How It All Started

Duncan Hearing Healthcare have three locations in Massachusetts and was founded by Nancy Duncan in 2003. 

Prior to working with Orange & Gray in 2019, they had built a strong business but in Nancy’s words, “we grew to a point where we had three locations, ten employees and I got bogged down in HR. It reached a point that I was fearful of trying new things because I had so much to lose. I enjoyed time off more than my time working and I felt like I was stagnating.

Nancy became aware of Phil through manufacturer trainings, loved the ideas but often went away with no way of effectively executing them.

When she learnt about Orange & Gray in 2019, she says that “I wanted someone to take us to the next level. I needed experts to guide us and show us what the directors were”

What Happened?

Although we’re only a few steps into what is going to be a very exciting journey together, up until now, Nancy highlights three of the most important ways that being part of the’ Inner Circle’ has helped has been:

1. Pricing around service, not technology
2. The ‘Inner Circle’ Calls
3. Being ahead of the curve

Here’s a walkthrough of each of her key points.

Pricing around Service, Not Technology

Having previously made the device the focal point of every patient conversation and sale, the ‘Inner Circle’ allowed her to understand why she needed to change.

In her own words, “I grew up in the world of you sold the widget, you sold the hearing aid. Then we have this world now where that’s not enough, because anybody can sell that. So we had to really shine a light on what we do best. We’re changing our approach and selling more our service and what we do, and the hearing aid is just part of the journey rather than at the end. It’s been HUGE”

Through re-developing the pricing packages, considering how to build maximum value in each and guide a patient to making an informed decision understanding that the technology is only part of the overall solution, Duncan Hearing Healthcare have been able to be different and simplify their sales process for new patients.

The ‘Inner Circle’ Calls

The regular ‘Inner Circle’ calls allow us to collectively bring the US’s best private practice locations into one place to have honest and helpful conversations to move forward, guided by Phil M Jones and Oli Luke.

These calls have been super helpful to Nancy. In her own words:

“When COVID hit, these calls helped me to stay calm, guide, and really think outside the box. Because my initial response was, “We’re just going to batten down the hatches and hope for the best.” Rather than trying to pivot and change what we do, we have been able to grab the opportunity.”

Nancy also put a ‘emergency revenue’ campaign into place that allowed her to drive revenue while closed to protect the business and ensure they came out of the other side in a strong position.

Being Ahead of the Curve

Possibly the biggest benefit of being part of the ‘Inner Circle’ for Nancy has been her feeling of control during difficult times.

In her own words, I feel like an entrepreneur again and I’m excited about the things we’re doing. I feel ahead of the curve rather than trying to climb the wave. We’ve ridden through it and are now smooth sailing”.

The more you do, naturally the more control you’re in of where you’re going. The less you do, the less control that you have.

The Outcome

Although early in our journey, Duncan Hearing Healthcare are going from strength to strength and Nancy now says that she is excited again and looks forward to growing and not just stagnating.

With all new assets in place, and an entrepreneur at the wheel of the business that is hungry for growth and keen to execute our monthly campaigns, we’re excited for a bright partnership with Duncan Hearing Healthcare.

What’s Her Advice to You?

Just do it. Don’t doubt what they’re saying. I’m a definite person that’s very cautious with my approach. So I will say that a lot of the things that were initially proposed during this COVID experience, I thought, “Well, that’ll never work. I don’t have time for that. It’s never going to work. I’m not going to do that.” And finally, I was just like, “What do I have to lose?” I think that, for me, is the mentality I need to kind of stay with.

It’s not a cookie-cutter approach, it’s just what we get with most marketing. Even though it’s very similar, you can still make it your own. So you can still keep your voice, your brand, your practise, but make it everything you thought it could be and more very easily by just following the steps.