When a dentist buys their first practice, it usually comes at a time when they are anxious to start asserting control over their work environment. They have spent the last few years paying their dues as an employee/contractor. In that time, while they have (no doubt) learned a lot from the owner on how to run a practice, they have also seen things that they would like to fix but cannot, because they don’t own the place and the owner doesn’t agree with their suggestions.

Finally, after years of taking direction and living under someone else’s rules, they find themselves owning a practice and in the driver’s seat. Finally, they have the right to create their own ideal practice, and there is usually great temptation to dive in and waste no time making things “better”. There are fees, opening hours and staffing levels to change, equipment to get, not to mention aesthetic and marketing changes … Unfortunately, it comes at a time when staff morale is often at its lowest and patient goodwill might be tenuous. Everyone is used to the old way of doing things and all eyes are on the new owner, to see if they are the clinical, ethical and personality equivalent of the previous owner.

Those big changes that the young dentist has in mind need timing, finesse and a soft landing. Here are five tips to help with change management when you take over your first practice:

1. Try to spend a few months getting to know the practice before you put any major policy changes in place. Show the team that you are taking the trouble to get to know the dynamics of what works and what doesn’t in the practice and area first, before you jump in with changes.
2. Take your new staff aside, share your vision for the practice and ask them for their views. You don’t need to take on all their suggestions, but they may have insight into issues that you will encounter, and they may have ideas of their own that you haven’t considered. Regardless, if this is done well, they will appreciate the inclusiveness of being asked.
3. You may feel confident that the patient base can absorb a higher fee base, but it is a good idea to first build a relationship, and show the patients your value by way of better services, facilities, technology, etc., before you increase the fees. Increasing fees without a sense of value is a recipe for problems.
4. If you are buying the practice off a senior dentist, you may see a few technological advances that are needed for you to be comfortable (digital radiographs, practice management software, website, etc.). You may also see a coat of paint that is needed, or a bathroom that needs a makeover. Patients and staff alike will appreciate these upgrades. There is no need to put off these upgrades, but be careful of doing too much before the cashflow of the practice under your ownership is established. You may unknowingly put yourself under undue stress.
5. When you see clinical or commercial choices that the previous dentist made that need to be changed, try to do so without criticising them.

There are two good reasons for this:

1. You should never judge a person till you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Just seeing sub-par clinical or commercial decisions doesn’t tell you the circumstances or context under which they were made.
2. After decades of interaction, a practice’s long-standing staff and patients have more than just a normal professional relationship with the dentist. They also look at their old dentist like a trusted friend or family member. You making disparaging remarks about their dentistry or business acumen will only serve to get these patients and staff offside, and will work against your chances of rapport-building and retention. These remarks may also be communicated on to the previous owner, and compromise any post-sale endorsement that you are getting from them.

Having the best strategic and tactical plans for your new business isn’t enough. A successful business owner needs to be able to lead and manage a team that is confident of the owner’s abilities and vision for the future.

To succeed, a new practice owner needs to understand and be sensitive to the human side of change management.  The above five tips will help lay a foundation for this.

For more Post-Sale articles for a dental practice buyer click here:

• Goodwill and not so good dentistry
• Goodwill transfer in practice sales
• The Vital Role of Staff Post-Sale
• Patient Disclosure in Practice Sale