Exploring SMART goals for your dental practice

SMART, goals - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. Success business strategy vector infographics. — iStock

GET SMART

As we step into the summer season, it’s a great time to reflect and set fresh goals. However, some methods of setting goals are better positioned for success than others. This is similar to how you may find some techniques or methodologies in your day-to-day practice consistently bear fruit, whereas others wither on the vine. If ever there was a “trendy” term in the goal-setting space, it would be “SMART Goals.” At the time of this writing, a search for “SMART Goals” garnered more than 446 million results. However, this is not a fly-by-night approach to making objectives for your practice come alive in 2025 and beyond.

In fact, SMART’s roots in defining one’s personal and professional aims and the initiatives to achieve them go back at least four decades. It is generally accepted that SMART was first articulated by George Doran, a consultant and corporate planning director at the Washington Water Power Company, a utility in the States (Spokane). Doran argued that managers are often mystified by the onslaught of suggestions from seminars, books, magazines, corporate leadership, consultants, etc.¹ He set forth instead with a framework for results that is easy to recall and helps the surge of insights from team members coalesce under five basic criteria:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable (or Assignable)
Relevant
Time-bound

Below, we delve into the meaning behind each letter in the SMART acronym and how this well-established, yet currently “buzzy” wisdom can be leveraged by your practice to finally achieve those goals that have previously failed or were formerly thought to be unattainable.²

Specific

When identifying your goal, think in terms of the following words: precision, clarity, and definition. Your team must hone in on what you would like to accomplish. It helps to start with many ideas and funnel your aims from there. Otherwise, with anomalous generalizations, your team will not have a clear vision. And, in turn, those team members cannot accomplish what they do not understand. It is very much akin to attempting to “cure” a condition when you do not understand the true nature of the disorder. This approach simply does not work. You must have understanding and knowledge first. Only then can results follow.

As an example, instead of merely resolving to get more patients in the door, pinpoint the types of patients you would like to see more of as a team, both from a financial perspective as well as from a purpose-driven view.³ Accordingly, define the services that resonate most with those targets. These may include services you enjoy providing or new investments in the practice, such as implant placement or injectable treatments to enhance smile aesthetics and address complications related to bruxism.

Measurable

Many technology-based tools are available to track new patient leads, as well as personalized communications, touchpoints, and follow-ups.⁴ These technologies are so popular because metrics provide a framework for you to understand your progress. If you do not know where you stand when embarking on a new program or initiative, how can you possibly get to “Point B”? You must have a clear understanding of “Point A”; otherwise, a path cannot be forged to reach your goal. So, think in terms of goals that may be measured in some way to provide a “map” to get to your destination.

Furthermore, measuring progress at different points in your journey fuels a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Your team will feel inspired. You may even notice a resurgence in morale in your practice. Of course, there are also practical considerations; for example, if you measure an indicator like new patients every quarter and find that the results are not what you had hoped, you can assess the “sticking points.” See what may be standing in the way of your progress. Then, you can make adjustments accordingly.

Attainable

Note: Sometimes, the “A” is called “audience-specific.” However, this similar term or idea is often captured with the following “R” for “relevant.” Both are very similar concepts.

The idea behind this SMART component is to set realistic goals with a sense of accountability. That way, your team is not biting off more than it can chew. In fact, the whole notion of goal-setting to attract new patients can be a daunting process that sets your practice up for failure. That is why the “S” is also so important. When you zoom in on a specific aspect of developing new patient relationships, the whole process becomes much more manageable, achievable, and attainable.

When it comes to the accountability aspect of attaining one’s goals, it is important to assign specific associates and staff to oversee different parts of the process. For instance, Jane should be assigned to ensure no inquiries from new patients are missed. At the same time, Joe can focus on “wowing” your new patients with ideas for value-added touches, such as a new patient “welcome kit” that might also leverage relationships with neighbouring businesses (i.e., including donated products and coupons from likeminded/adjacent health food grocers or fitness facilities).

Relevant

As a dental practice, there are two ways of looking at relevancy in your goal setting:

No. 1, the goals must be meaningful to the people deploying them (in other words, they must resonate with your associates and staff).
No. 2, the goals must be meaningful and valuable to the people/community that you serve (your patients and other complementary partner relationships).

Without relevancy, the goal is simply not worth doing as it fails to align with your communities or stakeholders. Furthermore, getting others on board or the “buy-in” needed to accomplish these goals will be difficult when team members feel that they are undertaking fruitless efforts. Of course, the example of new patient attraction can be an exciting prospect supporting the sustainability of your practice and your team’s job security. However, as it relates to relevancy on the part of the new patients you are attempting to attract, ensure any communications and engagement with them is tailored and has that personal touch so they feel welcome, included, heard, and can readily see how you will support their individual and family-wide oral health care needs.

Time-bound

The timeliness aspect of goal setting helps on two fronts:

No. 1, it creates a sense of urgency. Your team, in turn, is always driving, striving, and moving forward.
No. 2, this notion helps prioritize the specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant steps necessary to reach your goal.

You are provided with a goal post that can then be reached at different points throughout the year, quarter, or so forth, at intervals or timeframes, as determined to be realistic by your team. Instead of just saying, “We want to attract this [insert number] of patients with this [insert service here],” be sure to tack on the time horizon as well. You need a specific timeframe and specifics on the goals and initiatives themselves. Otherwise, those efforts will stagnate and can get lost in the rush of your busy day-to-day practice obligations.

References

About the author

Naren Arulrajah, President and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, has been a leader in medical marketing for over a decade. Ekwa provides comprehensive marketing solutions for busy dentists, with a team of more than 180 full time professionals, providing web design, hosting, content creation, social media, reputation management, SEO, and more. If you’re looking for ways to boost your marketing results, call 855-598-3320 for a free strategy session with Naren. You may also schedule a session at your convenience with the Senior Director of Marketing – Lila, by clicking https://www.ekwa.com/msm/ or simply send a text to 313-777-8494.