Barry Trexler is acutely aware of what dentists want and their patients need. Thanks to nearly 20 years in healthcare, with much of that focused on practice management solutions, Barry knows the importance of keeping a pulse on industry trends. His insight has been key to DenMat regaining its voice as a premier provider of dental products and laboratory services.

Joining DenMat in May 2018 as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Barry was tasked with messaging DenMat’s value proposition: a voice that has been somewhat muted during various mergers and acquisitions. Now with an expansive product portfolio, a high-end esthetic lab and key services to help a practice grow, it is time to help the market understand DenMat’s full value proposition.

“While many dentists have been using DenMat products for a long time, not all realize that we have seven business lines,” Barry explains. “My job is to inform these dentists – and prospective customers, as well – of our total value proposition: that is, DenMat not only offers high-quality products but also has a high-end laboratory, practice management tools, and a robust education platform.”

Barry’s first task was to streamline the synergistic opportunities of the sales and marketing team. “We have a dynamic sales and marketing team. By teaching the sales team how to engage practices by speaking to DenMat’s value proposition, we have been better able to align with the mission of our marketing efforts,” he explains. To determine areas for improvement, Barry’s team conducted a phone survey of 1,000 DenMat customers to ask how DenMat products serve their needs. An overwhelming 95% said that the DenMat products utilized served their needs and were being delivered with excellent customer service.

Armed with this data, Barry has now shifted his focus to marketing the company’s plentiful product and service offerings. “I’m passionate about working for DenMat because the company has great products and services, talented leaders and an incredibly knowledgeable staff – from the laboratory technicians to the consultants to the long-time employees,” Barry shares. “But above all, I’m passionate because DenMat has an untold story to share that I believe our customers will respond to; we have so much room for growth. And that’s a wonderful position to be in.”

With such short-term marketing plans in motion, Barry states that DenMat is thinking long-term as well. “The changing demographics in dentistry will demand a shift to digital-based marketing and customer interaction,” he explains. “As we become a more digitally focused company, our goal is to encourage our customer base to interact with us online. With this, we intend to transform our practice management offerings to reflect the evolving needs of our customers, while also building awareness of this and other services.”

While change is the only certainty in life, it is not easy. But Barry is up for the challenge. “Dentists follow other dentists,” he says. “And this is a small industry; everyone knows each other. For this reason, you’re going to spend more than any other industry to shift behavior in terms of marketing dollars spent.”

In order to influence such change among this tight-knit profession, Barry has taken it upon himself to immerse himself in the field. “There is nothing like being with customers,” he admits. “There are three things that influence my decisions as a leader and that is: 1) What is the customer telling me? 2) What is our competition doing?, and 3) What are our employees saying? In the field, I gather invaluable intel I can’t attain elsewhere – most of which is very actionable and addressable.”

This type of leadership is inherent; although Barry credits others with influencing the leader he is today. “DenMat CEO David Casper has been an exceptional leader and mentor to me over the past 18 years,” Barry says. “And what I’ve learned from him is that leadership is sacrifice. This means, you have to understand the sacrifices you will make to lead your people. The people that work for us, they count on us to do the right thing. We make business decisions that have employees’ best interests at heart while also taking care of customers. Leadership also means additional hours/thinking through things non-stop; there is no ‘off’ time. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

DenMat is proud to announce that Barry was recently appointed as a member of Forbes Councils. View Barry's profile here.

Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive.

To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.