With a practice experiencing stagnant growth, Robert Reid wanted to make more money and work less which seemed impossible until he trained on the Sterling practice management program in Glendale, CA.
"After six years of stagnant growth in my practice, I had to face the fact that although I was a good optometrist, I was not a good businessman. I had opened my practice 20 years ago fresh out of school, and like so many new college graduates, I
"thought I knew it all. But running the practice was tough. We had modest increases the first several years and then hit a long-term plateau.
"There were a lot of issues. We had too few patients and the ones we did have weren’t paying their bills so the receivables were out of control. Even though I was the owner, I never paid attention to the overall sales or income figures of the practice except at tax time. As long as we were able to keep up with our bills, I didn’t think it mattered.
"I had an optician who had been with me for several years and had grown complacent. The first thing she did every morning was find someone to have lunch with. After lunch, she tried to leave early. Then she would take numerous breaks throughout the day. Since she had worked for me for so long, I felt stuck. I couldn’t fire her.
"My attitude about life was awful. I hated going to work and brought my bad mood home from the office. I wouldn’t say the things I wanted to and they kept building. I felt like a pressure cooker that was about to blow. This affected my relationship with my family and didn’t help with the staff. The older I got, the less willing I was to work long hours, especially when I was just breaking even. I wanted to make a lot more money and work less hours so I could spend time with my family and do the things I wanted to outside of the practice.
"I responded to a postcard from Sterling to see what they could do for me. After watching their DVD and getting a consultation, I signed up for their introductory four-day program delivered at their offices in Glendale, CA. During the program, I tickled the surface of what the full Sterling program could do. I thought this program could really work if I just set my mind to it. I finished the four-day program and left Sterling with a series of immediate steps to take in the practice. Just those simple actions had a big positive impact on the practice.
"After seeing the improvements, I signed up for Sterling’s full management program. The full program provided customized consulting, management training in the Sterling principles and a tailor-made plan to get my practice back on track and growing. That was just four months ago and the practice is already taking off. In the four months since starting the full Sterling program, production has almost doubled and profitability is up by 20%.
"One of the first steps of the Sterling program was to address the staff issues. We implemented an objective system for determining how productive each employee is. The complacent optician who had been with me for years couldn’t deal with the changes and magically retired. That made me realize that when you have the means to clearly see which staff are productive, the slackers will leave on their own.
"Sterling had us implement phoning patients for callbacks and reactivation. Previously we had only sent postcards which was not very effective. We made a game out of it for the staff to see who could get the most appointments scheduled and gave prizes to the winners.
"Due to my reluctance to communicate fully with others, my consultant advised me to take Sterling’s communication course. The results of this course were unexpectedly life-changing. Besides the improved communication in the office, the change in my personal life was huge. My son and I had been having serious issues the year before. The communications course completely reversed our rocky relationship; now we are best “buds.” It’s hard to imagine one course could make so much difference but it did.
"Instead of looking at our sales and revenue figures once a year, I monitor them daily. Knowing where I stand gives me the chance to take action if I need to. Additionally, since each staff member is responsible for their own area’s performance, it makes them accountable. We have daily office meetings and the communication channels are so open, there is no finger-pointing or hidden agendas.
"The program gave me a fresh start. It enabled me to say 'This is my practice and this is how it is going to be.' Not in a nasty way, but in a friendly but firm way. My negative attitude toward life has completely changed. I have an excellent relationship with my wife and kids and look forward to going to work every day. Even though the practice is busier, I don’t have to come back to the office at night because we are a well-lubed machine. That means I have more free time to spend with the family and do what I want. Thanks to the Sterling program, life is good and getting better every day."
Robert Reid, OD
