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Tracy Martin is the founder & CEO of Straight Consulting and oversees all aspects of its operations, business strategies, client work, relationships, content creation, and events. She started the company with an orthodontic sales perspective—with a background as a clinical assistant, then a Treatment Coordinator, and a Millennial. She serves client practices of all shapes and sizes, from start-ups to large groups in private practice and corporations in multiple markets around the world.

1. What advice would you give yourself today if you were a first entering this industry?

    

   I would first reassure myself that orthodontics is the place to be. It will always be needed (as long as humans are on the planet), and as specialists themselves, orthodontists gravitate toward experts that specialize in their arena. Rather than becoming a healthcare consultant or a dental practice advisor, I knew specialization was key to fast growth - you are the expert in a niche of a niche. It’s more important to focus on and own the area you’re in.  Within that niche, it’s wise to focus your expertise on sales and marketing, because business owners like orthodontists will always invest there. 

    

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

    

   I love authors like Gary Vaynerchuk- The Thank You Economy or Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, and Atomic Habits by James Clear, are at the core foundation of this company. For TC’s, I recommend Chris Voss’ Never Split the Difference.  But my ultimate favorites are Millennials with Kids and Marketing to Gen Z by Jeff Fromm. 

    

   These books would set someone up for significant success in customer experience, but they give you the answers and daily habits to succeed in practice.  

    

   I also think that my secret obsession is the app MasterClass.  I feed myself this on every plane ride. MasterClass is this app with thousands of experts and thought leaders, from all walks of life or industries, and they break down what could easily serve as a keynote presentation, and I crush through these a couple times a week.  I also pick certain ones for my own teams and clients.  My favorites so far feature James Clear, Jocko Willink and Geno Auriemma.

    

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

    

   I’d take that $100 and buy MasterClass.  The entire team (Doc included) would have access to far more intelligent people than me, with tools they can implement immediately. My second choice would be to use that $100 to take your team to lunch, because it’s the unexpected thank you’s that mean the most to them.

    

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

    

   Be Better Than You Were Yesterday.

    

   Be better to your team, patients, yourself, and family. All I’ve ever done is grow, and I want that from everyone around me. The saddest thing is seeing a person going through the motions and not being happy. I would hope that this billboard would move people into adopting this mindset, and into action.

    

5. What is the best investment you made in this industry?

    

   Going to conferences regularly. 

    

   I truly feel blessed that, because of my job, I can attend 10-15 orthodontic conferences a year, which has been a game changer for me personally. It’s a phenomenal way to maintain our clinical, business, and leadership knowledge, ensuring that we aren’t isolated to our little bubble of our own thoughts or perspectives.  That’s a common question I ask of doctors: “Which conference are you going to this year?”  Doctors can’t be as effective or efficient without being aware of the latest advancements in orthodontics; they need to know how others are finding new solutions, and they don’t get that if they stay on their island in practice.

    

6. What’s a bad recommendation that’s touted as an industry “best practice”?

    

   To keep your patient’s monthly payments within the treatment time.    

    

   This one is terrible.  It doesn’t work with millennials at all. I’d move the payments into retention.  I understand the risk, but I know Gen Y & Gen Z, and if you don’t make this affordable, they will not commit to you. Feel free to keep two cards on file or use ACH.  If you don’t overextend your millennial, and maintain excellent communication and a great working relationship, the patient won’t default. You’re losing out on starts by not being flexible and affordable - meet your patients where they are, that’s part of the “serve” in Customer Service.

    

   The second is the phrase,  “Fake It Until You Make It.”  Millennials and Gen Z patients highly value authenticity and can easily detect when someone is pretending to be confident or knowledgeable. In our TC Mastery Course, we emphasize that success isn’t about faking confidence—it’s about building genuine expertise. TCs must be well-versed in every treatment option, appliance, and financial offering available in their practice. They also need a deep understanding of how their doctor approaches treatment planning and patient care.

    

   Beyond technical knowledge, TCs must master the psychology of patient decision-making. Every team member plays a role in sales—avoiding that reality only weakens case acceptance rates. The key is to own your expertise and refine your ability to connect with patients authentically.

    

   Confidence isn’t about pretending—it’s about preparation.

    

7.  What’s one thing that is so intuitive to you yet the hardest to convey?

    

   This idea that “I can’t because..”,  “We can’t do that because….”,  “I can’t…”,   “My team won’t do this…”,  “My area is different because…”,  “Our demographic is different because…”
    
   I don’t live in that world. 

    

   I live in a world where the answer is always “Yes, What’s the question?”  Whatever you ask me, the answer is yes, and I’ll solve the problem backwards. We always say YES—just figure out the how.  Do you want a 7pm appointment?  Sure, it’ll be $11,000, and my doctor will be here! I bump into this with scanning and simulating.  How we are in 2025, not scanning and simulating every new patient, is beyond me.  The truth is Millennials are the most narcissistic generation to walk the planet.  Who came up with the “selfie”? Millennials. We love to see ourselves.  The simulation sells the case by itself.  For some reason, we lost track of using scanners and simulations to sell the treatment.  I would scan and simulate every single patient.  I guarantee any practice that it will impact the conversion rate.  No matter how articulate you are, a TC cannot explain the changes or tooth movements in the way a visual animation of their own teeth will.  Video is how this generations learns best, and a video of their own teeth (not a similar case you’ve done), speaks right to their heart.

    

8. Let’s say you visit a practice, you can’t leave until they do this one thing…? 

    

   They have to promise me they’ll do TC Calls and TC Videos.

    

   Enhancing the touchpoints before the consultation appointment is vital, and TC Calls/Videos is something I ask my TCs to commit to. This guarantees the patients are further in the buying process vs. waiting until they come into the office.

    

   The second is that they have to scan and simulate with a scanner once the new patient comes in.

    

9. How is selling treatment in 2025 different than in years past?

    

   We sell today through pre-visit touchpoints, through video, and a refinement process with the buyer vs. an in-person educational process to the buyer.  We need to ask questions and listen more than we speak. 

    

   TC’s get patients in the room and drop so much information about modalities and office policies, thinking “I can sleep at night because my patients were fully informed”.  Rather, we need to give them our content earlier in the buying process, and refine it when they visit. Then sell with questions:  Are you good with glasses or contacts? Do you see yourself taking  aligners in and out? Do you need something that’s fixed? Are you more of a set it and forget it person or really intentional?  Do you drink a lot of wine or coffee? Is it more about the timeline or cost?  These questions sell.  And it’s how to get consistent same-day starts.

    

10. What’s your parting advice to practices in 2025?

     

    Each day, we have a choice.  We can choose to change the day’s outcome.  We can choose to change the path our practice is on, how we spend our time, and on which goals - improving and making them better.  We can choose to find coaches and go to conferences, and it’s about deciding our priorities. Or, we can choose to do the same thing as we did yesterday.  We’re all working towards work-life balance, and if my team can help be part of your success and get you there faster, we would love to work with you.  But if you’re not ready yet, we’ll still be here. Each day, you have a choice.

     

My Take: I’m a huge fan of Tracy. Her energy and passion for what she does is apparent and felt! What’s interesting with her approach is how much she matches current customer psychology with her business acumen. Millennial patients and parents are built different; and she’s the expert on this theme to better your orthodontic practice. You can find more about her here at straightconsulting.com

To connect with Tracy, email her at: [email protected]