July, 2005

Image Management

Everything about your practice speaks volumes about you and your treatment. Here's how to make sure you're conveying the right message.
By Steve Diogo

          Image may not be everything, but it sure isn't nothing. Everything about you and your staff, from your clothes to your posture to your makeup and hair, speaks volumes to your patients about who you are. Fueled by style magazines, makeover shows and a new breed of lifestyle gurus, Americans have developed a new awareness of esthetics and luxury. Your patients may not all look like they just stepped out of GQ or InStyle, but you can be sure they're more sensitive than ever about how you look.
          And according to Janice Hurley, a management and image consultant who offers professional makeover services onsite and online (www.janicehurley.com), that sensitivity can play a role in case acceptance and patient loyalty. "Studies show that within 15 seconds of meeting you, a person has made judgments about your education, competency, social status, professionalism, health, fitness, trustworthiness, economic level and friendliness," Ms. Hurley says.
          This probably isn't what you want to hear. We all like to believe it's our talent, dedication, drive and character that get the job done. And it is, but never underestimate the power of perception. "You can be a great dentist, but you've got to look the part," says Sonora, Calif. clinician Jeff Berger, D.D.S. 


          Suzanne Boswell (www.boswellpresentations.com) is a management consultant, patient relations specialist, former fashion designer and author of the book Suiting the Customer. In her visits to hundreds of practices, she says she's found that dentists serving the high-end esthetic market are usually more savvy about décor and dress. But, she says, image awareness is crucial for every practice. "There's no one-size-fits-all look," Ms. Boswell says, "but the basics of a professional look are fundamental: Neat hair, traditional suits, conservative make-up. Simpler is always better.
          "Your look speaks volumes about who you are as a person and a professional and the type of treatment your patients can expect from your practice," she says. "The way the staff and office look tell the patient what the doctor finds acceptable visually."
          Dr. Berger is a second-generation general dentist who had been practicing five years when he hired Ms. Hurley as a management consultant. "I was expecting to talk about production and collections, which we did, but I was a little surprised when the discussion came around to what we were wearing," he recalls.
          Ms. Hurley describes what she saw: "When we first met, Dr. Jeff and the clinical and front-office team members all wore scrubs. In fact they all had their own individual choices in scrubs. There was no continuity and no plan for continuity. There was no sense of awareness about how the lack of dress code might communicate the opposite level of professionalism that they wanted," she says.
          After discussing the type of image Dr. Berger wanted to project, he and Ms. Hurley devised style guidelines that served as the practice's dress code. Front-desk staff wore professional attire—suits—while the clinical staff donned modern, and matching, scrubs. As time went on, Dr. Berger took more continuing education and implemented more high-end procedures. It was time to revisit the wardrobe, and now Dr. Berger, who had always worn scrubs, opted for a button-down shirt and tie under a lab coat. The clinical team upgraded to dress pants and shirts with white clinical jackets. Dr. Berger says the changes have resulted in greater pride and loyalty in his staff and more respect and case acceptance from patients.

Accentuate the positive
          "The key is alignment," Ms. Hurley says. "On a staff-wide level, we're aiming for a look that conveys the image you want to convey. Then, on an individual level, your clothes, hair and makeup should play up your perceived strengths and play down perceived weaknesses. It's not about changing who you are, but projecting the best of who you are."
          Some attributes we're born with. We can't do anything about our gender, ethnicity, height or age. "It's a fact of life that if you're a six-foot, trim, handsome man in your mid-thirties, you don't have much to worry about when it comes to people taking you seriously," Ms. Hurley says. "People will automatically grant you the best of all attributes."
          Anything else, and you have to work harder to present a professional image. "That effort comes in the areas we can control: hair, clothing, shoes, makeup, accessories, jewelry, posture, voice and language."
          Of course, it depends on what attributes you wish to express—again, there are few universals. Nurturing, for example, may not be the first thing people think of when they meet Dr. Berger. A tall, athletic man, he says he had no problem exuding authority and confidence. If anything, Ms. Hurley says, he may have exuded too much. "He can be imposing. With a shorter man or a woman dentist, we might work on making them seem more authoritative. But with Dr. Berger, we had to work on making him seem less intimidating." Indeed, Dr. Berger says he now makes sure he comes down to his patients' level when he speaks to them. "My natural instinct is to be a bit on the shy side so making good eye contact was a habit I had to develop," he says.
          Ms. Boswell points out that the doctor sets the tone and needs to look at himself or herself as well the staff. "The doctor needs to look like a doctor," she says. "This is particularly true for female dentists working with a largely female staff; they must differentiate themselves, whether by wearing lab coats instead of scrubs, or different color scrubs from the clinical staff," she says. "Patients should be able to walk in the door and say, 'I get it: Those are the business people, those are the clinical people, and that's the doctor.'"
          Along with your practice type and individual needs, location and patient base should dictate your staff's look. "If you're treating a patient base of business professionals and CEOs, you need to look the part," says Ms. Boswell. "But that same look may turn people off in small-town Wisconsin," she says. "Look to your patient base for formality cues, and, just as importantly, your desired patient base."

1,000 words
          Ms. Boswell says practice owners should use pictures, not just words, when explaining what constitutes an acceptable dress code and should look beyond other dental practices. "Look at who the credibility leaders are in your community," she advises. "And, for models, look at those who serve those people. Often these are bankers or the staff of high-end hotels."
          Ms. Hurley says practice owners have options when it comes to dress code upgrades. "Some dentists simply outline the guidelines and let their staff implement it with their existing clothes. Others provide a 'start-up' allowance to help the staff get up to speed, while still others see it as an investment and purchase their staff's professional wardrobes for them."
          Bakersfield, Calif., dentist Thomas Frank, D.D.S., worked hard to develop his clinical and business skills as he grew his practice to an insurance-free model and established himself as a leading esthetic dentist in his area. The closer he came to his goals, the more he realized that his and his staff's professional image were important investments.
          He enlisted Ms. Hurley to provide his administrative team with complete makeovers—hair, makeup, the works—paid for the process and purchased suits for his patient coordinator and account executive. Dr. Frank says he buys two to four suits a year for his front-desk team and considers it part of his staffing and marketing overhead. 
          Like Dr. Berger, Dr. Frank reports boosts in staff and patient confidence and improved case acceptance. "This could be the best investment you can make in achieving the goals that you desire," he says. 

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