Chatting with Jill Allen, the “Ortho Queen”

Listen to this Episode Here.

Jill Allen began her career in orthodontics over 27 years ago, and since then, she’s had the opportunity to master virtually every position in the orthodontic office—and now, she’s thrilled to be able to impart her wisdom to new orthodontists chasing their dream! She joins host Mike Dinsio of Next Level Consultants to talk shop and share some useful industry tips she’s picked up over the years. Continue reading below to learn more about Jill and what she does, or feel free to hear what she and Mike have to talk about on the latest episode of Start Up Unscripted.

The Importance of Fostering Positive Relationships with Clients

One thing that Jill’s learned over the years while running her consulting firm is that when it comes to interacting with clients, you have to put in the work. Sure, it’s easier to do things online and have the “non-relationship touch type of marketing,” as Jill puts it, but if you’re looking for that long-term referral, you really have to dig in and build on the foundation of what’ll be a lasting, positive relationship.

The Importance of Key Team Members

Another key point that Jill drives home is how crucial key team members can be to the success of a practice—especially a startup. On the orthodontic side of things, a lot is riding on certain employees. Ideally, you want friendly employees that can act as the face and voice of the practice—a charming personality and making eye contact can make a huge difference for any patient that’s walking through the front door, which in the end, can contribute to sales! It’s not always about the amount of orthodontic experience either, especially with startups. While it is nice for a team member to have ortho. knowledge or experience, you shouldn’t always count on it. However, the right attitude and personality can carry your practice far.

Scoping Out the Break-Even Point

It can be intimidating going into practice ownership and knowing that your break-even point might be on the distant horizon, but having a general idea of when it’ll happen is useful. According to Jill, a good rule of thumb to keep in mind concerning orthodontic practices is that what they produce in one year, they’ll collect over two. This is partially because of the nature of their business; there are a lot of down payments and monthly payments, and collections over some time. Once the cash really starts flowing, by year three or four, things should start to feel good.

If you have any questions about orthodontic startups and how to hit the ground running, Jill Allen has the answers! To learn more, feel free to check out the full conversation on the latest episode of the podcast.

About Next Level Consultants

Here at Next Level Consultants, we’re ready to help you with every endeavor and challenge you might face as you enter and navigate the world of owning and managing your own dental practice. Under the skillful leadership of Mike Dinsio and Paula Quinn, our expert team is ready to step in, answer your questions, and put any doubts you have to rest. To learn more about what we can do for your practice, don’t hesitate to contact us today!