Give clients what they want

By E. JohnKnapp, AIA

Have you ever based an important decision on oneperson's opinion? Imagine not selling pet food because one clientprefers buying it from a superstore. You won't benefit from retailsales--or any service--until you ask many clients. Consider a clientsurvey before expanding or building a new facility. If you own apractice, give the survey to clients on arrival. If you're starting apractice from scratch, consider a mail or phone survey. Include thesetopics:

Family demographics. How many people are in thehousehold, and how old is the head of the family? Typically, householdsheaded by 18- to 35-year-olds own 60 percent of pets. So if most clientsrepresent that age group, you'll likely enjoy a long, fruitful practice.Next, ask about the number of pets in the household and breeds. If yourpatient roster includes 70 percent dogs and 30 percent cats, you'remissing a large cat-owner percentage. National statistics show peopleown more cats than dogs. Or suppose some dog-owning clients also havecats they take elsewhere. Why not pursue that feline market? Considerhow you can make feline patients--and their owners--mostcomfortable.

Easy access. To make the most of yourmarketing efforts, determine how clients found your practice. Did theysee your sign or consult the yellow pages? Were they referred? Clientsalso choose convenience. In an urban area, yellow pages are often thefirst place people look for veterinarians. In other areas, yellow pagesaccount for less than 10 percent of new clients.

Another factoris where clients live. How far and in what direction do they live fromyour practice? This information will help direct your marketing efforts.Your options include direct mail, community newspaper ads, and radio andtelevision. For marketing advice, ask a practice-managementconsultant.

Here's another question for clients: To enter theparking lot, did you turn right or left? If clients can't turn leftbecause of a median, they'll have to turn around and backtrack to yourpractice. It's more convenient if they can turn left without maneuveringaround a median. Of course, a simple right turn is easiest. Considerdetails like street access when comparing practice sites.

Foodfor thought. Clients have countless choices when it comes to petfood--and many places to patronize. With 30 to 100 feet of shelf spacedevoted to pet food, people can be easily overwhelmed and confused.Although some will choose the cheapest brand, others will seek youradvice. You want quality-minded clients who seek nutrition advice forpets' unique needs.

A survey can show what percentage of clientsseek nutrition information. If clients ask your advice but you don'toffer pet food, you're missing a big profit center. On the other hand,say you offer pet food but have few sales. If respondents say they wantnutrition advice, create a message that educates as well as generatessales. Recently, grocery stores' pet-food sales have decreased, whileveterinary hospitals and pet specialty stores' sales have grown. Thistrend may reflect the public's response to the message that onlyveterinarians should offer nutritional advice. Pet-food stores may havelower prices, but these stores cater to bargain hunters. Veterinarianscater to quality seekers. Which are your clients?

Boarding.Are you planning to build a boarding facility or expand an existingone? Do clients use your facility? Would they if your boarding facilitywas larger? Whether or not you offer boarding, ask clients what kind ofcare they prefer when traveling. Do they take pets along, leave themwith a neighbor or sitter, or use another boarding facility? How manytimes a year do they board pets? This will determine the potentialmarket in your existing practice, and how much revenue you could expectfrom boarding.

Grooming often goes hand in hand with boarding.One study I conducted for a client showed that for every boardingdollar, $1.05 was collected for ancillary services, particularlygrooming. Find out how many clients are interested ingrooming.

Measure success. When planning a new or expandedfacility, ask what clients think of your current services, not justthose you may add. Have them rate your practice's image, includingcleanliness, noise, and professional services. Always ask forsuggestions, and don't forget to thank clients for completing thesurvey. A small percentage may respond negatively to a survey. But don'tget discouraged. Find out if there's truth to their complaints, and actaccordingly. Positive responses illuminate what you're doing right--andshould keep doing.

The author is an architect and analyst inOregon, Wis., and a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Boardmember. He's specialized in animal hospital design and demographics formore than 25 years. You can reach him at ejohnknapp@aol.com.

May1998 Veterinary Economics