In a business, it is common for procedures and processes to become abbreviated, overlooked, and dropped out. When this happens, the quality of the outcomes or products deteriorates. When quality decreases, the business begins a seemingly inexplicable downward spiral. I call this Procedure Atrophy and cover it in my book, The Goal Driven Business. (page 164).

Scripts, like procedures and policies, help us stay on track. They are helpful for new staff, but even the pro’s can go astray. But a script will never take the place of a person. There first has to be a connection. The connection must exist before the words.

A practice is a network of relationships that's created and sustained through service and communication. If you aren’t communicating with your patients – active and inactive - you won’t have much of a practice.

If you keep doing what works, and then make improvements along the way, and adapt as needed to changes in the marketplace, you will be able to generate more production with less effort.