Recently, I needed help with the cable signal to my house. In calling to get the problem fixed, I was passed through an automated system to attempt to solve my issue. This process only reminded me how frustrating it is when I try to get help with a product or service and am unable to speak with a qualified representative or professional. What should your expectation be when you engage a person or company to provide you with transition services?

1. Qualified Expertise
Your representative must have the education, experience and expertise to provide you with the service for which you engage them. Just because someone says they offer a service does not mean they are qualified to provide it. In fact, they may not actually be providing it. Ask whether the individual personally does the appraisal/financial analysis, draft documentation and representation, or are these services completed elsewhere? If the individual does not personally provide all of these services, their ability to understand and represent you is greatly diminished.

2. Clarity in Representation
When engaging someone to sell your practice, you should be sure the person you engage is representing YOUR interests, not dual party or transactional. Dual representation is not just unethical, but, in Florida, illegal. Transactional representation means there is no true responsibility to your interests, just those of the transaction. Your interests are not held as paramount, and discussions with you are not necessarily held in confidence. Ask for (demand?) personal fiduciary responsibility.

3. Face-to-Face Relationships
Shouldn’t you know what your representative looks like? If your representative is not willing to meet with you personally, how can he/she represent your best interests? You should be able to meet and discuss your expectations and needs with your transition specialist to know that he/she is committed to you.

4. Personal Contact
If your transition specialist is sending potential buyers to your office and is not there to assist and answer questions, what are you paying them for? Potential purchasers need to understand what they are buying and why it is a good opportunity for them. Further, it is important for your representative to assess and evaluate each potential buyer, along with you, in order to insure a measure of confidence in compatibility with your practice philosophy, patients and staff. This cannot be achieved without the personal “hand-holding” that you should expect.

5. Supporting Networks
Does your transition specialist have a network of supporting specialists? Do they work with the major bankers, accountants and attorneys, or do they expect you to seek out and provide your own? A sure sign of a good transition specialist is that they work personally, one-on-one, with the leaders in the industry.

At ADS Florida we are committed to personal service and representation. We work with dental-specific accountants and CPAs as well as the finest attorneys specializing in dental practice transitions. We work with the major lending institutions on a personal level, providing your potential purchaser with the best possible opportunities for financing. Our firm has been in the business for over 35 years and has affiliated with industry’s best–something no other company can boast.

We pledge our personal service and attention to your practice transition needs with exclusive representation. We will not compromise our business ethics with “loss leaders” and “blind mailings” that suggest a potential buyer for your practice when, in fact, it doesn’t exist. We will meet with you face-to-face and personally address your issues and concerns and will never send a client to your practice without our presence. We will provide you with the service you expect!

Find out more about our professionalism at professionalism.ADSflorida.com. See how our extensive marketing stacks up at marketing.ADSflorida.com.