Progressive Dental is a full-service practice consulting firm in Clearwater, FL that specializes in helping dental clinicians increase acceptance rates for targeted high dollar procedures through the creation and implementation of customized marketing campaigns.
Bart grew up in Palm Harbor, FL with a family that had a passion for dentistry. His father, Dan Knellinger DDS, has a practice and has been a pillar of the community for over 30 years. His mother, Jennifer Knellinger, has worked by Dr. Knellingers side in the office every year since they began seeing patients and is the catalyst behind the growth of the practice. Bart has three sisters, Stacey Verkler, Carol Bou-Sliman, and Jill Schmidt. Stacey is also a dentist and is in practice with Dr. Knellinger. Carol is a new graduate from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and is in practice with Drs. Knellinger and Verkler. Jill is an accomplished attorney in the Tampa Bay Metro area.
When Bart graduated high school he did not take the same path as his family. His dream was to be an entrepreneur and he believed the most important skills he needed to hone were creative thinking, communication, and determination. There is no better way to manifest all of those aptitudes than to put yourself in a situation in which you have no choice but to succeed.
Eighteen months into his journey, a friend told Knellinger that Idearc Media was hiring consultants to sell advertising. The company had recently offered an early retirement buyout package to many of its employees, so the timing was perfect. Knellinger jumped at the chance to work and learn from a Fortune 500 company, which also provided him with the opportunity to move back to Florida. He instantly succeeded at this job and was ranked number one in new and existing sales during his first year. He was also selected for Idearc Medias prestigious Presidents Club, an honor that recognizes the top 1% out of the thousands of consultants in the company.
Bart loved his job, but there was one aspect that really bothered him. Knellinger would talk to so many different business owners each week he could not possibly know enough about each business to really help them craft a plan for expansion and growth. Therefore, sometimes the marketing would work and sometimes the marketing would not work, but Knellinger never knew why. That is when he decided to start his own marketing firm Progressive Dental and focus on learning everything he could in regards to how a practice is run and the problems dentists and their teams face in regards to growth.
This was when we realized we needed to add staff training, phone tracking, and analytics, says Knellinger. Marketing doesnt stop when the phone rings. Its almost a travesty if the patients dont get the care they need because the phone call wasnt handled properly. To address this discrepancy, Knellinger implemented staff training, phone scheduling, and treatment planning protocols at PD to assist dental practices in overcoming common objections and improving their new case acceptance rates.
Since the firms launch in 2009, PD has achieved superior results for numerous dental practices across the country and abroad using Knellingers Full Circle methodology. The Full Circle approach employs a combination of strategic planning, patient education, staff training, and analytics to qualify and convert new patients. The success of this marketing innovation distinguished PD from competitors and solidified Knellingers reputation as an industry thought leader. A popular speaker on the dental conference circuit, Knellinger remains passionate about equipping todays dentists with the sales and marketing knowledge they need to sustain a profitable practice.
In 2014, Progressive Dentals rapid expansion earned the firm a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America and PD has remained on that list for 5 consecutive years. Over the last five years we have come a long way as an organization, says Knellinger. The growth of PD is, and will continue to be, contingent upon the growth and success of our clients. Our mission and advantage remains the fact that we always put our clients first. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to help them achieve their goals and build their practices.
Bart Knellinger started Progressive Dental in 2009 after recognizing a need for marketing and consulting services within the dental field. Bart has helped thousands of practices identify areas for growth, and he has been noted as one of the leading innovators in dentistry today. Bart has spoken for some of the industrys largest organizations including BIOLASE, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Nobel Biocare, The Dawson Academy, The Pankey Institute and more. He was recognized on the Business Observers 2015 40 Under 40 for Tampa Bay and has driven PD to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of Americas fastest growing privately held companies for 5 consecutive years in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.