The first-ever National Conference for Dental Assistants in the US has been a great success. More than 100 people in attendance; great speakers; dinners; awards; and so much more was packed in a 2-day event. Thank you all who attended and look to seeing you next year. For more information: website: dentalassistantconference.com Instagram: instagram.com/dentalassistantconference/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/dentalassistantconference/ [gallery size="full" columns="2" ids="https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5064-e1572190140292.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5065.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5062-e1572190125794.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5056-e1572190105382.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5051.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5050.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/C0AEDE90-EF33-4BFD-8A3A-BBB5B9756800.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5133.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5132.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5131.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5130.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5129.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5128.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5127.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5126.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5125-1.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5124.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5122-1.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5121.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5120.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5067.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5125.jpg|,https://www.zensupplies.com/app/uploads/2019/10/IMG_5122-2.jpg|"]
Instagram influencer Dr. Patrick Anghel DDS (@pat.the.dentist) and I seat down on Sunday night for a great conversation on life, dentistry, student debt, books to read and so much more. I promise there will be take #2 with Pat since we still need to talk about how he monetized his Insta as a side hustle and CryptoCurrency in dentistry. Books discussed during the interview: Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki The Pillars of Dental Success by Dr. Mark Costes (absolute MUST read) How to win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling Hope you all enjoy it and let me know your thoughts! Tiger Insta: @tiger.safarov
Zen Implementation at the Endo practice, 3 secrets every practice needs to know to successfully onboard. Interview with Meghan, Lead Dental Assistant at Alexandria Endodontic Once in a while, we get a chance to onboard a practice where we learn more from the team than they do from us. Alexandria Endo was that exception and it all comes down to the team. Having a strong team can solve any issues. In this short interview I asked Meghan: To walk us through the entire process, what was the first reaction when Meghan saw the system and what was the team’s reaction? To go over implementation steps and 3 secrets every practice needs to: Leadership Skills needed to be Lead Dental Assistant (Positivity, Patience, How to asses the skills of your team and delegate new project (even how to communicate with each team member) As much as you put into it, you will get much more back Bonus: Who Zen Is perfect for and what practices shouldn't be using Zen What would Meghan recommend to a practice that is looking to onboard with Zen and what she would do differently 2 time around? Hope you find this valuable and till next time! Tiger ZenSupplies.com
Quick Warning: most likely you will see typos and sentences that would not make any sense. Please be patient with me since I refuse to use editors (except spell check) because I don’t want to lose my voice in the filtered/edited text. As many of you know I simply can’t stand still or be in the office for too long. I have a burning desire to visit ALL of our ZenFamily (clients). Therefore the decision to spend 2 weeks in Texas was super simple. I called my friend Andy (Dr. Andy Tran) and asked if it was ok to stay with them for a few days. After hearing a positive yes we were on the road! Linda and Andy's reaction when I called to ask if we can stay with them... Homemade food, 17 hours of drive, one stop in Memphis to sleep and we are in Austin. The first Item on the Agenda Food :) Adam (Zen Sales and Onboarding) was in charge of steak, Andy and Linda Guacamole and I made my signature salad. I’m reminded again why I started Zen and who in the world would’ve thought that I will ever share the meal with friends (who happened to be clients of Zen). Next Day visit to Ikea to help Andy bring countertops. Andy is opening a startup dental practice on February 4th, 2019 and I admire his drive a lot. He has been to more conferences than anybody I know, and I’m not talking about just dental. Andy and Linda (soon to be wife) have been to all dental conferences, Tony Robbins and most likely plenty more that I’m not aware of. After we picked up countertop, we are headed to the office, Apex Dental Studio sign greats us as we are pulling into the parking lot. The brand new building, end cap, perfect location for a dental practice. From the minute we entered the space I can see all the knowledge Andy gathered from conferences, books, seminars - no side cabinets, Tip Out bins, all treatment rooms in one row, and so much more. Super proud of Andy and Linda and I can see you guys are going to achieve great results and be very successful. Humble beginnings of every Dental Startup! Ikea furniture, deliver on the roof of the car and friends are your movers :) From Monday until Friday Adam and I divided responsibilities and were visited by our clients in the area. So many stories to tell about our ZenFamily. Let's get started! Dr. Hector Tijerina took over a failing practice in Austin Texas about a year ago (we discovered during our get together that it actually is 1 year ago). Through tough times, stress and lots of changes he turned the practice around. Now happy and expecting first born dr. Tijerina is smiling and itching for the next thing (common quality among Zen users :). Dr. Hector Carlos Tijerina DDS Randolph Family Dental and Dr. Fortuna Vardeman went through lots of changes and I absolutely admire her resilience. I felt positive energy being in the office and I was happy to see Dr. Vardeman’s brother Carino helping with supplies and other things. At the end of the day dental practice is a Family Business! Dr. Fortuna Vardeman and Carino Excellent Dental Specialist: Dr. Andrew Weber, DDS, and Steve. This is one of our large ZenFamily members in San Antonio with 3 offices. Steve who is in charge of supplies doing an awesome job keeping all 3 locations on track and within budget. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see Steve and Dr. Weber on this trip but I was able to show customer service the Zen way and delivered back ordered water order myself - more on this here (Watch Here) Pflugerville Family Dentistry: Dr. Chris Mun and Alaa are awesome. Alaa took over Zen and ordering for a previous person and now is full control. From Tip out Bins (another common element of most successful offices) to verifying orders Alaa is doing a great job. Dr. Chris Mun Lonestar Endodontic Associates: Dr. Raj Shenoy, Angela, and Valencia. I’m simply impressed with their dedication. This is my second visit to the office and every time I go Angela has questions, she is determined and super positive. Honestly, this makes all the difference in the word - Attitude. Super excited to see how Zen can help Lonestar get organized! Dr. Raj Shenoy, Angela, and Valencia AcreWood Dental: Dr. Benjamin Johnson, Allison, Megan, and Kylee. AcreWood Dental was our first stop on Monday and this was supposed to be a routine visit to check and see how things are going. On the first visit we met with Alison (Office manager) and she was happy to show how they “Zen”. I was blown away. They really took the concept to the next level and got extremely organized. After an hour-long meeting, I felt I needed to come back and document the process better because it really challenged how we thought supplies should be organized. More on this we will cover in the case study and video documentary - stay tuned. Allison, DR. Johnson, and Megan Wheeler Pediatric Dentistry: Dr. John Wheeler and Christiana. We had a pretty busy Wednesday and ended up cutting it really close to 5 pm when the office is closing. Through Houston traffic and famous Texas driving, we made it 4:40 only to find that we went to the other location that was closed that day. Adam called back the office and asked to wait for us :) So drove even faster to make it on time and 5:03 we were there. Dr. John Wheeler met us we had a great chat for a few minutes. Super happy to have this office as part of ZenFamily and help them organize inventory between 2 locations. Adam and Dr. Wheeler David Rossen DDS: Brian and Kevin. Kevin (who also runs a very successful dental analytics company divergentdental.com) and I have become really good friends. I always look forward to chatting with Kevin and bounce ideas. This time we didn’t take a picture, but Dental Success Summit is coming in a few weeks and we will have plenty of opportunities there :) Stop for Coffee: Jo’s Coffee located in the heart of Austin - South Congress and is a part of my favorite hotel San Jose, highly recommend to stay here when in Austin. This hotel has an incredible story and you can pick up a lot of inspiration from staying here. As I’m sipping my cortado I had to pinch myself to make sure it’s real life - I get to do what I truly love, meet people I truly admire and build a business that allows me to do all that. I would never imagine this in a million years and I’m super grateful to all ZenFamily (our users) who help us build the company we dream off every day. (Dr. Dave Maloley I thought about you and taking a moment to be grateful :) Breakaway Practice: Meeting with Dr. Scott Leune. Scott and I first met at the Voice of Dentistry 2018 and became good friends. I truly respect Scott for his bold vision and what he has built so far. I have a feeling he has a lot more to accomplish. Dr. Scott Leune Next Level Management: Dr. An Le, Aniket and Joann. Joann was our Person and Office of the Month in January and every time I’m in Dallas it’s a must for me to stop and chat. Joann always has great feedback and new challenges for us. I’m super great to have Next Level as part of ZenFamily and look forward to watching them dominate Dallas as they continue to expand (currently with 7 locations). Joann Nguyen Michael Hardcastle DDS and Andrea. When you meet them in person you will know why I always have a big smile just thinking about this couple. My friend Ashlee calls Michael “Papa bear” for a reason. Caring hug, great dinner and really deep and meaningful conversation with a glass of wine with Michael and Andrea are one of the big reasons why Dallas is special for me. Not to mention t was Michael’s birthday and I had a chance to wish him all the best together with the entire team. Really special moment and I captured most of it just need to edit the video :) Dr. Michael Hardcastle and Andrea Last stop on the trip Heartland Mirror Lake Dentistry with Dr. Jeff Slutskiy. I’m very impressed with what Jeff has accomplished in a short amount of time and I look forward to seeing what’s in the future. I really hope to be the part of their growing organization and I think Jeff can easily be This is all, but it’s not the end. We have many more clients in Texas that we couldn’t visit on this trip but we will be back. Thank you to all for being an inspiration to build Zen! More images that didn't make the cut : Adam introduced us to slow maker to prepare best steak and I made my famous salad :) AcreWood Dental Kylee AcreWood Dental Dr. Johnson Verifying all orders with Megan Sunset on Lake Travis
Finding Zen is far easier at some times than others. Waking up in the morning, before the sun has crept over the horizon, the world sitting still, a great session of meditation, a great book, or a simply piping hot cup of coffee can bring that wave of calm. When things go wrong, it is much more difficult to see past those challenges to achieve Zen. After driving down from Chicago, narrowly escaping a massive winter storm, Tiger was standing in Austin, Texas. Not only was the capital city a welcome reprieve from the winter cold, but Austin is always lively, bustling with activity. But this was a business trip. With a full agenda already on the books and things to do, there was little time for side-bars. In one instant, all of that changed. A client in San Antonio sent in a routine support request for a back-ordered product. Their Sam’s Club order for patient waters had not arrived and the store nearest to their office was out of the bottles. This meant that very soon they would be out of beverages in their cooler for their patients. Typically, this request would go to customer support and they would work with the distributor to get the issue corrected. They may even inquire from other vendors if we could get purified water there faster. This would have solved the issue in a day or two. Instead, Tiger decided that this office was getting their water TODAY. After all, they are seeing patients . Every patient deserves that same 5-star service. Tiger jumped into action! He dropped everything and headed off to Sam’s. After securing a temporary membership, it was off to the water aisle and then on to San Antonio. This was the delivery of more than water. It was the delivery of a promise. The promise to provide uncompromising levels of support and to do anything in his power to go the extra mile, or a few hundred, for our clients. That commitment, coupled with unwavering work ethic produced a result that was truly impactful. At last! Cold, refreshing water ready for use! The thirsty patients now had purified water chilling in the fridge. The team had peace of mind, knowing that they have a partner committed to their success. Zen was achieved. Want to see the 1st-hand account of Tiger’s journey? 17 Hour Drive to Deliver Water
Recently, we’ve been pounding on why having a smart inventory management system like ZenSupplies is so important for dental practices, and just how much money there is to be saved simply by having access to real-time price comparisons. And while that’s certainly all well and good, today we want to talk about the things you can do with your savings. Sure it’s great to put the money you save with us away, or pay off your building’s mortgage a little quicker, or buy that shiny new tech you’ve had your eye on for so long. But there’s a problem with those things: they aren’t going to help drive revenue for your practice. When allocating your savings, it’s absolutely critical that you invest in things that will continue to grow your practice and attract new patients. That being said, here are five things your practice can invest its savings in, if you’re not already. And if you haven’t worked with us yet, well, then consider these as ideas for the future! These days, simply having a well-made sign that says your name and “D.D.S.” next to it isn’t enough to draw in new patients. It’s the practices who have the strongest web presences and engage their patients and target audiences the most who grow. This doesn’t mean you have to hire some fancy ad agency to build you a “cross-channel marketing campaign” or even hire a marketing employee. No, it’s actually a lot more simple than that. Put shortly, social media has made marketing easy and affordable for just about everyone. Simply by having a social media web presence where you actively engage, entertain or educate your audience (2 - 3 posts a week), you’ll spread your practice’s name. And if you do it really well, you’ll even start attract some new patients. We recommend focusing on Facebook and Instagram exclusively, to start. Consider Facebook the place you promote deals and discounts, or share patient stories, or insightful articles. They key here is quality of content - only share or write things you would read yourself. Conversely, look at Instagram as the place to tell your own story, giving viewers a window into you and your staff’s personalities and daily lives (community events, sponsorships, office culture, employee highlights, etc.). But because Instagram is a platform with very little, if any self-promotion, it’s important you avoid promoting on it at all costs. This will serve as an immediate off for any potential followers. If you do want to promote your practice, or a current promotion you’re running, or perhaps your new website, do so on Facebook where it’s far more customary. You can even “boost” posts by backing them with nominal amounts of money ($1, $3, $5, etc.) to increase their reach! For beginners, My Social Practice is a great resource for free advice and tips on how to best leverage social media. And if you’re feeling extra ambitious, start a blog on your website where each week you share some powerful insider tips you feel strongly about, or an inspiring story of how you helped transform a patient’s smile! The more quality content you share, the better. Interior Remodeling No, we don't mean “remodel your whole office top to bottom through a contractor.” That would be unnecessary and expensive, and probably defeat the purpose of this post. Rather, focus on the look of your reception area and what could be better about it. Is it welcoming in its appearance? Are there comfortable places for patients to sit? Is it a room you would enjoy waiting in? If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, or you have to spend more than a few seconds thinking about it, then your reception area likely needs some updating. When you have a break in your day, or perhaps at the end of one, have someone that knows you well and has a good eye for things - it could be a friend, patient, or perhaps even someone you know with interior design experience - assess your reception area. Ask them what about it is most uninviting, outdated, or deterring. Then, replace or update these things according to your budgetary limits. Whether it’s getting a new waiting sofa at Home Goods, or installing some simple shelves to hold quirky decorations, or giving the room a new, more calming paint color, there are a litany of affordable things you can do to improve the look and feel of your reception area for patients. And if you see this as a fairly non-essential endeavor for your practice, just consider the fact that your reception area is the room where all of your new patients develop their first impressions of your office. Pretty important, if you ask us. Professional Photography We don’t want to assume, but if you’re like most practices, you likely still have a few of those anatomical diagrams of teeth or macro photos of mouths hanging up somewhere in your office. Our advice? Get rid of ALL of them. Pictures like these are huge turn-offs for new patients and are part of the reason why so many people, especially kids, fear going to the dentist. If you have any pictures remotely similar to things like this, get rid of them! Once you’ve done that, hire a professional photographer, or simply exhaust your personal network to find someone with photography skills and experience. Prior to their upcoming appointments, ask 7 - 10 of your patients if they’d be willing to have their picture taken while they’re there. You can even incentivize them with a $5 - $10 gift card for participating. Be thoughtful in which patients you select, considering ones who would be most willing and inclined to smile for these pictures. Make sure you have a few pictures taken of each patient so you’ll have something to choose from (in different rooms, from different angles, with/without you or another employee in the shot, etc.). Then, after selecting your favorites, have them developed as large prints (portrait or landscape), and hang them on your walls. Now, next time your patients walk through your office, they’ll see other smiling patients and not weird diagrams of the human mouth! Much more inviting, right? Team Dinner Attending a seminar dinner, or having a distributor you partner with wine and dine you is one thing, but taking your team out on your own dollar is entirely different. It shows that not only do you care about your practice, but you care about them individually. It doesn’t have to be at the fanciest, most expensive steakhouse in the area, but personally taking your team out to dinner can only bear positive things. Not only will they feel personally appreciated and valued as a member of your team, but it will also contribute to their motivation levels in their work. And as practicing dentist and team leader, maintaining your team’s motivation levels is critical to your practice’s success. But don’t let that be the primary reason you take your team out to dinner - do it because you care about them and want to take the time to connect outside of work. The benefits from doing this will be immediately evident in the morale and camaraderie your team gains from it. Updated Logo This is probably the least essential facet of your practice to reinvest your savings in, but it’s important nonetheless. If you’re like most practices, you probably either don’t have an official logo, or have had the same one for years. If you believe your logo has stood the test of time, and has a strong level of recognition associated with it, then disregard this portion of the post. If you don’t have a logo however, or have one and consider it outdated or visually unenticing, our advice is simple: get a new one. Hire a local graphic designer or conduct the same personal network search you did to find a photographer, and sit down with them one on one. Talk with them about your practice’s values, the sort of qualities you want to exude as a business, and exactly how you want to be perceived by prospective patients. If you’ve contracted a good graphic designer, they’ll come up with something that aligns strongly with your description and conveys what you want to your patients. Once you’ve created your new logo, do things like sharing it on your new social media pages, updating your office’s signage to match it, and maybe even coming up with a new slogan to go along with it! The key here isn’t just to look current, but to imply to your patients, both new and longstanding, that you care about how you’re perceived. Because, as unfortunate as it may be - and as you likely well know - it’s far too easy to judge a book by its cover. _________________________________________________________________________ We hope these tips for reinvesting your savings with ZenSupplies back into your practice were helpful and inspiring! We firmly believe that if you do these things, and do them well, your practice will continue to grow, and you’ll become better equipped to provide your patients with consistent quality care and a more holistically enjoyable patient experience. As always, if you have yet to work with us or don’t know much about ZenSupplies, you can give us a call at 872-225-2ZEN!
Some people might say it is crazy; we say it is a great adventure, and we like crazy. We, Tiger, Liz, and Erika, have now set sail on a burgundy colored, rented Jeep, headed south, while our Minsk-team is working to keep everything afloat. We have a seven-day trip planned (as much as planning is possible) and our Jeep is going to take us close to 5,000 miles, on a course through Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and Idaho. So why are we doing this? Zen is a quickly growing company and we want to be a part of every growing aspect. We do not have a little store, where local customers come and go on a regular basis and give us daily opportunities to interact. Instead we have a web of customers stretching all over the country, but we still love the interactions. Interaction is a big part of Zen and we enjoy meeting, chatting, training, and visiting our clients, no matter if they are located in Chicago, Dallas, or Boise. Phone conversations are not bad, but nothing beats meeting a person face to face. We want to get to know our clients, see their offices, and be able to spend some time with them. We do not want to be a robot voice, a company without real people behind it, and we also do not want our clients to only be a voice and a name listed in our software. Meeting our clients for the first time is always exciting, and as we say at Zen, we always go for the hug. We have 9 stops planned on our trip and those stops are the only thing set in stone for this week; the rest will be an adventure. Will we stay at a hotel? Will we stop by Target and buy a tent? Nobody knows. It does not matter, we are simply too excited to meet our clients and see their offices, and the rest will solve itself. Other than that, our only expectations are to see a variety of different, beautiful landscapes along the way. So here we are, crossing the border between Missouri and Oklahoma, on our way to Reflections Dental Care in Oklahoma City. This will be our first stop before continuing to Dallas. From there, we will go to Houston and then up to Colorado and Vail, before reaching our final destination in Boise. We will meet clients for interviews, for training purposes, and for the joy of being able to stop by and see how they are doing in general. Being as involved in the inventory process as we are, it is natural for us to be interested in seeing dental offices and how they are dealing with their inventories. There is always something we can learn, and hopefully we can help with ideas and inspiration as well on our visits. A business is never one-sided; while we help our clients to grow, they certainly help us to grow. Our clients are our inspiration and motivation and that is why we are on this trip. We want to get to know our clients and to get faces behind the voices on the phone. O, keep an eye out for us, because the Zen Team is on a tour and we are excited to meet as many people as we can!
