Making Your Practice FAN-tastic!

We join fan clubs, fantasy leagues, hit that “like” link because, according to a study from the University of Buffalo in New York, it increases our self-esteem and improves our interpersonal relationships.

Think back to the first time someone asked to be your friend. You were probably in kindergarten or elementary school. How great was that feeling?

How great would it feel to have raving fans of your practice?

Is your practice fan-worthy?

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. …You’re every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi or The Body Shop… To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi or The Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.”—Tom Peters for Fast Company Magazine

Take the idea of branding yourself or your practice a step further; challenge your staff to the same 15 words-or-less contest. I guarantee that you’ll find as many points of difference as you have staff members…maybe more. That could be a big problem. Your practice must have a defined identity…a recognizable brand to which every one, from owner to staff to patient can relate. Use the information that your staff provided and develop the phrase or phrases that define, in simple terms, your practice identity. Use that phrase or phrases everywhere…on your letterhead, your business cards, your advertising…even as wall art in your office. To see that phrase is to immediately recognize it as your practice brand.

Still not convinced that this is time well spent? At the Summer Sales Camp held by The Vision Council, industry expert Mike Karlsrud of the Karlsrud Company (www.karlsrudcompany.com) and Rene Soltis, Senior Director of Meetings and Education, developed a list of 30 taglines for attendees to identify in less than 5 minutes. The list included oldies like:

• It Takes a Licking and Keeps On Ticking

• Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, Oh What A Relief It Is

• A Little Dab’ll Do Ya

And newbies like:

• Just Do It

• Tastes So Good, Cats Ask For It By Name

• Everywhere You Want To Be

Our group missed one. We identified the wrong luxury automobile brand. In our defense, we did relate the tagline to a luxury brand.

This is exactly the reaction you need to create in your market. There are a lot of eyecare practices out there; yours needs to be the one with an easily identifiable brand.

Making your brand come alive

Bringing your brand to life doesn’t necessarily cost buckets of money. It does, however, require consistency. You and your staff can’t be committed to it on Monday morning and sick of it by Friday afternoon.

As the practice owner, you represent your brand 24/7/365. It must be reflected in your life, your relationships, your friendships and business relationships within your community.

There are a few simple steps that will help you and your staff create a FAN-tastic practice.

• Go the extra mile. What does that mean in our business? An extra cleaning cloth or a package of pre-moistened wipes? Perhaps the offer to “tune up” a spare pair or a pair of sunglasses? Make a quick note in a patient’s file to remind you to ask about a new grandchild or a big vacation, an anniversary or a birthday. According to Ken Langone, founder of Home Depot, “The two most powerful things in existence (are): a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.”
  

• Follow up for complete satisfaction. I have often recommended following up with new progressive lens wearers to head off any adaptation issues that may arise. I’ve now expanded that follow up recommendation to encompass nearly every interaction between staff and patient and every interaction between practice owner/manager and staff members. Tom Peters, author of “In Search of Excellence”, advises business owners that “The magic formula… successful businesses have discovered is to treat (patients) like guests and employees like people.” Using 65 lb. card stock and your office printer, you can create simple “thank you” postcards for staff members to sign and send to their patients. It’s a simple and relatively inexpensive way to show your patients that you care about them after they’ve left your office. Each sheet of 65 lb card stock makes 4 postcards, a package of 250 sheets at about $13.00 makes 1,000 cards and postcard stamps are roughly half the cost of a first class stamp. Your recall cards let your patients know that you care enough about their vision to remind them to schedule a visit. A thank you card lets them know that you appreciate their business.

“The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.”—William James

• Keep in touch. This can be done simply and effectively with a well designed website. Websites are a very visible representation of your practice. Hire the best designer you can afford and pay that person to keep your site current. Most sites I visit have professionally done pictures of the doctors accompanied by skillfully written bios. Remarkably few of them have any information about the staff. As the practice owner, you may spend 15 or 20 minutes with each patient. The majority of your patients visit will involve the receptionist, tech, Optician and billing specialist. They deserve at least as much attention on your site as the frame/lens/contact lens products you can supply.

“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”—Howard Schultz, Starbucks

• Challenge your staff. While you can set guidelines for how the office functions, challenge your staff to be creative within those guidelines. Most staff members know what works in the office and most importantly, what doesn’t work. Allow them the freedom to solve problems and develop procedures that add value to the practice and to their ability to work effectively and efficiently. Challenge them to reach professional and educational goals as well as sales goals and capture rates.