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On the Road Again: Learning More About Your Dental Supply Reps by Dentaltown staff

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Even with email and the phone, dental product representatives still spend a great deal of time on the road getting to know dentists and their staffs in their practices.

You may be new to working with suppliers and distributors or you may have been establishing these relationships for years, but either way, there's probably some information about these professionals that will surprise you. Dentaltown staff spoke with several product representatives and found out more about what their day is like and what experiences they've had.

Their responses follow. Do they surprise you? Are their experiences different than you'd expect? Share your advice for working effectively with suppliers and distributors at Dentaltown.com on our message board.



What do you sell?
Merchandise, equipment and technology, technical service, business solutions, practice-management software, digital impression systems, and CAD/CAM.

What's your territory/location?
Phoenix

How long have you been in the dental industry?
Fourteen years

How many miles do you drive every year?
22,000

How do you deal with the challenge of getting time with the dentist?
It's not about me. It's about the dentists and their business. I simply ask how I can help and what's important to them as a clinician and business owner.

The difference is you can't just ask the question, you have to be prepared with solutions that help. Everyone is busy, however we at Henry Schein make time for things that are important to us. As we look into the new year, we should ask ourselves what we would like to change for the better in 2015.

You visit so many different offices every day that you can start to spot a successful office shortly after you walk in and meet the team. Please share some observations you have made in successful offices.
There are a few basics. Clean, non-cluttered, focused, on-time. Appearance is always important, but more important is someone who greets you with a smile and an offer to help.

What do you enjoy the most about working in the dental industry?
The most enjoyment comes from helping a client achieve the level of success they've desired. It's not easy running a business in today's competitive environment, so working smart and hard are both components of success. I enjoy being part of that process. 

How do you plan your day? Is it by request or geography (regular route) or something else?
Geography is a critical factor, but ultimately there are necessary exceptions based on the needs of a client.

What is the most difficult category/product type to represent?
There isn't a "most difficult" category. I work hard at what I do. I take a lot of CE annually. The dental industry is changing at an incredibly fast pace. In order to keep up you have to work hard. No one knows everything about everything, but I'm comfortable in subjects from accounting to marketing, to products and processes, to treatment planning, case presentation, practices acquisitions, insurance coding, overhead, and profitability.

Tell us something about your job that would surprise dentists?
I don't have an expense account. 

How do you think your position will be different five years from now?
Today's clinician faces difficult challenges. Those sales professionals who can become more consultative and business-solution driven will grow—those who add no value won't.



What do you sell?
Supplies, equipment and practice development

What's your territory/location?
Northern Virginia and Washington DC

How long have you been in the dental industry?
22 years this September

How many miles do you drive every year?
Approximately 22,000

How do you deal with the challenge of getting time with the dentist?
Since I've worked with most of my offices for 20-plus years they typically will break away to meet, or if they are tied up I will wait until they are free. If it's something important we need to discuss I'll schedule a set time with them.

You visit so many different offices every day that you can start to spot a successful office shortly after you walk in and meet the team. Please share some observations you have made in successful offices. The office is always friendly and engaging to the patients or anyone who walks in. It's more of relaxed welcoming feeling opposed to a dental/medical feel.

What's your best story from the field?
I received a call from an office asking me to put a "lunch and learn" together to present Benco to them. I had heard from other reps that the doctor was impossible to work with and that I shouldn't waste my time. Of course I still scheduled the appointment and now the doctor is one of my best friends and has one of the best staffs I know.

What do you enjoy the most about working in the dental industry?
It's really the people I get to work with every day. My offices are like my family and there's nothing better than helping them enjoy what they do and making their day stress free.

How do you plan your day? Is it by request or geography (regular route) or something else?
I work on a three-week schedule and each day is planned geographically and around traffic patterns. Certain practices are by request but since my territory spans approximately an hour and a half from end to end I can get to an office any given day that works for them.

What is the most difficult category/product type to represent?
I'd have to say technology, as it's always changing. There's nothing worse than making a recommendation and six months later the technology has changed.

Tell us something about your job that would surprise dentists?
It's more stressful than it appears. When multiple offices are having issues it's my top priority to help them solve their problems. I'm constantly on the phone making calls or answering emails. Between the two it's more than 100 a day.

What do you sell?
I sell dreams . . .
Everything that you could ever imagine that goes in a dental practice. From chairs, units, lights, cabinetry, cotton rolls, amalgam, curing lights, handpieces, burs, ink cartridges, paper clips, charts, furniture, to computers and software.

What's your territory/location?
My territory is located in Michigan outside of Detroit. Oakland, Macomb, and Livingston counties.

How long have you been in the dental industry?
I have been in the dental industry for 30 years. I graduated from dental hygiene school in 1986, practiced for nine years then went into sales.

How many miles do you drive every year?
I drive about 34,000 a year.

How do you deal with the challenge of getting time with the dentist?
I can usually get time with the dentist if we meet before the day starts or at lunch. I usually set up quarterly meetings to go over the doctor's goals and to see if we are on target.

You visit so many different offices every day that you can start to spot a successful office shortly after you walk in and meet the team. Please share some observations you have made in successful offices.
They follow a system. All the people in the back have the same color scrubs, doctor has a white coat over his or her scrubs. Front desk is in dress clothes. Their office design on the inside is staying current (no shag carpeting).

They have technology and are proud to show it off to their customers. Their website is up to date. The staff has been there a long time. Huddles are important and their first priority is the patient. How the front desk talks to their patients. Sitting in a waiting room I get to observe a lot.

What's your best story from the field?
I have so many! I was working with an office staff that was awesome and I had to convince them that they were awesome. I kept telling the doctor and his wife that they needed to go to "the next level." By "next level" I meant incorporating more technology, upgrading their facility and putting systems in place.

After about an hour of conversation between the doctor and his wife, the doctor was nodding his head that they agreed with me. Then the wife (who happens to work at the front desk) asked me, "What do you mean by 'next level?'" We still laugh about it to this day when they want to make any improvements in the office.

What do you enjoy the most about working in the dental industry?
The people I call on. I enjoy being able to educate and bring the best technology to the dentist so he or she can treat their patients at the highest level of dental care.

How do you plan your day? Is it by request or geography (regular route) or something else?
I have a two-week schedule and my route has been preplanned by geography.

What is the most difficult category/product type to represent?
Cad/Cam. It is such a long process to sell and to try to get the doctor to see that he or she is indeed a Cad/Cam dentist.

Tell us something about your job that would surprise dentists?
How much research I do on products. How much money I have invested in educating myself to help them achieve their dreams.

How do you think your position will be different five years from now?
The technology. Ordering online will be the norm. I see myself as more of a business adviser to the practice.

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September 2025
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