Success in Their Own Words: Quint Whipple, CDT
Success in Their Own Words: Quint Whipple, CDT
What is your definition of success?
My definition of success is loving what I do, and loving who I do it for. By this definition, I can certainly say that I have achieved success, both professionally and personally. There is an old saying that goes something like: If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. That isn’t to say I’ve never had a bad day at the office, but I truly enjoy my profession and want to share my excitement for it with everyone that I meet. It is part of me, not as a level of status or identity, but because I value the contribution that our industry makes to society.
How is that reflected in your laboratory?
If there is anything I have learned, especially in these more difficult economic times, it is that this is a relationship business. There isn’t a client of mine that I wouldn’t enjoy having dinner with or playing a round of golf with. In fact, I often do. This doesn’t always happen overnight, however. Sometimes, if a dentist has been frustrated with previous lab experiences, it may take some time for that relationship to unfold. But, I find that if I am always looking out for my client’s best interests, mine will follow.
When I meet a doctor, my end game isn’t about making a sale. Once a doctor sees we both possess unique knowledge that can strengthen each of our careers, as well as provide a top notch experience for the patient, the natural or perceived barriers that exist are eliminated and the profession as a whole benefits. Maybe they become a new client, maybe they don’t, but the experience was empowering to both of us.
When you love doing something, it’s much easier to bring your best game. Our company motto is discover excellence. Not only do we work so that our clients will discover an excellent product and buying experience, but we use it as a motto for our team. Discover suggests continued learning, because there is always more to know. Excellence implies the evident; we expect the best of ourselves.
Has your definition of success changed over the years? If so, how?
Yes. When I first started my business, most of my goals had dollar signs in front or could be linked one way or another to them. This isn’t to imply I was full of greed, but it was the benefit anticipated following the risk taken. Then, after falling into the trap that many lab owners do, it became defined by the amount of time I had. I was living to work, not working to live. Although, I haven’t perfected each of these yet, I now define it as loving what I do, and who I do it for.
What are the five most important things you did at your laboratory to achieve your definition of success?
- Made a commitment to the idea that we would not be the status quo laboratory.We would produce only high quality products.
- Built meaningful relationships through a genuine interest in our client’s success
- Maintained a constant pursuit of learning
- Enforced policies (such as payment and scheduling) to maintain a level of mutual respect and balance between career and personal life
- Recruited employees with great attitudes and talent, knowing experience can be given to someone but the others can’t.
What was the biggest hurdle you had to overcome for your laboratory to be successful?
My biggest hurdle has been having the will to make the hard decisions, whether in regards to policy changes, employee changes or basic business decisions. Often times, the writing is on the wall, but human nature hopes things will get better on their own. I would say that making a priority out of daily/weekly business planning has also been difficult. It is easy to get caught up in the manufacturing of crowns and neglect the delivery system, i.e. the client.
Can you describe a few of the mistakes you’ve made over the years that may have kept you from being as successful as you wanted to be?
One mistake I made was not joining professional lab organizations sooner. I was working with all of the dentist organizations, such as the AACD, to further my knowledge base from a dentist’s perspective and to spotlight the client’s needs, but could have benefited from the business knowledge found in organizations such as NADL. I’m quite certain it would have saved me a great deal of time and stress.
What does success mean to you? Answer the above questions and e-mail your answers to jdt@nadl.org and we may publish your answers on JDT Unbound in the future.
