Pet products: How good is your word?

A resounding 97 percent of veterinary team members who responded to a March 2008 VetMedTeam.com survey said clients ask them about pet products. And 70 percent of those team members said clients solicit their opinions several times a day. But only 61 percent of team members said clients follow their product recommendations almost always or most of the time. Perhaps those compliance rates can be attributed to the fact that only 62 percent of respondents' practices conduct training about the products they sell or discuss them at staff meetings.

You must train team members to educate pet owners, says Nancy Potter, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and the practice manager at Olathe Animal Hospital in Olathe, Kan. "When we educate our clients, they often tell us, 'I'm glad you told me that. I didn't know.' Then they follow our recommendations," Potter says.

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