1. What kind of employee do you want?
2. What makes your practice one that good people want to join?

To the first point, at Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital, we have a formal list of criteria for prospective employees.  They must obviously have the right education and certification.  They must meet the specific requirements of the job as defined by OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration): https://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html.  And there is even IQ to consider (although we define smarts as being resourceful more than book smart).

But there are also “soft” skills we look for.  Traits like temperament, manners, team-player attitude and engagement with both people as well as animals.   Some of this is derived through first-person interaction.  But we also use the Wonderlic test, which measures aptitude and personality traits as well as intelligence.  Learn more at: http://wonderlictestsample.com/

And we also consider what we don’t require, which is a certain type of look or style.  We have a diverse staff, comprised of people of differing races, nationality, sexual orientation, political affiliation and personal style.   And this diversity is a contributing factor to our welcoming and friendly, accepting reputation.

Secondly, remember that the best candidates have options—and you need to be able to make a case for why they should work with you over a competitive practice.  Consider the following points-of-difference for your practice as an employer:

1. Competitive salary.
2. Benefits package, specifically health insurance.
3. Care coverage for employee’s pets.
4. Flexibility of schedules (for both doctors and staff).
5. Growth path
6. Education and certification
7. Environment
8. Recognition
9. Social
10. Connection to success

We rarely recruit in a formal sense and we have not had to use third-party “head hunters” to fill our positions.   We rely on word of mouth, friends of friends and referrals from patients.   And we always keep the door open for inquiries and applications/resumes.    Even if you have no openings, it is considerate to offer, under the employment section of your website. 

Investment in a formal interview and hire process will yield a loyal and long-term staff with less turnover and greater harmony.  

In this competitive marketplace, branding is mission-critical.   You need a name and a logo but also a positioning and messaging strategy for your practice that sets you apart from your competitors and that resonates with the people in your trading area. 

If you are certain you will stay in the same general location, consider putting the name of your neighborhood/geographic location in the name.  I did that with my practice (Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital), and it helps set me apart and gives me the highest relevance on the search engines when people are searching for a vet in the specific Atlanta neighborhood of Peachtree Hills. However, I make sure to include the other neighborhoods that our practice serves in the homepage copy of my website.  You need to work to make sure that a specific location name doesn’t work against you.

Once you have a name, you will need a logo and a graphic identity program.  Use a professional graphic designer to create your logo.  It is worth it to spend the money on your logo—you will have it for the life of your practice and it will be the first thing people see and use to form an opinion of you!  The logo should look professional but not corporate.   Friendly but not childish.  It should be readable and it should work well in a variety of sizes. If it has color, be sure to specify the color in an RGB formula for the web and a CMYK and PMS color for print, to ensure that the color stays consistent.     

Once you have a logo and have determined the rules for its usage, think about how you want to portray yourself in external messaging.  All of your messaging and paid advertising should have a consistent look and feel and a consistent tone of voice—so that people recognize it as yours.  A consistent look will make your marketing dollars go farther.  Your website should look like it is part of the same family as your business cards and any promotional materials you have out in the world.  To that end–

Create a one-page communications guideline document that includes the logo art and any rules for its usage (meaning you may not want it to be used in different colors, or reduced too small or broken up in any way).  Include any taglines you want to use in conjunction with the logo and define the type fonts and colors you will use. 

And then write a checklist for marketing efforts….define the things that every external communication must include—your web URL, address, phone number, email address, social media icons, map, hours of operation, association logos, doctors’ names, etc.   This will serve as a reference when you create advertising and promotional tactics.

But ultimately, your brand is bigger than just advertising tactics. It is your DNA, your personality, a reflection of you and what you stand for.   It is the intangible that makes you unique.

Think of the brands that you know and feel a loyalty towards.   You may not have the budget as a mega brand, but you can follow the same rules they follow.   

Where you decide to locate your practice is a critical decision.  You need to consider the composition of the geographic area that feeds it.   First order of business—determine your trading area, based on the address of the practice.  Ideally, you will go through this exercise before you commit to a location. 

First step, create a radial map around the proposed location address.   Using an online map tool (Google Maps has one), create a quarter-mile and a half- mile radius, a one-mile radius, and a 2-, 3- and 4-mile radius.   Once you have your map and its radial rings, consider:

• What is the name of the area(s) this location serves?
• Who are my competitors in this location?
• What zip codes are in this map and who are the people who live in them?
• What is the average household profile for my trading area?  For example, are they families or singles?  Young or old? What is the average household income?  Education level?  Affluence level? Rural, suburban or urban?

You can get information on the demographics of an area through the Chamber of Commerce and through the census.  You should create a profile of the typical household who will be your audience.  And based on this audience you can infer many things about the types of pets they will have.

Once you have your trading area formally defined, you can refer to it for decisions on staffing, specialties, areas of focus, and marketing.  (Stay tuned for further blog posts on these topics)!

Growing up, I loved science, biology and the concept of service to others. I liked the IDEA of practicing medicine.   I chose between many specialties and even sub-specialties before I chose the path of veterinary medicine, and then more specifically the choice of owning my own practice. And the reason I chose that path, the path I am still on today, is that I wanted to be my own boss.

I wanted to create a hospital that served its human and animal patients in the way I would want to be treated. I didn’t want to have to answer to a corporate practice management system, I didn’t want to be scolded for low “production” numbers, or be held accountable for revenue minimums.

I wanted to help animals be healthy, and I wanted to earn the respect and loyalty of these animals’ parents as I did so.

That drive, that motivation became my mission statement for my hospital, Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital. It is part of our messaging strategy and it is one of the things which we use to uniquely position ourselves against competitors.

It is the first question you need to ask yourself as you embark on the next chapter after Vet school.

Why are you pursuing the field of Veterinary Medicine? How do you see yourself practicing?

Be honest with yourself. For me, that has made all the difference.