Mentoring: why consistency is key
I like to think I am the Queen of consistency, but recently missed a newsletter deadline. After deciding to change the schedule from bimonthly to seasonal, I’d forgotten to tell my subscribers. The result was a drop in new mentoring requests.
This was a timely reminder that consistency is key to growing a sustainable business. Even in established practices, often unintended consequences arise when we’re inconsistent.
Consistency adds up
There are many no or low cost actions that contribute to business success. Some of the most powerful are around consistency.
Being consistent means “always behaving or performing in a similar way”. This kind of predictability might sound boring, but not to our clients. Golden clients keep returning because consistency engenders trust.
Small acts of consistency
Consistent client communication
- How we communicate with clients outside of consultations.
- Sending newsletters on a regular schedule.
- Keeping social media posts on message and frequency.
Consistency in the clinic
- Turning up on set clinic days and hours.
- Running on time.
- Working in the same way.
- Consistent pricing and branding.
- Giving adequate notice of planned holidays or schedule changes.
How inconsistency impacts business
We can still introduce new offerings and/or raise fees, but it matters how we do it. Big changes that come out of the blue can be jarring to the point of losing some clients. For example, how do you feel when your favourite café’s menu has radically changed and all your go-to choices are gone? Or they’re closed and changed their hours without warning?
Going AWOL on newsletters or social media posts send clients a subconscious message about our reliability. Emails and posts are a gentle reminder to book a consultation. That’s reason enough to stick to a consistent schedule.
The subliminal message from absence might cause clients to think we’re no longer practising. Especially if we’ve previously closed for any reason, such as carers leave or illness.
Why consistency is especially important right now
Currently there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world. When the economy wobbles, discretionary spending reduces. We’re all on the lookout for reasons to drop goods and services off our budget.
Think about how this plays in your own life. When finances are tight are you more likely to cancel a streaming service when there’s no new shows that interest you? Or do you not bother travelling to browse if a local shop you frequented moves two suburbs away?
How to be consistent
It’s challenging when we need to wear all the hats to run a business but these small acts of consistency don’t need to be outsourced.
Turning up during clinic hours, even if there are no clients provides space to work on business. One of the woo woo things clinicians often talk about is about where we put our energy and how intentions pays off. The more time spent working in the clinic (or home office), the more clients come to us.
I’m a long-time fan of using newsletters as a form of free connection to an already engaged audience. Decide on your sending frequency and set a reminder to create content a couple of weeks before each edition.
Not sent a newsletter yet? Get clients’ consent to join your mailing list, outline what will be in the newsletter and how frequently you’ll send it. Newsletters don’t need to be elaborate but the contents should include a link to something you’ve shared on your website such as a recipe or an article. Marketing 101 includes driving subscribers to the piece of digital real estate we actually own – our website. Clicks still influence the algorithm. The effort spent creating a newsletter, is halved when it’s repurposed into content!
How to encourage client consistency
What are some of your biggest gripes in practice?
Perennial favourites are no shows, clients running late, miscommunication, omitting important health information and not following our advice. We love the clients who always take their remedies and attend follow-ups as advised. But consistency is a two-way street
We need to lead by example.
Need help growing or transitioning your business? Gill has supported clinicians through mentoring and professional supervision for almost 30 years. Read more about mentoring or get in touch to book a session.
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