Self employed people: getting more business

Delvis

Delvis

Delvis

Caporegime
Joined
7 Nov 2004
Posts
30,197
Location
Buckinghamshire
Hello all,

The wife is a qualified Vet Physiotherapist, just over the first year now that she has been qualified and practicing.

I'm trying to find ways to boost her business and get more clients coming in or at least more awareness of the work she can do.

How do other self employed people here do this out of interest?

We have a website, a Facebook business page that gets updated/posts articles, recently got a LinkedIn page setup just because, what else could be going on? We're looking into getting an add in a local monthly ad magazine also.

Thanks for any advice all :)

This will also be interesting for myself tbh as I'm also looking at ways to push a side business forwards if I make the jump.
 
Delvis said:
Hello all,

The wife is a qualified Vet Physiotherapist, just over the first year now that she has been qualified and practicing.

I'm trying to find ways to boost her business and get more clients coming in or at least more awareness of the work she can do.

How do other self employed people here do this out of interest?

We have a website, a Facebook business page that gets updated/posts articles, recently got a LinkedIn page setup just because, what else could be going on? We're looking into getting an add in a local monthly ad magazine also.

Thanks for any advice all :)

This will also be interesting for myself tbh as I'm also looking at ways to push a side business forwards if I make the jump.
Click to expand...

How frequently is the Facebook page updated?

Utilise Instagram and Snapchat, especially the stories. These days it's about quantity not quality, post at least once a day, engage with followers and reply to every comment.

She needs to reverse engineer- e.g. 5 reasons why your pet needs company xyz or does your pet suffer from xyz
Does she have a unique selling point? Might be worth considering giving ridiculously cheap quotes to customers in return for a google review or instagram post/follow to begin with
Without knowing anything about Vet physiotherapists, are there any businesses that rely on them or work alongside them if so contact these businesses and follow them and engage with them on all social media platforms, they might refer clients.
 
Twitter - you needs posts about what you can do. Instagram with pics of happy pets that have been treated.
Talk to vets in the local areas and see if they would consider referring people to you.
 
flibbage0 said:
How frequently is the Facebook page updated?

Utilise Instagram and Snapchat, especially the stories. These days it's about quantity not quality, post at least once a day, engage with followers and reply to every comment.

She needs to reverse engineer- e.g. 5 reasons why your pet needs company xyz or does your pet suffer from xyz
Does she have a unique selling point? Might be worth considering giving ridiculously cheap quotes to customers in return for a google review or instagram post/follow to begin with
Without knowing anything about Vet physiotherapists, are there any businesses that rely on them or work alongside them if so contact these businesses and follow them and engage with them on all social media platforms, they might refer clients.
Click to expand...

Basically, everything HAS to go through a vet, you can't treat a person's pet unless you have had a referral from the vet.

The above sucks, majorly, I can see why it has to be done but it also stops people coming to you in the first instance as they need to goto the vets initially, and sometimes the vets can be not very forthcoming as Veterinary Physiotherapy is still relatively new.

As for updates to FB, probably once a week when there is a good article to share, it's not really going to be a page you will get many comments...

To add to the above she's also joined local business pages on there :)

I may suggest Instagram as well, but I think that hits the global audience more than local?

mrbazmondo said:
Twitter - you needs posts about what you can do. Instagram with pics of happy pets that have been treated.
Talk to vets in the local areas and see if they would consider referring people to you.
Click to expand...

Cheers :)

Doubt she'll get on twitter tbh.

Yeah, she's said that she's gone to local vets, I've said to keep going back, get friendly with them and get your face recognised again and again.
 
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Find available ad placements in vet-centric publications, print and online.

Basically, be where they are. You can fire noise out on Twitter all day, but if the audience isn't actually there then it's a waste of time. (Not that I'm saying they aren't concentrated there; research would be necessary).

Look for industry events. Can you turn up there? Maybe rent a display and start conversations? Sponsorship?

Visiting the local vets regularly and becoming a known face is a great way to do it, too. Add in some direct mail that's a LIIIITTLE more pushy (but includes freebies) and she's bound to turn around a few. As far as I'm aware, the common number of "touches" it takes to turn a prospect warm is accepted to be 5. Never just bail after the first appearance unless they categorically tell you to leave them alone. Becoming top of mind requires consistent exposure. Unless you've been given a hearty referral, it's very rarely a one-and-done deal.

Since vet physio is a relatively new field (as you say), there's a fair amount of education necessary. That's why I'd start with a direct mail piece that explains the benefits the vet will get by partnering with your wife's business. Prepare a nice brochure to include, along with something "lumpy" in the packet -- like healthy dog treats for the front desk, or just a branded pen, yadda yadda.

After that, she calls to book a visit ("Just calling to check you got my packet. I'd love to come down and have to chat to see if there's an opportunity to help your customers love you more.") Then she visits. During the visit, she books a demo. Then she does the demo (and, hopefully, impresses). Then she follows up with a more call-to-action type mailer giving prices and availability, re-stating benefits and the impressive demo and relationship she and the vet now have. Then she calls. Then she closes.

And always ask politely for referrals from happy clients. :)

EDIT: I'd also wager that in terms of online advertising for this niche, your greatest gains are going to be intent based -- so probably LinkedIn and Google Adwords, targeting specific keywords such as "pet physiotherapy", "pet post operation help" etc.

Connecting with professionals on LinkedIn is decent, too. Start a conversation with them (but don't try to sell immediately) -- be human, humorous, don't take yourself too seriously but still be professional. There's a sweet spot there.
 
Thanks @Pestilence , appreciated .:)

I will forward on everything, she has had a referral from the local vet so it's worked on e at least, just need to keep on at it
 
Get into the local vet practises, do a training session at the vets, offer a half day in the vets for free to show what you do and the benefit etc.

It's about getting the connections - without the vet referrals, you can tweet, instragram as much as you like, but without the referrals from the vets, you will struggle.

Existing clients are a great source of referrals. Always ask them as well.

Also try getting flyers into any local dog pampering business etc.
 
Energize said:
That's ridiculous, physios don't require referrals from doctors to treat people.
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Nope I know.

It's some animal welfare act or something (can't remember off the top of my head)

There are some new movements with regards to horses and not needed referrals (if it's classes as say maintenance or something) but that hasn't transferred to dogs yet....hopefully it does.
 
How about a blog / diary showing the progress / results of the pets she has treated (with the owners permission).

Put it on the facebook page as well (video of sad pet before and happy healthy pet after), could even use the same story style technique on your leaflets and see if some vets will let you leave them.

You could go down the referral bonus road but some vets might not like the idea of money being the persuading factor, showing them happy healthy results might be more effective.

For these sorts of businesses the owners passion can really make it stand out and showing that to vets who can refer you will be far more effective than adwords.
 
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