The 4th of July has come and gone, but the internet is still buzzing with news of Joey Chestnut’s new record of eating 76 hotdogs in 10 minutes. This record is impressive, but it wouldn’t be possible if one man hadn’t seen things differently 20 years ago. 

In a recent broadcast, Dr. Brian Harris shared the Kobayashi story and how it relates to your dental practice. Brian shared that Takeru Kobayashi was just 23 when he was dared to enter the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th, 2001. Being slight of frame and brand new to the competitive eating scene, he needed to figure out the most efficient way to eat hotdogs if he was going to stand any chance of winning. Takeru took a look at the traditional process, which was to eat a hotdog as quickly as possible, wash it down with water, and then move on to the next one. He realized that if he could condense the steps, he could double his consumption. So what was his strategy? He took two hotdogs out of their buns at the same time, and while he was swallowing them, he would soak the buns in water so that they would slide down his throat effortlessly. And thus, the Kobayashi Method was born!

Inefficiencies exist in every industry. Standard processes are developed because it’s the best way to do things given the technology and thinking. Still, as Kobayashi demonstrated, it’s essential to re-examine these processes. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s right.

Let’s dig into one process with which you are all too familiar — in-person consultations. Despite changes in technology and inarguable data showing that patients prefer a virtual appointment experience, offices are still clinging to the traditional process of booking chair time. On average, you and your team are investing at least 2 hours on each in-person consultation, and the treatment acceptance rate hovers around 30%.

The reasons why this acceptance rate is so low are clear: 

1. Patients don’t always show up.
2. They are unprepared for the cost of treatment.
3. They have to translate treatment benefits and costs to another decision-maker effectively.

After years of pushing through this broken sales process, Dr. Brian Harris took a hard look at these barriers. He realized that if he just started considering what the patient wanted, he could drastically improve treatment acceptance rates and save a great deal of time. There are millions of people out there who want to improve their smiles, but they need to know three things: 

1. Who do I trust? 
2. What does treatment look like for me? 
3. What will it cost? 

When you can answer these questions for a patient in a convenient format they prefer, everything changes. 

Phasing out an inefficient process and adopting Smile Virtual was a turning point for Dr. Brian Harris and many other dentists.

Still, countless other methods merit re-evaluation. What are the three things in your practice that you would rather leverage to someone or something else?

Let’s source some answers from the Smile Virtual Community and identify what has worked well for others similar to you in the past that will lead to a happier, more productive dental practice workplace.

Click here to join the discussion.