EYE FOCUS | FEATURE
What are the five common
mistakes?
1. Having no annual budget
or business plan.
It’s like deciding to go on a trip without any
preparation. You don’t know where you’re going,
how you’re getting there, where you will stay or
how much you have to spend. This can work, but
the chances of something going wrong are much
higher without preparation. Taking the time
each year to map out a basic business plan and
budget really doesn’t take much effort and helps
you have some direction and accountability.
2. Not spending enough
on marketing.
Every day, I talk to eye care businesses who have
invested huge dollars into building a beautiful
practice with the latest in technology, but then
they are afraid to invest in marketing that is
literally going to drive people into the business.
Marketing should not be viewed as an expense,
but rather as an investment that will bring in
a return. Every business needs to be building a
robust online presence to sustain business in the
coming years.
3. Trying to do it all.
Business owners often try to do everything them-
selves, especially in the beginning of their busi-
nesses. They do the accounting, bookkeeping,
maintenance, marketing, social media and the
buying. Sometimes they are trying to do things
that they are not very good at like accounting or
marketing when they could make more money
doing eye exams and outsource these tasks. They
also need to learn to delegate and train staff to
take on different responsibilities that then allow
them to work on other parts of the business.
4. Not understanding that great
culture = business success.
A huge mistake is not investing in your people.
From training to team building, this type of ac-
tivity can truly take your business to new levels.
Happy employees ensure your patients are happy
and satisfied. When employees are treated well,
they treat the business and the customers well in
return. It can be little things like remembering
someone’s work anniversary to mapping person-
al growth and career plans for each staff member.
Give to get!
5. Not tracking metrics.
Looking at your numbers, including KRI (key
revenue indicators), is an important part of the
business plan. It’s hard to reach new growth if
you’re not sure what your target is. Pull as much
data as you can from your software or EHR
systems and benchmark where you are. Now set
some growth goals in everything from overall
revenue to multiple pair sales. Track and report
every single month.
Last note: Take one step at a time. It’s hard to
add a lot of new initiatives all at once. Start
with a business plan and budget and then set
a goal to implement the rest of the steps
throughout the year.
Trudi Charest is the co-Founder of Market-
ing4ECPs, a digital marketing agency focused
in eye care. Marketing4ECPs builds websites,
SEO, SEM, paid advertising on Google, Facebook,
Instagram, YouTube, review management, email
marketing, graphic design, social media, patient
communications and so much more! Trudi can
be reached at [email protected] or www.market-
ing4ecps.com.
EYE FOCUS | June Digital 2019 19