Communication

Persuading clients to purchase a 12-month supply of preventives gets easier if you explain the benefits well and price your products competitively.

Do you get frustrated when trying to convince clients that flea, tick and heartworm prevention is not just a seasonal issue? We know that pet owners need to give preventives year-round to maintain efficacy and ensure pet health. But clients still walk out the door without purchasing products. Or they buy one to six doses and […]

Reducing fear and stress in patients might require changing the workplace culture. Once you have the team’s attention and buy-in, your clients will take notice.

It’s a busy Monday morning at your practice, full of appointments and a few walk-ins spilling over from the weekend. And then, in the midst of controlled chaos, an anxious German shepherd is scheduled for a 20-minute appointment to “check hips.” A few years ago, just writing those words would have sent my shoulders hunching […]

The right mobile application can enhance your practice, your relationship with clients and, most importantly, pet health.

It’s all too easy to become overwhelmed by new offerings flooding the veterinary marketplace. While many of the shiny, new mobile apps are worth their weight in gold, cutting through the noise to determine the best fit for a veterinary practice isn’t so simple. As more companies promise to enhance engagement with the modern pet […]

If your procedures leave pets petrified, isn’t it time to try something else?

I vividly remember a Tuesday morning many years ago. I woke up incredibly sore and tired, and I had no recollection of why I felt that way. I hadn’t worked out recently and, although I had two heavy toddlers, the previous days were the same routine — no heavy lifting or theme park toting. And […]

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 […]

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 […]

Too many veterinary practices focus on dogs in their marketing efforts. Cats and their owners deserve your attention.

The relationships we form with animals are something of a spiritual experience. The way they sense our emotions, or how we read their moods just by looking at their eyes, hint at an extraordinary connection. Despite our love of animals and pets, and their constant representation on websites and social media channels, I’ve found that […]

Fearful and anxious body language is not always behavioral in origin. In some cases, disease is the culprit.

Although this column focuses on the emotional health of our patients and how that can translate into more compliant clients and better business, like many of you I’m a clinician at heart. The better we can use all our diagnostic skills, including recognizing and interpreting canine body language, the more thorough we can be in […]

A dusty old website is a turnoff to visitors, so spruce it up now to connect with potential clients and engage your regulars.

Now that millennials have surpassed baby boomers as the largest pet-owning group, there’s more reason than ever for your veterinary practice to up its online game. Any marketing-savvy practice knows that this objective requires the dedicated resources of a knowledgeable practice team member or a competent outsourced service. But once you have that go-to person […]

Confident financial conversations are a team effort and serve to prioritize the pet.

Ten years ago, I gave a conference presentation on the still-relevant topic “Talking to Clients About Treatment Plans and Fees.” The catalyst for this article is what I’ve witnessed recently while working with several excellent practice teams: a focus on giving options to clients and saving money rather than concentrating on patient advocacy and the […]