Vacation-Proofing Your Team
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Release Date: 04/28/2025
Hiring Detour: How Culture Shapes Every Hire
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Dana Salisbury and Sandy Pardue discuss the challenges of hiring and retaining new employees in dental practices. They explore the reasons behind high turnover rates, the importance of effective onboarding, and creating a welcoming workplace culture. The conversation emphasizes the need for structured training plans and the impact of workplace bullying on employee retention. The hosts also highlight the financial costs associated with poor hiring practices and the significance of enhancing the candidate experience. Key Takeaways Stop blaming the applicant...
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Hiring Series: Interview Techniques that Work
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, hosts Dana Salisbury and Sandy Pardue go beyond the surface of the interview process to reveal the deeper intentions that should guide your hiring conversations. Whether you are fresh out of dental school or a seasoned practice owner, this conversation will help you build a more intentional, compliant, and effective approach to interviewing. Sandy and Dana share real world examples, cautionary tales, and the subtle cues they watch for that a resume will never reveal. They cover how to avoid common pitfalls like skipping the interview entirely, how to keep...
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Hiring Series: Hiring Efficiently with a Group Interview
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Episode Description: In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Dana Salisbury and Sandy Pardue continue the Hiring Series with a proven time-saving strategy: the group interview. Sandy shares her step-by-step process for getting every qualified applicant in front of you at once, identifying the best candidates quickly, and avoiding the weeks-long cycle of one-on-one interviews. From creating the right environment, using a “plant” in the room, and testing retention skills, to gracefully dismissing non-hires, this episode is packed with actionable tips to streamline your hiring process and...
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Plan Forward: A Smarter Alternative to Insurance
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Exploring Dental Membership Plans: A Smarter Alternative to Insurance In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Dana Salisbury and Sandy Pardue are joined by Meg Lohman from Plan Forward to unpack why in-house membership plans are becoming a go-to solution for dental practices looking to grow and better serve their patients. They discuss how these plans help identify patients who are overpaying for insurance, simplify preventive care, and strengthen patient loyalty. The trio also explores the power of proactive marketing and the importance of educating patients ahead of open enrollment...
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Marketing Your Practice to Top Talent
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Episode Summary: In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury tackle one of the most underestimated tools in the hiring process—your job ad. They explain why hiring should be treated like a marketing campaign and how your job postings either attract or repel the very people you are trying to hire. From crafting compelling headlines and utilizing creative job titles to understanding hiring psychology, Sandy and Dana share strategies to elevate your job ads and recruit with intention. They also explore the power of nontraditional hiring sources and the importance of...
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Job Descriptions Might Be Costing You Great Hires (Part 3: Creating Job Descriptions)
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Episode Summary: In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury explore the often-overlooked power of a well-crafted job description. They explain why generic or outdated descriptions can set your practice up for failure—creating confusion, legal risk, and missed hiring opportunities. You’ll learn what must be included, how to stay compliant, and why being transparent about your expectations (including physical demands and performance metrics) is key to attracting the right candidates. If you're serious about improving your hiring process and retaining top...
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Why Working Interviews Don't Work
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
In this episode, Sandy Pardue kicks off a powerful conversation about the most overlooked step in fixing front desk chaos: assessing your team’s current morale, mindset, and motivation. Before you implement new systems or pile on training, you’ve got to address the emotional temperature of your practice. Is your team ready for change? Or are they quietly resisting it? Sandy lays out practical ways to reframe, re-energize, and reset expectations—ensuring your next move is a lasting one. If you want real ROI from your front desk, start here. What You'll Learn: Why morale must be...
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RERUN: The Real Reason Your AR Is Out of Control (And It's Not Insurance)
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
In this eye-opening episode, Sandy digs into one of the most overlooked contributors to rising accounts receivable (AR) in dental practices—abandoning mailed statements too soon. You may be emailing and texting patients about balances, but do you actually know how many patients you're reaching? Sandy breaks down the data and shares real stats from dental dashboards, showing that many practices have incomplete contact info for 20–40% of their patients—and it’s costing them tens of thousands. Whether your AR is creeping past $100,000 or you’re trying to build a smarter collection...
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The Truth About Dental Marketing
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
What if your marketing isn’t the problem—but your expectations are? In this episode, Dana and Sandy welcome Grace Rizza, the powerhouse behind Identity Dental Marketing, to break down why most dental campaigns fall flat—and what actually works. From unethical agencies to underfunded ad budgets, Grace unpacks the truth most marketers won’t say out loud. If you've ever felt burned by a marketing agency, overwhelmed as a startup, or scared to go fee-for-service—this one’s for you. You’ll learn how to: ✅ Spot the difference between strategic marketing and expensive guesswork ✅...
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Hiring or Hustling Backwards? (Part 2: Leadership, Metrics & the True Cost of Delay)
Dental Drill Bits with Sandy Pardue and Dana Salisbury
Hiring is never just about plugging a hole. It’s a strategic leadership move—and when rushed or mismanaged, it can quietly sabotage your entire practice. In Part 2 of the Hiring Series, Dana and Sandy dive deep into what happens between identifying a hiring need and getting the green light to bring someone on board. From pecking orders to prep work, leadership courage to legal compliance, they unpack everything you should have in place before you hit “post job ad.” They also share formulas and benchmarks to help you bring data—not just emotion—into your hiring decisions. Because...
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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