Communication

Delivering exceptional phone service can make the difference between a pet owner who agrees to book an appointment and one who gets a quick answer and hangs up.

Callers begin to make assessments about a veterinary hospital based on the telephone interaction with team members. These conversations can easily influence the decision to book an appointment. This is especially true when pet owners who aren’t established clients call to inquire about services and fees. Since the prices of routine services are likely to […]

Compelling and personalized narratives of positive or 
negative outcomes can serve as calls to action for pet owners.

With so much access to technology, pet owners of all ages and backgrounds are presented with more marketing messages today than ever before. Whether these come as 30-second commercials playing before a YouTube video, pop-up advertisements on a computer screen or traditional highway billboards, differentiating which messages truly matter and which are cookie-cutter promotions becomes […]

Developing and promoting a compelling case study is one way to get media attention for your veterinary practice.

Sure, you might advertise your veterinary practice to nearby pet owners so that they learn about your services and expertise. But how do you reach the masses? One often underutilized tactic is media relations. Here is how to promote your practice by publicizing interesting client cases. Let’s assume that you want to reach a larger […]

Learn to reclaim your patients (and their owners) in three easy steps.

The U.S. cat population has risen by several million over the past five years, according to several studies. However, the number of feline veterinary visits is declining and nearly three times as many cats, as compared to dogs, did not receive any veterinary care in the past year. This is an incredibly disturbing trend that […]

Your reputation and credibility are on the line in today's world, so know how to request online reviews and respond to less-than-stellar comments.

I was wet, cold and slouched beside my broken-down car. Desperate for a tow truck, I pulled out my iPhone and Googled. In less than a second, I had three nearby tow services plotted on a map. Each was heralded by a string of stars. The first business boasted a 4.9-star rating from 56 reviews. […]

Clients will remember three key front-office interactions.

When pet owners visit a veterinary practice, their first and last interactions are typically with the front office team. Consequently, client service representatives (CSRs) need to be well-trained to create positive impressions. A pet owner’s service experience is a major factor in determining how bonded she is to the practice and how likely she is […]

Technology and automation can help a veterinary practice communicate better with pet owners and deliver a top-notch in-clinic experience.

Have you ever visited a business and thought, “Wow, what a great experience!”? If so, were you inclined to tell people about this business, maybe even write a review? How does your veterinary practice compare? Do pet owners leave your practice thrilled by the experience? Do you keep in touch with them when they’re not […]

Market your stress-free clinical approach by capitalizing on social media options and optimizing your practice website.

When I went to veterinary school many years ago, there were no marketing classes, no search engine optimization lectures, no discussion about social media or Twitter followers, and not a single hour on how a website can “make or break” your practice. In fact, I don’t think these topics were even a glimmer in my […]

Accommodating a client’s preferred learning style can lead to a more educated pet owner and better compliance.

Several years ago, I took my Papillon, Chloe, to a veterinary dentist for removal of an oral tumor and any necessary dental care. In addition to reviewing details of the surgical procedure, he showed digital radiographs to explain which teeth needed to be removed. The dentist’s combination of auditory and visual client education built trust […]

Focused marketing efforts can cure the ups and downs of seasonality.

Not too long ago, small animal veterinary medicine had a predictable seasonality. From a revenue and transactional standpoint, it looked like a bell-shaped curve — the peak usually in midsummer, the valley in winter and the curve heading up in spring and down in fall. That is no longer the case. Today, the curve looks […]