Let's flip the script! Typically, Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein pose the tough questions, delving into the latest trends and innovations that shape the world of orthodontics. But on this special episode of The Golden Age of Orthodontics, they're in the hot seat! With their podcast nearing an incredible 1.5 million views, they've invited Alison Werner, the sharp editor-in-chief of Orthodontic Products, to turn the tables and get their story.
Tune in as Alison uncovers the journey of "People in Practice" and how this father-daughter duo built a platform dedicated to helping orthodontists not just survive, but truly thrive in this golden age. Remember, as Dr. Leon always says, “There has never been a better time to be an orthodontist!”
IN THIS EPISODE:
(00:00) Intro: Let's Flip The Script!
(03:30) Meet Alison Werner
(05:00) The genesis of starting the Golden Age of Orthodontics, renaming it to reflect a thriving industry and achieving nearly 1.5 million views
(10:33) Father-daughter duo in business and the dynamics of family working together
(14:03) Differentiating client practices with digital tools, focusing on patient benefits and favorite guests
(26:02) The different types of orthodontic practices that People + Practice serves
(30:03) The shift from DIY marketing to professional guidance
(32:23) Subscribe to Orthodontic Products magazine
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The podcast's shift from "Survival Guide" to "Golden Age of Orthodontics" signifies a reframe from merely coping with industry changes to recognizing and leveraging opportunities for growth and prosperity.
Effective orthodontic marketing hinges on highlighting patient benefits derived from technology, not just the technology itself. The focus should be on the improved experience, not only the advanced equipment.
People + Practice offers specialized digital marketing strategies designed to meet the distinct needs of orthodontic practices at every stage—from startups and those undergoing transitions to established practices seeking renewed growth and even those preparing for sale. In today's rapidly evolving orthodontic landscape, professional guidance is essential as relying on outdated methods or untrained staff is no longer sufficient to compete and ensure sustained growth effectively.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
What follows is an AI-generated transcript. The transcript may contain errors and is not a substitute for watching the video.
Golden Age of Orthodontics - Ep 73 - Alison Werner
(00:00:00) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Welcome to a special episode of The Golden Age of Orthodontics. Today we're doing things a little bit differently. Longtime listeners know that. Amy Epstein and I usually sit in the interviewer seat, but as the Golden Age of Orthodontic podcast closes in on, wait for it, one and a half million views.
(00:00:22) Shout out to our loyal listeners. In this episode, we decided to turn the tables. We invited a special guest to interview us. Allison Werner is joining us today. You may know her as the editor in chief of Orthodontic Products, and she's someone who knows our industry inside and out. Stick around in this episode where we pull back the curtain and let you in on our story.
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(00:02:10) Intro: The future of orthodontics is evolving and changing every day, but although the way to achieve practice growth has changed, there's never been a better time to be an orthodontist. Let's get into the minds of industry leaders, forward-thinking, orthodontists and technology insiders to learn how they see the future of the orthodontic specialty.
(00:02:29) How will digital orthodontics, artificial intelligence, clear aligner therapy, remote monitoring, in-house printing, and other innovations? Change the way you practice. Join your host, Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein each month as they bring you insights, tips, and guest interviews focused on helping you capitalize on the opportunities for practice growth.
(00:02:50) And now welcome to the Golden Age of Orthodontics with the co-founders of People and practice, Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein.(00:03:00)
(00:03:01) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Welcome to the Golden Age of Orthodontics. I'm Leon Klempner. A board certified orthodontist who practiced for almost 40 years before retiring. I'm currently the director of orthodontics at Mount Sinai Hospital, part-time faculty at both Harvard and Montefiore, as well as the CEO of people in practice.
(00:03:20) As usual, I'm joined by my partner and daughter, not in that order. Amy Epstein, Amy. Are you ready for the hot seat?
(00:03:30) Amy Epstein - Host: I'm excited to try something new. This is, uh, I have to reframe the way I, the way I prepare for the podcast today, so, yeah. Um, I'm excited to try something new. Yeah. Like you said, we're switching it up and we're the ones that are gonna be interviewed today and we couldn't ask for a better interviewer.
(00:03:47) And Alison Warner, a little bit about Alison. She is the editor of Orthodontic Products Magazine, both its uh, print and its digital editions where she has been covering the business and clinical (00:04:00) sides of orthodontics for more than a decade. She's interviewed just about every major player in the field of orthodontics, written extensively on the trends, shaping the industry.
(00:04:11) And she knows how to get straight to the good stuff. Uh, she's also served as a business, uh, director of Business Intelligence for Orthodontics and Plastic surgery at Medcor. So when it comes to data and strategy, she's got that covered too. She's also a really nice person. So we're excited to have you, Allison.
(00:04:29) Thank you so much for being here.
(00:04:31) Alison Werner: It's so great to be here. I really appreciate you guys letting me come, uh, join Play in your backyard. So I'm looking forward to this.
(00:04:38) Amy Epstein - Host: Well, welcome. So with. Without further ado, we'll flip the mic over to you and, uh, and I guess, we'll, we'll answer honestly, whatever you have to throw
(00:04:48) Alison Werner: our way today, I promise to make it painless.
(00:04:53) Well, okay, so let's get started. How did the two of you decide to start a podcast? Where did that idea come from? (00:05:00)
(00:05:00) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: So, um. Let me think back. Uh, it was right about the time that the direct to consumer companies were, uh, spending a lot of money on advertising, opening up these smile studios or shops and doing their own scanning.
(00:05:17) And at the time I was, uh, one of the state representatives for our, uh. Orthodontic society. So I decided to have like a town meeting and I brought together a few dozen orthodontists, all competitors, but we're all sat, played nicely together and, and shared our thoughts and ideas. And what I came away with is that everybody was nervous about their future.
(00:05:41) So I wanted to create something, a platform where orthos could stay up to date on the latest news emerging. Emerging technologies just talk about relevant issues. Hmm. So I said, I said to Amy, Amy, let's start a podcast.
(00:05:59) Amy Epstein - Host: (00:06:00) And I said, sure, let's start a podcast. And interestingly it was, um. It's the Golden Age of Orthodontics podcast.
(00:06:09) And originally it was called something else. And it was funny. I was, you know, a little bit of mindless mourning, sort of scrolling through Instagram and whatever comes my way. And it's, it's funny that this came up. It was just a, a woman saying that she did something unconventional, which is she renamed her baby after the baby was born.
(00:06:28) Oh, wow. Like people don't do that. Right. You know, because, uh, you know, baby has a name, whatever. Mm-hmm. But nine months in, she's like that baby and that name do not fit. And that's sort of what happened with us. We were, it was called the survival Guide for Orthodontists, bought the domains and every version of the domain or whatever.
(00:06:46) And you know, after a couple of episodes, we realized that it's what we're bringing to the table are not. Survival tips. There are ways for practices to thrive. Um, so we, we changed the name, (00:07:00) I don't know what, probably less than a year in, I think. Um, because yeah, it was a better match for what we were bringing to orthodontics.
(00:07:09) Alison Werner: Okay. Well, so now you've actually hit a major milestone. At the beginning of this year, you hit 1 million views on the podcast. So tell me, what does it mean to you to have what. Might be one of the most successful podcasts in orthodontics right now.
(00:07:25) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Well, let me, let me start and just say that it's humbling, you know, it's, it's really, uh, a privilege, it's an honor, and I.
(00:07:35) To be honest, truthfully, I never expected it to be this popular. Um, so I do wanna give a shout out to, uh, our sponsors. We, we really couldn't do it without them, but, you know, we didn't, we didn't think it was gonna be like this, put it that way, Alison.
(00:07:51) Amy Epstein - Host: Mm-hmm. And actually I didn't think it was gonna be like anything to be.
(00:07:55) He said, let's start a podcast. And I was like, you know, (00:08:00) okay. Like, uh, you know, we'll start a podcast. It'll be fun. We'll do it from our, you know, the basement. We'll have two listeners. You know, my mom and my husband probably. Um, no,
(00:08:11) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: your mom wouldn't listen. Your mom wouldn't.
(00:08:15) Amy Epstein - Host: How family doesn't listen. But, you know, I think we, I, he didn't, he, he definitely had a vision for it.
(00:08:23) I underestimated how much demand there would be for real accessible, timely, future focused information about what's happening in the orthodontic industry. And, you know, as we were, you know, we already. Had people in practice going at the time we had clients. And it always surprises me when we talk to our clients about what else is happening in the industry because we have clients everywhere.
(00:08:51) We can say, oh, we're seeing this here, or we were just at this, uh, trade show or whatever, and we're, you know, we're bringing that information in. And I think I took for (00:09:00) granted that, um, there was more cross communication among orthodontists than there actually is and it. Can be. It's such a demanding profession and there's so much going on in your own practice that getting information from the outside is not as easy as you'd think it would be.
(00:09:18) So I think it, you know, part of it is, is that, um, just a side note that I. After we were doing the podcast for a little bit, it was a little surreal because, you know, we do the video as well as the audio. And the first time after the show had picked up some speed and the first time, uh, we were walking the a a o Trade show floor.
(00:09:39) Mm-hmm. Um, and people were. Stopping us and, and like, you know, saying things, right. Doing the podcast mm-hmm. And asking questions or what, and I was taken aback because, you know, he's been around for a while. He's, if, if you, you've met him in person, but Yeah. Mm-hmm. My dad is very, very tall and he's also like easy to spot.
(00:09:59) He knows (00:10:00) everybody. You are easy to find, dad. Mm-hmm. And I, you know, people would stop me and I'm like. It was a little, uh, it was surprising and very humbling in the beginning to be, uh, recognized and then also, you know, thanked for the work mm-hmm. That we're doing. So it is, uh, very rewarding. Yeah.
(00:10:17) Alison Werner: Well now I'm kind of curious, what's it like working together as a father and daughter and kind of hosting this as a team, and how did your collaboration come about initially?
(00:10:29) Which came first? The podcast or the marketing agency at this point?
(00:10:33) Amy Epstein - Host: Yeah, the agency came first. Okay. Um, the. The partnership, the skill partnership bit was an easy, um, logical thing, you know? Mm-hmm. He's got the clinical side and the business of orthodontics, and I've got the marketing and public relations side and running an agency side of the business.
(00:10:52) Mm-hmm. And so that, putting those two things together, we kind of had everything covered. Um, so that, that was a no brainer. (00:11:00) Um. From a, from a sort of softer side of things. He's the dream as evidenced by the podcast response. Uh, like my response to him wanting to start a podcast. He's the dreamer. I'm on the ground poking holes in everything.
(00:11:13) It's a balance. Yes, yes. This is the C-E-O-C-O-O dynamic. Um. But you know, we, we get along. Mm-hmm. Actually, my, my nuclear family, like my, my sisters, my parents, like, we get along. Mm-hmm. We're, we're like very lucky and I think among the rare groups of family as adults that, that really get along. Yeah. And so for us it's a, it's easy.
(00:11:36) It's really easy. So it's, it's nice to come to work every day. Yeah. What about you, Leon?
(00:11:41) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: So, I mean, you know, we have a lot of clients that are, uh, legacy practices where dads work with their sons and daughters, so they could relate to what I'm gonna say. Uh, but I can tell you it doesn't get any better for a dad to be working with.
(00:11:59) His daughter. (00:12:00) I mean, it's a blessing in, in so many ways. I'm so grateful for it. And just anecdotally, you know, when I was in practice, I had, um, a pretty busy practice. I was practicing by myself for, for a good 15, 20 years. I had built up maybe a. A, a practice in a half. I mean, I needed somebody to come in and my daughters were coming of age and I said, okay, you know, one of these three, you're gonna be an orthodontist.
(00:12:25) They're gonna come into the practice, we'll practice together. Uhhuh. So it started with Amy who decided No,
(00:12:32) Amy Epstein - Host: that was a clear, that was easy, easy to identify that I was not gonna be that daughter. No,
(00:12:38) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: no, no. Um, my, my youngest daughter, Jody. Wanted to go be a speech therapist, which she has become. Uh, but my middle daughter had some aspirations, didn't last that long.
(00:12:50) She's, she's now a oncology nurse, so they all have their own, their own careers. But it's interesting because I tried to get one of my daughters into my (00:13:00) profession and it ended up that one of my daughters got me into their profession. So it actually worked out well. But, you know, to get back to which came first, you know, as Amy said, the agency came first and you know, the idea.
(00:13:12) For us was we wanted to help orthos grow their practices with state-of-the-art marketing. And Amy came from a background of, uh, working with these large corporations that I. Did digital marketing and, and she showed me how to do it in my own practice. So we wanted to create something explicitly tailored to orthodontists.
(00:13:39) So the agency came first. The podcast came as an extension of that mission. We saw a gap in the conversation. There wasn't really a good platform for orthodontists that could hear from. Forward thinking voices in the profession. Some, you know, they, it, it, we just wanted to expand on (00:14:00) it and it just seemed like a, a natural progression.
(00:14:03) Alison Werner: Yeah. Well, okay, so now let's talk about the agency. So you've worked with practices, kind using a number of different digital tools. How do you use marketing? How do you use marketing, these digital tools to differentiate your client's practice from their competitors?
(00:14:21) Amy Epstein - Host: Yeah, so we. We were talking about this as a group, um, at, at People in practice internally pretty recently.
(00:14:30) And, um, you know, the Golden Age of Orthodontics podcast, we bring on a lot of technology providers and we try to talk about the tools available and that's why we think it's the golden age, right? We more than ever before, there's so many opportunities. Yeah. To be able to like, be an orthodontist in a really innovative, patient-centric mm-hmm.
(00:14:49) Um, you know, high standard of care. Way. Mm-hmm. But it's, um, it's not about the stuff really for (00:15:00) patients. At least when you, when you talk about the marketing, it's not about the technology. And, you know, the, the earliest example is like the iTero, right? Everyone wants to feature the iTero and, um. But it's not about the iTero, it's about not having to do those like goopy alternate impressions.
(00:15:18) Yeah, exactly. And like, you know, the ones that have the gag reflex mm-hmm. A better patient experience. Right. So, um, my dad mentioned I came from, um, you know, working with large, large, you know, multinational firms and digital marketing. My, the first agency I ever worked at, I'm gonna give a shout out to Alan Isaacson, who was my boss and the, you know, um, CEO of a BI, which was my first job.
(00:15:44) I was 23, it's like over 20 years ago. And the thing that he really just, it was the, the mantra, it was the ethos of the place was asking yourself, what's the benefit? (00:16:00) Whoever you're talking to, whoever the target audience is, whoever you're trying to bring in is a customer. What's the benefit? I do not wanna hear about it.
(00:16:07) Do not write about it. The media doesn't wanna hear about it until you can clearly articulate what the benefit is to the people you're trying to attract. Right? So it that, that, uh, forced me to rewire my brain where I constantly am like, it's like, okay, it's features and then benefits. Features and benefits.
(00:16:27) Features and benefits, and. So we're always listening and trying to understand what the practice is offering and what makes them different in their communities from other practices, and then okay. Who do you wanna attract? Is it teens? Is it parent adults or whatever? What is the benefit to them? And that is the way that we take those tools and we use it in our marketing and, and of course we're representing these technologies, gr, KLO, in like they're really innovative technologies.
(00:16:56) We need to highlight them, but mm-hmm. You know, first and foremost is (00:17:00) like, what is this going to do for you if you become a patient of ours? Right.
(00:17:05) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Yeah. You know, uh, I think that's a really great point because I talk to orthos every day and, uh, it's one of the most misunderstood aspects that, that orthos have, which is that they feel that their technology is their differentiator.
(00:17:21) Hmm. And, um, as Amy said, it, it's not the technology. It's the experience it creates for whoever you're looking to attract for those new patients. So, you know, our job is to, number one, help a a, an orthodontist, understand what they're good at and what their differentiator is, and then we can create the story.
(00:17:46) And we can push the story out across their website, across their ads, across their social. So, uh, it's, it's, it's not really, it doesn't really matter if your competitors have the same (00:18:00) technology as you do. If they're not telling that story, they're not visible to potential new patients.
(00:18:09) Alison Werner: Absolutely.
(00:18:09) Absolutely. So. We're gonna go back to the podcast for a second. You've interviewed a wide range of guests on your podcast with some of the biggest names in the industry. Are there any interviews that have really stuck with you and had impact for you?
(00:18:24) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Oh, Allison. So many. You know, I mean, I really feel so, uh, honored to be in a position to speak with such.
(00:18:33) You know, uh, influential people. So, uh, talking with Joe Hogan for an example, you know, for those of you who don't know, he is the CEO of Invisalign. Um, I always like speaking with him. He runs one of the most influential companies in orthodontics. Remember the first time
(00:18:51) Amy Epstein - Host: we had him on the show? Hmm. Work. It was in like, uh, I don't know.
(00:18:55) One of the, we, we've been doing this for five or six years now. The first time we had (00:19:00) GaN was one of the first episodes. Oh, wow. I have never sweated so much. We were nude to the podcast and I was like, you know, people are gonna see me. I didn't know him quite yet. He, he's, mm-hmm. He's very gracious when it comes to being an interviewee or whatever, but, um, I was like trying to keep it cool on that first.
(00:19:22) Oh my goodness. I can still remember everything about that recording. It's funny how those things stick with you. Yeah, they do, they do. It stuck with me, but, you know, for a different reason.
(00:19:31) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: And you know, whether you, whether you like Invisalign or you don't like Invisalign, I know there's a lot of pushback against them and, um.
(00:19:39) He happens to be a real nice guy. Mm-hmm. And he is interesting to speak with and he's open to, you know, when, when I, when I brought him on, on, on this last episode, I, I always ask, is there anything that you don't want me to talk about or don't ask you? And, and he said, no, you could (00:20:00) ask me anything. And in this.
(00:20:02) Most recent episode, uh, I asked him some pretty hard boiled questions and he, he took 'em and, and he didn't take offense to them. And, um, whether he answered them clearly or Nana, and I'll let you be the judge of that, but he certainly is, uh, gracious. So he stands out as one that, uh, uh, you know, was, was, uh, you know, a, a highlight for me.
(00:20:27) Amy Epstein - Host: Yeah. Yeah. What about you, Amy? It's Trey Lawrence every time. He's just, he's
(00:20:33) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: love Trey. I love Trey.
(00:20:35) Amy Epstein - Host: I mean, you know, he's so accessible. Mm-hmm. He's so knowledgeable. Uh, he, you know, general counsel and now the CEO of, of a mm-hmm. What you, there's, there's so much in there. He is, and he just, he's also. Similar to how we try to democratize the information that we're collecting.
(00:20:54) And, and you know, what comes out of these interviews with his Instagram, he does the same thing. So we're like (00:21:00) on the same page about trying to get the good stuff out there. Mm-hmm. Um, and easy, easy, easy to talk to. So I. Always like, you know, we've had him on I think maybe three times in six years or something like that.
(00:21:11) But it's always something new and always something valuable. Because if he says it, like, write it down man. 'cause it means something by,
(00:21:18) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: by the way, it's the orth attorney, not ortho attorney. The orth mistake attorney. That mistake a attorney. Attorney.
(00:21:28) Amy Epstein - Host: Right, exactly. So we're gonna get it. We're getting it right from now on.
(00:21:31) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: I promise you. Shout out to Trey, shout out
(00:21:34) Amy Epstein - Host: to Rey. Um, but you know, we, so Trey always, um, but you know, some of the other memorable episodes, at least on my side, um, have been ones that, um, are, are with less well known people in the orthodontic industry, let's say, but have very deep insights. Um, we talked about practice embezzlement once with a forensic, CPA, David Harris.
(00:21:55) Um, we did a cyber security focused episode with Steve (00:22:00) McAvoy from MME Consulting, which also works with the dental and ortho dental industry up and down the East coast. A lot of ortho clients, um, you know, those are about identifying risks, the, those unknown unknowns, like bringing those in and highlighting the types of things that maybe you didn't realize you should have your eye on.
(00:22:20) Yeah. Um, so those, those always stick with me.
(00:22:23) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: And, and you know, I wanna give a shout out to Chris Benson as well. Oh
(00:22:26) Amy Epstein - Host: yeah. Yes.
(00:22:27) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: You know, you know. Mm-hmm. Chris, he, he comes on every year, uh, he shares, um, incredible data insights perspective, so we really appreciate his contribution. Yeah, absolutely.
(00:22:40) Alison Werner: Yeah. Well, you mentioned that getting a front row seat to all the news in orthodontics helps you be a better marketing company for your clients.
(00:22:48) Talk to me about that, and what do you think? Makes you stand out as an agency?
(00:22:55) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Well, let me take that one. Um. First of all, we're not just (00:23:00) any marketing agency.
(00:23:01) Amy Epstein - Host: We're the best marketing agency on our planet.
(00:23:04) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Well, I'm not gonna say that, uh, you said that, not me. Send your emails to Amy at DP practice. Look, a, as much as it's hard for me to say, I've been in this industry for almost 50 years.
(00:23:16) So our brand people in practice, we, we branded that for a reason because we're all about the people. Uh, we're deeply connected to the orthodontic community and the podcast keeps us tuned in to what's new, whether it's, uh, new technologies, uh, industry shifts, uh. Real world changes that practices are facing.
(00:23:39) Um, we, we stay connected and then we use, this is important that we use what we learn to promote our clients, highlighting their consumer value, tapping into trends around growth and scalability, and translating insights into effective practical marketing strategies.
(00:23:59) Amy Epstein - Host: Yep. (00:24:00) I would. Also add. Mm-hmm. And this mm-hmm.
(00:24:02) This happens to be the thing that I, that I was trained in and that like, I kind of, um, I just, I do, and now we do as an agency with every client is what makes us stand out is how we focus on making our clients stand out from their competitors in their community. So. You know, one, we, one thing we always do before we do any marketing for anybody, we don't run one ad until we figure out what the practices differentiated value is.
(00:24:36) Like what's their unique selling proposition? And that's different for every practice because the competitors are different, the market needs are different. Um, what they do well, what they can consistently deliver on. Is different. And when you kind of put those three things together, um, you, it's, it illuminates what actually matters.
(00:24:55) Yeah. And we take that little nugget and we flesh it out and, and into (00:25:00) words. And those words are at the, uh, they're foundational to any advertising or social media or communication to patients in the office, whatever it is. It sort of speaks to that. North Star and which is usually very much a function of like the technology that they use or the culture in the practice or, and the culture in the practice.
(00:25:22) Like I said, it's different for everyone, but it's very much fueled by what kinds of technology they bring in and how they focus on the patient and delivering benefits to the patient. So in taking the time to do that work, we, I think are serving our. Orthodontic clients in a much more, um, strategic, thoughtful, and long lasting way with the marketing that we do.
(00:25:51) Alison Werner: Yeah. Well, you talked there about how every practice is different, so I'm kind of wondering what, how would you de, how would you describe the kinds of practices you do work (00:26:00) with at people and practice? Yeah.
(00:26:02) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Uh, I, yeah, we work with. All phases of, of orthodontic practice. But I just wanna go back again to what Amy's point was recently about different differentiating in the work that we do upfront.
(00:26:16) 'cause I just want to add that we spend a lot of time upfront before we. Put one, uh, ounce of energy into creating an ad or creating a logo or creating a website, because we first have to determine that proposition value and, and what that story is going to be. And the other part that is important is the competitive analysis.
(00:26:39) We want see. What's going on? What are your competitors saying? 'cause what we don't wanna do is we don't wanna tell the same story to somebody already telling. Yeah. So those are just nuances, but they're really, really important. Mm-hmm. Getting back to your question, so who do we work with? We work with startups, for example.
(00:26:58) Uh, we're seeing a lot of startups (00:27:00) now. Um, they have, uh. You know, limited budgets. Some of them have, you know, coming out with considerable debt. Yeah. So we're very sensitive to that. So, you know, we have special programs that are designed to help practices get off the ground. 'cause we're looking for long-term relationships.
(00:27:19) Yep.
(00:27:19) Amy Epstein - Host: And those startups, you know, sometimes they're, they're ground up startups and sometimes they're starting out buying somebody's practice, but under a new brand or whatever. Right. But either way, they're, they're just starting their career and it's a different mm-hmm. Flavor.
(00:27:33) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Mm-hmm.
(00:27:33) Amy Epstein - Host: Absolutely. Service opinion.
(00:27:35) Yeah.
(00:27:35) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: So from there we work with, uh, all sorts of transitions. So let's say you're buying an existing practice, right? Or you're bringing on a new associate. So it could be very disruptive and very costly if the p uh, to the practice, if the communication. Isn't appropriately managed, and this is an area that Amy has a lot of expertise in.
(00:27:59) (00:28:00) If you're buying a practice, you're buying the goodwill of the practice, you need to transfer that trust over. So it needs to be managed in a very sensitive manner.
(00:28:09) Amy Epstein - Host: Yeah. And our program, by the way, the, the transition, we have a lot. Transitions, they're, they're what happens in orthodontics, right? Yeah. Like people coming in, people going out.
(00:28:17) Mm-hmm. Buying, selling, opening, clo, opening, closing. Hopefully not closing. Yeah. But you know, these things happen. The very first transition communication program that I ever did was when my dad retired from his practice. And it was interest. I mean, the whole framework of what we do now is built on that because.
(00:28:40) There was no better way, I think, to consider everything than to be personally invested Right. In the whole thing going well. It was like no stone unturned, no audience member, whether it was referring doctor, whether it was like, you know, the local pediatricians or whatever it is. Mm-hmm. What do they need to (00:29:00) know?
(00:29:00) How do they need to know it? How do we promote David? Who is his partner, who's, you know, he's retiring and David's becoming the, the sole proprietor. The sole practitioner. How do we elevate David and transfer the trust? I've known David for ages and, and so he, it was this like emotional investment in it.
(00:29:18) Mm-hmm. That then led to like a very, very comprehensive. Program that then we could, you know, it's evolved over the years, but that was the, the genesis of the transitions communications programs that we do.
(00:29:31) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: So there's, yeah, so there's startups, there's transitions. Probably our bread and butter are established practices.
(00:29:37) Practices that are, are running, uh, at full steam. They've got their debt paid off. They've got some money in the bank and, and what they're seeing is their practices are leveling off or not growing the way they used to. And you know, I, I always counsel a lot, uh, a lot of new, new or perspective practices that, you know, (00:30:00) what got you here won't necessarily get you there.
(00:30:03) That things have changed. And, uh, the days of. This always amazes me is the, the days of putting a multimillion dollar practice, uh, the marketing of a multimillion dollar orthodontic practice in the hands of. A dental assistant that is good at Facebook.
(00:30:22) Alison Werner: Yeah.
(00:30:22) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: Always, always confused me. So, but
(00:30:26) Alison Werner: that's a side of how times have changed.
(00:30:28) 'cause I can remember that when I got into the orthodontic industry about 15 years ago. That's what it was.
(00:30:33) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: That was the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, now, you know, we have ai, we have all sorts of Yeah. Changes in the orthodontic business landscape. Things are moving. Quickly and, and, and fast. So, you know, you need some professional guidance just like you would in any other field.
(00:30:50) Uh, and lastly, uh, you know, those, those, uh, practitioners that are looking to exit, so preparing to sell, um, (00:31:00) like nobody wants to buy a practice, for example, that has outdated equipment and, you know, looks like. Uh, you know, it was, it was refurbished in the sixties or seventies. The same applies to your digital, um, footprint as well.
(00:31:16) Your website, your Facebook page, things like that. So, uh, we help those, uh, practitioners that are looking to exit, uh, to shore up their numbers, to spiff up. Uh, they're digital assets to, uh, make it more appealing, uh, for sale and frankly, to get the most multiples if they're going to sell to a, uh, a corporate entity.
(00:31:40) Yeah.
(00:31:41) Alison Werner: Well, I'm going to wrap it up there on my end. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to interview you guys. Um, Leanne, I've interviewed you for the Orthodontic Products podcast, so it's kind of nice to come over and play over here in your, your backyard, and so thank you. So much for having me. Yeah.
(00:31:59) Amy Epstein - Host: Thank you for doing (00:32:00) this. It's, uh, very unconventional for us, but I like it. It's good. It's like a take a take, but
(00:32:05) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: you, you, you made it very comfortable. Yes.
(00:32:07) Amy Epstein - Host: Well, good. We appreciate it very much and we love collaborating with orthodontic products anytime we have the opportunity. It's a great publication.
(00:32:16) Um, what is the best way, Allison, for a, one of our podcast listeners to subscribe to OP if they haven't? Yet done. Uh, so if
(00:32:24) Alison Werner: you're interested, interested in subscribing, uh, go to our website, orthodontic products online.com, and you will see a button there at the top for subscribe. And we have our online digital news and we keep up with the industry on a daily basis.
(00:32:39) And you can find all that on our website. Uh, we also have social media, LinkedIn, uh, Facebook, and then we also have the. Print magazine, uh, and you can subscribe to that as well on the, uh, on the website. And that comes out. We have nine issues a year and we cover everything from clinical to practice management and kind of how the (00:33:00) products that are coming out and are on the market affect your practice.
(00:33:03) And then we also have the podcast as well, which Leon has very graciously been a guest on. Um, and Amy, I need to have you on soon. Uh, but we have the podcast comes out every two weeks and we're talking to. Our most recent episodes were on how office, uh, hidden clauses in your office lease can, uh, affect your profitability.
(00:33:23) And we have now one on the issue of Invisalign trademark and what that means for your digital marketing. So. Definitely check it out and you could subscribe to us on all your major platforms. Apple, YouTube, Spotify, and what's the other one? Amazon. So thank you so
(00:33:39) Amy Epstein - Host: much again. Thank you Allison. Appreciate it very much.
(00:33:42) Um, you just like, you can subscribe to the OP podcast on all those platforms. You can likewise find us on them. And if you enjoyed this episode, we appreciate you telling a colleague about it. Um, and if you're listening and interested. In people in practice as a (00:34:00) marketing partner, we're offering something special, um, to new clients.
(00:34:03) If you mention this podcast, you will get a free month of services when you sign up. And for our existing clients who may be tuning in, if you refer a colleague and they become a client, you and that colleague will both receive a month of services free. And you can reach out, uh, us [email protected], [email protected] or visit our website at.
(00:34:27) You guessed it. PPL for practice.com
(00:34:30) Dr. Leon Klempner - Host: and also, um, if you're looking to get involved in some of the latest and greatest technology, KLON and grin, uh, have a, an offer on our partner page. Mm-hmm. Guess what? The you RL is ppl practice.com. Uh, anyway, um, most important thing is we really strongly believe that there has.
(00:34:55) Never been a better time to be an orthodontist. We're currently (00:35:00) in the Golden Age, so please take advantage of it. Thanks again, Allison, and bye for now. Thanks.
(00:35:11) Intro: Thank you for tuning in to the Golden Age of Orthodontics. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts. Spotify. Or visit our website at the golden age of orthodontics.com for direct links to both the audio and video versions of this episode.
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