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This week, I gathered wisdom and advice from some of the top sales professionals this industry has to offer.

Taking my current team out of the picture, these are some of the previous people I’ve been fortunate enough to work over the years in multiple orthodontic companies (each have worked, and some are currently with, different organizations). They made an impact on me, and I collected their best advice to share.

Here are five questions with five previous teammates and award-winning orthodontic sales mentors:

• Clayton Russell

• Richard Chung

• Amber Fonnegra

• Michael Bonnes

• TJ Poelking

1. What's the one thing that separates a good practice from a great practice?

Clayton Russell:   Vision. And I'm not necessarily saying that the doctor, treatment coordinator, or office manager of the practice needs to be a 'visionary', but it's always surprising how few practice leaders have the vision to see the opportunity, or pitfall, that is right in front of them.  Seeing what's on the horizon for their business and the industry as a whole, and implementing business strategy based on that clarity of purpose, too often gets overlooked. I firmly believe it can be vastly improved in individuals when the effort is put into honing this skill.

Richard Chung: The number of rings before the phone is answered. Whether it's the front desk, a TC, or an assistant, someone must pick up. Everyone should know how to handle the call seamlessly. A great practice understands that every missed call is a missed opportunity, and it prioritizes customer responsiveness as a key part of its patient experience.

Amber Fonnegra: Good practices care for their patients' dental needs. Great practices understand and support their patients' overall needs. Great practices have cultures that understand and solve for their patients' financial struggles, lifestyle factors, and time constraints. Great practices put patient outcomes at the center of all their decisions.

Michael Bonnes:  How someone defines a "great" orthodontic practice can mean different things based on who’s asking the question. Many in the industry want to highlight someone's production and collections, while others will point out excellent clinical outcomes, or some focus on the overall culture. Ultimately, I believe it's a combination of all three, and that can only happen with strong leadership from the orthodontist. The excellent orthodontic practices I've seen throughout my career have clearly defined goals, understand the problems in the way of achieving their goals, and everyone on the team knows how they fit into the larger vision. This turns into a culture of winning where everyone feels empowered to do their job and what's right for the patients.

TJ Poelking: Total alignment across the board. All team members believe in the practice brand & vision. Goals are a shared responsibility between the orthodontist & team - not a top/down order. There’s mutual accountability; They understand what is required of themselves and of each other to bring it to life. Everyone owns it. There’s just a different energy you feel when you walk into an excellent practice. Many good practices are thriving, of course, but excellent practices have subtle harmony within the team, and they need a great leader with a vision to foster that.  

2. You get to send out one text this morning to every single orthodontic team. What's it say?

Clayton Russell:   "If you take care of the small things, the big things will take care of themselves." It seems we're all chasing some intrinsically defined reward, but losing sight of the effort and attention to detail required to attain it.  And while this is certainly not a new phenomenon by any means, I believe it's been amplified by social media and how quickly the pace of life has become.  Focus on incremental improvement in every moment, every situation, and every day, and you will start to see the changes you desire taking shape, be it in your practice or your professional journey.  

Richard Chung:  “Ask a question, and truly listen to the answer.” So much of success in orthodontics—whether in patient care, team leadership, or case acceptance—comes down to communication. Listening actively builds trust, uncovers real patient concerns, and creates an open environment. Patient will feel comfortable, and it will add to your office culture and brand. 

Amber Fonnegra:  "You can change someone's life today by making them the center of your attention for the time you spend together. Own that opportunity."

Michael Bonnes:    “You can positively impact every single person you encounter today. How are you going to do it?”  Everyone is fighting their own battles, and life can be challenging, so I think it’s important to navigate the world with more optimism and empathy.

TJ Poelking:  “How are you going to channel the best version of yourself to bring out the best in others?” Orthodontics is a people business; there’s a lot of emotion flying around a practice. With patients, there are self-confidence issues, fear of treatment, financial concerns, stress of taking off work, etc. With the team, there are interpersonal relationships and personal issues outside the practice. You never know what someone’s up against, and we have a lot more power over the direction of someone’s day than we think. That’s huge!

3. If you were to open your orthodontic practice, what would be a NON-NEGOTIABLE you'd incorporate?

Clayton Russell:   This will be the most boring answer I've ever given, and one that my younger self would have laughed at me for, but it is far and away SOP's: Standard Operating Procedures.  Systems and Processes are the foundation of any well-run organization, large or small. SOP’s provide the foundation for how you want your business to operate and give clarity to you, your employees, your patients, and anyone else who comes into contact with your company.  They significantly reduce (or eliminate) confusion, bring clarity, and define the purpose behind HOW your business functions.

Richard Chung:  Virtual appointments. Time is the ultimate luxury. Virtual appointments can elevate the patient experience, streamline efficiency, and boost production. They also remove barriers to care by making consultations and check-ins more convenient for busy families. Implementing this model shows patients their time is valued, ultimately leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

Amber Fonnegra:  100% digital. Orthodontists are so generous with their time. Sometimes, they aren’t tracking their own value. Years ago, they invested in digital records and practice management, which has been a huge asset for their teams, but their own portion of the treatment is still manual. I would make the entire workflow digital. This creates a scalable business model that can withstand staff changes, economic uncertainty, and patient lifestyle demands.

Michael Bonnes:  Every decision I make will go through the lens of what’s right for my team and then my patients (in that order). The orthodontist/practice owner serves their team, and their team serves the patients. If you don’t have things right with your team, then your patients and your brand will suffer. 

TJ Poelking:  Data collection & analysis.  Everyone's going to have PMS, but I’d collect all data from patient number one. Many practices know their start times, production, collections, treatment times, and average. # of visits, etc. But I’d want to take a step further and know what it took to get there - # of incoming phone calls, accurate conversion rates, kept exam rates, regional/national trends, and other metrics that are so crucial to running - and scaling - a practice. Chris Bentson says “facts are friendly,” and as you build your practice, you’ll be able to make informed business decisions

4. What's your professional career advice or mantra you'd put on a billboard for everyone to see their way to work?

Clayton Russell: "We do it because they won't".  By "we," I'm referencing myself.  This one seems to tap into my past life as an athlete and knowing that, once you've put all you have into something you love, and outworked everyone else in every way you can think of, your mind will be at ease with the outcome....and when you've done the work, that outcome tends to be in your favor more often than not.

Richard Chung:  "Know your why—and the how becomes clear." Life pulls us in different directions, but regularly realigning with your purpose keeps you on track. When your "why" is strong enough, obstacles become temporary, and solutions reveal themselves. Clarity of purpose fuels resilience, making even the toughest challenges manageable. 

Amber Fonnegra:  "What if you only get one chance? What if it's now?"

Michael Bonnes: “Optimism and grit will beat talent all day long. Be the person who exudes positivity. Good things will follow, and people will want to be around you.”

TJ Poelking:   Know the industry and your customer’s “why”. I know it sounds simplistic. However, sales professionals will soak up product & company knowledge during training, and are very eager to demonstrate this knowledge once they hit the field, usually by providing canned sales pitches and product-centric presentations. They don’t take the time to learn the industry and the common business problems their customers face, and the resulting impacts on their business. It’s equally vital to be an industry expert as it is to be a product expert.

5. To the sales professionals who want to become the best partners and professionals in the industry, what do they need to start doing …and stop doing… beginning this week?

Clayton Russell:   Start—Being more consultative! The sale is the end goal, the base reason sales as a profession exists, but don't lose sight of the value a true partnership between a salesperson and a customer brings.  It will pay off in ways you may have never imagined, and a mutual win for all parties involved should be at the core of every interaction.   Stop—focusing on what others can do for you and instead focus on what you can do for others. Keep this at the core of everything you do. Continue learning and educating yourself in all facets of your business. Reach out to someone who inspires you and request a short window of their time to pick their brain or possibly to become your mentor. You'll find they're almost always open to it.  However, I would encourage you not to stop there; find someone you believe you can bring value to and offer to provide them with access to your hard-earned knowledge and insight. What you end up learning while mentoring others will amaze you!

Richard Chung:  Stop trying to be interesting. Start being interested. Too many sales reps focus on their pitch and miss critical cues from the customer. Real influence comes from understanding, not just presenting. By actively listening and asking thoughtful questions, you create trust and uncover real needs that lead to stronger, long-term relations.

Amber Fonnegra:  Get curious about your customers & their businesses. Ask better questions & be relentless around supporting their requests. Too many reps ask, "How can I help?" But the follow-up or follow-through is half-hearted & half-you know. Be the rep that anticipates your customer's needs before your customer realizes they have a need. Don't focus on being amazing occasionally--Focus on being consistent, trustworthy & reliable every single time.

Michael Bonnes:  Stop pitching a product and only focusing on your agenda. You’re working with small business owners, so you have a duty to help them and their patients. Spend time understanding what’s important to the orthodontist, their goals, the problems they are facing in achieving those goals, and what they are currently doing to address those problems. You need to make an honest assessment of whether your product can help them and then make a recommendation on a path forward. 

TJ Poelking: Start—Being more problem-centric with your customers. Be genuinely curious about their business. Why did they take the meeting with you? What’s the current state of their practice? Where do they ultimately want to be? What's standing in the way of Point A & Point B? What have they tried to do so far?  How will they feel if they get there - or worse, if they don’t? It’s amazing what comes out of discussions when you’re more concerned with learning all of that, and less concerned with figuring out how or when to pitch your product.

Stop—Not continuing to develop yourself as a sales professional. Many of us tend to fall into 2 buckets: “can’ts” and “won’ts”. The can’ts will say they don’t have the time or resources. The won’ts feel they just don’t need it - “I hit my number, I’ve been selling forever, etc.” I empathize with a “can’t”, as we all have time constraints and challenges; I don’t understand the “won’ts”. You’re never too good or have enough experience to make yourself (and a result, your customers) better.

In sales, we are often asking people who are doing something one way to learn a new way. If we aren’t willing to do the same for ourselves, how can we expect them to do it?

“Professional is not a label you give yourself. It's a description you hope others will apply to you.”

Thank you Clayton, Amber, TJ, Richard, and Michael. Please consider connecting further with them by clicking their link.