I’ve always had the urge to be a leader. After completing dental school, I looked for a practice where I could work as an associate and move up to partner. I was lucky to find Dr. Hebert who wanted to groom an associate to someday take over. I joined the practice.
I was starting from zero, though, and had to prove myself as a producer and an executive. I was filled with self-doubt and didn’t feel I deserved the opportunity I had been given. Although I had extensive dental training, I didn’t know the first thing about running a practice. Dr. Hebert was already a Sterling consulting client and he had a plan: we would use Sterling’s practice management program to make me a productive associate, partner and, in time, his successor.
I did Sterling’s training lineup and learned the basic laws of a proven system. I also discovered my love of marketing and, with Dr. Hebert’s help, grew my patient base using Sterling’s marketing techniques. Just last month, we saw 160 new patients.
I learned how to be an executive and a leader. I discovered that to be an effective leader, you have to know where you want to end up with your troops. In other words, you have to clearly define your goals. Imagine getting into a car to drive somewhere with 10 other cars following you, and you have no clear idea of your destination. You’d just drive around and around, wasting time and money and creating confusion for the others following you.
Last year we decided we wanted to grow from $150,000 per month to $400,000 per month. I went to Sterling for customized consulting on how exactly to accomplish this. As a result, we hit our goal five short months later. This production does not come at the expense of my personal happiness. With a smooth-running practice, I’m relaxed and can spend plenty of time with my wife and kids, coaching hockey and running marathons.
For Dr. Hebert, when he’s ready, he can retire and pass the torch of ownership to me. The practice won’t be swallowed up by another company and become nothing. His legacy will live on and that’s a very meaningful accomplishment for any business owner.
Sterling helped me become a confident and competent executive and partner. They can help you groom an associate to take over your practice or simply move your practice to the next level.
Sean Tarpenning, DDS
