at your solo practice: team is happy, revenue is rolling, patients are referring friends and family. The thought of duplicating is attractive. I mean... it can't be that hard?... A few questions: 1. Do you have a BUSINESS plan for expansion? 2. Do you have clear set of key metrics that team members are actively working towards? 3. Are you processes teachable and documented? These are just a few the building blocks needed when expanding. What else would you add to the list? #yegbusiness #growthhacks #dso

When was the last time you sat down and brainstormed for your business? Did you have a process? Did you put limitations on it? Did you do it alone or in a group? Taking time to focus on more than the day-to-day is so important. It allows you to tap into those creative juices, and look at your business from a fresh lense - the same one you did when you opened it up. ... And this, this is where the magic happens. Where the progress starts and when new innovative concepts can start to take shape. Today, I challenge you to book an hour to dream once a month. You might be surprised what you come up with! #BusinessChallenge #GrowthPlanning #BusinessTimeOut

Annual and quarterly planning are completely underestimated... until you've actually taken the time to map out your big goals and break them into small attainable goals. What are some of the hinderances (*ahem* excuses) I've heard in the past: 1. I'm so busy, I don't have time.... 2. I don't have anyone to guide me with this. 3. I don't need one because my business is growing organically. The truth: You are holding your team and clients back from helping you growing your business. Ready to grow? Book your free 30 minute strategic session to see if we are a match! #GoalSmashing #PlanningForSuccess #BusinessGrowth

Here's a fun topic! How do you celebrate your team winning? A common way used to be a team lunch, but now with restrictions this is "not allowed" and we've had to get creative. So what have you been doing? ... #BusinessTips #YEGBusiness #CelebrateWins

If you passed a set of post-its around to your team and asked them to write down the business vision and values, would their answers be the same? Or would they look at you as if you lost your mind? I know, it sounds "fluffy", and the most common question I get is "How does this help my business with issues X, Y, Z" Here's the short answer: It gets everyone on the same page. It gives them a target. It's a roadmap for decision-making. ... Double-tap if you agree! #BusinessVision #YEGBusiness #ValueBased

Hands up if you have a strong group of business owners that you can openly discuss concerns with. *crickets* Alight. So this is common. Many business owners struggle to find a community they can openly communicate with. Bounce ideas off of, or hear alternative methods of operations. All of a sudden that "small" problem has snowballed into a bigger concern that is now negatively affecting your business.... This is where a coach can be an asset. First, no judgement conversations. Second, holding you accountable. Third, coming up with goal oriented solutions. Want to try it out? I offer a free 30 minute starter session to see if we are a good match. Call today to book! #BusinessGrowth #Entreprenuership #SupporSystems

What are you great at? Many owners shy away from boasting about their business. We have been taught to be humble and with that to let our actions shine. Guess what - if you don't tell your consumers what you do and do really well they won't know to call you! But your competitor who is speaking their strengths is.... Today I challenge you, put the humbleness aside. Make a list of what you are great at. And finally, post it up here on social and tag me @approachbusinessgrowth Hands up if you completed the challenge! #SpeakYourStrength #BusinessChallenge #GrowthHacks

Do you evaluate your month-end reports? And by evaluate, I mean more than checking total revenue. Many of my clients are surprised when I send them an onboarding package complete with spreadsheets to centralized their data. ... How many new clients, average billing per day, ratios of services provided, referral sources, etc By centralizing their data they are able to see trends, differences between goals and actuals, and then decisions to do more of X and less of Y. It also is a clear communication tool between you and your team. #BusinessDevelopment #GrowthHacks #Dentistry

Downtime? Who has that? Answer: Your employees. Nothing drives an owner more crazy than watching your team members waste time. The solution: Create a #downtime list. Laminate it. Put it somewhere accessible. And then offer a reward when all items on the downtime list have been completed and each team member has contributed.... What's on a good downtime list? Your top #revenue generating activities. What's a great #reward? A team lunch, gift cards to the spa, a bonus, whatever it is that gets them excited!

Does your scheduling process look like this: - leave a message - x 1,000,000 on repeat What if it could look like this:... - leave a message *cue automated program* email with online booking link appointment booked and synced with your calendar Clients LOVE booking their appointments when they are laying in bed, at 11 pm, when the home is calm. Drop an emoji if you online booking! See more

I LOVE CALL SCRIPTS. There I said it! Every #business has 5-10 calls on repeat and so you should have a standardized answer for each of them. A few examples: -initial booking -appointment reminder -service cancellation... -product inquiry By having a script you are giving your team the tools they need to CONVERT these calls into #revenue.

How many times have you heard this? Frustrating, right? You schedule an #appointment, reserve time for your patient and then the administrative team calls, texts, emails and says "I'm calling to CONFIRM your appointment." Uhm... let's try that again. "I'm calling to remind you of your appointment with us. We have reserved X amount of time just for you."... A simple change in verbiage makes a BIG #difference in how your patients and team perceive the appointments. What are your thoughts? See more

I LOVE CALL SCRIPTS. There I said it! Every #business has 5-10 calls on repeat and so you should have a standardized answer for each of them. A few examples: -initial booking -appointment reminder -service cancellation... -product inquiry By having a script you are giving your team the tools they need to CONVERT these calls into #revenue.

How many times have you heard this? Frustrating, right? You schedule an #appointment, reserve time for your patient and then the administrative team calls, texts, emails and says "I'm calling to CONFIRM your appointment." Uhm... let's try that again. "I'm calling to remind you of your appointment with us. We have reserved X amount of time just for you."... A simple change in verbiage makes a BIG #difference in how your patients and team perceive the appointments. What are your thoughts? See more

When I worked in dentistry, one of my favorite activities to do with my team was a walk through. I'd gather each one individually outside the clinic doors and we would walk through the clinic from a patient perspective. We would enter through the front of the clinic, hang our coats, sit in the waiting room chairs, stand at the reception desk, walk slowly to the operatory, lay in the dental chairs, put on bibs and safety glasses, walk to the bathroom, put our coat back on, and... exit. We would pay attention to what we could see, hear, touch, and smell. It was eye opening! Look at the reception desk clutter! There's a brunt out light in the op! You can hear laughter from the staff room in the waiting room! When we work in a space we become comfortable and forget that our patients and customers have a different perspective. So I encourage you, take a good look... what do you notice?

Approximately 22% of embezzlement cases are cheque fraud. Let's do a quick check here. Is the person who processes your payments also responsible for your accounts receivables or completing bank deposits? If so, you are at risk. I know, you have a small business, you trust everyone, and do not have the revenue to hire another person. This is where we get real with one another. You can't afford not to. Either take on the task yourself, train an additional team member, or outs...ource your AR's. Most embezzlers take small increments over time that are not noticeable unless you are disrupting the chain of bill invoice-collect payment-process payment-deposit payment-review accounts.

Who is your favourite client / patient / customer? They are probably the one that always puts a smile on your face, sends high quality referrals without asking, and their values are aligned with your business. Imagine serving your favourite clients on repeat, everyday - that would be fun! ... Better question... is your business working to attract AND retain your favourites? Or are you mass advertising in a frenzy?