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Tips from AAHA Accreditation Consultants 17 seconds


A practice did a study on the cost- Importance of mentoring W


ondering whether mentoring might work for you? Consider these facts:


Companies that offer mentoring do a better job of retaining key employees.


People who have had mentors report higher levels of job satisfaction.


People who have been mentored earn more than those who have not.


Seventy-five percent of executives in one study say mentoring played a key role in their success.


Ninety-four percent of female small businesses owners who have had mentors say the experience was “crucial” or “very helpful” to their success.


Once you take the plunge, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers these tips to get the most from your mentoring experience: Be organized, prepared and consistent. Time is precious. Plan your mentoring sessions


Trends magazine, September 2011


in advance. Sessions can be as simple as monthly one-on-one discussions of where you are compared with your business goals, how best to tackle business obstacles, getting advice on business processes that you do not understand and so on.


In addition to casual one-on-one sessions, have structured sessions to address various aspects of starting, running, managing and growing your business.


Take notes, own your action items and review progress against the action items in each session.


Be respectful of your mentor’s time.


Use your mentor’s insight as you see fit.


Be thankful and communicative about the value your mentor brings.


Finally, at every session, ask your


mentor if there is anything you can do to help him or her. This is about being in a mutually beneficial relationship.


efficiency of turning lights off. If the lights are off for more than 17 seconds, there is cost savings; however, if the lights are off for less than 17 seconds, it costs more to turn them on and off.


Warm up To warm animals, use a “space age”


blanket alone or with a pet warmer. A “space age” blanket is made of the


same material used for emergency blan- kets for hikers or skiers. It absorbs and retains body heat. Some blankets come with fleece covers for easy cleaning.


Talk in public To build visibility, a practice in Fort


Collins, Colo., sent two new associates to a local sporting goods store to give seminars on safety and emergency while hiking with pets. More than 60 people attended the seminars.


Easy-find flashlights Buy glow-in-the-dark flashlights and hang them on the wall so that you can eas- ily find them when the power goes out.


Kong hunt Last Easter, Blais Veterinary Hospital


in Pennsylvania hosted an Easter Kong hunt. Staff


stuffed about 50 Kong toys with liver treats and hid them on the practice’s back lot for the dogs to find. The dogs got to keep any Kongs they found.


Keepsake book sells out Whitesburg Animal Hospital in Alabama had a grand opening for its doggie day care and dog park. Staff took pictures of the dogs in attendance and created a book. The practice ordered 25 copies,


thinking that would be enough. They sold out immediately and have clients on a waiting list for more copies. They created the books with


snapfish.com. This occasional column features tips that AAHA practice accreditation consultants collect from the practices they visit.


No one wants to hang out with you in person or on the social web if all you ever do is talk about yourself or try to sell your products.


Susan Gunelius, author of 30 Minute Social


Media Marketing, quoted in Youngupstarts.com. Her recommendation: Spend no more than 20% of your social media efforts on self-promoting.


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