***** Logging started: 1/8/2003 7:08:14 PM

Heather Howell: Hello! How is every one tonight? We'll get started on the managment chat in just a minute...

Susan: Hi, everybody. Michelle, how is your job going?
Michelle: awful, we are closing the clinic on friday, but thanks for asking i hate starting over
Susan: Oh, no! I'm sorry. Any good leads for "starting over"? What's causing the closure?
Michelle: not too many leads, but a great recommendation letter. no money. how are you?

Heather Howell: To begin I'll mention that we'll use protocol to stay organized. Raise your hand with a ! or a ? for a question and I'll give you the okay to go ahead (GA). Okay so let's get officially started on our chat. Michelle''s topic is a good one to address if you all are up for it.

Michelle: sure, i'm really frustrated, part of me is seriously considering a career change
Susan: Frustrated because of the tight $ for veterinary staffing?
Michelle: mostly, and respect from the doctors
Susan: Are there any good lessons in the failure of the clinic? Do they know where the worst leaks were?
Michelle: Yes,

Heather Howell: For those of you who just got here, we're talking about Michelle's clinic closing and the search for a new job.

Susan: Do y'all think it's hard to find doctors who respect their staff? Their practice managers?
Michelle: we started as a cat only clinic with no clients to begin with, opening was 3 months late
Gwen: Was the clinic in a small town or large city? Michelle: 200,000 people, but small minded
Susan: Did they just overrun on organizational costs? Not enough capital to ride out getting established?
Michelle: pretty much. Anyone have any suggestions on how to market myself...most places around here have managers
Susan: Do you have to stay in the same town?
Gwen: Do you want to relocate? and how long did the clinic stay open?
Phyllis: May I ask where are you living?
Michelle: susan, yes; gwen, no, 8 months; phyl, Spokane, WA
Phyllis: Come to St. Louis. I would call all the clinics around and see what they have for opening.
Michelle: thanks, but i'm a divorced mother of 2. my children are here

Heather Howell: What specific suggestions can we give Michelle (and others) regarding marketing and job searching?

Susan: Michelle, seriously, if you need to stay in Spokane, you could market yourself as having firsthand information on how NOT to operate a clinic. Tactfully, of course. But if you've been in the trenches in a losing battle, you have good insights. if the planning wasn't yours.... tactfully.... you "learned" the wrong way to do it.

Susan Strattman: Be an independent contractor and do more than one hospital in your area which makes you affordable.

Michelle: keep going guys these are great
Gwen: Highlight any special degrees or classes you have taken
Susan: I come from a profession which ranks high for staff non-management and employee exploitation. The result is that I am a great personnel manager. (Not the veterinary profession.)

Heather Howell: Form a managers networking group....invite all the managers in the area to a breakfast or lunch to get to know each other. That can easily form bonds and leads to jobs.

Susan: Yes, befriending other managers can easily lead to a position. Do you have a local managers group? If not, show your organizational skills and form one!

Susan Strattman: don't limit your marketing of self to veterinary hospitals

Gwen: Why not shelters and such
Michelle: never thought of that gwen
Susan: Yes! Volunteering for any animal-oriented activity will show off your skills and lead to connections. Back to Susan S's independent contractor suggestion, you could do marketing for dental month, spay day, etc. for numerous clinics too busy to do special promotions.

Heather Howell: And along those lines. You could offer your services for staff meetings and staff training to hospitals who don't have the time or a full time manager or the expertise.
Susan Strattman: You can also do training sessions for them, short courses in their clinics all for $$$ be a consultant....;-)
Heather Howell: Getting to know other managers in your area so they like and trust you is a good way to get your foot in the door as an independent contractor...back to the idea of networking lunches.
Susan Strattman: Do we have other challenges that we need to address this evening...GA

Susan: I'm interested in price setting.... it's increase time of the year. What guidelines y'all using? Straight percentage increases? perception of value concepts? ..... ? How often do y'all increase prices?

Heather Howell: Every six months a routine price increase of about 10% across the board. Except for rx, supplies, lab and outside services which were raised any time the company raised prices. Some times shoppable items only once a year rather than twice.

Michelle: around here our spring and summer months are much better, so we save a higher price increase at that time and less during the fall, but same as heather
Susan: 10% twice a year?! Are you in a metropolitan area?
Michelle: no, about 7% in the spring and 3% in fall
Susan: And Michelle, this was in a general practice before the cat practice?
Michelle: yes, we didn't raise prices at the cat clinic

Heather Howell: Nope not at all - semi rural Nevada and we had almost no problems with it. Like I said, the shoppable items usually weren't twice a year, only once. But every thing else was any where from 5 to 10 %

Gwen: What do you do if you have a shelter that is offering alnost all the same services you are(located a few blocks away) and is practically do them for free how do you increase those

Susan Strattman: cry a lot..

Michelle: we hve 3 clinic in 5 blocks, wonder why the cat clinic closed. you market what you do perceive value
Susan: Yeah, planning might have been flawed.

Susan Strattman: I know from a client history...Spokane is a tough market
Heather Howell: Don't even try to "compete" on price. Differentiate yourself. Show what you do best. Let clients know why they want you to provide care for their pets because of how much you care. Communicate all that you do for the shoppable services before ever giving the price. Offer tours...do the little things like welcome notes and call backs after visits, etc. Let them know what you provide that makes you different and worth every penny.
Susan Strattman: Carry pets in from the car
Heather Howell: You don't want the low cost seekers any way in the long run.

Susan: It's a great concept (differentiate). My county population is 60,000 people and the doctors think it's suicidal to go too far outside the "standard" price structure.

Heather Howell: Our county population is probably about the same or less. We're the highest priced clinic on purpose. By a lot more than most clinics and our appointment book is always full.

Michelle: i remember all shopping calls for prices we handled by techs only and at least 5 minutes was spent explaining what we did before the price was quoted.
Susan: That's great. I've seen it work in other professions. Hard sell to my doctors. Empathy vs. economics, always, for them1
Gwen: We do all that stuff now but still have clients who go there to get shots but if the pet gets sick is at our clinic for treatment

Heather Howell: That's not terribly uncommon and at least they come to you when ill. But how could you communicate the value of the wellness exam annually to them so they understand why it's good to form a relationship with your clinic.

Michelle: the last place I was at had the lowest vaccine prices in town, but the highest on all other serices; got them in for vaccines too.
Susan: Did that work, or not?
Michelle: it worked wonders, most people are looking when their animal is due for shots, you gain there trust and respect

Heather Howell: How many of your clinics emphasize annual wellness visits with vaccines taking a back seat on reminders and emphasis?

Michelle: both places, past and present do
Susan: We're going there, slowly. We feel it's the future, for sure.

Heather Howell: I think it is important to get our clients educated in that area. The vaccine is not the most valuable part. It is the ongoing care and relationship with a doctor that is important.
Susan Strattman: also bonding with support staff

Michelle: i just want to say thankyou very much to everyone tonight before anyone leaves, you have helped to renew my energy alot. THANK YOU
Susan: Agreed, Heather. The vaccine has just historically been the "hook" to get them in for wellness checks.
Gwen: We have stressed that and annual wellness exam by us amy pick up on something

Susan Strattman: keep the faith... Don't let anyone steal your dreams
Heather Howell: YEA! Glad this chat helped you Michelle. Have any of your clinics gone to a different vaccination schedule rather than every year?

Michelle: every 3 years; cats only remember
Gwen: 3 years rabies annual on other
Susan: Same as Gwen in our practice.

Heather Howell: I've seen a few local clinics go to every 3 years for cats. And even every 3 years for DHP, still parvo annually. With that it's even more important to emphasize wellness exam annually
We have about 10 minutes left. Any one else have an issue they would like to bring up for discussion or input?
How many of your clinics offer insurance to employees? Do you pay the premium for them? I've seen a recent trend with high insurance costs making this difficult for clinics
Susan Strattman: 50% premium paid.

Gwen: 100% premium paid
Susan: Clinic substantially raised its contribution last year after employees had absorbed previous year's increases. Clinic now paying 90%. But employees will absorb the next few increases. We're ALWAYS shopping. Very discouraging situation.

Heather Howell: I know several clinics have had to go to a much higher deductible and/or have employee's pay part of the premium for the first time.
Susan Strattman: Do you have a dollar amount benefit..and then you can pick how to use your benefits?
Heather Howell: No.

Susan: We do not. Susan S., do you?

Susan Strattman: Seems unfair when employee is on spouse's insurance and loses benefits. We don't have reason at our hosital

Susan: Yes, we struggle with that too. Clinic originally paid "compensatory" amount to those on spouse insurance.

Susan Strattman: I do know some hospitals do provide this
Heather Howell: Don't you have to have an IRS recognized cafeteria plan in place to do that? That is my understanding.

Susan: Then it got too complicated. Now insurance is "use it or lose it".

Heather Howell: I looked into it several times but the administrative cost and filings were too cost prohibitive to offer it.
Susan Strattman: we have a plan that includes Aflac, which is a pick and chose

Susan: We have AFLAC, too. Good deal.

Heather Howell: Well, we should be wrapping it up. Thanks to all of you for your participation.
Susan Strattman: Take care...Be safe...

Susan: Thanks. You, too.
Michelle: thankyou all again, susan and heather, you said someday i' need you all, i just didn't think it would be so soon, thanks again everyone

Heather Howell: Hang in there Michelle. You'll do fine. Good night all.
Susan Strattman: night

***** Logging stopped: 1/8/2003 7:59:29 PM

Participants: Heather, Susan, David, Deborah, Elizabeth, Glenda, Gwen, Michelle, Phyllis, Susan