Marketing is part of every business, including veterinary practices. There are many ideas about how to market your clinic, but this article will cover some basic ideas every practice can immediately implement to aid in client compliance, and, in turn, help increase income for the practice. Ask several people to define marketing, and you will likely get several different but similar answers. For me, marketing is best defined simply as finding out what customers want and then giving it to them.
The concept seems simple and direct, but it does entail some work on your part, namely, finding out what your client wants. A better way to phrase this is finding out what the pet needs; however, to do that, you will need your client’s help along with relying on yourself and your staff. (Note: What I am describing is best referred to as internal marketing, or simply marketing directed to your existing clients. External marketing, which is not covered in this article, deals with finding ways to drive new business to your practice.)
My definition involves three parties: you, your staff, and your client. You, as an astute veterinarian, must be able to ask the proper questions from your client to help open up about the pet’s wants and needs. Your team also must be practiced in talking comfortably with clients, again encouraging the client to open up and engage in a fruitful discussion.
Finally, the client must know the pet’s needs, as well as what they want to accomplish with the veterinary visit.
A helpful tool
You and your staff cannot possibly know what your patient needs and desires unless you ask. Expecting your client to be fully aware of every need of the pet and know what you offer to fulfill those needs is not realistic. Distributing handouts during client visits can aid in discussing pet details with clients and help your team keep track of all patient information.
There are several purposes of using client handouts. First, they allow the client to thoughtfully reflect upon many aspects of their pet’s health and avoid forgetting specific details. Handouts also help when the person taking the pet to the clinic is not very familiar with the animal’s situation or history, such as a family member who does not typically bring the pet to appointments.
Additionally, handouts can be a helpful tool for your staff when engaging with clients, in turn boosting their confidence and improving client perception.
Finally, the handouts help veterinarians from forgetting to ask important questions. This prevents us from overlooking what may seem to be a minor problem at the visit, but one that could indicate a more serious, potentially life-altering or life-threatening medical issue.
A conversation starter
A common handout is the patient assessment form, which is a series of easy-to-answer questions. It is given to the client after check-in and while waiting in the examination room.
After the client has a few moments to answer the questions, the veterinary technician/nurse reviews the answers given by the client, paying particular attention to any abnormal findings or concerns indicated by the client. For example, if a client answers “Yes” that their pet is drinking or urinating more than normal, the technician can ask further questions, such as, “How long have you noticed this behavior?” “How much more is your pet drinking/urinating?” “Is the urinating normal or are you seeing blood, pain, or difficulty with the urination?”
Based on the answers to these further questions, (which are noted by the technician on the pet’s medical record,) the technician can then initiate possible solutions to the problems, by saying something, such as, “Pets that drink or urinate more than normal might be suffering from diseases, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney disease, or adrenal disease. The doctor will probably prescribe tests such as blood and urine tests to help him determine the exact cause of your pet’s problem.” Thus, the handout has served as a way for the client to start a conversation and allow the technician to be the first person to suggest to the owner that we will not ignore their pet’s problems and further investigation into the problems (via lab testing) will be needed during the visit.
Marketing these additional but essential services has therefore begun before the doctor even sees the pet. When I begin my part of the visit, after the technician has done their initial assessment and advised the client of likely services the pet will need (we don’t “recommend” services, but rather prescribe them as needed to solve a pet’s problems), the pet owner will hear for the second time (this time from me) that her pet needs further testing so we can find out if there is a serious problem and how to treat it.
Educating clients
The next step of the visit, which furthers the marketing message, is a handout (or sometimes several handouts) that describe in brief detail what needs to be done based upon the information the owner has provided via the initial patient assessment handout. I created a series of handouts based on common conditions (heart, cancer, lameness, bladder issues, etc.) that briefly describe the medical condition and testing needed to help us properly diagnose and treat the pet. The handouts are not designed to give the owner large amounts of information about the condition or possible treatments. I created the handouts after several years of hearing owners constantly question the technicians about “why” certain tests were needed.
As an example, an owner may not know why a fecal test is needed for a pet with a bladder problem, or why blood testing is needed for a pet with chronic skin issues. These handouts easily and quickly let the client know what testing may be necessary to allow the veterinary team to properly assess the pet.
When the technician comes back into the exam room (after the veterinarian examines the patient) and presents the diagnostic and treatment plan (not simply an estimate although estimated charges are included on this plan), the owner will see the testing previously described in the handout. This confirms for the owner the testing already described by the tech, confirmed by the veterinarian, and explained in the handout, certain tests will be done and are necessary. This strategy aids in compliance, making it much easier for the owner to say “yes” to our plan (which they have now heard for the fourth time).
These “disease” handouts are very easy to construct, as, for the most part, the necessary testing remains the same regardless of the medical condition, with only minor editing needed. Once an initial template is made, it’s very quick and easy to adapt the template to any other medical condition.
To sum up, using these types of handouts in our practice helps enhance our marketing and increase compliance. Ideally, the client experience will go as follows:
- The owner identifies the problem based on the answers to the pet assessment at the start of the visit.
- The veterinary technician confirms the owner’s answers and informs the owner of likely testing to get answers to questions/problems identified.
- The veterinarian reiterates the necessary testing.
- The “disease-specific” handout reiterates and briefly explains the reasons for the testing.
- The treatment plan shows the owner exactly what we need to do that day to help the pet.
Following this or a similar plan will make your job of convincing owners of the need for certain procedures much easier, get more “yes” answers to the prescribed testing, and benefit the pet, the owner, and the practice.
Shawn Messonnier, DVM, opened Paws & Claws Animal Hospital and Holistic Pet Center in Plano, Tex., in 1991. His special interests include holistic and functional medicine, exotic pets, dermatology, cancer, and internal medicine. In addition to serving clients, he has written for numerous veterinary and pet publications, and is also the author of several books, including the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats.