aninsidelook
Start with your team
One of the most important steps in your marketing plan
should be your staff – make sure that they understand how
your new technology helps your patients, and make your
employees your best advocates. The new technology is
exciting, and your staff will also be enthusiastic about the
benefits your digital radiography offers to your patients.
can become resentful when a practice consistently has money
to purchase the “latest and greatest,” but there haven't been
any raises for years. And resentful staff will definitely not send
the message you want.
The next step: tell your clients
For most veterinarians, one of our most influential teachers
(for better or worse) was our first boss once we were out of
“Successful practices invest
in the best technology,
and charge appropriately.”
Highlight the benefits to your patients during
staff training, including:
•
•
•
Fewer retakes for less radiation exposure
Better quality images for a better diagnosis
Easily transferred images – for telemedicine, for specialists,
and for clients who can take them for ER/ICU care or when
moving to a new area
Successful practices invest in the best technology, and charge
appropriately. This includes new high-tech devices such as
digital radiography and blood chemistry equipment, but it also
includes staff training and compensation. Support staff
14
school. I know I learned a lot of things from mine that weren’t
taught in school, and some of those lessons (including what
not to do) stay with me to this day.
Like lessons in other parts of life, the most powerful one I
learned from him was also the simplest: "Tell your clients you
do a great job." He would go on about what a great job he did
with a dog spay, about how well things went in surgery,
because the pet owner has no other way to relate (other than
the neatness of the skin sutures).
When you review pet radiographs with your clients, spend a
little extra time with them – even two minutes will increase
their understanding, and make a huge impression. Make sure