One very effective team building exercise that we did was to have the team create vision boards. They wrote down and pasted pictures of things that they wanted to achieve, places that they wanted to travel, and things that they wanted for their families.
Then I spoke to them and shared that working in our office is how they can achieve all of their dreams. We brought in a financial expert to talk to them about saving and investing, and why we were committed to their pension as well as to helping them achieve their goals.
They then learnt about SMART goals and how they must take action and set a completion date to achieve them. We told them that if they wow the customers then the customers would be happy and the business would grow. Once the business grows, then we ALL win.
We put in targets for each service that we provide. The target was set based on our budget for desired revenue. So for example, 30 whitenings, 25 Crowns, 200 Cleanings, etc.
The most interesting thing is that we really did not diagnose anything new. But what happened is that our communication and treatment planning skills improved, our wow services increased, and the business soared. The first month we met all but one target. The following month we met the one that we missed. And it was higher than the months target!
Next, I put in a bonus, which is a percentage of profits. At the end of 6 months, they all received 1 months pay as a bonus and started to take action to cross off some of the items in their Vision. I told them we can do better, we can wow more, we can always stretch a bit higher. The following month we received over 200 new patients.
You see, when you INSPIRE your team, everyone wins. The team benefits and can achieve their personal dreams, the patients are wowed, the business grows, and the owner can support their dreams. And the cycle continues...
Dr. Anissa Holmes, a Global leader in Social Media Marketing, is a Pioneer in the area of Cosmetic and Family Dentistry. She is constantly using innovative ways to reach out to patients to break down fear that many have when going to the dentist. Dr. Holmes, through her blog Delivering WOW, shares tips for designing a unique practice culture to deliver a "Wow" patient experience every time, strategies to triple new patient numbers, and well as strategies to build an amazing team.