Columns

You have several options when online critics go public about your practice. You can ignore them, fight back or learn from the experience.

Many people today use social media accounts to keep in touch with friends, read the news, scroll through pages of cute animal pictures, and more. We also use online resources to make everyday decisions such as selecting a doctor, restaurant or movie. Service providers, whether a hair dresser or plumber, are chosen in many cases […]

A variety of factors helps determine what your practice is worth and what a buyer is prepared to pay. The market today isn’t all about consolidators.

While specialty practices and referral centers historically have sold for high prices, general practices were not the darlings of corporate takeovers until now. Some owners of companion animal practices have received generous purchase prices, much higher than we would have imagined five years ago. “EBITDA” (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) and “multiples” have […]

Compassion, curiosity and courage are a potent antidote to the common fears that can paralyze us as human beings.

We’ve been focusing lately on the first two components of emotional agility: compassion and curiosity. Now, we turn our attention to the final component, courage. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” — Maya Angelou As Maya Angelou suggests, courage is an essential […]

A well-equipped and well-situated suite will help a hospital capitalize on the fast-growing service of oral care.

Veterinary medicine has enjoyed healthy growth for a number of years in the range of services offered. For many general practices and specialty hospitals, income and caseload growth are powered by expanded diagnostic and treatment modalities. Carving out space for special procedures has become standard in both new and existing clinics. Clients are looking to […]

Think imaginatively and freshen the look to jump-start sagging product sales.

Who is fronting the merchandise at your veterinary hospital? Rotating it? Freshening the stock? Creating and building a new point-of-purchase display? These types of actions are happening almost everywhere today throughout Retail America but probably not at most veterinary clinics. Why not? Not a priority? Don’t see value in the effort? Or are you of […]

Modest improvements in benefits or pay, or both, can pay off when it comes to recruiting and retaining employees. An incentive program can help.

Has hiring employees gotten harder lately? Not just finding veterinarians, but also veterinary nurses and other team members. Naturally, low unemployment is one reason for the problem. Another is the fact that we have underpaid veterinary employees for quite some time. I don’t think any practice purposefully underpays team members. Instead, we do it because […]

Clients don’t respond well to lectures. Strive to partner with them for the good of the patient, and remember to ask open-ended questions to jump-start conversations.

Last summer a friend and I had a conversation about nutrition for her dogs. Well, at the time I thought it was a conversation. She was feeding a boutique brand of food because of the supposed benefits, which to me sounded like nifty marketing rather than real science. Of course, I jumped on the opportunity […]

A support position doesn’t have to be a lifetime job. You have other options in the veterinary field if you’re motivated to do something else.

Working in a veterinary practice is an enviable career choice. It is a calling for many of us as well as a profession many are drawn to. The career choice is often reinforced when someone’s reaction upon hearing what you do is “Oh, that’s awesome!” or “Lucky you.” How many of us can make our […]

Authentic, personalized client service will differentiate your practice.

We can all think of a business where an employee told us to “Have a nice day” as we left. Years ago, I imagine, the phrase “Have a nice day” was meaningful. At its best, the phrase conveys politeness and indicates that an employee has had basic customer service training. At its worst, it can […]

“Mentern” relationships between baby boomers and millennials allow for the exchange of knowledge and the smooth handoff of the veterinary profession from one generation to the next.

As I and millions of fellow baby boomers begin to see more of life in the rearview mirror than out the windshield, I often find myself reflecting: Have I served my family well, did I give back to the profession I dearly love, and where the hell are my glasses? It’s become abundantly clear that […]