Best practices for creating Wellness Plans
In our previous article, we explained what are the Wellness Plans in veterinary medicine. Next, we will see what we need to take into account and what are the best practices when creating them.
There are only 4 steps to building successful Wellness Plans:
1. Defining the packages
What do we need to take into account?
Species – depending on the species that we most see in our clinic, we can define to whom we are offering these services. The most popular ones are of course those for dogs and cats.
Age – do we see more puppies or more adults? Puppy pet parents are usually the most interested in these Wellness Plans, but keep in mind that when their puppy becomes an adult, they will be already used to this kind of service.
Services – what do we do most, prevention, or special treatments? This is how we can promote services that are not usually the most popular.
Clients – what type of clients do we have? What are they choosing with a bigger frequency, the premium products, or the cheapest ones? This question helps us define the types of Wellness Plans.
2. Price strategy
How do we build the price?
The price for a Wellness Plan usually sums up about 80-90% of the whole cost of the services. Clients can pay them using 3 methods:
– upfront;
– in a few installments;
– monthly payment.
3. Marketing
How do we make sure that clients hear about these Wellness Plans?
Online
Clients spend a lot of time online and for this reason, it is very important to promote our Wellness Plans on our website, Facebook / Instagram pages, Pet Portal, or using e-mails.
A lot of times, pet parents are interested in this type of Wellness Plans, but they don’t know about their existence.
Also, it’s so much easier to promote online the advantages and benefits that these Wellness Plans offer.
In the clinic
When pet parents come to our practice, we know for sure that we have their attention. The most important marketing strategy is the one where we talk about these services. What the doctor says when recommending the best for a pet, is of most interest to pet owners.
Printed materials, like posters or flyers, can also have a big impact on promoting Wellness Plans and educating pet parents when it comes to prevention.
4. Management
How to manage these Wellness Plans?
Payment – after the client agrees to buy the Wellness Plan, it is very important to have an easy way to know what/how much was paid.
The Plan – we have to make sure that the owners know exactly what these plans cover and what is not included in them and why not; we also have to make sure that they know what they need to do to book these services or get their discounts.
Reminders – It is a must to remind the clients about the next due visits to our practice. Ideally, as automatic as possible!
Here are some examples of Wellness Plans that can inspire you.
– Initial consult OR any check-up for the next 3 months – Microchipping – Deworming x3 – The vaccination shots needed for the initial course | – General check-up – Booster vaccine – Deworming x3 – Flea and tick control (depending on the product used) | – General check-up (2 times/year) – Blood work (every 6 months) – Deworming x3 – Flea and tick control (depending on the product used) |
– Initial consult OR any check-up for the next 3 months – Deworming x3 – The vaccination shots needed for the initial course | – General check-up – Booster vaccine – Deworming x3 – Flea and tick control (depending on the product used) | – General check-up (2 times/year) – Blood work (every 6 months) – Deworming x3 – Flea and tick control (depending on the product used) |
To make these plans even more interesting, you can supplement by offering ⚡️ discounts for various services;
Example 1
when purchasing a package for a kitten you can offer a 10-20% discount on the neuter/spay service.
Example 2
when purchasing a package for a senior dog you can offer a 10-20% discount on additional investigations (abdominal ultrasounds, urine analysis, x-rays, etc.)
Example 3
when purchasing an adult cat pack you can offer a 10-20% discount at specialist consultations (eg. dermatological consultation) or even at the senior cat pack (if the cat is approaching the age of 7 years).
By creating such Wellness Plans you will have the base for the next plans because as you complete such plans, you will learn what works best for your clients and patients and you will be able to create new plans that respond even better to your customers’ needs.