Client Relations & Marketing

With National Pet Wellness Month around the corner, it's a great time to evaluate how you educate clients about older pets' needs.

You're pressed for time, but don't shortchange clients by skipping out on educational opportunities.

Relatively few clients have pet insurance, but the numbers are steadily rising. And that's a good thing for your business.

Your scheduling software gives you four more defenses against no-shows.

These three types of questions help you start the discussion-and keep it going.

You don't have to avoid accounts receivable altogether-just be smart about when to offer credit and who you offer it to.

When you, your team, and your clients are reading from the same set of directions, you make it to your end goal-better pet care-with fewer detours.

Remind clients that parasite control keeps pets-and people-healthy. Then use handouts like this one as a follow-up to your exam room message.

Is your message about the risks of parasites reaching clients?

19 tips to cut back on no-shows and get back to business.

Use these tips to manage euthanasia visits more effectively and show clients you care.

After researching your customers, you'll be ready to set a marketing plan that fits your practice's needs

We reuse gel ice packs to numb the area between a pet's shoulder blades before placing a microchip.

You may not always have the right words to express your sympathy when a pet dies, but the right book might be just the tool your clients need to help them grieve.

If you were going to spend $100 on a new set of tires, wouldn't you want to know why? Were the old ones worn out, or do the new ones work better in snow? Knowing why you should care makes it easier to make the decision to spend. And the same is true for clients and their pets. Clients expect a recommendation each time they visit your hospital, and they want to know how your recommendations benefit them and their pets. Once they know why they should care, they're more likely to comply.

If a picture's worth a thousand words, four pictures are worth, well, a lot.

Q. Many of our clients don't seem to recognize the signs that their pets are in pain. What can we do?

Read "What's In It for Me?" and then solve the puzzle.

When clients visit for routine checkups or care, send them home with a pet health report card, suggests Martha Harmon, office manager at Riverdale Animal Hospital in Riverdale, Ga.

Shawnee, Kan. - Bayer HealthCare, Animal Health Division, announced that it reached an agreement for U.S. distribution rights for Switzerland-based Datamars' ISO-approved microchips and scanners for companion animals and horses.

Not using demographically determined fees eventually leads to mediocrity or worse.

Dr. Daniel Brod, co-owner of Deer Creek Animal Hospital in Littleton, Colo., says that in about one of every four senior dogs he tests, he identifies early disease processes, such as renal, liver, or thyroid disease?that's about 15 percent higher than in younger dogs at his practice. And he sees similar results in his feline patients. So the benefits of testing are clear. And his team took just a few steps that helped to increase compliance.

During the spring and summer, shelters face a deluge of kittens. The American Humane Association estimates that 70 million cats in the United States need homes. If you want to help, June?which is the designated Adopt-A-Cat Month?could be a great time to focus on helping potential pet owners find feline companions.

Interviews are a great opportunity to encourage interest and educate the public about veterinary medicine and public health matters. But good interviews don't happen by chance. It takes thought, skill, and practice to convey your messages effectively. Take these seven steps to make the most of your next media opportunity.

Difficult clients do your practice more harm than good by damaging team morale and causing conflict. Figure out who they are, and let them go.

I disagree with recent decisions my boss made and with the quality of his practice. After 12 years, I'm ready to move out on my own. I don't have a noncompete agreement and plan to open a practice in the same town. My clients deserve to know I'm leaving and should have the opportunity to follow me. What can I do?

When your team lives by a set of golden rules for client care, you create a clientele that looks and acts more like a fan club. Here's how to tap this energy and fuel your team's success.

Treat your clients better than their own doctor does. And keep in mind, it's small investments in service that make the difference.

... we reward ourselves with premium products ...

Dr. Doug Clarke at Pet Veterinary Clinic in Grandville, Mich., says it used to send chills up his spine when clients said they'd been looking up medical information on the Internet.