“The Customer Is Always Right” Are they? This statement is often offered up in customer service lessons: “The Customer Is Always Right Even If They’re Wrong” Have you ever heard that one? Here are three reasons why I don’t believe that “The Customer Is Always Right” ...

Why do dentists start their own businesses? Why do they become owners of a dental practice? What’s the reason? One of the big reasons that dentists want to own their own business is because they want more control of their lives. But what they often find is that their...

It’s hilarious when people copy my stuff and try to pass it off as their own. Recently one of my competitors has launched a one-day course in teaching how to create an exceptional experience in your dental practice. Laughably, the marketing for this one-day course...

Coaching is very much like dentistry. You need to diagnose the ailment, discuss the treatment modalities, and then decide on a course of treatment. Much the same as dentistry. In dentistry we need to diagnose the cause of the pain. We then need to recommend some...

Jayne and I have just spent a few days staying in Auckland New Zealand educating and working with dental professionals in the shaky isles who want to grow their dental practices. Our hotel in Auckland has been dramatically amazing. The employees have really gone above...

There are so many experts out there…. Who should you listen to? There’s a lot of people out there beating their own drums. I sometimes receive phone calls out of the blue from people in Europe or USA with outstanding investment opportunities. And I always ask them...

I write about customer service. Often I write about the benefits of travelling in the premium cabins when flying and the differences in service provided in those cabins. I also write regularly about failings that airlines have when the premium service falls below the...

Another blog. Another Qantas fail story. I’m writing this blog article while flying Qantas to Perth. It’s a four-and-a-half-hour flight. And as usual, I’m sitting in the front end. And we have great service from Kylie and from Shaun and from John. But…. The...

Here are two types of ways of speaking you should avoid if you are trying to be customer specific in your conversations: Absolutes Avoid using words that are absolutes. Avoid blanket statements that aggregate all possibilities under the one umbrella. “All men are bad...

In 1998, my dental receptionist came to me and said: “David, the patients are complaining that your fees are too high.” Which was odd. Because I had not increased my dental practice fees for about two years, and with inflation running at a rate in excess of 10% per...

In business, in your business, do you know all your customers? And does your business have the systems in place to truly recognise your customers when they pop up unexpectedly in different places than they normally do? In a dental office, sometimes your regular and...

Have you ever had one of those experiences where you know right from the get-go that things are destined to end up pear shaped? One of those times where you’ve booked some accommodation online and then when you arrive at the hotel, it looks more like the Bates Motel...

There is no point being king of your own sandpit when everyone else is playing in a different sandpit. Although the solitude can be soothing, sooner or later you will need others to interact with to maintain your own sanity. And although it may be your sandpit, those...

Last time I looked it up I found that no baby had ever been born with a telephone handset in their hand. Nor had any newborn arrived and been able to speak at birth. This means that speech, and the ability to speak, are learned skills. They are not inherent. Nobody is...

One of the reasons your valued and loyal customers leave your business and go elsewhere is because the product that they have come to expect has been diluted or altered away from “the usual” product that they have become accustomed to. If your business thinks that it...