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Life With Clients

Be the Business

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Be the Business

Originally Published: DVM Newsmagazine, January 1, 2011

 

 

Veterinarians, generally speaking, are not self-centered people. Focusing on others helps us to build relationships with our clients, empathize more deeply with our patients and create stronger teams with our staff. This tendency to avoid a selfish outlook does not, however, make us the best veterinarians that we can be. To grow as doctors, make ourselves maximally valuable to our patients and our employers and achieve true job satisfaction, we need to pay attention to ourselves. We need to understand what our career options are; how we want to grow; what our strengths, weaknesses and passions are; and what success looks like for us as individuals. The best method I have found for achieving this mindset is trying to view myself as my own business. (I think Andy, Inc. has a nice ring to it.)

Before you skip to the next article, let me say that I know that thinking about business is probably not your favorite thing to do. Most veterinarians would probably rank strategic business planning right up there with watching C-SPAN and getting a flu vaccine in the list of awesome things to do on your day off. Career planning is not sexy, but you know it is important. And this method is a quick and easy way to wrap your head around what you are doing and where you are going as a veterinarian.

Now, let’s pretend that you are your own business and you work for no one else. Are you doing the following things well?

Setting your price

For most associates, figuring out what to ask for in an employment contract is like playing basketball with small children. You worry about being humiliated and taken advantage of in a way that even your close friends will never let you live down. You also fear being perceived as an egotistical jerk who treats poor, good-hearted practice owners mercilessly for your own pleasure. But if you think of yourself as a business, you can escape that feeling by asking yourself: “Are my prices fair? Do they reflect my value to the consumer (practice owner)? Will they keep me in business?”

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you need to negotiate. And it offers some direction on what you should ask for. Remember, asking an outrageous price for your services or nickel and diming your client (practice owner) is not how you want to run your business. However, you also can’t survive if your costs to live are greater than what you are able to bring in. You need to know what your overhead expenses are (your personal living expenses including debt), and what value you can bring to the hospital (both financially and culturally). If you have these key pieces of information, you can take an educated stand on your salary and benefits.

Sometimes your potential client (practice owner) will not be willing or able to pay the price that you are asking. You have the power to try to negotiate further, to accept the arrangement your client is proposing or to find a different client. Remember that money isn’t everything, and sometimes it’s better to make less money and work for a client that fits your style. Just never forget that you always have to be able to pay the bills.

Protecting your reputation

When you go to a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, you know what you are going to get. The people at the front desk will be available, the cleaning crew will have the room ready, you won’t see any emotional meltdowns from the staff and management will not be caught yelling or throwing things. This dependable, committed approach to service exemplifies professionalism, and it is the easiest way to build and protect your reputation.

Consistently behaving professionally will increase your value to the practice, protect your reputation in the veterinary community and ultimately provide you with credibility and career options. You have to do it every single day—even when the urge to go “Jersey Shore” on certain staff members is overwhelming—but it will pay off in the end.

Building your brand

How do you want your clients, your peers and the staff to think of you? Are you the gifted surgeon, the local expert on avian medicine or the compassionate guardian of underprivileged animals? When you share your interests with clients in person or on your website, when you consider taking a different job or when you research CE opportunities, never forget who you want to be. If you tell people what your interests are and you actively seek opportunities to build skills in those areas, then you are guiding your career toward your dream job, even if you aren’t 100 percent sure what that dream job is. Keep focusing on the areas that you are passionate about, and people will seek you out with opportunities to do what you love most.

Thinking of yourself as a business, especially when your work schedule and conditions are largely dictated by your employer, probably feels a bit odd. However, this mental exercise can empower you to make your career what you want it to be. So, Dr. CEO, what do you want to be, and how are you going to get there?

Manage Your Social Media in 1 Hour a Week

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Manage Your Social Media in 1 Hour a Week

Originally Published: DVM NewsMagazine, March 1, 2012

 

My wife was out of town recently and left me with our 4-year-old daughter. Friends of mine, both veterinarians, decided to spare my child another hot dog dinner and invited us over for the evening. As soon as my daughter was engrossed in her meal, talk turned to Mike’s fledgling mobile practice.

“How are you using social media in your marketing?” I asked.

“As little as possible,” he replied. .

I put down my fork. As a business consultant and lover of all things social, I was at a complete loss. He might as well have told me he had started examining pets in the nude.

“That stuff is a major time suck,” he explained. “With everything I have to do at work, I don’t have the extra time. Besides, if I come home late and then get right on Facebook, my wife will kill me.”

There is no doubt that people today are looking online for their veterinarians and other service and care providers. (If the Yellow Pages aren’t completely dead, they’re on their last legs.) Your clients are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. If you want them to see you, you need to have a presence in these social networks.

That being said, my friend has a point about the need to expend marketing time and resources wisely. (I agreed that being killed by his wife was not the desired outcome.) With that in mind, here is a six-step plan for maintaining a useful social media presence by devoting just one hour per week. This is in no way a full social media marketing strategy, but it will help your practice get out there and connect with clients in a meaningful and manageable way. Let’s get started.

1. Set reasonable goals and expectations

Just like with a workout routine, you can’t expect to put in minimal time and get herculean results. However, focusing your efforts in an efficient, meaningful way can give you something to be proud of over the long term. You shouldn’t expect to get thousands of fans using this approach, but rather to communicate with—and stay in the minds of—people who may actually bring their pets to you for care. You’re going for quality in your connections, not quantity.

2. Remember your brand

Yes, the photo of the cat smoking a cigarette you saw on the Internet may have been hilarious, but is that the picture you want associated with your clinic? Every post or tweet you put out should fit the brand image you want to build in people’s minds. If in doubt, err on the side of caution and come across as caring and professional.

3. Pick a platform

All the large social networks out there do things slightly differently and have some advantages and drawbacks. Your goal is not to become omnipresent by using them all, but to find a service that you’re comfortable with and that your clients use. It’s better to have a single, well-run presence than a half-dozen neglected and disorganized efforts that all make you look bad.

For most practices, I recommend a Facebook business page. The other social media sites are great, but Facebook is easy to learn. It’s also the largest network by far, and the number of posts you need to stay visible is manageable. Facebook’s recommendation system also helps put your page in front of people who live in your geographic area, and that’s a big plus.

4. Find your content

No one wants to subscribe to see you pitching your sales and services 24/7. They want to subscribe to you because you share information that’s interesting, educational, helpful, funny and engaging. You should give them what they want (with a moderate dose of information about your practice, of course).

One easy way to do this is to let other people create the content and deliver it to you so that you can share the best of it with your own clients. Email newsletters are a wonderful way to get articles, blog posts and videos delivered right to your inbox. Some of the best media outlets you can subscribe to are from the AVMA, http://dvm360.com and ASPCA Poison Control. You can collect these newsletters in a folder in your email program. When you need content for your social media outlet, voila!

Additionally, developing a list of websites with great information for clients—such as http://dvm360.com and http://veterinarypartner.com—allow you to find links quickly to specific information you want your clients to have.

5. Use a social media calendar and a scheduler

Now that you have clear goals, your brand on your mind (and your mind on your brand), and helpful, funny, interesting, educational and engaging content that you’re ready to share, it’s time to take action.

First, schedule one hour per week as social media time. Then create a plan for what content you want to put out over the next seven days. Use a web-based program to schedule posts automatically at designated times.

The social media management company Virtue released a study of Facebook usage between 2007 and the end of 2010 that indicated the greatest activity on the site was on weekdays at 3 p.m. EST, followed by 11 a.m. EST, and 8 p.m. EST. Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST was consistently the busiest time in the week, while Sunday was the slowest day. Keep these times in mind when deciding how best to schedule your posts.

My favorite scheduler is Hootsuite (http://hootsuite.com). Users can write their posts, attach files or links, and then set the date and time for the information to appear on Facebook, Twitter, etc. It’s free to use, and once you decide how often you want to put out information, you can set your entire week in a single sitting.

6. Monitor what’s happening.

Once your social media initiative is up and rolling, you can’t take your hands totally off the wheel. You must be responsive when clients communicate through your social media channel. Have notifications about client comments sent to your clinic via a regularly checked email address. Figure out who will address these comments.

When clients reach out in this way, don’t panic. You don’t have to respond immediately like you would if they showed up in person. Twenty-four hours (48 on a weekend) is a good response time and won’t leave clients feeling ignored.

Like global warming and Justin Bieber, social media is an unstoppable force. It’s undeniably changing and improving the way we communicate with pet owners. Even if you have the most cutting-edge medical practice, you run the risk of seeming outdated without a presence in social media. So carve out an hour a week to log in and have fun with it. Then get back to the work of being a vet.

 

 

Dr. Andy Roark practices in ljamsville, Md. He is the founder/managing director of a veterinary consulting firm Tall Oaks Enterprises, LLC. Follow him on Facebook or @DrAndyRoark
on Twitter.

6 Ways to Fight the Veterinary Competition — Without Fighting

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6 Ways to Fight the Veterinary Competition — Without Fighting

Originally Published: Veterinary Economics, November 1, 2011

They did what?” I sputtered. The practice owner I was talking with on the phone was a longtime friend. He lowered his voice and explained, “They bought reviews on Google.”

We were discussing the megapractice down the road. This practice had been amassing negative online client reviews for months—at the same time that my friend’s clients were posting glowing reviews of his small startup clinic.

But suddenly, the megapractice had garnered 30 five-star reviews in a matter of weeks, all from “clients” who had all—coincidentally?—given five-star reviews to a slew of other unrelated businesses across the United States. Either these reviewers were traveling cross-country together, reviewing the same random businesses, or the competition was buying their praise. Unbelievable.

Now, a little friendly competition can be healthy. It can motivate you to improve both your medicine and your business practices. Plus, the presence of others in your business space pushes you to create better value for clients and patients and keeps you from resting on your laurels.

However, the fear of competition stealing clients can also make for a stressful situation—especially when your rivals play dirty. In my years as a veterinarian—working at a fledgling startup practice, a megapractice, and now at a three-doctor clinic in an area where new practices are constantly opening—I’ve dealt with many different competitors. I’ve led strategic planning sessions for veterinary organizations, clinics, and corporations, and dealing with veterinary competition is one of the most frequently discussed topics.

In facilitating these discussions, as well as leading veterinary teams on the ground, I’ve discovered some excellent tactics for addressing rivals. It’s time for the gloves to come off so you can focus your energy on tackling what’s most important: your practice. Here are six tips for handling interclinic aggression without stooping to your competitor’s level.

1. Don’t take the offensive. Most of us learned this lesson on the playground: Punching back can get you into worse trouble—and sometimes leave you with a broken hand. Even if you’re bigger, stronger, and absolutely in the right, the odds of being damaged by your own aggression are high. Don’t risk your reputation or your business by lobbing aggressive initiatives at competitors. They’ll usually backfire. Strategies to avoid include: direct price and service comparisons; disparaging comments about your competitor’s medicine, morals, location, or business practices; and observations about your competitor’s bad personal hygiene or holiday decorations. (Yes, I’ve heard these before.)

None of these things will make your practice look good. In fact, they’ll do the opposite—and make your clients start to question your integrity.

2. Focus on personal performance.

Stop aiming at your competitors and point your focus inward. Win the battle on your home turf by shoring up your strengths and ensuring that your veterinary team is performing at its best. Pull together your personal advisors, discuss what the competition is doing, and build a strategic plan for what you’ll do to rise above the pressure. Polish your fundamental service model to make sure you’re providing a solid client experience and avoiding common practice mistakes such as missing charges, neglecting your reminder system, and failing to schedule recheck appointments or follow up with clients.

Are you taking your clients for granted? Discounting your services into oblivion? Dropping the ball on preventive care? If the answer is yes (or even maybe), then conquer those issues first. Those are all things you can change at your practice.

3. Start innovating. There’s nothing wrong with adapting ideas and techniques that are succeeding in other clinics and businesses. Once you’ve worked internally to raise your own standards, look externally and consider what other businesses do to better serve clients and distinguish their brand. Read widely, talk to everyone you can, and expand your thinking to find and modify ideas that will help you grow and evolve. Innovation, when applied to a fundamentally sound business, can radically change the competitive landscape.

I have seen clinics pursue successful innovations such as wellness plans, social media initiatives, community outreach events, and niche marketing plans. I was recently involved with a small business that gained a foothold in its community through regular talks at the local gay pride center. The business is currently growing by replicating these talks for local church groups. This is an innovative marketing approach that is working well because competitors aren’t doing it, thus the opportunities are plentiful. The take-home message here is that great ideas and opportunities are everywhere. Don’t be afraid to harvest them.

Once you have a plan for innovation, don’t go all in just yet. Present the idea to some of your best clients and people you respect both inside and outside the veterinary industry. Incorporate their feedback into your master plan and begin the program one step at a time. That way you can gauge success—and prevent unmanageable losses if the idea doesn’t work out. Set up and monitor performance metrics carefully. Remember: Not every initiative will work out, so don’t get too emotionally attached to any one idea, and don’t be afraid to abandon plans that aren’t delivering results.

4. Honor your values. As my father and mentor used to say, “In the end, all you’ve got is your reputation.” It’s easy to let fear, frustration, and uncertainty push you to make decisions you otherwise wouldn’t make. But what does your long-term picture look like if you become known for tactics such as buying positive reviews, slandering other clinics while hiding behind online anonymity, upselling beyond what patients need, or never referring cases to specialists regardless of the situation? Think about your actions and image from the perspective of your clients, most of whom know nothing about your competitors or perceived business battles.

If you take a hard look and find you don’t like your practice’s image, then regroup and start fresh. You want to succeed, but you also want to be able to look at yourself in the mirror every morning with a clean conscience.

5. Improve your closing techniques. While client education is of great importance, your ability to get your veterinary clients to commit to and pay for services is what will ultimately dictate success. When clients check out, ask them if they would like to book their next appointment. (Yes, even if it’s a year in advance. Remember, your dentist does it.) Ask price shoppers if they would like to schedule the service they’re calling about. And encourage doctors to make firm recommendations.

Note: These are not recommendations that start with the words, “You might” or “You could.” Firm recommendations start with phrases like, “I recommend” and “I suggest.” Finally, empower technicians to follow up with clients after the exam to determine which products they want to take home. Brushing up on your closing techniques will help increase your practice’s bottom line.

6. Don’t take client behavior personally. Clients will leave your practice. This is a business reality. Don’t let it damage your confidence or, worse, push you into a panic. It may feel like two clients leaving in a week is a mass exodus—especially if they’re going to the same competitor. It’s not. It’s a sign that your competition is doing something that works, and you need to know what that something is. It’s a time for strategy, not emotion. Your veterinary clients will usually act in their own perceived best interest. Understand that inclination and strive to make your clinic the obvious choice for self-interested clients in the future.

Six weeks have passed since I talked to my friend about the megapractice’s dirty tricks, and 18 more five-star reviews have been posted. I asked whether his business had shown signs of suffering as a result. “No,” he said. “The last two months have been the best we’ve had so far.”

What was going on? Well, for one, my friend had hired a technician away from the competing practice. But even more important, he stopped looking at the online reviews. “They’re just a distraction,” he said. “We’re doing great things, so getting upset about the competition just doesn’t make sense.”

You can’t control your competitors. What you can control is your own practice: its strategy, its relationships, its culture. Letting go of the urge to engage in direct conflict frees up your energy so you can direct your best efforts toward your own veterinary practice. It’s like Sun Tzu says in The Art of War: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”