Vacation-Proofing Your Team
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Release Date: 04/28/2025
Meetings That Matter: Turning Staff Time Into Practice Power
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
A dental team without effective meetings is like a GPS with no signal—lost, frustrated, and going in circles. In this episode, Dana and Sandy dive into the often-overlooked power of consistent, structured team meetings. From setting agendas and reviewing stats to celebrating birthdays and avoiding gum-chewing drama, they lay out the exact formula for turning “just another meeting” into a high-impact tool for team alignment, accountability, and growth. This episode is inspired by a post in the Dental Drill Bits Facebook Group (thanks, Heather!), and it answers all your questions about...
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Marketing Can't Save You From a Bad Phone Call
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
📣 Identity Dental Marketing – The industry’s go-to for branding, SEO, and growth. Discover how they can elevate your practice at 📲 Join the conversation! Drop your favorite phone call tip or share a “worst call ever” moment in the Dental Drill Bits Facebook Group—your post could inspire our next episode! Let me know if you’d like a shortened version for social, or if this episode will also be linked to a specific event or download!
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Scoreboard Success: 10 Front Desk KPIs That Drive Production
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
We’re diving into a topic that separates struggling practices from high-performing ones—your front desk metrics. Dana and Sandy break down the most important KPIs your admin team should be tracking daily, weekly, and monthly. Spoiler alert: if you’re not measuring it, you can’t manage it! Whether you're brand new to tracking stats or need a refresh to re-energize your team, this episode gives you simple, actionable ways to bring structure and accountability to your schedule, collections, and patient flow. You’ll learn how to: ✅ Track leading and lagging indicators ✅ Set realistic...
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Making Membership Work: Clearing Up some of the Myths and Why It’s Reshaping Dentistry
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Membership Plans That Work: What Compliance Really Looks Like Dental membership plans aren’t new—but compliance around them is becoming more critical than ever. In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy and Dana are joined by Jane Levy, Co-founder and CEO of Plan Forward, to uncover how in-house dental plans can boost treatment acceptance, increase loyalty, and help practices navigate the complex world of legal compliance. They discuss real-world misconceptions, why membership plans aren’t just for fee-for-service practices, and how the right tools (and the right vendor) make all the...
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Lonely at the Top, Leading with Authority (Even When You’re Friends)
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
We’re diving into a topic many practice managers quietly struggle with—what happens when your team feels more like friends than employees? Dana and Sandy tackle a heartfelt listener question: “How do I manage a team I’ve been friends with for years?” Whether you were promoted from within, or made the mistake of hiring a friend, this episode will help you maintain professionalism without sacrificing connection. You’ll learn how to: Lead with warmth while keeping your edge Set clear boundaries and expectations Avoid favoritism and cliques Stay approachable without losing...
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Vacation-Proofing Your Team
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Vacation-Proofing Your Team Episode Description Taking time off as a dental professional shouldn't leave you stressed out or worried about what's happening back at the office. In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy and Dana break down how to set your team up for success before you leave—so you can truly unplug. They cover real-world strategies to vacation-proof your practice, from setting department-specific goals to sending advance memos, and even encouraging team members to take ownership of their responsibilities. Plus, they tackle the big one: why showing trust in your team matters...
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Gossip at Work: The Hidden Cost of Chatter
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Gossip at Work: The Hidden Cost of Chatter Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury Gossip at Work: The Hidden Cost of Chatter 0:00 Episode Description Gossip may seem like harmless chatter, but it has the power to erode trust, damage morale, and derail productivity in your dental practice. In this episode, Sandy and Dana tackle the tough topic of workplace gossip—what it sounds like, why it spreads, and how to stop it before it takes a toll on your culture and your team. From NLRB rules to real-life consulting stories, they share practical ways to address negativity, encourage...
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The Down Economy: Prepared Not Panicked
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
When the economy starts to shake, most dental practices start to shrink. But Sandy says now is the time to lean in and level up—and she’s sharing exactly how to do it. In this episode, Dana and Sandy break down what it takes to recession-proof your practice before anything happens. From tightening your finances to training your team, maximizing re-care systems to building patient loyalty, this episode is your no-fluff guide to keeping treatment plans up—even when wallets are down. Whether you’re nervous about the future or just want to boost production now, this conversation will help...
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One-on-Ones Part 2: Keeping Your Dental Team Aligned & Engaged
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Episode Summary: This week, Sandy is fresh off an energizing Front Desk Pro seminar in Burbank, California—and she’s bringing the heat! Dana and Sandy dive deep into a topic that every dental practice owner and manager needs to master: employee one-on-ones. From handling raise requests to increasing team engagement and reducing turnover, this episode is packed with real-world strategies and scripted verbal skills you can use right away. Sandy shares how acknowledgment and structure transform the culture of a practice, while Dana brings in heartfelt reminders of how leadership impacts lives...
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One-on-Ones: Keeping Your Dental Team Aligned & Engaged
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Want to retain great employees and build a team that runs like a dream? It all starts with one-on-one conversations that count. In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury share how regular one-on-one meetings can transform your culture, boost accountability, and keep your team growing in the right direction. They break down the timing, tools, and tone of a successful one-on-one—plus how to turn them into growth opportunities, not gripe sessions. If you want more engagement and less drama in your dental office, start here. What You’ll Learn: How to set up...
info_outlineVacation-Proofing Your Team
Episode Description
Taking time off as a dental professional shouldn't leave you stressed out or worried about what's happening back at the office. In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy and Dana break down how to set your team up for success before you leave—so you can truly unplug.
They cover real-world strategies to vacation-proof your practice, from setting department-specific goals to sending advance memos, and even encouraging team members to take ownership of their responsibilities. Plus, they tackle the big one: why showing trust in your team matters more than you might realize.
If you’ve been nervous about stepping away—or if your last vacation didn’t go as smoothly as you hoped—this episode will give you the tools and mindset shifts you need to set your team (and yourself) up for a win.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
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Why setting department-specific goals boosts accountability while you're away
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The simple but powerful memo every practice owner or manager should send before leaving
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How inviting your team to list their self-made responsibilities builds ownership
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The critical importance of showing trust (and not policing the clock)
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How strong leadership before vacation leads to stronger team dynamics year-round
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Why handling your time off well is a leadership skill worth mastering
Upcoming Event:
Front Desk Pro – Philadelphia
May 9, 2025
Use promo code SECRETSAUCE (capital S in Secret and Sauce) to save $100 per person
Seats are limited and these events always sell out!
Thank You to Our Sponsors:
Identity Dental Marketing
Your marketing firm should tell you who’s landing on your website and what they’re doing there. Identity Dental Marketing does that—and more. From website strategy to SEO and patient attraction systems, they help you grow smart and stay visible. Explore at identitydental.com.
Plan Forward
Plan Forward makes membership plans easy. Their revolutionary platform helps you grow your dental practice, improve patient loyalty, and create predictable recurring revenue. Learn more at planforward.io.
Mango Voice
Mango Voice is a cloud-based phone system built for dental offices. It’s packed with smart features that help your front desk perform at its best—from call recording and routing to texting and integrations. See it in action at mangovoice.com.
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