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March2010

Time to PlanBy Michael Cohen

The theme this year is Our Study Clubs – Beauty or the Beast? The biggest asset of Seattle Study Club is all of the remarkable clinicians that make up our network. You all work toward the common goal of providing exceptional continuing education for your members. As directors, you’ve recognized many benefits as a result of the enthu-siasm and commitment you have shown for education. That’s the “Beauty” of Study Club life. With that success also comes the stress of managing the balance between the practice, club and home life. That’s the “Beast” of Study Club life.

This Summit will identify avenues in which we can manage these responsibilities and obtain a notice-able reduction of stress. During this two-day program we will engage in rewarding discussions increasing our knowledge base of study club management and problem solving. In addition, we will have opportuni-ties to reconnect with old friends and establish new ones as we go forward. Maintaining these connec-tions with each other bolsters our individual clubs and energizes us both personally and professionally.

This year’s program takes place at the Ritz Carlton in Dallas, Texas. Full day programming begins Friday, July 16th through Saturday the 17th. Plan to arrive Thursday evening and depart Sunday morning. The Ritz is already taking reservations. Call 800.960.7082 to secure your room.

2010 SSCDirectors Summit

By Carla Kimball2010 is here! In fact, the first quar-ter is almost over. I know that you are just getting ready to wrap up the current academic year, but it is also time to get everything booked for next year’s program. I speak to many directors each year that are surprised that when they wait until late spring to plan their year they wind up frustrated because they can’t get the speakers that they want. You really want to be intro-ducing next year’s program at your final dinner so the dates can be put into their practice schedules.

So, the time to plan is upon us. You should all have received your Speakers Bureau with all of the programming options. Pick a theme. Book your speakers. Book

your venues. Get your members inspired to treatment plan with a CaseFlix. Reserve your spot in a web session or two. (There is an incredible line up of clinical speak-ers to choose from this year—call Heather at the SSC office for more details and to secure your space.) If you need help planning we are here for you. Carla is currently scheduling small group program-ming consults with me to put final touches on programs. If you’re not already scheduled for one of these conference calls then please con-sider joining us for one. It is a great way to get your creative juices flow-ing by interacting with other direc-tors to finalize a program that will take your club to the next level.

Stretching Your DollarBy Heather Bright

Effectively controlling study club costs can be challenging. Whether it’s skyrocketing speaker fees or other economic

repercussions your club may be experiencing, there are ways of minimizing expenses while maintaining a

standard of excellence that distinguishes you from other organizations.

So, what can you do? First of all, the honorarium a speaker charges may be negotiable. While there are many ways to go

about negotiation one approach is to provide a “package deal” con-taining the honorarium, airfare, hotel and incidentals. This makes the

speaker feel well taken care of and helps you avoid unnecessary costs. Booking airfare and hotel in advance will lock in fees at a lower price.

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Nobel has a new offering for Seattle Study Clubs that is worthwhile. V.A.L.U.E.S. Leadership© with Forrest Cottrell is designed for clinicians and office managers. Dr. Cohen brought this program to Great Blue Heron this year and received rave reviews.

Nobel Biocare believes so much in this program that they would like to bring it to 40 clubs next year at NO CHARGE. They are covering the honorarium and airfare. The only thing you need to provide is his hotel room, the venue and any food that you may want to offer your members.

Forrest’s specialty is improving organizational effectiveness through team development. It’s the people who make a difference in a truly successful practice. His focus is practice growth through mar-keting programs designed specifically for the dental industry, as well as staff development and training in communications, team building and treatment plan acceptance.

The success of an organization rises and falls on leadership. With small business organizations and dental practices becoming leaner, training for leaders is often pushed aside. Instinctively, people are thrust into leadership positions because they are good technicians, clinicians, or performers and sometimes because of title. As a result they are sometimes ill equipped to deal with the demands placed on them by their employees.

Exceptional leadership is not achieved because of what people intellectually know about good leaders. This training program helps people evaluate their actions and behavior to identify the gaps that cause conflict, poor performance and stifle employee pro-ductivity. This program contains both a strategic and a tactical component. These components work together to not only help build leadership skills, but to also develop the communication skills required for coaching and building others.

Developing leadership skills that are necessary to run a successful company, retain good employees and to get and keep customers is a life-long learn-ing proposition. Forrest will teach your club practical ways to value your employees while dealing with difficult employee issues. He will show you how to understand yourself and others and discover tools and processes that will help you spend more time working on the business and less time working in the business.

To schedule one of the 40 lectures provided by Nobel for your club contact Forrest Cottrell at 602.639.0375 or [email protected].

Speaking of Programming…By Michelle Nielsen

Stretching Your Dollar(continued from front)

Busy presenters often wait until the last possible mo-ment to do this, leaving you to pay much more for a flight that could have been booked earlier at a much lower cost. If there is a contractual agreement clearly stating what is expected, you won’t be left with any unexpected expenses.

You may want to consider looking within your lo-cal network. One of your members or a neighboring study club’s member might be a capable and effec-tive presenter.

If you wish to pursue a specific speaker, deter-mine that speaker’s availability well in advance of your desired date. You may be able to work them into your schedule at a time when they are already in your area. This creates an open door for negotia-tions regarding airfare and hotel costs. If the speaker is someone you are friendly with, you might want to consider inviting him or her to stay in your home in-stead of a hotel. Building personal relationships is, after all, a huge aspect of the Seattle Study Club.

Speaking of building relationships and sharing space, you may want to consider contacting nearby clubs to find out what functions they have planned. End of the year activities, for instance, can be a great opportunity to partner with other clubs. If there is a particular speaker you are interested in, look into sharing the program with another local club. Sharing costs to bring a speaker to your area will save money for all clubs involved while providing additional net-working benefits to your members.

Think about the vendors that you use on a regu-lar basis. These companies may be interested in providing you with “educational dollars.” They can sponsor a speaker or help pay for an event. This is a great way to transform a sales call into a “win-win” proposition.

Another way to save is to plan in advance and use the same venue several times throughout the year. Hotels and other locations will often dis-count their fees if you host multiple events at their site.

There are many ways to deliver great programming to your mem-

bers on a budget. Many of us have felt the squeeze of trying to maintain Seattle

Study Club standards when our funds are unfortunately not limitless. Many times it just takes a little bit of creative thinking to stretch your dollar just a little further to make a big difference.