This document discusses a new path to success for equine veterinary practices through marketing, branding, and focusing on customer experience. It emphasizes developing a clear brand and values based on leadership, communication, and making the process fun. This will help practices attract loyal clients, grow, decrease costs, and create a supportive work environment for employees. The key is to find value for customers and differentiate from competitors through quality service, expertise, and living up to the brand promise.

1. The New Path to Success for the Equine Vet Mike Pownall, DVM mike@mpequine.com www.slideshare.net/mpownall

2. Our World

3. Our World

6. What’s My Story

7. We Need a New Way Can we learn from other industries? Marketing Branding Social Media Cost Savings

8. What Makes You Special?

9. What Happens When You’re Special? Value = Loyalty= Less Price Sensitivity

11. The Customer Experience Client Outcome

12. The Customer Experience It should not be a commodity business

13. If you reduce your prices… you have to sell MORE to maintain your margin

14. If you reduce your prices… you have to sell MORE to maintain your margin

15. If you reduce your prices… you have to sell MORE to maintain your margin

16. % Change to Pre Tax Profit

17. Profit Leakers

18. Good, Cheap & Fast You can be 2 but not all 3 Good and cheap not fast Good and fast not cheap Cheap and fast not good

19. Giving Value Marketing Branding

20. What the #*^%*@ is Marketing? Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. Wikepedia.com

21. What is Branding What you stand for What you want to be know for Promise of Quality Service Performance Customer Experience

22. Marketing

29. The Equine Practice? Where are we going to find value?

30. The Equine Practice? Where are we going to find value?

31. Marketing Competition Customer Customer Customer

32. Strategy Identify our challenges Create a plan How we will do it How will we measure it

33. Competition

34. Bargaining Power of Clients The internet Relative abundance of veterinarians Health of the local economy Lay providers Price sensitivity Different breeds or disciplines

35. Threat of New Entrants New vets in an area Non-veterinary practitioners The internet Internet pharmacies

36. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Increased costs from suppliers Decreased competition Cost of labor in local market

37. Threat of Substitute Product Lay practitioners Internet Lack of differentiation

38. Competitive Rivalry Newly graduated vets Price cutting by other vets Online pharmacies

39. What Does Your Client Think of You? Surveys? www.surveymonkey.com Focus Group Hire a pro

40. Are You Missing Clients Market Segmentation Clients Breeds

41. What Does Your Client Want? Million $ Question

42. 2007 AAEP Survey Quality of care Medical knowledge Horsemanship Prompt or available Communication skills

43. What do you offer?

44. Values Vision Mission Statements

45. Mission Statement Concise statement of business strategy from a clients POV What do we do? How do we do it? Who do we do it for? Not-differentiating

46. Vision Statement What you want the practice to be Our vision at McKee-Pownall is to be a leader in Canadian equine veterinary services. We will do this by setting a standard of excellence recognized by clients, employees and colleagues as a leading resource to the equine community.

47. Value Statement We recognize and value the strength and uniqueness of each Client-Horse-Veterinarian relationship. We are professional, ethical, innovative and available. We are leaders in implementing current medical technologies and are an important resource to the equine industry. We are committed to excellence in veterinary medicine, customer service and client education. We provide a supportive, collaborative working environment where everyone can maximize their potential. We are an economically sustainable business. We are environmentally responsible. Differentiating

48. Values “The nature of our motivation determines the character of our work” Dalai Lama

49. Where are we Now? Competition Customers Ourselves Services Values

51. 3 competing vet practices

52. One vet lacked bedside manner

53. Other vets part of mixed group practice

54. Last vet was very hungry

56. What is our plan? Seek out those who want better Not lower our prices Be everything the others aren’t Reflect our values Develop a brand

57. Your Brand What does your practice stand for? What do you want your practice to be know for? What is your guarantee? What are the systems to deliver it?

65. Why the Brand is so Important Develops an organizations identity Creates processes to deliver Springboard for change Clarity in an organization

66. Why are staff so important? We perform medicine We deliver the brand Happy employees = happy clients

67. 5 Steps to a Brand Based on values, vision and mission Driven by leadership. Develop with communication Make it fun Encourage change

68. Values, Vision & Mission

69. Values, Vision & Mission What is the sense of mission that ultimately drives what we do at MPES? Who is our ideal customer (in general terms)? In one sentence, describe what makes the McKee-Pownall way of doing business unique. Do you know where this practice is headed in the next 5 years? If so, where? Who is our ideal employee – list 3 personality traits that make a model MPES employee

70. Leadership

71. Communication

72. Have Fun

73. Evolve We are committed to Personal Learning and Development We are Flexible and Adaptable We are Self-Motivated We are Unique Individuals We are Courageous and Self-Confident We are Problem-Solvers We are Team Players We have a Positive Outlook Commitment to Personal Health We are Emotionally Intelligent

75. Other Impacts To Your Practice HR Training Compensation Technology

77. Does it Work? Less HR headaches More fun at work New profit centers Practice growth Decreased costs Loyal clients Fired clients!!

78. Final Words Essential Be patient Be consistent

79. Spreading the Word? See you tomorrow morning!