Client Relations & Marketing

Sometimes you just can't anticipate all of the potholes in your path. But these four recommendations will guide you over the rocky road ahead and help you steer clear of dangerous legal ground.

Do you see the faces of your elderly or disabled clients as often as you'd like? When the team at Millsap Veterinary Clinic in Millsap, Texas, noticed some older clients were missing their pets' checkups, they started asking questions-and uncovered a transportation problem. Their solution: a pet taxi.

You know the routine all too well: Mr. Smith visits with his rambunctious English springer spaniel, Burt, and all goes well until you mention Burt's oral health. Enter the blank stare. Or the anxious shifting from foot to foot. Or even the hasty, "Oh, he's fine!"

The next time clients refuse care, use this advice from Caitlin Rivers, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and technician supervisor at Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa.: Don't take it personally.

We might think pets have it easy. No calorie counting. No comparing their thighs with supermodels on television or perusing the latest issue of Vogue and wondering how the pouty face on the cover got so thin. Nope. For pets someone measures out their food daily and with just a meow or a faithful wag of the tail, they're adored no matter how rotund they become. What a life!

My boss often fails to call pet owners after he performs surgeries to give them updates on their pets. These clients get worried and frustrated, and I feel sorry for them. How can I convince him to spend a little time to reassure these clients?

The key to convincing clients to schedule dental appointments for their pets might just have everything to do with your pen, says Louise Dunn, a practice management consultant with Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consultants in Greensboro, N.C. She offers this tip to market your dental program:

Most clients would be pretty grossed out to find a flea or tick on their pets. But they don't always take all the steps to protect their pets from infestations. That's where you come in. You want to start pet owners off on the right paw, so begin discussing parasite control the first day clients visit with their new pets.

An estimated 45 percent of all U.S. pets are obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Teach your clients about their pets' ideal weight with this obesity handout.

Download these tools highlighted in the November/December Firstline supplement to improve client compliance in your practice.

You hope you never see that "specializes in bad news" TV reporter at your door. But you could. And then you need this advice.

Just like this doctor, you may find the letters, photos, and mementos you receive from clients provide a critical pick-me-up when the tough days seem to outweigh the joys of practice.

Improve pet dental care with a client brochure.

"Clients like to know their pets will be taken care of by doctors they know and trust in an emergency, so having a doctor on staff 24 hours a day just makes sense to us," says Dr. Tom Nelson, co-owner of Animal Medical Center in Anniston, Ala. "Besides, the nearest emergency clinic is 60 miles away."

Your client says, "You care more about my money than you do about my pet." How do you respond?

An estimated 45 percent of pets in the United States are overweight or obese. So now's the time to tip the scale in favor of leaner, healthier pets.

This veterinarian's passion for practice-and helicopters-lets him fill a unique niche.

Should we offer walk-in appointments?

Your veterinarian has determined that your dog has allergies to certain substances, such as house dust mites and various grasses and insects, and may benefit from allergen injections to slowly lessen your pet's reaction to the substances. You can easily administer these injections at home.

Just whisper the word tests, and clients will flood you with questions: what, when, how much? Try these answers to get the OK.

Everyone goofs up sometimes. But a well-worded apology can help head off some potentially explosive client eruptions.

How do I prevent my clients from getting zoonotic infections?

Taking a half hour or so to input any bundles saves hours and prevents missed income...

Vet Medicine's December 2006 Radiography supplement REVISED

Editor's Note: DVM Newsmagazine asked Cheryl Weber, a grief counselor from the University of Illinois, to share her expertise and advice when a doctor is asked to euthanize a sick animal.

Study data shows that for every 100 job openings, only 96 veterinarians will be ready to fill the spots.

Step back-so you can put your best foot forward

Clients often ask me what they should feed their pets. What should I say?

Looking for some art to fill those empty walls? Check your mailbox! You probably receive a wealth of great artwork from clients every month, says Cheryl Dyer, practice manager at Noah's Ark Animal Clinic in Kansas City, Mo. When patients recover from a serious illness, their pet parents often send a note of thanks with a picture to the practice. Dyer says they frame these photos and hang them in the practice's front lobby.

You like people and you like animals. This phrase was probably on your job application, and it's what you tell people when they ask you why you chose to work at a veterinary practice. But is it true? Oh, I know you like pets, but what about people?