Most practices have a desire to grow, but growth doesn’t just happen, especially in a rapidly changing and competitive market. Assess your practice and set goals for growth for the year. Then, make a decision to grow.
Once you’ve set your goals, it is important to create a plan for accomplishing that growth. For a practice to grow, you must retain existing customers, and acquire more business from existing as well as from new customers. Most of your growth potential lies with your existing customers. They have appointments for care that aren’t kept, never booked, or simply overlooked. Animal owners look to you to tell them what they need and when. If you don’t have all of their animals in your system, then most likely you are missing significant opportunities that will help you grow. These opportunities can only be realized if you have accurate and current client and patient information. Make this one of your goals to help you grow. Make it a priority to have accurate client and patient information. This should be established as part of your work flow with every client touch-point. Verify their information.
To reach new customers, determine where you are most likely to reach an audience of people who fit your practice’s customer profile. Devise a plan to reach that audience repeatedly and regularly. Develop your marketing message that you want this audience to know. Keep it simple and make it memorable. Differentiate your message from your competitors, and then, when the opportunity arises, deliver that differentiated and special service.
Acquiring new business doesn’t have to be expensive. Typically, it is simply a decision on your part and that of your practice to put a plan in place and then to execute it over and over. Make a decision to grow. Put your plan in place today.
