Wellness Plans / BONDED CLIENT
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From a practice perspective, the steady income of wellness plan fees can offset seasonality, regulate practice income and help with cash-flow challenges.
activities you perform repeatedly or ser- vices dictated by pet age. Then, compare your list to your competitors’ lists to see if you have missed anything. Once you have drafted a preliminary
list, share that list with staff to get their feedback and insights. Enroll staff, too, in creating clever names for each level of service, beyond “basic” or “advanced.”
Step 2: Attach fees for each level Once you’ve created your list of ser-
vices for each level and population, assess a cost for each service included in a level, and factor in a one-time enroll- ment fee, bearing in mind that only 20% of plan customers will take advantage of all the services. Weigh in, too, the value of discounts
on services outside plan levels, some- thing most plans offer. Also assess what it is worth to the practice to reap some of the more intangible rewards, such as to increase opportunities to build customer relationships, break down pet-visit barri- ers or incentivize good pet parenting. “It’s a seat-of-the-pants decision regard-
ing what to charge for plan levels,” notes Dr. Salzsieder. “You do your research, check market prices, run your costs and then make a best-guess estimate.”
Step 3: Test the market—and launch your wellness plans In market research circles, innova-
tors build prototypes of a new product or service, and then ask a targeted group of “ideal customers” for feedback. Together, the innovator and the targeted group build a final product through various feedback loops. Often, the targeted group becomes the innovator’s first custom- ers. The same principle can be applied to your wellness plan rollout, if you are hesitant about launching it formally.
Trends magazine, April 2012 Start by asking a select number of
your customers for feedback about your wellness plan. You will be surprised how the information gained will shape your final product and, hopefully, enroll its first customers. Once you’ve finalized your plan, print
materials and educate staff on how to educate customers on when plans make sense. “Wellness plans are a win–win proposition,” says Dr. Salzsieder, “but it’s something we don’t push because we’re in the pet business, not the sales business. We do have new customers, though, who come in and won’t let us see them until they can enroll in a plan. It’s that popular.” That, in a nutshell, confirms the value—and need—for wellness plans.
M. Carolyn Miller, MA, designs online and on-the-ground training programs for small and large companies. She also has expertise in business and marketing soft skills.
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Testing Your Wellness Plan
To gauge your wellness plan before you formally launch it, ask your customers: What do they like? What would they change? Would they enroll? Why or why not? At what level would they enroll?
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