the benefits

Orthodontics Practices

CREATING A COMMON SALES LANGUAGE

Changing lifestyles and products are driving a fundamental change in the market for private orthodontic work. Traditional assumptions around who will pay and for what are being turned on their head. At the same time, changes in the NHS are forcing dentists to look towards their private work to secure the viability of their practices.

The practice principal of Octagon Orthodontics in Buckinghamshire had recognised these trends but was finding it difficult to get his staff to adopt a more businesslike approach when dealing with patients. As such opportunities to offer patients private options were being missed - even though they were often very willing to consider them.

Working with the practice, Catalyst suggested that simple sales training would be useless unless accompanied by a shift in organisational culture. Staff needed to re-adjust their comfort zones around selling and lose the fear that many held over the whole process.

This was achieved through an iterative process starting with individuals completing an online psychometric in order to gain a deeper understanding of their personality 'types'. These were translated into a wider practice context and used to explore how varying types behaved in different situations, including sales situations. A set of six sales competencies was then offered as a benchmark against which staff could assess and develop their own sales skills.

Within three months barriers that had stood for years were broken down. The proportion of income derived from private practice rose from a third to approaching a half. Staff began to speak positively of sales opportunities and assumed responsibility for keeping the process going. The culture changed radically, allowing everyone involved to look forward to a more sustainable future. This approach has since been used elsewhere to help other practices facing similar issues.

Anglian Water
Big Barn
Childrens Express
CMS Cameron McKenna
HSBC
NHS Organisations
Orthodontics Practices
Waitrose