After living in Colorado for 7 years, I have found the most amazing veterinarian.You might be asking what that has to do with your health care practice getting and keeping more clients.So . . . let me tell you!Dr. Wendy Hauser’s Coal Creek Animal Hospital does several things that make me feel like I belong there.Do your new clients feel the same way?
Put Your Client at Ease
At Coal Creek Animal Hospital, every employee wears a name tag.Think that’s cheesy?Think again! When they wear their name tags, I’m not embarrassed by forgetting their names.
If you are a sole practitioner with no office support, then perhaps you want to fore go the name tag.However, if your name, like mine, is often pronounced in multiple ways or is not a name that is commonly heard or easily remembered, you may want to repeat it several times over the first few sessions so that you client does not feel awkward about forgetting it or possibly mispronouncing it.The bottom line here is to put your client at ease.
Let Your Client Know that You Understand
Everyone from the office manager to the veterinarians always fusses over my dogs – Opie, Taylor, and Punky – as if they were my children!And, they do this even when they are not in tow!I’ve convinced myself that Dr. Hauser and her staff think my pups are their favorite patients – and they’ve only met two out of the three so far!
Do you do that?Do you ask about your clients’ children or dogs or significant other?If they’ve mentioned them to you in the past, you definitely should inquire about them again.It lets your clients know that you are listening, that you care, and that you get that they care about the other members of their family!
Take Your Time
Another thing that Dr. Hauser does that really works for me is that she takes time to visit with my partner and me even on her busiest days.
What does that do for me?It builds rapport.It makes me think that she actually enjoys seeing and spending time with me and my partner!I get the impression that it’s not just about the money!Can your clients say the same thing?
Keep Your Eyes Open
So here’s one of my secrets for great marketing. . . . Keep your eyes open.Don’t limit your study of marketing strategies to only your profession.Not all marketing is equal.However, there are many professions, like ours, that are built on relationships.Your financial planner, your religious community, your veterinarian, and your graphic designer all have services to sell.But, more importantly, they have relationships to sell.
Take a look to see what simple and cost-effective marketing strategies other professions are implementing that you can “borrow” for your own practice. And, drop me a line here to let me know what you are finding and experimenting with!
Please share your thoughts!