DPAS Regional Support Manager, Ian Eslick, looks back on his 25 years of involvement with plans and dentistry.
Little did Ian Eslick know that when his ideal job as a finance manager for a brewery disappeared because of a company takeover, he would spend the next 25 years immersed in the world of dentistry.
During his interview for the job of Business Manager at a dental practice, he admitted he knew nothing about dentistry. Far from seeing this as a fault, his future employers were delighted by this as they wanted someone to whom they could leave the business side of the practice while they got on and enjoyed their clinical work. For the next four-and-a-half years as well as taking care of the business Ian made sure he learned more about the clinical side of things to ensure he could run the practice successfully.
At the end of that time, the partners had decided to go their separate ways leaving Ian on the hunt for a job once more. Coincidentally, Ian’s practice was DPAS’s first customer and so he became well versed in the workings and benefits of dental membership plans. Having ‘put out the feelers’ for a new role, thanks to his previous experience as a customer, he was approached to join the field team in DPAS. “They approached me and said, ‘we need somebody out on the road. Would you come and join us?’ I said ‘yes’, as I was delighted to be given a company car, a brick of a phone and a laptop. And that’s when I joined DPAS 25 years ago.”
From rivals to siblings
At the time Ian covered the whole of the country visiting existing customers and building up new business. As DPAS grew and more members joined the field team he was able to scale down his territory so that he only covered a patch nearer his home in the Southwest. Things changed considerably in 2015 when DPAS became part of the Wesleyan Group of companies and a sister company to Practice Plan. “It was like Pop Stars – The Rivals,” Ian jokes. “I was a rival of Josie, Sarah and Tina, and then we became brother and sisters. We then changed to being dual branded and part of Practice Plan Group. So, I had two business cards and a split personality! I was DPAS one day and Practice Plan the next.”
Despite the change in ownership of DPAS Ian feels the biggest changes over the last 25 years have been in dentistry. “I think the plan business hasn’t changed greatly in 25 years, but the business of dentistry has,” he says. “I think we’ve had to keep up with that. And that’s why we’re market leaders.”
After such a long time, few of his earliest customers remain. “Over the years, your paths cross with the same people in the trade and the profession. Lots of my original portfolio of dentists have retired with only a small handful of them left. I’m still going, but it’s not hard on the shop floor like it is with dentists. What I’m seeing is the changing of the guard. Associates have bought out practices, and the corporates and group practices have taken off. So, as a company we have to be streetwise to that. So, while plans haven’t changed the change in the market over the 25 years has been substantial.”
Savvier younger dentists
The most striking change Ian has seen has been in the attitude of dentists. “Dentists have gradually realised that they are a self-employed business owner, so, they’ve got to make the finances work, and they’ve got to run it as a business,” Ian states.” They appreciate that they have great clinical knowledge but they need to employ a business manager, or a practice manager, somebody to run the business because obviously they’re not business people. They never get taught how to run a business.”
“The profession opening out to have more business acumen or have somebody to help them, like a dental specialist accountant or a business manager, has really changed in the 25 years. Now it’s more prevalent. But in those early days, it wasn’t that well thought of,” he says.
“The new breed of dentists are financially savvy” he continues. “They want everything for nothing. It’s a competitive market for us out there. And I think it’s driven by the profession at the moment. But when it comes to longevity, it is not all about costs all of the time. It’s about your knowledge in the business of dentistry. My view is I’m in the business of dentistry, so I’m not in the clinical side of dentistry. Although I have to know enough about that to be able to make a decision for plans. Ultimately, our business is plans and it’s a way for patients to spread the cost of their dentistry over a direct debit for 12 months.”
Despite hitting such a notable milestone, Ian has no plans to make any big changes to his life. “When I joined this business at age 35ish, I thought, ‘I may stay here for five years’, but 25 years on, I’m still here. So, there must be something that’s been good about it. Going forward, I think I will just carry on and support the profession and enjoy it. It’s a challenge out there, but I think, ‘what else would I want to do after 25 years?”
Leave a Reply