Gene Ruffing serves as Director of New Partnerships at Orthodontic Partners. Gene has also served various roles in the Orthodontic industry beginning in Los Angeles, CA with 3M Unitek, Ormco, and Align Technology. He’s a renowned sales professional and industry consultant; and his customers love him. He has been married to his wife, Janet, since 1990 and she has been his inspiration and competition to be the best at whatever they do.

Backstory: I’ve known and worked with Gene – and there’s a reason his clients love him. He’s knowledgeable, and his industry acumen is on another level. He’s also a kind human being; and is one of the most selfless individuals you’ll meet in the orthodontic industry. He wants the best for those he works with.

Questions with Gene Ruffing:

1. What advice would you give your younger self upon entering this industry?

    

   “Do what you say you’re going to do - when you say you’re going to do it. Then, make sure that whatever you say you’re going to do is maximized so that it meets or exceeds the expectations of whom you are helping.”

    

   In our field, there are salespeople and sales professionals. There’s a reason many people look down on sales: the “salespeople” are only out to enrich themselves and don’t care about the long-term outcome. “Sales professionals” listen to the individuals they’re speaking with, identify if there is a need, and work to provide a positive solution. “Sales professionals” value the long-term relationship that is built on trust and accountability and will even forego a short-term gain if it doesn’t meet these standards. These traits extend both ways in what we do.

    

2. What book, or books, do you give most as a gift? 

    

   For people going into my chosen field of orthodontic sales, I recommend reading both Graber Orthodontics, by Dr. Thomas Graber and Contemporary Orthodontics by Dr. Bill Proffit. For young orthodontic representatives who’ve asked, I’ve told them that “there will be a lot in these books that goes over your head, but there’s a lot you need to know”. I believe that every orthodontic sales professional should know as much about what they are representing as possible - so that the people who need to understand differences in technique or product capabilities that support what you offer can be assured that they are hearing facts. The second book for people in my field is The 12 Cliches of Selling and Why They Work by Barry Farber. This book will help many enthusiastic young professionals and orthodontists keep from beating their heads against the wall and making mistakes they don’t need to if they pay attention to the people who walked their path before them. The third one is How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success by Frank Bettger. There’s one thing I can tell you that has been a resounding core value in my life because of this book: Enthusiasm. Frank discusses how he discovered the importance of being enthusiastic and, once applied, how it affected him as a minor-league baseball player and carried him through life. Be enthusiastic about whatever you do. Everyone has challenges. Everyone gets in situations that suck. You can be eager, but ENTHUSIASM is what will put you further ahead than any of your contemporaries.

    

3. What’s the best value for $100 to spend at a practice?

    

   A notebook, memo device, or phone recorder. If, and when, I get a thought - I record it or I write it down. Later, I play it back or reread it and ensure I have everything I need to advance that thought or idea. Recording your thoughts or ideas will help you develop a plan that guarantees success and may help you make small changes once you see what works and what does not. Keep what works for you and discard what doesn’t; wasting time repeating mistakes makes no sense. Track everything valuable that comes across your mind. A pen and a pad – that’s all you need.

    

4. You get to put up a billboard that everyone will see on their way to work; what’s on it? 

    

   Remember, We Make People Smile.

    

   Smiles are contagious. One of the best things that happened to me was falling into the orthodontic industry. We’re in the business of SMILES! So, although I’m not an orthodontist nor an assistant who creates smiles, the interactions I have daily with the patients, the front desk, the parents, all the team members, and the doctors, I want them to associate this career with being happy and smiling. If I can make that simple contemplation contagious so that other people feel that way, its significantly life-changing. Think about having a bad day and sitting in your car in stuck traffic, and you look up and see that billboard with that message…might you, for a moment, also consider smiling? And, if you do, could you say you’ve recognized your day isn’t that bad?

    

5. What new industry beliefs have you taken on over the past five years? 

    

   Before I joined Orthodontic Partners and understood their business model, I initially thought every orthodontist would decide to sell their practice based on the cash value of their practice alone. I talk with doctors daily who have worked through sweat, blood, and tears to achieve what they have in their practices. If they are in the running to join an organization like ours, they have already achieved great financial success. With that, I’ve learned that cash valuation is not the only factor driving doctors to make an O.S.O. partnership decision. Not everyone is doing it for cash—don’t get me wrong, the cash value of these transactions is always inviting. What doctors do with their practice in a transition can vary based on their personal needs and timing. I’ve seen people who only want the cash value for the practice so they can then hang up their spurs. I’ve also seen people in competitive situations choosing their partnerships based solely on the highest cash valuation. I find it interesting that the ones who aren’t doing it specifically for money are finding that they may have made a better decision for their lifestyle. Many partners choose to join Orthodontic Partners for financial gain and the opportunity to build generational wealth through our equity structure. They also want to be part of a premier network with a proven track record. In many cases, our trust has been the most significant deciding factor in choosing which O.S.O. partnership is right for them.

    

6. What’s the most common question you receive?

    

    “What is this partnership going to do for me and my practice?”

    

   That is the most common question and one I’m always excited to answer. Most doctors who ask it are looking for something that will continue to propel their success and are willing to listen to other opinions and methods that may be divergent from “how they’ve always done it”. When I hear this question, I know this person probably has the right mindset to make for a great partner of Orthodontic Partners specifically, so it’s an opportunity to dig deeper with that person. We have a national network of successful orthodontists who have built innovative, highly productive, world-class practices. We’ve learned from them and developed a “best practices” playbook to be used as a suggested road map for business growth. We also continue to build on that growth strategy playbook as we bring on more partners who share our constant improvement and collaboration mindset. So, the character of our partners is a key factor in determining whether an orthodontist fits our organization. We look for partners who are going to “pull the rope in the same direction” and are proud to help the equity value of the organization grow through their efforts. By being asked this question, I know an orthodontist is open to the possibility of this kind of partnership.

    

7. What assumption is the hardest to convey to doctors in your role? 

    

   Many think organizations like ours are flush with money, simply looking to bring on as many new partnerships as we can, and that we don’t care what happens to that practice after a partnership is made. The reality is that this business model is based on the individual growth of each practice within the partnership. When I speak to doctors, I convey that joining Orthodontic Partners will be a true partnership with continued effort and collaboration from both parties to build their individual practices’ production and overall profitability. Especially in the current orthodontic landscape, with starts and production contracting across the entire profession for three years in a row (the first time in orthodontic history), it’s more beneficial than ever that we have a team of orthodontist partners willing to hunker down to make their individual practices successful.

    

8. How do you see the future of orthodontics based on your role?

    

   With all of the technological advances in orthodontic treatment types, treatment planning, and in-treatment care, there will be a change in the dental school curriculum to increase generalists’ knowledge of and familiarity of orthodontics. This means that general dentists having more knowledge and tools to do what orthodontists can (at least, in patients’ eyes), and the cases that orthodontic specialists will be working on may continue to get more and more complicated; think Class II and Class III skeletal and nasty crossbite cases. This means orthodontists and their Treatment Coordinators must become adept at selling higher (likely five-figure) treatment fees to more patients.

    

   Finally, there’s been a paradigm shift. Over 65% of the residents indicate they want 8-5, 3 days a week, and $350-500k in annual income. There are many reasons that, in today’s world, resident orthodontists can’t go out and “hang a shingle” immediately upon graduation and do what their predecessors did to build successful practices. They are drowning in student debt, having young families, etc., and dealing with a highly competitive landscape. As a solo provider, it will take a while and many resources to build practices in the $3m range that bring home the income a tenured orthodontist may make today. I’m excited about the future for these residents because they have a great option to build the life they’re looking for with groups like Orthodontic Partners.

    

   Associateships are always a great way to learn and gain additional skills, no matter where a doctor is practicing. With a group like Orthodontic Partners, though, they have a structured mentorship by some of the best orthodontists in the country. Over time, they are given a pathway to partnership, which involves equity and other financial advantages to get them to their financial and career goals and even beyond them.

    

9. What’s your parting advice to all of us in the industry?

    

   Be humble. You might be brilliant. You might be affluent. You may be better able to solve problems. But, as human beings, we’re all the same. In life, I can guarantee someone smarter is going to come along. Somebody more affluent is going to come along. So, whoever you’re dealing with – LIFT THEM UP. If you try to lift everyone, YOUR life will be better. To finalize that thought, the path you lead and how you act will allow your steps forward to be lighter and the ones behind you… well, they will be long-lasting guides for those who follow.

    

My Take: If you have questions about partnerships, private equity models, and the O.S.O. universe: Gene’s your guy. He’s the kind of guy who answers every question you ask with “That’s a great question, let’s make sure I answer it for you...” to which, I’ve asked many. To shoot Gene a message, email him at: [email protected]