Creating Your Own Identity: What Should ODs Call Their Practice?
Is it important to name your practice for branding purposes? If so, should it be your name or a made-up trade name?
Here are some pros and cons.
I bought a practice in Vicksburg, MS, from another OD in 1973 that operated under the name of The Vision Clinic.
I worked in that practice for thirteen years and then sold it, along with the name, to my two junior partners in 1986.
Here we are in 2009 and one of those ODs still owns the practice and operates under the name of The Vision Clinic.
Trade Name Versus Doctor’s Name?
In our case, a trade name worked well and created an orderly transition for three different owners.
Although the practice changed ownership in 1973 and 1986, I think a constant trade name contributed to strong patient retention and minimal confusion.What If The Practice Name Is A Doctor’s Name?
In my last blog, we addressed the practice identity crisis faced by Dr. Bill Barry (the case is real, all the names were made-up).
As you may remember, Dr. Barry purchased a practice from Dr. Joe Jones five years ago and continued to operate under the name Jones Eyecare.
Now that their non-compete has expired, Dr. Jones has decided to open across the street from Dr. Barry and call his new practice City Eyecare.
That means the new practice will be named City Eyecare, Joe Jones, OD and the old practice is named Jones Eyecare, Bill Barry, OD.
Yes, I find it confusing and suspect many patients will too.
Dr. Barry’s question to us is: What do I do? I could change my practice name, but I think that would just open the door for him to steal my patients.
Here Is What Some Of Our Readers Had To Say:
To Dr. Barry,
This is a no brainer. Change the name and establish your own identity!!
Harlan Vander Griend, OD
Dear Dr. Hayes,
I enjoy reading your advice and think the recommendation to create a new sign ‘Owner of Jones Eyewear’ is clearly a great solution.
I want to emphasize that these situations can easily grow into feuds. Some doctors fail to realize that carrying anger around and complaining to patients about the situation will kill practice growth.
I recommend that you write down a classy answer for you and your staff to use when patients ask questions about the ‘competition’.
Try to infuse some humor into your response and always use the same short answer as a way of defusing your negative feelings around the topic.
Michael A. Buzbee, OD
Dear Jerry,
I purchased a 30-year-old practice in 2007. The former owner still works for me and we get along famously because he is a man of integrity and class.
This past year I made the move to a larger location because I got a great deal on the rent. I also (against the former owner's advice) added my name to our frontage sign so that it reads Dr. _/Grover Vision Center.
My business card, letterhead, phone ads, etc., all read only Grover Vision Center. My staff answers the phone ‘Grover Vision Center’ as well.
A few patients think they called the wrong place. But overall, there is no major confusion. My plan is to keep his name on the sign for another 6 months then remove it altogether.
Dr. Alan D. Grover
Dr. Barry,
Since you’ve been in the office 5 years, I think it’s time for the name to change. You could go for something with your name in it or invent a new trade name.
Depending on the size of your community, either everybody will know that Dr. Jones is back or nobody will care. Ultimately, patients will decide where they go.
If you’ve done a good job of customer service, providing current care, are patient friendly, and know your stuff (since you read Jerry Hayes, I am presuming THAT is true) you’ll be fine.
As part of our long-term strategic plan, we made the decision a number of years ago to phase out my name from the practice name in a 3-step process.
This was done in a calculated fashion over 5 years to make way for our associate doctors and eventual transfer of power and ownership.
Just be sure to consult with a marketing advisor who knows eyecare to give you direction in selecting a new practice name. It is WELL WORTH the money you invest to get the name that you’ll be branding for years to come.
Dr. Reed, ODAgree with this blog? Disagree? Have a comment or question of your own? Click here to send me an e-mail.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions contained on this site are for discussion purposes only and are NOT intended to serve as legal, accounting or investment advice. ©2009 Jerry Hayes, OD. Not to be reproduced without written permission of the author.Back To Top
What to name a practice is a
What to name a practice is a problem for many of us. I have operated under Berner Eye Clinic for 24 years. I have a new partner buying into the practice and we decided to leave the name as is when she was just an associate.
She is now buying into the practice and we wanted to change the name to Broadway Eye Clinic. Makes sense since I will be retired in eight years and she will probably have another partner.
One problem. I have worked hard to get my name well established on the Internet and we always appear first page on the Internet search engines (without paying a fee).
If we change the name I fear we will loose that position. So we are going to use Berner and Buresh Eye Clinic for the time being. Hopefully since the words Berner Eye Clinic are still within the name we will maintain our search position. Does that make sense?
Perhaps anyone starting in practice may want to use a generic name and not their own name. Search engines and the Internet are the way of the future and changing the name later on may be a hardship.
Just thought this needs to be considered when making a name change.
Dr. Terry H. Berner