Young dentists just starting out always wonder if they should be an associate, buy an existing practice or start a practice from scratch. The landscape of dentistry is ever changing and there are new challenges that didn’t exist in the past. On today’s show, Dr. Eric Jones shares how he was in debt and living in his mother in laws basement with a baby when he decided to open his own practice from scratch.

That was five years ago, and now Eric is 34 years old and has a successful practice that is ran the way he wants it to be ran. We talk about keeping over head down, dealing with the insurance issue, the importance of the team, and tips for answering the phones. Eric shares his opinion on the direction dentistry is heading and offers a lot of great advice for other young dentists who are staring or building practices.

You can find Dr. Eric Jones here:

Jones Smiles

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Show Notes

[02:43] Dr. Eric Jones is 34 years old and has an amazing fee for service practice that he started from scratch.

[03:01] He graduated in 2009, and worked with his uncle for a few years, then he decided to go for it with his scratch practice.

[03:38] He decided to focus on creating the kind of practice that he wanted to have.

[04:50] Eric looked for an existing practice to buy, but he couldn't find what he wanted.

[05:23] Eric practices in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

[06:00] He decided to pass on signing up for Delta Premiere with the added PPO.

[09:20] Eric made the decision early on that he was on a learning path.

[10:24] The importance of a successful team. They really are the business.

[12:15] Eric shares his strategy for when new clients call. Most of the work he does is elective work.

[13:15] Letting patients know what the fee is and let them decide. We may not be in the network, but they can use their insurance to see what is covered.

[15:10] His team is so good at handling those front office calls.

[15:32] Find out their name and how they heard from us. The importance of just listening.

[17:35] And when you're organized and have systems in place you don't have to do things like offer extended hours.

[18:03] Eric shares what he would do differently and what he would do the same if he were starting over.

[18:26] Pay less attention to what other people are doing and the negative thoughts in your own head.

[18:48] Focus 100% on one thing before moving on to the next thing.

[19:27] Eric created a white paper with questions to ask your dentist.

[20:33] Find your message and then try new things. You can even experiment with Facebook quizzes.

[20:59] He focuses on information driven marketing not fee driven marketing.

[21:55] How nurturing is important because it may take awhile before people do comprehensive restorative dentistry.

[22:42] Marketing builds on one another so it's important to be patient.

[23:10] Focus on the right things and create great relationships with patients.

[24:05] Do an awesome job answering the phone. 75% of people who call should come in.

[25:41] The importance of knowing why people are asking the questions that they are asking and understanding the motivation behind it.

[27:38] Detaching yourself from what you think the patient may say is a game changer.

[28:31] The biggest differentiator for Eric was his message. They decided to focus on people who had a fear of dentistry.

[29:42] Itemized treatment in a fee-for-service model.

[30:29] They decided to summarize instead of itemize.

[31:59] The future of dentistry according to Eric.

[32:31] It's becoming more and more important to differentiate yourself.

[33:11] There will always be a future in building a brand and practice that focuses on what patients want.

[33:24] The more specialized you can be the better off you will be.

[33:57] The amazing on the phone. Create a bond with the patient when they come in. Be amazing at presenting treatment options. Find a way to market differently. Keep your overhead down.

Links and Resources:

Jones Smiles

Jones Smiles on Facebook