Focus on the Relationship

"Retaining clients is the best way for my small lab to stay profitable. Here are three of my tried-and-true strategies for building client relationships and keeping communication flowing: 

"Get to know the staff, especially the assistants! As a former assistant of 13 years, I personally know the load assistants carry. I frequently send them tokens of appreciation—gift cards, thank you notes or a special gift like their favorite chocolate or coffee—to acknowledge their extra effort to take good impressions or scans and communicate clearly. I also recognize them verbally for their great work and, because of this, they tend to be receptive when I try to educate them on areas that need improvement. Even if they leave the practice, they will take your lab with them when they find a new one—we have obtained quite a few new accounts this way.  

"I hold annual individual Lunch...