Seb Evans went along to the latest Mismile annual conference to see why practices are queueing up to join the network.
Dentists go to university and graduate with all the clinical skills they need to excel in practice.
But it’s often only when they become the principal of a practice that they realise how much work is required to actually run the business.
Marketing agencies, business coaches and courses all offer the help needed to make the transition from associate to principal, but sometimes the support of a network that has been there and done it is the best solution.
Mismile is one such network.
The number of practices that have joined the Mismile network has now reached over 100 and the waiting list to join continues to grow.
That’s one of the many reasons there was a buzz and excitement leading up to the latest annual conference with 100s attending.
‘Today, delegates will learn all the best practices,’ said Sandeep Kumar, Mismile founder and CEO.
‘For example, how to set up a correct patient journey end to end, and how to look after leads and the team.
‘Also, how to build a winning team and how to run a profitable Invisalign business.
‘Because of my relationship with Invisalign and collaboration, delegates will know first-hand what the future of Invisalign looks like, if there are any innovations, and what’s coming through.
‘This is a perfect opportunity. They’ll hear things that nobody knows about.’
Surrounded with inspiration
The title of the conference was Stronger Together.
Mismile’s philosophy focuses on there being three stakeholders – members, Align Technology and Mismile.
‘And it has to be a win-win for everybody,’ Sandeep points out.
And that’s how the day was set up; simple practical tips that attendees could take away and implement into their practices immediately, whether they were a Mismile member or not.
Speakers talked about their experiences introducing Invisalign into their practice and how they got the team on board.
There were talks on the importance of marketing and how best to utilise social media from Digimax’s Shaz Memon.
Align’s very own executive vice president and managing director, EMEA, Markus Sebastian, rounded off the day. He discussed the future plans and innovations from Align and how dental practices could fit into that.
‘The day has been brilliant so far,’ Christopher Hajistilly, principal at Peartree Clinic Welwyn, said.
‘I don’t say it about many people, but I feel that Sandeep is very inspirational. His talk this morning was absolutely brilliant. He had a lot of people crying when he was talking about those who helped him along the way. Even just for that it was worth coming.
‘The other keynote speakers have been excellent. When you’ve got leaders and you surround yourself with leaders, even if you can’t do everything they can do, if you can apply some of the principles, it can ultimately lead to success and that’s what we want.’
‘Kick back and enjoy’
Following a busy day of lectures and learning, it’s always nice to kick back and enjoy the evening.
The Mismile team had everything covered in this respect.
A black tie event meant everybody could get together, network and enjoy themselves late into the evening.
The surprise entertainment had people dancing through the evening, too.
Not only that, but those that attended managed to raise over £132,000 for Operation Smile, Mismile’s chosen charity partner.
‘I brought my team along because the Mismile network is an amazing network for people who want to grow their Invisalign cases,’ Aisha Ahmed, Sale Dental Spa practice principal, said.
‘I’m on the waiting list, I’ve not joined Mismile yet. But I came here and brought my team along so we can get some gems. Now, we’ll take them back to the practice and implement them.
‘After today, I’m really hoping we can join the Mismile network in the near future.’
Zoe Brown, who came all the way from Edinburgh Gums and Teeth to The Belfry in Birmingham to be at the conference, added: ‘Mismile has been great.
‘We are dentists not marketers. We have no idea how to go about marketing.
‘Mismile’s been really good at generating leads. And they’re really supportive as well, they give you a lot of help and guidance. It’s really great.’
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