Know your clients to better serve your patients
Nearly 90 percent of practitioners say they chose veterinary medicine because they wanted to work with animals or liked science and medicine. But, clearly, a human sets up the appointment and writes the check. Here's what you need to know about your clients.
Who are your clients? According to Market Trends: The U.S. Market for Pet Care Services, produced by Packaged Facts, Caucasian, female pet owners between the ages of 40 and 50 are your strongest prospects.
Figure 1: Owner profile
The quintessential pet-service customer could also be described as being single or living in a two-person household without children, having either attended or graduated from college, being employed, and having an average household income in the $45,000 to $75,000 range, the study says. Reinforcing this finding, 80 percent of respondents to the AAHA 2004 Pet Owner Survey were female. Interestingly, women seem to have a bigger soft spot for their pets. For example, they're more likely than men to break household rules with a pet when their significant other isn't around, according to AAHA data.
Of course, you know that pet owners have strong feelings for their four-legged companions. And it's easy to find data that supports your experiences with committed pet owners. For example:
- 93 percent of pet owners say they're somewhat or very likely to risk their own life for their pet.
- 45 percent of respondents say their pet listens to them best.
- 64 percent of pet owners expect that their pet would come to the rescue if they were in distress.
AAHA data also suggests that pet owners are more concerned with the health and happiness of their pets than ever before. Eighty percent of survey respondents provide daily exercise for their pets, compared to 68 percent in 1995. And 53 percent say they're spending more on their pets now than they did three years ago.
Figure 2 : Airborne owners
Another sign of true commitment: Nearly 50 percent of respondents to the AAHA 2004 Pet Owner Survey adopted another pet to keep the first one company. Keep this in mind when pet owners raise concerns about leaving a pet alone too much during the day.
Eighty-two percent of respondents say they think about their pets at least a few times a day when they're away. Of those, 28 percent say they think of their pet every hour or all the time.
A final point of perspective: Most pet owners visit their veterinarian more often than their own physician, according to the AAHA 2004 Pet Owner Survey. So you can see—more than ever—your clients' passions, anxieties, and priorities revolve around your patients.
