It’s number crunching time says dental coach

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Get number crunching with Andy McDougall from Spot On Business Planning[/caption]Andy McDougall, owner of Spot On Business Planning, brings 30 years’ experience of transforming underperforming businesses. He was recently interviewed by dental plan provider Practice Plan, who wanted to learn more about his unique business techniques and how he brings them to life.Practice Plan: You’ve worked in many different industries during your career, what was it about the dental industry that appealed to you?Andy McDougall: I was largely consulting for corporates when I was asked to help a friend who owned a dental business. I could see the opportunities for improvements immediately and I enjoyed the challenge of learning the nuances of a new industry. I discovered that many dental practices did not employ the underlying methodologies that were being used by corporates, which is where I came in.Practice Plan: You have a different approach to business in comparison to your peers, such as calling yourself a ‘dental business mentor’ rather than a consultant. Is there a reason for this?Andy McDougall: I once heard a definition of a consultant, ‘a consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time’ and in my experience that’s often very true. A consultant tends to leave you with a report of what you should do, whereas our approach ensures the achievement of goals through understanding and in doing so, a transfer of skills.Our mentoring style means we stay with our clients through the whole business planning process, from identifying their current position, to determining the strategy, as well as the implementation and monitoring of that strategy. As a company we mentor practice managers and dental practice owners to help them become better leaders. We aim to leave them with new skills, which will make them more independent and more successful.Practice Plan: If you were to give one piece of advice to a business owner or practice manager, what would it be?Andy McDougall: It all comes back to the numbers.The numbers are fundamental to every decision and to every success. If, as a dental practice manager you passed the CQC inspection, hit your targets for new patients, achieved good staff attendance and had no people issues, you may well give yourself a pat on the back. But would you be so congratulatory if despite all that, the business had made a loss? No! Everything must come back to the numbers.Practice Plan: You’ve told us about your different approach to business and the way that you interact with your clients. How do you reflect this?Andy McDougall: We demonstrate techniques that are not commonly used in the dental industry and are fundamental to maximising profitability. We highlight a different way to run dental practices to achieve maximum profit, not just the financial aspects, but every facet of the dental business: people, process, brand, culture and leadership. We discuss the importance of making the correct decisions, introducing the concept of decision-making accounting, and highlighting how making good decisions is fundamental to running a profitable business.