14
notebook N
ew client numbers have dropped 2% to 5% across the country, says Wendy Myers, president of Com-
munications Solutions for Veterinarians, a Colorado-based consulting firm. “People aren’t moving. They are
staying in the same neighborhoods with the same veterinarians,” she explains. So how can animal hospitals make up
their revenue shortfall until the economy — and real estate market — recover? Take another look at the tried-and-
true, Myers advises. Certain market- ing tactics are perennials because they work. “Focus on your existing customer
base rather than spending marketing dollars chasing after a limited pool of new clients,” she says.
3 proven ways to increase client visits Myers recommends a proven three-
pronged strategy to increase client visits.
1. Be aggressive with callbacks “Practices should make a follow-up
call for any sick patient they see as an opportunity to recapture a follow-up visit,” she says. Myers cites a survey conducted by
Veterinary Metrics that found a two- doctor practice misses 300 to 600 medical progress exams a year by not following up with a callback or the client fails to make his or her next appointment at checkout. “If the client doesn’t make his or her
next appointment when checking out with a sick pet, less than half will return. Not only will you miss that income, but that pet could get worse and cost the client more money in the long run.”
2. Audit your reminder system “Go into your practice management
software and see what products and ser- vices you are sending reminders for and those you may be missing,” Myers says.
CE CALENDAR “In too many practices, the reminder
system is vaccine-driven when it really should be reminding for heartworm tests, intestinal parasite tests, dentistry, spay and neuter, and preventive. “For example, if a client buys a 12-pack of heartworm preventive, he or she should be getting a reminder at month 11 to repurchase.”
3. Leverage email Myers also recommends using email
reminders rather than postcards. “I worked with a practice in New
Jersey that started using VetStreet software,” she explains. “They had been sending postcards and making a phone call on the third reminder. “An analysis showed they were getting a 70% response rate on their email reminders. So they decided to drop the postcards on their first notice and go email only. Their second notice is an email plus a postcard, and their third notice is an email plus a phone call. “Not only did their compliance go
up, they saved a huge amount of money on postage, postcards and all the labor required to generate those mailings.”
November 10–11 MSAA/AAHA Meeting Davenport, IA
November 18–21 Veterinary Management Institute (VMI) Marketing Management Module Series 20 West Lafayette, Ind.
January 10 Distance Education Veterinary Technology Program (DEVTP) Spring classes begin, Online
January 10 Cedar Valley Certificate Program Spring classes begin, Online
Nutrifluent: Speak the Clients’ Language
An AAHA workshop in collaboration with Hill’s Pet Nutrition
November 9 _____Vancouver, BC November 11 ___ Portland, Ore. January 25 ____ Dallas, TX January 27 ____ Los Angeles, Calif.
Learn at Your Leisure
Watch the series of three Nutritional Guidelines web conferences at any time through September 9, 2011. Log on at
www.aahanet.org/webconf to participate using your computer. • The AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines — What They Mean to You
• Taking Action with the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines
• Tough Talk: Communicating Nutrition with Difficult and Not-So-Difficult Clients
Trends magazine, November/December 2010
©
iStockphoto.com/Joerg Reimann
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103