james, Author at The McAnally Selling System

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So far james has created 3065 blog entries.

Short-Term Pain vs Long-Term Suffering in Practice

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Should I choose short-term or long-term pain when fixing my practice? Short, every time. One of my mentors put it plainly. There are two kinds of suffering, long-term and short-term, and you get to pick. Most dentists pick long without realizing it. They grind for years at marketing or case acceptance that simply does not work, hoping effort alone will save it. That's long-term suffering, and it's the expensive kind. The short version is brutal but quick. You look honestly at what's broken, you face the thing that has to change, and you change it now. Think of it like a [...]

Short-Term Pain vs Long-Term Suffering in Practicejames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Associate Dentist Training When the Owner Won’t Pay

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

I'm an associate dentist and my practice owner won't pay for training. What should I do? Pay for it yourself. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it cuts to the real question, which is whether you actually think like an entrepreneur or you're just waiting to be subsidized. An independent dentist takes the next step toward owning their future without asking permission first. If you genuinely can't decide to invest in your own growth because the owner won't fund it, then the owner already owns your future, not you. Ask yourself who you really work for and [...]

Associate Dentist Training When the Owner Won’t Payjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

The Dental Workaholic Trap That Lowers Productivity

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Is being a dental workaholic actually hurting my practice? Yes, and the numbers usually prove it. The dentist who brags about working all the time has lost touch with everything except the chair. Add up all the non-patient hours and the productivity is low, not high. These doctors tend to be paranoid about competitors, they wear out their staff and churn through them, and the same chaos shows up in their personal life. You probably know the type. The real choice is simple. Either you run a practice that follows your rules, or the practice runs you. The whole point of [...]

The Dental Workaholic Trap That Lowers Productivityjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

What ClearChoice Practice Culture Teaches Dentists

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

What can I learn about practice culture from how ClearChoice runs its offices? ClearChoice is worth studying because, in essence, they do what I teach, and they do it with discipline most private offices never reach. There is no freestyling when you call them. There is no freestyling once you are in the building. Every step of how they answer the phone and present the case follows a defined process. That structure is a culture decision, not a script decision. Notice too that their doctors are largely removed from selling, because they built sales staff who are pushed hard to master [...]

What ClearChoice Practice Culture Teaches Dentistsjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Psychological Barriers Dentists Face With Bigger Cases

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

What's the difference between a real barrier and a psychological barrier in my dental practice? A real barrier is fixed by reality. If I'm 70 with chronic arthritis and I want to play pro basketball, that's a real barrier, and no amount of positive thinking gets me on the court unless I buy the team. A psychological barrier looks different. It sounds like "I want to earn more but I don't know how," or "I work 80 hours a week and I can't see a way to work less," or "I'm a slave to my practice." Those feel just as solid [...]

Psychological Barriers Dentists Face With Bigger Casesjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Don’t Like Groups? Why a Dentist Peer Group Pulls You Up

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

I don't like being in groups. Won't a mastermind of dentists just drain me? Most entrepreneurs, dentists included, do not like being stuck in groups of non-creative people. I get it. But a strong peer group is a different animal. Everyone in it is, or wants to be, a creative leader, and they understand that getting better means talking to people ahead of them in some area. That is the whole point. The fastest way I have found to improve is to spend time with people who are better than me at the things I want to be better at. The [...]

Don’t Like Groups? Why a Dentist Peer Group Pulls You Upjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Make Your Dental Growth a Self Liquidating Investment

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

How can spending money on practice growth ever pay for itself? The best place to put money is into something that brings back more than it cost, because at that point the investment is basically free. I call it self liquidating. If you spend a dollar on a system that generates two, the system paid for itself and then kept paying. That is the bar I want you to hold every growth expense to. Done right, the ads that bring in cases, the case acceptance sequence for elective work, the staff training, all of it should earn back its cost quickly [...]

Make Your Dental Growth a Self Liquidating Investmentjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Collect Every Patient Contact Information Detail

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Should I always ask new dental patients for multiple phone numbers and contact methods? Yes, and train your team to ask for all of them every time. The work number, the cell, the home line, the email. Do not assume everyone lives on a single cell phone, because plenty of people still carry more than one way to be reached. The reason is follow up. Even when your team runs the call perfectly and the patient still does not schedule, you need every possible channel to stay in touch and try again later. A caller who would not book today is [...]

Collect Every Patient Contact Information Detailjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Why You Must Control the Phone Conversation Early

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Why does taking control of the conversation early matter? Whoever controls the first thirty seconds usually controls whether that patient ever schedules. Most callers open with a question, almost always about price. The instinct is to answer it, then pile on more questions, are you in pain, do you want an appointment, why implants. Resist that. The disciplined move is to acknowledge the question, take the lead, may I ask your name, and step into your sequence. You are not dodging them. You are steering toward a relationship and a visit instead of letting a price question run the call into [...]

Why You Must Control the Phone Conversation Earlyjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

Train Your Team in Problem Agitate Solution

james2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

What is the problem agitate solution method and how do I train my team to use it? It is a sales structure that has been around forever, and it only comes out when a patient pushes back on scheduling. The problem is not I need implants. The problem is the story she told you, the emotional pain, the grandson, the moment she said enough. So you repeat that problem back. Then you agitate it, gently, with concern and a little urgency, reminding her this is a big deal and she said so herself. Then you offer the one solution, which is [...]

Train Your Team in Problem Agitate Solutionjames2026-06-18T00:00:00-04:00

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