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Wham bam thank you Sam — and somehow another year has trundled (or full-on sprinted) by. The council puts up the giant Christmas tree in the park, the kids start insisting school is worse than ever, and everyone collectively loses their minds.
“Gotta finish everything I’ve put off all year… before Christmas!” becomes the battle cry of the slightly less organised (which, let’s be honest, is most of us).
Early December can feel like the 15th round in the boxing ring. You’ve been swinging away all year, you’re tired, but you know the final bell is just around the corner. You can almost relax.
And despite the chaos, there’s still something about this time of year — the wishing people well, the tiny gifts, the pre-Chrissy drinks — that I secretly kind of like. It’s the season of making people feel a little bit special… especially the ones who usually fly completely under the radar.
Bron (my wife), is a super generous lady who loves to make people feel a bit special and she doubles down around Christmas. And this is extended to the people who usually go unseen or unthanked.
This week she rocks up to put our son Max on the council school bus and presents the lady who drives it daily with a box of chocolates and a cheery “Happy Christmas”. She shared with me the driver’s reaction…..
“But…But… I’m just a robot!”
Bron smiled at her with her wonderful smile and responded, “No you’re not. You’re the very important person who safely carries our son to and from school every day. You have a most important job.”
By this time, the lady bus driver was in tears and almost unable to accept Bron’s humble little gift while stammering, “I am. I’m just a robot.”
How sad. It was like no one had ever made her feel special for the job she tirelessly does. It was as though she didn’t understand how valuable she was.
Can you imagine how she would turn up daily if she felt she had one of the most important tasks of educating the nations futures… getting the little urchins to school.
Likewise, I’ve often heard a similar phrase within veterinary practices.
“I’m just a receptionist”.
If I ever hear this, I promptly let them know that they are possibly the most important person in the team.
Properly trained, your veterinary receptionist can proactively grow your business by:
So when I hear them say “I just work on reception”, I know there is a huge opportunity to upskill them, so that massive potential value can be unlocked.
In fact, I think they are one of the most underutilised, overlooked, sources of potential value in many practices.
Many practices have receptionists that are devoted, caring, salt of the earth people who with the right training, would become rockstars.
Unfortunately, until two months ago, there wasn’t much available to upskill these potential rockstars.
So Lisa Scheepers (AMG coach) decided to create an army of Client Whisperers, one by one, through a program called “The Client Whisperer: Mastering Veterinary Reception Genius”
Lisa is no slouch when it comes to training. She has trained the best reception team I have ever encountered, and it was evident, in the outrageous performance of the practice she owned. She also happens to have a psychology degree.
If you’d like your reception team trained to rockstar status by Lisa, here’s the link to check it out: https://apa.acceleratepracticeacademy.com/the-client-whisperer
Think of it as a tax deductable Chrissy present that will pay dividends for a long time in so many ways!
And the next time you see someone that is doing a thankless job, drop a little ripple of happiness in their pond by telling them what they do that is valuable to you, and thank them for it.
They will love it, and you’ll feel pretty good too.
Sam Bowden has spent 15 years as a practising vet. He has owned two practices during this time, each of them achieving phenomenal results in growth and profitability. He has devoted his last 12 years to helping practice owners increase their happiness, work-life balance and profitability. He is the founder of United Vets Group | The Ultimate Veterinary Practice | Complete Vet Systems | More Vet Clients Websites | Accelerate Mastermind Group | Vet Business Manager Program | The Dental Academy His skill set is combining long-lasting mindset changes together with proven practical strategies to allow practice owners and teams to reach their full potential. He is considered a leading educator on how to increase profitability, work-life balance and happiness in the veterinary industry.
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