Kelly Damer shows how dental practices can copy Starbucks' playbook: consistency in care, knowing patient names, making the office welcoming, empowering staff with daily goals, and selling transformation over procedures. One practice saw referrals jump 35% in six months.
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Approximately 35% (in about six months).
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What does a cup of coffee have to do with running my dental practice? Well, more than you think, actually. Starbucks didn't become a global empire because of their fancy lattes. They did it by creating a culture that everyone wanted to be a part of. A culture where consistency, personalization, and team spirit turn an everyday transaction into a loyal relationship. And think about their brand awareness. You can't see me maybe 10, but. But I'm wearing my Starbucks green today. Here's the secret. Dental leaders can borrow those same strategies to transform patient care, elevate team morale, and build a brand that people can't stop talking about. Welcome to the Next Level Practice podcast. I'm Kelly Damer, and today we're going to take a look at your practice through the lens of Starbucks. Okay, let's think about it. Right? People happily pay $6. To be honest, my latte is like $10 by the time I add my oat milk and my shot of vanilla fl. But people happily pay way more for coffee that they could be brewing at home for 50 cents. Why is that? Because Starbucks isn't selling coffee. They're selling an experience. And in dentistry, the same principle applies. You're not just delivering clinical care, even though you may think you just are. You're delivering a culture. So in this episode, we're going to show you how to, number one, create consistency in your patient experience, really elevating what that experience looks like. Personalize care the way that baristas personalize drinks and build a team culture that makes everyone proud to wear the logo on their scrubs. So let's talk about it. Right? Patient experience is the secret ingredient that trumps your marketing, if you think about it. From Starbucks. Right? Starbucks doesn't just deliver caffeine. They're delivering connection, a sense of belonging, that brand that really stands out. When you see someone walking around with a Starbucks cup, you have a specific feeling that comes to mind. And that's the model that dental leaders should really study. Right? Starbucks has these secret principles that we really feel every dental leader should adopt. So let's jump into them. The first Starbucks secret, and their dental translation is, number one, consistency. Every time. Every latte tastes the same worldwide. Right. Patients should feel the same seamless experience, no matter which team member they see. We have a great tool for that. It's called the healthy mouth baseline. You can download it off the website. I'll make sure I link that in the show notes as well. But the main thing is, is that you want your practice to have a standard of care instead of it being a provider specific standard of care. And this shouldn't just be something that the doctors are talking about. This should be something that the entire team is talking about. Okay? The second secret personalization matters. Writing names on cups isn't small. It's sticky. Right? Remembering patient birthdays, families, preferences, that really builds loyalty beyond procedures. We have a process for this as well called morning huddle. Every day, 15 to 30 minutes, you and your team are huddling up, and that's when you're running through those specific things that you need to be talking about. Hey, Sally's coming in today. She's got a birthday coming up on Saturday. Team, let's sign this card for, you know, it's small things that really make a big difference. The third Starbucks secret is, is the third place effect. Starbucks is home, work. And the third place. Right. Dentists can create an office environment that feels very welcoming, safe, and even enjoyable. Make sure that you are regularly going through the practice of experiencing the practice like a patient. So start in the parking lot. Are there weeds growing through cracks? Are the paint lines worn off? You know, is there some TLC that needs to be done even starting from the parking lot? And then walk through the entire practice as if you're a patient. Look up, look at those ceiling tiles. Are there stains? They need to be replaced? You know, all of those little details that sometimes that, you know, I think it's Febreze, right? It's like, have you become nose blind? Have we become nose or eye blind to certain things that our patients are seeing every day that we just are totally used to and no longer seeing? So that is really important to make sure that we're taking a look. And the experience for the patient is like their third place fourth secret is having empowered teams. Right? Baristas solve problems on the spot. And they're also very personable too, Right? Imagine if your team felt the same empowerment to wow their patients without waiting on the doctor. I know we're talking about a lot in this episode, but this really comes down to daily goals by position, as well as having a individual bonus plan in place by position. That's really going to empower your team to understand. Here is how I measure my success daily. And the fifth secret is culture over coffee or crowns, right? So Starbucks sells culture, not caffeine. You should be selling transformation, not treatment. Personal motivator. Personal motivator. Personal motivator all day long. And a lot of these five secrets for Starbucks to fit into our five step healthy patient blueprint. Right? Personal motivator. Healthy mouth, baseline problem, consequence, shush. Trust transfer. And the last is removing money as a barrier and helping fit the treatment into the patient's lifestyle. Now, actually, this episode really made me think about a doctor, Dr. E. Who I spoke with this week. And he is moving into his fourth year, which is super exciting for him. Really crushing goals, setting new goals. And we recently spoke to him about wins in his practice. So when he first came to us, he had a culture of high turnover, low morale. Right. This isn't something new. We see this very often. And that's what he was experiencing and really excited because the win that he was celebrating, his current culture that we've created together, he actually has a line of people just waiting to get into his practice. No more ads. It's all word of mouth. People knocking on his door wanting to work there. Why? Because people couldn't stop talking about how they feel in his practice. And this isn't just about your team, right? I mean, you can't give away what you don't have for yourself to others. But before applying these principles, our practices patients often describe their offices as cold and clinical as well as. And it's interesting because after redesigning the experience around personalization and consistency, the numbers don't lie. We typically see referrals jump around 35% in just six months. Okay, so let's recap. Starbucks isn't just a coffee shop. It's a culture and a brand. Dentistry isn't just about teeth. It's about transformation and how people feel. When you lead like a barista, you create loyalty, energy, and growth. Are you ready to create your own Starbucks culture inside your practice? You can go ahead and book a free session with me, and I'll help you design the systems and culture that make your practice the place patients and team members love. Specific to your brand and what you stand for. Click the link below and you can access my calendar. I'm Kelly Damer, and this is the Next Level Practice Podcast. See you next time. Same place, same culture.
