But Dr. Marsh more than doubled his practice after enrolling on the Sterling Program, boosting his income from $300,000 per year to about $650,000.

The 58-year-old grandfather described the fallacy of a "level" practice.

"My practice hadn't grown a lot. It was flat. Now I know that anything that's level isn't really level, it's actually going down.

"We were seeing 20 some new patients a month. Dentistry wasn't fun anymore. I didn't understand the basics of 'selling' dentistry and expanding the practice.

"Now we see twice the number of patients with less stress. Dentistry is fun again."

The pediatric dentist now sees around 50 new patients a month, works a maximum of four days a week and only slightly increased his overhead to do so.

"I really didn't add any staff. Only one part-time person, and I went from where I was to the current level of production and income."

The doctor's staff has also seen the benefits of Sterling's programs and contribute greatly to the success of the office.

"I've got the greatest staff in the country now. I've had no turnover because we have more of a team approach. Communication skills have increased and they know what's expected of them. They feel a lot more part of the practice.

"I'll give you an example. We really promoted for a few years. One month our goal was 90 new patients. By the last day of the month we had seen 99 new patients.

"At lunch a couple of assistants and I were talking and one nurse said, 'We've surpassed our goal by 9 New Patients. It's a shame we couldn't get more and see 100.'

"The first patient after lunch had his little brother with him. So the nurse asked his mother how old the younger sibling was. She said he was almost three years old.

"So the nurse said, 'You know, you should have a checkup to make sure he's OK. You've got insurance and it'll cover it.'

"I was working in the back and the nurse came back and whispered, 'We just got number 100.'

"Now that's a staff! They're as interested in winning as you are."

When asked what his plans for the future were, Dr. Marsh told Today's Dentist that he wasn't going to retire. "I'm having too much fun. I'll continue to work 3-4 days a week as long as my health is good and I can deliver quality dentistry and help people.

"With the current schedule, I have a mini-vacation every weekend."