50 rules for success as a dentist

If the rhetoric of noted Australasian Dental Practice columnist Graham Middleton strikes a chord, then his new publication, 50 rules for success as a dentist is a must-read.

The free publication, produced by Mr Middleton's Synstrat Group, is full of useful information that offers advice, insight and effectively, rules to live by.

Rule 4, for example, deals with the size of your practice in relation to efficiency: "Benchmark data shows that small tightly controlled practices are efficient. Big practices with many dentists, hygienists/therapists and excessive nurse reception staff are usually inefficient."

Rule 8: "The measure of a dentist who is a good practice manager is that they run the practice without excessive staff meetings. A need for frequent staff meetings is often an indication of poor management, whereas a practice that runs smoothly with few meetings is likely to be well managed."

Rule 22: "If you buy a practice in a location with excess rent, then your profit will be permanently diminished by this fixed cost. The chances are that you may not be able to onsell the practice. The best practices are not in the most exclusive suburbs.

Rule 43: "It is a mistake to confuse advertising with marketing. Professional services are far more challenging to market than are non-professional products and services. Most money spent on advertising dental practices is wasted. Indeed, some of it is counter to a good marketing strategy. The most successful strategies are those built upon the quality of personal referral."

According to Mr Middleton, "50 rules for success as a dentist provides a useful checklist to all dentists owning or intending to purchase their own practices. A few of the rules will be controversial, but all of them are based on observations of actual situations."