Are you thinking about setting up a health clinic consultancy, perhaps because you have some significant expertise in the field? If so, this post can help. We take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts so you can provide your clients with a better service.
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
Remember, trained medics might know a lot about specific diseases, but they tend to know much less about running clinics. There’s tremendous demand for people who understand the operational, hygiene, and business issues they face, and how they can help them.
Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts.
Do Analyze The Market
The first thing all consultancies should be doing is analyzing the market and looking for opportunities. In most cases, health clinics will tell you what they need to improve (or you can find out easily by comparing their performance metrics to the industry average).
Analyzing the market gives you a big-picture perspective. It tells you what clinics really need, not what you think they need.
Don’t Overpromise
Rule number one of consulting is not to over-promise. Never tell a health clinic you can deliver something you can’t. Always under-promise slightly so that customers get a nice surprise when you start generating results for them.
Do Create A Realistic Business Plan
Make sure you adopt the right marketing strategy and price point for your target audience. Dedicate significant energy to building a portfolio of businesses that benefited from your services and are willing to go on record that you helped them. A realistic business plan should be something you can implement with your existing skills and infrastructure and shouldn’t feel like a stretch goal.
Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Actionable Advice
Many health consultancies take a high-level approach to their work, talking in terms of big ideas. But when it comes to medicine, it’s the practical day-to-day stuff that makes a difference for clinics.
Therefore, always give your clients actionable advice. For instance, when it comes to hygiene, you might want to encourage them to install a floor drain. This way, they can easily spray away germs and watch them flow down the plughole.
Do Network With Your Clients
Competition in the health clinic consulting sector can be fierce. Therefore, it’s essential to network with your clients. Become friends with them on a personal level to make it more likely you will secure their business in the future. Once you have genuine rapport, it’s often hard for them to consider alternatives. Just continue to provide a good service, and they will keep coming back.
Don’t Neglect Your Personal Health
It’s also important to avoid neglecting your personal health when consulting with clinics. Looking tired is not a good advertisement and people may wonder what’s going on in your personal life.
Neglecting your personal health is quite easy if you’re working long hours and trying to get a business going. However, it’s something you can fight against if you balance your work with the rest of your lifestyle.
So, there you have it: some do’s and don’ts for setting up a health clinic consultancy.