Getting to "yes" with veterinary clients

Welcome to Firstline's Team Training in a Virtual Box, your complete guide to team training. Each lesson is designed to give you all the tools you need to plan an educational staff meeting on a single topic. This team meeting is all about getting to "yes" with clients. Team members play a vital role in making strong recommendations that stick with clients. A consistent message about the pet's care needs over the lifetime of the pet help lock in the care pets need to live longer, healthier lives.

The four meeting parts will help you educate your team members about how to make these vital recommendations to clients. You'll find a trainer's script and team activities in each section. We recommend beginning with Part 1 then progressing through to Part 4 to give your team the most complete understanding of the topic. Do this, and your team will have the tools to deliver a successful team-wide approach to getting to “yes” with clients.

Press the links below to access the meeting tools.

Expert contributors

Thank you to the following experts for their contributions to the material for this meeting:

Dennis Cloud, DVM

Brian Conrad, CVPM

Kelly Searles

Christine Shupe, CAE

Sarah Wooten, DVM

Part 1: Team knowledge

Every member of your veterinary team plays a vital role in making client recommendations. Use these tools and activities to ensure the practice managers, technicians and receptionists at your clinic are aware of how they fit into the larger picture of client compliance. Begin the discussion on why every member of the team needs to be ready with a strong recommendation. View Part 1.

Part 2: Implementation

In this section, your team will take time to review and discuss what specific words and phrases go into strong recommendations. With these tools, your team will get the chance to revamp weak recommendations and learn how to use their own stories when talking to clients. View Part 2.

Part 3: Client communication

Effective recommendations often come down to effective client communication skills. Teach your team the right-and wrong-way to handle treatment plans with steep price tags. Also review possible solutions for when the client just says, “no,” and practice promoting positivity throughout these client communications. View Part 3.

Part 4: Marketing and follow-through

Your team has made the recommendation to the client. Now what? These next steps are crucial. First talk to your team about the importance of forward booking and follow-up calls. Then think ahead and create a “New Pet” client folder for your clinic. Use the handy Review Checklist to look back at all your team has covered in this four-part meeting. View Part 4.

Part 1 resources

Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting:

• Part 1: Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities

• Part 1: Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue

• Team training tool: Role play making recommendations: 3-minute activity

Part 1: Team knowledge

Team members play a vital role in making strong recommendations that stick with clients. A consistent message about the pet's care needs over the lifetime of the pet help lock in the care pets need to live longer, healthier lives. In this team meeting, we will explore your team members' thoughts and opinions about making recommendations to clients, whose recommendations they believe are most important, and watch a video about client communication and then practice making consistent, strong recommendations. (Before you start, download the Part 1 meeting guide and trainer's script that walks you through exactly how to hold a meeting on this topic.)

If you want clients to get on board with your recommendations, first you need to make sure your whole veterinary team is on the same page. Why? Clients often need to hear the recommendations several times to lock in compliance. Plus, they often respond to each team member differently, so it's vital that they hear the same message throughout their appointment.

You want to present the confident recommendation clients are looking for. They've chosen your veterinary practice-and your team members-as the experts. They're trusting you to take the best care of their pet.

With so many other businesses trying to compete with veterinary care, clients hear a lot of mixed messages from many different sources. It can be confusing for them to know what information to believe, which is why it's so important for all of your team members to relay the same recommendation.

As veterinary professionals you are still the most educated and well-prepared resource and you shouldn't shy away from owning your role as experts. To emphasize this point, kick off your team meeting with a group discussion. Make sure each team member has a chance to talk about their role in making strong recommendations.

2-minute discussion: Framing the issue

After giving a brief introduction, ask team members the following question, “Out of all of the people in this room, whose recommendation is the most important?”

The purpose of this question is to remind team members that everyone's recommendation is important. Some may be under the impression that the veterinarian's words are the only ones that matter. This is a great opportunity to clarify that the entire team needs to support the doctor's recommendation in order for the message to truly sink in.

Remember, consistency is key. Hearing the same message from multiple people not only adds value to the message, but also increases compliance. It also reassures clients that the entire clinic is on the same page.

2-minute activity: Video: Say this, not that

Show your team what weak and strong recommendations sound like by playing this video at the meeting:

The clip shows Sarah Wooten, DVM, take on three approaches for veterinary client communication. You'll see her channel “Dr. Downer,” “Dr. Detail,” and finally “Dr. Do-right.” Dr. Wooten demonstrates that when you use easy-to-understand language and explain treatments, you'll have more success than if you blame the clients or confuse them with clinical terms. 

After all, if your team has been at the practice for years, they may forget what it's like to be on the other side of the exam table. This is why it's so important to educate your team on how to make clear, easy-to-follow instructions throughout an appointment. Click here to read three quick tips to make sure your recommendations are clear to clients.  

3-minute activity: Role-play

They say practice makes perfect and the same holds true for making recommendations to clients. It's time to put your team to the test with a fun activity. Have your team members break into pairs and practice making strong recommendations to difficult clients with these sample scripts.

When everyone is done role-playing, share your scripts with the whole team. Together, you can choose a few scripts to put to use immediately in your practice.

Conclude your meeting by thanking team members for their time today. Remind them that next time you'll review and discuss what specific words and phrases go into a strong recommendation and learn how to use their own stories when talking to clients.

Continue to Part 2: Implementation

Part 2 resources

Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting:

• Part 2: Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities

• Part 2: Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue

• Team training tool: Revamp client recommendations and get results: 3-minute activity

• Team training tool: Make recommendations from the heart: 5-minute activity

Part 2: Implementation

Part 1 of this meeting ended with a role-playing activity where team members had the opportunity to practice making recommendations to each other. Encourage everyone to keep these scripts handy and add to them as the meeting progresses. (Before you start, download the Part 2 meeting guide and trainer's script that walks you through exactly how to hold a meeting on this topic.)

Now that you've already discussed why every team member is important to this process, it's time to talk about how to craft the perfect recommendation.

The words you choose are very important. For example, you might try to customize the recommendation by using the patient's name often. Most important, tell clients why you're making the recommendation.

Take a few minutes and open up the floor to your team. Ask for their input on what makes a recommendation strong.

5-minute activity: Discussion

Your team probably knows that there are words that motivate pet owners and words that kill client compliance completely. Ask your team members to volunteer specific words and phrases that they think are helpful and hurtful when it comes to making client recommendations. Write these examples on a white board or poster board for everyone to see and then discuss what makes some better options than others.

Take this time to share your advice and experiences with the group. One key point: It's important to use strong language. For example, don't tell your clients, “I recommend a complete blood count, a blood chemistry panel, and radiographs.” Instead tell them, “We need a complete blood count, a blood chemistry panel, and radiographs to reach an accurate diagnosis.”

When you use words such as “recommend,” you ask the client to make the decision. On the other hand, when you use words such as “need,” you make the decision for them.

The same holds true for giving options. When you list out the options, your client will ask for your advice about which to pick. This is not a time to be unbiased. If you think the patient needs option A, tell the client his or her pet needs option A. If a leg needs to be plated instead of pinned, don't give the client the pinning option just because it's less expensive. Tell the client that pinning won't work and explain why plating is necessary. Otherwise, the pinned leg may not heal correctly and the dog could walk with a limp for the rest of its life.

Encourage team members to share specific examples they have experienced in practice, too.

3-minute activity: Revamp client recommendations

It's a good idea to plan to discuss the recommendation process often in future team meetings. This way the team can give their input from the beginning and discuss the details of specific situations they've encountered. Over these discussions, they will come up with a few strategies that work.

Remember, you want to avoid using words like “maybe” or “should.” “Maybe” undermines the message and can leave clients wondering if you really believe in the recommendation. “Should” can create guilt if the client chooses not to proceed, and it can come across as too pushy for some clients.

Now it's your team's turn to brainstorm motivating words and words to avoid in recommendations. Start the activity by handing out the team training tool (Revamp client recommendations and get results) and have your team practice revamping client recommendations.

5-minute activity: Finding your story

The best recommendations are the ones that come from the heart. The more personal stories or examples you have to back up your words, the better. The biggest challenge is digging these examples out of your brain. Jog your memory with this exercise.

Have your team members break into pairs and write down their own stories using the team training tool (Make recommendations from the heart). Then encourage them to practice telling their story to their partner. Team members can record their coworker's most memorable stories on the worksheet. And then they'll have even more examples to share with clients.

Conclude your meeting by thanking team members for their time today. Remind them that next time your team will be learning the right-and wrong-way to handle treatment plans with steep price tags. You will also review possible solutions for when the client just says, “no,” and practice promoting positivity throughout these client communications.

Continue to Part 3: Client communication

Part 3 resources

Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting:

• Part 3: Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities

• Part 3: Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue

Part 3: Client communication

In Part 2, your team learned how to implement strong client recommendations. Now it's time to put those skills to work. This part of the meeting will help you ensure everyone in your practice understands how to communicate with clients and understands the importance of being advocates for strong treatment plans. By the end, each team member should be able to offer solid recommendations without hesitating. (Before you start, download the Part 3 meeting guide and trainer's script that walks you through exactly how to hold a meeting on this topic.)

2-minute video: Money talks: Say this, not that 

Many times clients may be OK with your recommendation, but it's the price tag that they're concerned about. Remember this is why, when presenting treatment options, it's not just what you say but how you say it. And keep in mind your team's word choice and body language might be interfering with what you're trying to communicate to clients.

Show your team this short video where Brian Conrad, CVPM, demonstrates the right-and wrong-way to discuss payments with clients. After the clip, ask your team what they thought about the different communication methods.

8-minute activity: When the client says ‘No'

In a perfect world, every client would respond to your recommendations like this: “Yes, that sounds great. How do we get started?” Unfortunately, it's not always that easy to get pet owners on board. Don't be discouraged. ‘No' is a part of life.   

Understanding why clients say no is the key. Asking questions to uncover the reason behind the ‘no' will help your team better care for that client and pet in the long run.

Often clients don't comply because of finances, fear or lack of understanding. This is why discussing payment options, calming fears and providing client handouts are so important. 

Ask your team to write down three reasons clients have declined their recommendations in the past year. Encourage each team member share one experience and explain if they pressed on with the client, pulled back, or just listened. Talk about the best practices on how to handle each recommendation rejection.

Use this tool to learn how to handle these four recommendations that your clients ignore.

You have a powerful tool to boost client compliance. It's called education, and you can train your whole team to use the explain-and-convince method with these four sample situations to role-play at your practice.

3-minute activity: Bonding with clients

What's one way to get clients to trust your recommendations? Bond with them! If you want your clients to truly take what you say to heart, you must build a relationship with them first. We know this is no easy task. However, it's worth the extra time and effort to get to know each one of your clients on a personal level.

When clients enter the exam room, first team members need to find out what pet owners' goals and priorities are for the visit. After addressing their concerns, this is when your team relays recommendations.

When you can apply those recommendations to the clients' goals, it's a win. And you've preserved the relationship with the clients by first taking care of their priorities so clients feel heard.

The problem is that recommendations aren't always the most positive-sounding news. However, it's all in the way you package the information to clients. Practice promoting positivity in this exercise.

Instruct team members to write down three different ways to start and end the recommendation conversation on a high note. Encourage them to think of a time when they had to deliver bad news to a client and have them explain how they tried to turn it around with positive language.

At the end of the activity be sure to share the different approaches. Talk about what works and what phrases might work better.

Conclude your meeting by thanking team members for their time today. In the next meeting, your team has made the recommendation to the client ... now what? The next steps are crucial. You will discuss the importance of forward booking and follow-up calls and consider creating a “New Pet” client folder for your clinic.

Continue to Part 4: Marketing and follow-through

Part 4 resources

Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting:

• Part 4: Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities

• Part 4: Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue

• New pet discussion checklist: Client handout

• 5 ways to protect your new dog: Client handout

• 5 ways to protect your new cat: Client handout

• The realistic cost of owning a small dog: Client handout

• The realistic cost of owning a larger dog: Client handout

• The realistic cost of owning a cat: Client handout

Part 4: Marketing and follow-through

In this final section, you'll prepare your team for the next steps that need to happen post-recommendation. What happens next is crucial to client compliance and includes scheduling follow-up appointments, making reminder calls, and mastering the art of forward booking. (Before you start your meeting, download the Part 4 meeting guide and trainer's script that walks you through exactly how to hold a meeting on this topic.)

3-minute discussion: Forward booking

What does forward booking look like, and how can it improve client compliance? 

Want to do everything you can to make sure you'll see the patient at the follow-up appointment? Then you better start forward booking your clients. This means you don't let the client out of your sight-or out the door-until they're on the books to come back for a future visit.

Source: "The VHMA Files: Forward Thinking" by Christine Shupe, CAE, Executive Director, VHMA (Firstline Jan 2015, pp 6-7.)The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) reports that dental practices have been forward booking for years and experience an 80 percent success rate with the strategy. However, when the VHMA surveyed veterinary practice managers about the topic, see Figure 1 for what they found about how veterinary practices are using-or not using-forward booking.

Share these stats with your team members and ask them, “What would forward booking look like at our practice? How do you think our clients would respond?”

Start mapping out a specific strategy so every team member knows how he or she would fit into the overall scheduling game plan. (Learn more about the pros of forward booking and the VHMA game plan.)

5-minute activity: Phone fun: Callbacks and rechecks

You've scheduled all of your follow-up appointments-way to go! Now don't forget to call and remind the clients to come back for these appointments.

Try turning this chore into a positive experience for team members and clients by practicing fun friendly phone calls with each other. Encourage your team to pair up and take turns being the receptionist and the client. Have them also practice leaving positive-sounding voice messages, if they don't actually reach the client. (Brrring, brrrring, brrring! You can tell them phone noises are welcome to make the calls feel more authentic.) Have a couple of volunteers practice in front of the group and then discuss specific phrases that sounded great and others that might be improved upon.  

2-minute activity: Building the perfect new pet folder

When a new pet walks, struts, or barrels into your clinic, it's an exciting time for the pet owner and your team. In all the excitement you might forget to ask the new owner all of the necessary questions you need to know to track his or her new pet's health. This is why it's so important to keep pre-made “new pet folders” on hand.

We've provided the following tools to get your folder started:

• Team training tool: New pet discussion checklist

• Client handout: 5 ways to protect your new cat

• Client handout: 5 ways to protect your new dog

• Client handout: The realistic cost of owning a cat

• Client handout: The realistic cost of owning a small dog

• Client handout: The realistic cost of owning a larger dog  

The first tool is designed for you to keep for your files (and refer to it throughout the appointment). The other handouts are for clients. Review these forms with your team and ask them what else they'd like to see in the new pet folders.

Conclusion

To close your meeting, have everyone give each other a round of applause. You've made a lot of recommendations in four short meetings. And your clients-and patients-are going to benefit from your new approach.