Vision, Mission, Culture

You already know how important it is for patients to know who you are. But it is equally important for them to know what you do, why you do it, and how you do it.

Hi, I’m Xaña Winans, owner and CEO of Golden Proportions Marketing, the most experienced dental marketing company in the country. Today I’m going to explain how vision, mission, and culture differ, and why they’re all important when it comes to providing a better new dental patient experience.

Get 2020 vision

2020 was a different year, to say the least. With things changing so drastically, now can be a good time to reflect on who you are, both personally and professionally, and why you do what you do. Everyone, including your patients, has a different perspective on life, and when they take a second look at you and your office, you want to be sure they understand what matters most to you and how it relates to them. Think about where you want your business to be in 5 or 10 years, and the impact you want to have on your patients and your community. Don’t worry too much about making all of your answers apply to dentistry. Discover yourself first, then discover how your practice can reflect who you are.

Once you write your vision statement, be sure to share it with your team. If you don’t know why you are doing what you do, neither will anyone else in your practice, and it will never be put into action. 

Your mission… should you choose to accept it

Your mission statement defines why you exist and what your goals are. There is nothing out there that is so effective at building a team and getting your team to feel connected and involved as working together to create a mission statement that supports your vision. A mission statement that clearly defines your business strategy and that your team fully accepts will help them feel inspired and fulfilled. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Walmart nailed it with theirs. (“We save people money so they can live better.”)

Avoid culture shock

Your culture is the collective personality your team displays to each other and especially to patients. The last thing you want is for people entering your office to be shocked by behavior that is incongruent with your marketing message, or worse, behavior that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Your culture statement can be done as a team, as a collaboration with your leadership team, or you can do it alone. The key here is to be clear, concise, and make your expectations very specific. Most importantly, remember that your culture statement isn’t just a statement, it needs to be a creed that you all uphold. Your culture should be the foundation of every decision – who you hire, what services you offer, how you treat patients and even how you market your practice. As they say, culture eats vision and mission for lunch, so that tells you how vital it is. 

Working this hard on your vision, mission, and culture can be humbling, uncomfortable, and time-consuming. But it can also be the ultimate key to breathing new life into your dental practice and your quality of life. If you really feel that you can’t do it alone, give us a call. We have several top-notch consultants we can recommend.

Thanks for watching!