Relationships, Service and Banking

OH MY GOSH!!!! GATORS IN THE ELITE EIGHT!!!! I am like a pig in poop today. I hardly slept last night.

Let me give you some background info. I have been a season ticket holder for the Gators for 12 years. I have actually been to the last three Final Fours that the Gators were in. I love college basketball.

I never thought it would come to this, but next weekend is the Final Four (I would never jinx us by making plans), and the semifinal games are on Saturday in Houston.
I have a wedding next Saturday. The daughter of great friends of ours is getting married. This would suck. I can't miss the wedding.

If the Gators win and go to the finals, would I get on a plane and fly to Houston just for one game? So many things would have to happen. The Gators would have to beat some really good teams. I would have to procure some tickets for that game, get a flight and a place to stay. It is not looking good. It is looks like I am going to miss this one. I guess it is a good thing because I don't have any money anyway.

Remember when we talked about x-rays and patients putting off x-rays? I told you that I put in an email to the Florida Dental Association's attorneys. Well, they finally wrote me back and here is the official word on x-rays in the state of Florida.

There is no law regarding how often one must take an x-ray. It is a standard of care issue that is governed by similar dentists in your community. Generally speaking however, the standard practice is every 13 months to coincide with the 13 month rule. The 13-month rule is actually Florida Board of Dentistry Rule 64B5-16.001. It says that before a dentist can delegate a duty to a hygienist or assistant, the dentist must conduct an oral examination. The oral examination, which usually include x-rays, must occur at least once every thirteen (13) months in order for the delegation to be lawful. The rule does not say that an oral exam must include an x-ray but most dentists do to make sure they have a good idea of the patient's oral health.

[Dave, I know this is going to help you.]

I have The Fighter at home, but I have been watching so much basketball I haven't even thought to watch it. I will let you know.

Okay - topic de jour. I saw a new patient last month. She was a banker. You know if you are in a small town and you have 4 bankers in your practice, they are all working for your business. It's always, "Why don't you bank with us?" or "What can I do to earn your business?"

At our office we have been with the same bank for over 25 years. It would take this bank actually closing down for us to change. Now, this patient gets the red carpet treatment (like every other new patient). Twenty minutes just to talk, you know personal touch, so they don't feel like a number. A thorough exam. Great service from my front desk people, then a nice hand-written note by me. I think this is a service that the Ritz would be happy about. After all this, I get an email from her and here it is:

"I received the nice note you sent, in your own handwriting, I might add. I appreciated it so much for you to take the time to do that.

You are absolutely right. Customer care is very important in any business along with a great team of co-workers for support. I feel very strongly about my team and the care I try to provide to all my business clients. Banks are a dime a dozen and most have similar products. I have been in lending and banking for over 30 years and I work very hard to stay on top of the needs of my clients. I would like the opportunity to meet with you and give you a proposal for our business client services.

Thank you again!"

What do you say to that? She gets it. She is picking up what I am laying down. And this is the kind of person I want to work with. But in the email I sent back to her I laid it on the line.

I told her that to me it has been and will be always about relationships and service. It is not .1 of 1%. But she has to understand that when I change banks, I am going to have 4 other pissed off bankers that didn't get my business (all thinking that they are the best)and that is really one of the main reasons why I stay at a huge bank that none of my patients work at (they did when it was a small bank).

Being part of the big impersonal bank goes against everything I stand for. But you know what? That big impersonal bank can give me the best rate. They don't know me from Adam but... Maybe I will put aside my need for service and relationships and maybe I do care about ".1 of 1%" in this case. I don't know.

I know it is Friday and I don't want to make this too long. Just giving you something to think about. We didn't even get into the "using patients for work" deal because, as you know, this can be a real slippery slope.

Tell me what you think. Have a great weekend. Did I tell you that the GATORS ARE IN THE ELITE EIGHT!!!

See you on Wednesday,
john