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Host Sarah Beth Herman discusses why phone skills and customer service are critical in dentistry, calling the phones the “front door” to revenue, culture, and patient experience. Drawing on her 2017 role as chief of training and talent development for a 1,500-employee dental group across 45 locations, she explains that trust is built in the first minutes of a call and that customer service is a trained skill, not a personality trait. She debunks common beliefs that phones are “fine,” patients will call back, and customer service comes naturally, emphasizing systems and practice-specific SOPs. Practical tools include warm call openings, confident information gathering, reflective listening, and clear next steps. She outlines the “tell, show, do, review” training method and frames phone performance as a leadership responsibility, then closes with Dentistry Support resources and services.

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Free Training for Dental Offices

DISCLAIMER:
The content provided in this podcast, including by Sarah Beth Herman and any affiliated guests, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, or business consulting services. Listeners engage with the content at their own risk and are responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented. No guarantees are made regarding the accuracy or completeness of the content. For any questions, clarifications, or crediting of sources, please contact us directly, and we will make necessary adjustments.

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Sarah Beth Herman shares a pop-up podcast episode announcing the Dentistry Support White Coat of Honor, a free award created to celebrate dentists who exemplify integrity, leadership, exceptional patient care, and strong team culture. She explains that unlike many paid recognition programs, there is no cost to be nominated, and nominees do not need to be clients. Anyone—patients, team members, or peers—can nominate a dentist by commenting on a linked social post and completing a nomination form on dentistrysupport.com, including five questions about what makes the dentist stand out. Nominations are open now and close March 30, with the 2026 recipient announced March 31. The winner receives a framed award, a featured 30-minute podcast episode, a press release shared with the dental community, $150 for their team to celebrate, and a $500 credit toward Dentistry Support virtual services.

Support the show

SOCIALS:
No Silver Spoons®: Instagram
Dentistry Support: Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin
The Dental Collaborative: Facebook
Sarah Beth Herman: LinkedIn | Personal Bio | Links
Free Training for Dental Offices

DISCLAIMER:
The content provided in this podcast, including by Sarah Beth Herman and any affiliated guests, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, or business consulting services. Listeners engage with the content at their own risk and are responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented. No guarantees are made regarding the accuracy or completeness of the content. For any questions, clarifications, or crediting of sources, please contact us directly, and we will make necessary adjustments.

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Host Sarah Beth Herman explains that many exhausted business owners and leaders aren’t truly stuck—they’ve rehearsed the same patterns until they feel permanent. Drawing on neuroscience, she describes how real change comes from repeated experience and neural rewiring, not insight alone, because the brain prefers familiar pathways that require less energy. She connects this to entrepreneurship and scaling, arguing that business growth demands personal and identity growth, and that stability can feel unsafe to a nervous system trained in survival mode—sometimes leading entrepreneurs to unconsciously create chaos. She emphasizes that leadership maturity is shown by staying regulated while growing, since teams mirror a leader’s nervous system and culture becomes reactive or hesitant based on leadership patterns. Change requires alignment of behavior, environment, and repetition, plus willingness to be a beginner and practice consistent new responses. She shares an analogy about training her French bulldog, Cash, to address food aggression without changing his core personality—expanding capacity rather than becoming someone else. The episode’s takeaway: you are adaptable, growth is gradual, leadership requires identity evolution, and businesses scale only as far as the leader is willing to grow, encouraging listeners to study and repeat what successful people do, then share, rate, review, and reach out via show notes for guest suggestions.

Support the show

SOCIALS:
No Silver Spoons®: Instagram
Dentistry Support: Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin
The Dental Collaborative: Facebook
Sarah Beth Herman: LinkedIn | Personal Bio | Links
Free Training for Dental Offices

DISCLAIMER:
The content provided in this podcast, including by Sarah Beth Herman and any affiliated guests, is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, or business consulting services. Listeners engage with the content at their own risk and are responsible for any actions taken based on the information presented. No guarantees are made regarding the accuracy or completeness of the content. For any questions, clarifications, or crediting of sources, please contact us directly, and we will make necessary adjustments.