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Question By Rebecca Miller Seven Habits of a Successful Clinic By Gay Wardle
> DERMAL SEVEN HABITS OF A SUCCESSFUL CLINIC By Gay Wardle
As we come to the end of another year and look ahead to 2021 with new vision and learnings form an incredibly surreal year, I thought I would share with you my top seven tips that should in fact become habits, for creating a healthy successful clinic.
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1. SELF INVESTMENT
Successful clinic owners invest in themselves. Positive morning rituals. This is so important as quite often people are reaching for their phones as soon as they wake up. Their day begins with them scrolling through their Facebook or Instagram feeds. Although these social media platforms are a source of connection, they can often fill us with negativity as we compare ourselves or our lives to others and think that we should be doing more or needing more. Starting your day like this can impact upon a positive mindset which ultimately affects productivity. As a clinic owner, you need to be positive and productive!!
You can influence your productivity by starting your day with a positive morning ritual. Fill your first waking hour with positivity – write 10 things that you’re grateful for in a gratitude journal, read self-development literature – learn and educate yourself, exercise and practice mindfulness / meditation. Fuel your body with good nutrition. Set your day up for success by making your bed – this simple act enables you to achieve something at the very start of the day which sets the scene for the rest of the day. Watch Navy Seal Admiral Shares Reasons to Make Your Bed Every Day on YouTube. The Navy Seal Admiral talks about how making your bed every day enables you to accomplish something from the very beginning which will give you a sense of pride and encourage you to complete another task and then another.
Listen to self-love, business, self-development, mindset podcasts. There are a variety of podcasts available on Spotify.
How do you set yourself up for success? I start my day by always making my bed. I then enjoy a cup of tea that my husband has made for me and I sit outside and enjoy nature for the ten minutes that it takes to drink my cup of tea. During that time, I breathe, still my mind and think of all the things that I am grateful for. I find it difficult to meditate, so this is my exercise in mindfulness and my act of meditation. I am passionate about learning, so this start to the day is followed with reading. My readings range from online journals, text books and presentations from Industry Leaders. I then move forward with the rest of my day and I am ready and inspired to complete the next task.
2. TIME MANAGEMENT
Being organised…… Make time for things that need doing. Set a daily agenda – meetings, appointments, self-development, business planning. Be disciplined and stick to your plan! Create your “To Do” list the day before so that you are mentally prepared for the next day. Which clients do you need to follow-up with? Which staff members do you need to check-in with regarding their goals? Complete a stocktake. Before you go to bed, prepare and organise what you need for the next morning. If you are going to create a “gratitude list” upon waking, have your notebook and your pen beside your bed. If you are going to exercise before you arrive at the clinic, have your work out gear ready before you go to sleep. Good organisational skills leads to effective time management!!
3. POSITIVE STAFF MORALE:
Support staff to set and achieve their own goals and revisit these regularly. Check-in with staff within a negotiated timeframe (e.g. twice a year or more) to track how they’re traveling with their goals and to keep them accountable. Support staff morale by providing incentives (e.g. financial incentives or earn “time” bonus – this may be important to employees who want to spend more time with family). Positive relationships are essential. Ensure staff feel cared for and create a positive work environment while maintaining high expectations for performance. Brene Brown has an excellent podcast called Dare to Lead where she talks about the necessity to care for staff. If this action is not possible and a positive, caring relationship can’t be established then you need to consider if it is the right thing for your clinic. Positive staff morale will lead to high performance.
4. ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS:
Engage a critical friend that will provide you with feedback on various agendas such as staff management, social media advertisement posts, treatment programs, etc. Employ a coach – keep yourself accountable and continue your own self-development. Check-in with your coach and reflect upon your practice. Social Media – where do you draw inspiration from regarding industry practices? Do you follow / participate in discussion lists? Develop an Expert Team – product knowledge is essential, developing skin programs to obtain optimal results. Establish strong professional clinic relationships with clients. Build a check-in / check-out strategy as part of your daily exit routine (e.g. At the end of each day connect with clients who have visited the clinic that day by sending an SMS note such as “great seeing you”. Message clients two to three weeks later to check on how their skin is. If you haven’t seen your client for 10 weeks, checkin again. If you have a good progress photo send this to the client as a powerful reminder of the results they were achieving through your treatment program.) Have a strong industry presence – many clinics have amazing leaders and expert management. Encourage these leaders to mentor others. If you are an expert in an area, nominate to speak at various events, seminars. Celebrate your achievements. If your achievements have earned you awards, advertise this on your brochures, clinic windows, website, email signatures. Support your peers. By supporting the salon down the road, you are working towards strengthening our industry. Support others by joining discussion lists. Blogs – share your knowledge by writing a blog and placing this on your website. Your clients will be grateful that you are sharing your knowledge with them and it will keep people engaged with your website which is where they can book their appointments.
5. SYSTEMIC OPERATIONS:
Successful owners use systemic operations to save time. Our tech savvy world has provided us with many systems that are designed to save us both time and money by automating many of the things that take up valuable time. Some examples of effective systemic operations include: - Online Consultations – Have clients complete an online consultation form prior to their appointment. By receiving this information prior to working with the client you can save time by investigating their needs and formulating a treatment and product program that will support the skin analysis that is conducted in salon. This ground work will also ensure that the client feels valued as you will have a good understanding regarding the history and condition of their skin. Another advantage of this process is that you can discuss any concerns or uncertainties that you may have with your colleagues prior to working with the client. - Online COVID Safe forms – COVID Safe practices are now embedded in all businesses. Have your clients complete the necessary information online and prior to entering your clinic. This safe practice will also guard your clinic from contamination which could be disastrous for your business. - Online Gift Voucher Sales – This is an opportunity for you to make money while you’re sleeping…. so to speak. Clients can purchase gift vouchers online and have them sent directly to the recipient. Gift Vouchers can be emailed directly to the nominated recipient which can also save postage money. - Online Booking Systems – Clients can save both yourself and themselves time by booking online. The double bonus here is that clients can commit to their appointment by paying a nonrefundable deposit. This eliminates the cost to your business through “no shows”. - Use systems such as Mailchimp to keep clients updated with clinic events, treatment packages and industry updates. - Connect Social Media platforms with Apps which enable you to plan and deliver social media newsfeeds in a timely manner throughout the week. - Utilise software to plan and organise staff rosters, staff incentives, customer rewards points. - Data Base – it is essential that you effectively use software programs that will maintain an up to date client data base. Your data base is your business.
6. INSPIRE:
Successful clinic owners inspire their employees. What makes your team come alive? When was the last time you saw a sparkle in their eye – sometimes all it takes is ensuring that they get to do the things they feel passionate about.
Inspire and motivate your team through ongoing learning. Growth Mindsets are essential for ongoing learning and professional development. Knowledge is Power and Education is the Key!
7. FUTURE INVESTMENT:
Successful owners work for tomorrow. Operate your business with tomorrow in sight. Protect the future of your team, clients and yourself. A percentage of profit needs to buy new things for the business and invest in the future of the business.
