It was a great success, but this year I was trying to pay particular attention to why. Here are a few of our thoughts, but we’d love some further tips. Anyone have any great ideas? Leave them in the comments!

Have a Designated Greeter

This year I spent most of my time serving drinks, and from my vantage point I had a clear view of the main entrance for most of the night. The one thing I noticed more than anything else was how uncertain new people looked when they came in. Fortunately, there were enough of us around that someone was usually able to welcome them give them a tour or point them in the direction of food, drinks, samples, etc., but in hindsight, I think having a “greeter” would have been helpful.

The greeter doesn’t need any special clinical knowledge – it can be a friend or family member. They just have to make people feel like they’ve come to the right spot for the right reason. Next year, we’ll have someone assigned to the front door the whole time.

Spread The Word Widely

People show up from an amazingly diverse range of places. We promoted the event:

• On our website
• To our patient mailing list
• In posters in local stores and shops
• On clinic signage
• In postcards left with local practitioners and other vendors
• In newspaper ads and events calendars
• In various local online calendars and community sites

Many of these sources were free, and they all helped spread the world. It turned out that just about everything connected with someone. As we’ve discovered with new client marketing, you never quite know where the people are going to come from.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Invitation

We sent letters to all our patients to let them know about the open house, and it was a pleasant surprise for me just how many clients seemed to truly appreciate simply being invited. It was a great reminder of how much people long to feel special, or a part of something.  The letter included other services and events, but the lead item was an invite them to the event, and people responded, many with messages of gratitude. It made the whole process of marketing the open house quite enjoyable.

Apparently, Recipes are Big

We had advertised that we’d be sharing recipes for unique and healthy foods, and there were people who came for that reason only. Who knew? Apparently Tara did, which gives you some insight into who does most of the cooking at our place. At any rate, recipes=more people!

Free Stuff Is A Big Draw (and Easy to Get!)

I think this was our biggest year for freebies. Our supplement suppliers and local retailers really came through for us, and it was surprisingly easy. We brainstormed a few ideas in advance, made a list, and simply asked. The people at the open house loved it, and the suppliers were super-keen and helpful. It also had the added bonus of moving people through the clinic. By placing freebies throughout the office, people tended to explore a little more, and become more familiar and comfortable with the space.

Partner

Back when the clinic was a lot smaller, we arranged to have our open house on the same night as the massage therapists down the hall. We were both relatively new in practice, but by holding events on the same night, we were able to create a much busier (and more enjoyable) event for both of us.

This year, we had a local personal trainer and raw food expert spend the evening with us. She blended up some amazing organic green smoothies, and actually turned out to be the biggest hit of the evening. She was a hugely successful addition for us, and was able to promote her own services at the same time. A great collaboration.

Have a Way to Stay in Touch

A good open house can bring a lot of new faces in the door, and it’s nice to be able to get in touch with people after the event is over. Our approach was pretty simple: a door prize that people entered by writing their name and email address on a ballot.

The next day, I simply emailed everyone a short message thanking them for attending, and included a link to the recipes from the night before on our website. The key? Respect their email address, and offer something of use. Having a great email newsletter solution makes things a heck of a lot easier, too.

Anyone else have any practical tips for making the most of an open house or other event in your practice? Let’s hear your ideas!

One of the small drawbacks, though, is that our patients have to pay for parking – ouch. It was one of those little things that didn’t sit well with me, and it didn’t seem to fit our vision for the clinic.

What to do? Pay for it, of course. We put a small bowl on the counter full of change, with a sign reading “Please allow us to pay for your parking.” We encourage patients can help themselves to whatever they need.

It made sense for us – the cost of a visit in our office is relatively high, so paying a little bit for our patients to park is easy and seemed like the right thing to do.

When service becomes more than service

It turns out that people love it. What’s interesting, though, is that most patients comment on how nice it is but don’t actually take any money.

What’s really wonderful though, is how many people put money in to pay for other people’s parking! I love it. People keep tossing in change “For the next person.”

For some reason, our little parking dish seems to spark a little something. That little spark, though, is more than just pay-it-forward niceness. It adds one more little bit of positive joy to the customer experience, too, and sends people out the door feeling that much better.

Our decision to provide a little extra service to our patients seems to just bring out the shiny side of folks, and I like that. A lot.

Are you missing any opportunities to help your clients shine by serving them better?

The space is about three times as big as the old clinic – a significant increase. It seems like a lot, but as I moved the last items out of the old office, I remembered how big it seemed at one time. Now I can’t imagine how we ever fit in there.

The last move – five years ago – seemed like a leap of faith at the time, but shortly after we settled into the larger space, business took off. It was like we were goldfish, and all we needed was a bigger bowl in order to grow more. Now it’s happening again.

What’s behind this “goldfish effect”?

There are many causes for this phenomenon, ranging from the simple to the arcane, but here are a few reasons why we tend to expand to fit our bowl:

• Rising to the Occasion: A larger space generally means higher costs. When faced with having to grow in order to meet costs, most practitioners rise to the occasion. It’s amazing what you can do when faced with a must.

• Taking Plans off Hold: Prior to moving to larger space, there tends to be a downturn in marketing and other practice improvement activities. This is in part due to the time and energy demands of getting a new clinic up and running, but it’s also because we tend to put things off “until we get into the new clinic”. New products, services, marketing efforts, promotional materials, office processes – they all get bumped, then activated in the new space.

• Pride: There’s nothing like having a shiny new clinic to make you want to share. We can’t wait for people to come through the doors. In contrast, the old space was looking a little neglected – I found I didn’t have the same desire to “show it off”.

How to Create The Goldfish Effect Without Moving

What if you’ve already got lots of space, or you’re in an excellent location? What if moving just isn’t in the cards? Here’s a secret: you can benefit from the psychological impact of larger space without actually moving. Here’s how:

• Declutter: This was essential in our small office. Schedule a block of time to completely declutter and de-crapify your practice. Be relentless. Get rid of:
  • Old files you’re not legally obligated to keep
  • Excessive brochures and business cards
  • Flyers and announcements
  • Bits of paper stuck everywhere around reception and office desks
  • Stacks of paper, mail, and unread magazines
  • Furniture that’s never used
  • Excessive knick-knacks and decorative items

  The secret here is to be merciless. You won’t miss these things, and you’ll notice a remarkable change in how your patients perceive your space, and how enthusiastic you are about being at work.

• Redecorate/Renovate: You can dramatically change your office with just some fresh paint, but if it’s been a while you might consider new flooring, artwork, or furniture depending on your budget. If it’s been more than five years, you’re definitely due for a new paint job if nothing else. And the best thing about painting is that you have to move everything, so you end up doing the declutter job by default.

• Change It Up: If you can’t renovate or redecorate, can you reorganize? Try switching things around. Move furniture and change the look and flow of things.

• Add Products or Services: Can you add something to your offering? If you’ve been thinking of investing in a new piece of equipment, for example, then perhaps now is the time to make your bowl seem bigger by offering more. Providing a new service to our patients almost always seem to improve health outcomes and generally gives us access to a broader patient niche. Every time we add a new service, referrals jump.

• Stop Waiting: Are there things you’ve been putting off doing until “you have more space” or until the dreaded “someday”? Make a list, and then pick them off one at a time. Decide to do just one a week, and you’ll make substantial progress.

Don’t fall prey to “someday” or “when I have more space”. Act as if you already have that space, and before you know it, you’ll have the growth to justify it.

This is our third home – we’ve grown again, and I’m pretty sure now that we’re losing money every month we stay in our current space. There are some new treatments we’d like to offer, and we need more staff. All nice problems to have – we just need more space to start solving them.

While everyone’s space needs are unique, we’ve learned a few lessons over time that are helpful for anyone on the prowl for new space, regardless of profession:

Look at Everything

Really. Even the ugly stuff in the wrong place. Look at everything you can get your hands on.

Here’s why:

• You’ll be surprised. It’s the book-by-the-cover syndrome. Sometimes places are bigger, better, cheaper, cooler, readier and nicer than you’d think. Don’t miss out.
• One space leads to another. Looking at lots of places lets you meet lots of people – owners, agents, tenants, customers who can tell you about other possibilities you might never found otherwise.
• You’ll get an education. Even if you know the place you’re going to see to is not going to work for you, the time spent looking is getting you a homespun MBA in the current office space market – what space is worth, how landlords are handling leasehold improvements, traffic and construction issues, etc.
• You’ll have more options. And more options=better choices and a stronger negotiating position.

Don’t Use An Agent

Or, more accurately, don’t use a single agent. Start by doing web and street level recons – find all the places you can on your own, and call the listing agents for them. Then get those agents looking for you, too. One agent can’t do the job right, and can never be as connected as a whole bunch of them. You don’t really need a agent to represent you, and trusting one person with finding all the options doesn’t work well.

Do Your Homework on Leasehold Improvements

In addition to looking at everything you can get your hands on, you’ll need to build a little wisdom on things like average costs for leasehold improvements (how much it’s going to cost to renovate your space). Costs can vary wildly, and a few reference points are a handy thing.

If you tap your network, you’ll likely find a few health care professionals who have recently renovated or moved. In our area alone we were able to talk to a chiropractor, a dentist, a denturist and an acupuncturist/TCM practitioner – all with very similar office needs to a us, and recent leasehold improvement numbers. Everyone was very generous with their time and experience, and those conversations helped us identify some ridiculously expensive renovation quotes.

Always Negotiate

Although it might seem awkward, you’ve got to negotiate. The system is designed that way – it’s not like buying groceries or going to the movies (0r health care, for that matter). Property owners price their space expecting to negotiate. If you don’t, you’ll pay more than you need to.

Remember – no one’s going to be offended if you counter-offer or ask for something extra. A real estate agent may tell you that the owner will be offended, but that’s usually just a deal-closing tactic. Ignore it.

Be Willing to Walk

Nothing puts you in a stronger negotiating position than being willing to walk away from a space. Falling in love with the perfect office is a great feeling, but you generally pay for that sensation. This isn’t necessary, but it’ll get you the same space for less money.

Being Lazy Costs A Lot

Do you have to do all this stuff to find a new space? No. Certainly not. Just bear in mind that not doing your homework costs a lot in the long run. You’ll likely negotiate less effectively, and pay more for a space that’s not as good as what you could have found by doing some legwork up front.

It’s tempting to rely on the land owner to take care of everything, but being “hands-off” in your office search and renovation tends to drive up the cost. Many owners will offer to do all the leaseholds for you and amortize the costs over the life of your lease. This definitely is convenient, but don’t be afraid to go looking for your own contractor and financing if you feel the building owner isn’t giving you a competitive price or interest rate.

It’s About People
In CAM practice, business revolves around people – those providing the care, and those receiving it. This is where we started planning our latest space. How many staff and practitioners do you have? How many people need does your reception area need to accommodate? Do you have treatments that involve multiple clients being treated at once, or are they all one-on-one? We broke our space down into “people chunks”: practitioner offices, patient treatment areas (other than offices), waiting areas and staff space (lunch, meeting, etc).

Don’t Forget Hallways and Bathrooms
I know it sounds crazy, but it happens. Halls,entries and corridors alone can add up to 20% to your space. Don’t forget to factor them into your layout.

Does Size Matter?
Within reason, larger office space is generally associated with higher quality or “high end” service. For this reason, the size of your office should match your target market. Are you a more expensive boutique-style service, or are you competing on price? It’s hard to pull off a premium service in a crowded space, but it’s also hard to be profitable if you’re competing on price while trying to pay rent on a huge, ritzy office.

Useful Links
Real Facilities Space Calculator
How Stuff Works: How Much Space is Enough Space?

Related Posts
Should You Buy or Lease Office Space for Your Practice?
Creating High Quality Alternative Health Practices

Buying or leasing can be a challenging one for many practitioners. Interestingly enough, I think it’s more challenging later in your career, when you have the cash to consider buying, and the experience of pouring money into someone else’s real estate, but it’s a question that everyone likely faces several times during their professional lives.

It’s easy to get caught up in complicated financials – depreciation, tax rates, etc. – but there are some easier questions that can help make the decision.

How’s your cash flow?
Have you got (or can you get) the cash for down payments, renovations, taxes and the multitude of other costs associated with buying? When you lease, you often spread the cost of getting your office “patient-ready” over the course of the lease. When you buy, you’ll likely need more cash up front.

Do you want the responsibility?
It’s more work to own your own joint. You’ve got to deal with your own repairs, lawn care, snow removal, parking lot upgrades and plumbing emergencies. Are you up for it, or would you rather have the owner/superintendent of the building you lease in take care of it all? Most of us would rather not deal with this stuff, but having someone else manage it comes at a cost. Remember that most real estate owners aren’t in business to lose money; everything that takes away responsibility from you is likely being paid for by…you.

How’s your growth?
How do you see your practice growing over the next few years? Do you see yourself adding associates, colleagues, partners or other professionals, or will you be more of a one-person show? If you’ve got a lot of growth planned, you’ll either need to plan to move again, or get more space than you currently need.

Moving is more complicated and expensive when you own your own space, so if you’re buying, you may want to envision your practice over a longer time frame than the typical five-year lease.

How important is predictability of expenses?
It’s easy to be surprised with leasing or buying. You can get an awful shock in five years when you renegotiate a lease under different market conditions. But you can get an equivalent shock when you need to replace the roof on your office building the first year. I find leasing tends to be more predictable in the short-term. Buying tends to have a lot more surprises up front, but you can monitor your long-term costs by keeping an eye on mortgage rates and the condition of your property.

Does real estate turn you on?
For me, this is critical. Do you want to own your space? Do you get a thrill from knowing that you’re building equity in something, rather than paying for someone else’s building? Do you feel a sense of pride in owning and caring for your own place?

What business do you want to be in?
I think this is the big one. When you buy an office for your holistic or alternative health practice, your essentially entering the real estate business, even if it’s just with one building. Over a career, that decision can make a huge difference – paying rent to someone else for 20-30 years is not making you wealthier. But if you just don’t want to be in the real estate business, then maybe you’re better off leasing and focusing on your practice.

In the end, I think it’s ultimately an emotional decision for many. The only caveat is this: be smart, not scared. If the money’s similar, it’s really not a big deal owning your own place. Even buying your first home can seem scary, too, but after it’s done you realize it wasn’t so bad after all.

What defines a quality experience in an alternative health practice? Many consumers will equate quality with value. That is, they’?ll compare the complete experience they’?ve had in your practice against the dollar price they paid, and using an abstract formula unique to them, calculate the value. Was it worth it? Did they get more than they paid for? Less?

This internal mental formula that your patients use to calculate value is unique to each person, and unknown to everyone, including the client themselves. But rest assured, it exists. And while we can’t know the formula precisely, we do know some of the factors that affect quality, and as a result, value.

The Visit Experience

The client “experience”? with your practice is an amalgamation of a vast number of aspects of the visit. Here are a just a few:

Staff

• Was the staff pleasant? Effective?
• How was their phone manner?
• Were they informed, helpful?
• Did they seem to enjoy their job?
• Were they respectful?
• Did I feel they respected the rules of professional confidentiality?

The Office

• Was the office clean and uncluttered?
• Was it odorless, or at least pleasant smelling?
• Was it nicely decorated?
• Was the waiting area comfortable?

The Office Process

• Did the office seem to follow a procedure for dealing with patients?
• Were the waiting times short?
• Was the billing clear?
• Was it easy to pay?
• Was the next visit clearly specified and easy to book?
• Are the hours consistent, clear and convenient?

The best way to improve your visit experience is to note each time you find yourself having a good or bad experience in another business, and correcting your own practice accordingly.

The Relationship

The doctor-patient relationship can be an intimate one. This is particularly true of alternative health practices that tend to have a longer average visit time. The longer the visit, the more time the practitioner and client have to connect.

Time’?s not the only factor, however. A genuine interest in the well-being of your patients can compensate for very short visit times. The more your patients perceive their relationship with you as being unique and important, the more they’?ll perceive it as having high quality.

The Health Outcome

In the end, there will be no greater test of your value as a holistic practitioner than the health of your patients. Success in health care spreads like a brush fire, particularly within groups of people with common complaints.

Bringing your patients to a state of good health is the single best way to ensure that they return to your practice, and refer others. Combining that with the other aspects of quality will almost guarantee regular return visits and steady referrals.