Expert: Maggie Macnab - 1/16/2005

Question
Hi Maggie,
I am a licensed acupuncturist living in Nashville, TN. anticipating beginning my first practice this Summer. I plan on moving into and renting a 2 B.R. home, converting 1 B.R. into a clinic. Of course I'll have to locate in a commercial zone or commercial/residential zoned area.
If I am forced to, because of availability and financial reasons, have to rent in an area which is not easily accessible from main roads, what would be the best way to inform new clients how to get there. I'm a former nationwide truck driver and plan on marketing heavily to truckers in the beginning. They have their share of aches, pains, vision problems, etc., and don't mind spending their money on anything, and coming to a former over the road truck driver would seem to be a good incentive to them. They might really help out in bringing in new clients at start up when money is always short. Several may drop in from out of state and, unfamiliar with the area and on a schedule, may want good directions before they arrive in Nashville. I won't be able to mail the directions or call them as some are always out on the road somewhere. I thought of faxing them to traveling people,(mostly who would be the long distance truck drivers), but some may not have a fax machine in their trucks, and finding one might prove to be an inconvenience for some of them.
What might be the best way to send these drivers and other new clients directions to my clinic? Telling them on the phone seems a bit clumsy and confusing, although I could I suppose. I guess I could just mail the directions to people, but they would have to be those residing at known, permanent addresses. I thought about creating a website where anyone could go and see a map of the directions or a text explanation of them, but I'm just thinking that might be a little costly, as I'll be trying to be as conservative as possible with spending during start up.
Would you have any suggestions on the best, least expensive, and most professional way to get directions out to all my new clients?

Thank you greatly for any assistance!

Sincerely,

Mike Eidson, LAc.

Answer
Hi Mike,
What a great service to offer truckers. I've designed an identity for an acupuncturist client and took part in trade. I am fully behind alterative health services. And not HMO's.

Anyway, I am not a marketing specialist, but a designer; however, I have been in business for over 20 years so I know a few things about marketing a small business. The best way to get people in is word of mouth. You know that and want to entice a few ginuea pigs to try it out, especially since the trucking profession is a fairly conservative and traditional group, as a rule (that may not be the current status quo, but what I remember of it).

You can buy fairly targeted email lists, so one suggestion would be to check into purchasing a more cutomized list to send out an introduction to  your services and location. This, however, can be pricey. I think your idea of a website is absolutely right on, if truckers as a rule can and do access the internet en route...and you will need to let them know about it. so the email list might be the way to do that.

More leg work for you, but less money and probably more targeted would be to post notices at laybys on their routes (primarily restaurants or restaurants with showers) or at their destination and pick up sites. You would need to get permission of course, but a free or low cost community bulletin board would be a good way to do this. Offer a signficant discount for first time and a 25% (or whatever) discount on their next time whenever they refer someone to you. Developing repeat clientele is your goal because they will send others to you. It is imperative that you make one on one connections: more effort, but I firmly bellieve t his yields better results. Take a little road trip and go where the truckers go. Stop by travel centers, and headquarters where their jobs come from and talk to whomever would be responsible for posting or circulating this information. Give it value by what the results can be for someone who is sitting for hours at a time.

Making a small business work takes a lot of diligence and commitment...and leg work. it's really important to love what you do because this never ends!

Good luck with helping others; seems like a great little niche to me.

Maggie Macnab