How do your fees stack up?
Now more than ever, clients are looking for the best price available. Are you charging appropriately for your services?
As a veterinary practice owner, you want to charge fairly for your services, but you also want to attract new clients and retain your current ones. So how do you find the balance? Comparing your fees to other clinics is a start.
In compiling a list of qualities pet owners should look for in a veterinarian, consumer advocate group Consumers' Checkbook surveyed veterinary practices in the Bay Area to find average costs for a few routine procedures.
If you haven't had the time to conduct anonymous price surveys of competitors, compare your fees to these and see how much variation there is in this urban community.
Spaying of a 6 1/2-month-old cat
Average price: $257
Low price: $56
High price: $832
Removal of a cat's front claws
Average price: $301
Low price: $153
High price: $783
Spaying of a 7-month-old, 25-pound dog
Average price: $301
Low price: $100
High price: $552
Lab analysis of a dog's stool
Average price: $31
Low price: $10
High price: $62
Neutering of a 6-month-old, 30-pound dog
Average price: $263
Low price: $95
High price: $850
Teeth cleaning of a 5-year-old, 65-pound dog
Average price: $365
Low price: $105
High price: $750
Whether you raise your prices, lower them, or keep them steady, remember that clients are paying attention-and likely not just to your prices, but also to your competitors'. Keep your clients happy with fair pricing.
