Seven secrets for spring cleaning your practice and your lifeMarch 14, 2019Whether out of fear of missing out (aka loss aversion), getting in trouble, or that it might be useful someday, we accumulate an extravagant amount of stuff, both physical and virtual. We've all read articles about the importance of spring cleaning and how to declutter your life. Unfortunately, most articles usually focus on physical objects, rather than the multiple facets that make up your every day. Imagine how much better you would feel knowing you are free of all types of clutter, well beyond your secret junk drawer. We are going to help you do just. All you have to do is commit the desire and the time to do it. 1) Spring cleaning in your personal life Spring is a perfect opportunity to rid your life of toxic relationships (or any relationship) that infects it with negativity and bad influence. How much better would you feel if you got rid of them? In some cases, you may not be able to cut the ties completely. So stretch them! Make the necessary changes to get away from soul-sucking individuals and get closer to positive, happy, and compassionate people. 2) Spring cleaning in your home Remember this mantra of spring …
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Why your front-desk team sucksMarch 13, 2019Do you remember the first time you told a pet owner her dog was dying? You were sweating bullets, struggling to find the right words, and tried your best to be honest and compassionate. I'm going to have a similar conversation with you. Your front-desk team is in critical condition. If you don't resuscitate your employees, client relationships will die. Every client interaction begins and ends with your client-care team. From the phone call to book an exam to collecting payment at checkout, your front-office staff impacts your hospital's revenue and client relationships. Here are your team's ailments and how to cure them: 1)They don't know your standards of care. As a mystery caller, I explained I had recently moved from another state and received an email from my previous veterinarian that my dog was due for a checkup. I asked which vaccines would be needed in our new community and the cost. The employee replied, "The shots are always up to you, but we usually do leptospirosis, distemper, rabies, and bordetella." Describe core vaccines with confidence, rather than "shots are up to you." Miscommunication of basic medical information is commonplace. In another call about a 16-week-old kitten, …
How therapeutic home-delivery programs can benefit your practiceMarch 11, 2019This is an exciting, but challenging time for small-animal veterinarians, as we help clients manage their pets' health in ways that were unavailable when I started practicing more than 30 years ago. Take nutrition, for example. New therapeutic diets are enabling us to manage a much broader spectrum of disorders than ever before. But advances don't stop there. Our multiple-location dermatology practice has found success using e-commerce to deliver therapeutic diets directly to pet owners' homes. This convenient and efficient system benefits our clinic, our clients, and the patients in our care. Why sign up for a home-delivery program? While I'm not an expert regarding such programs, I will share my experience with home delivery of therapeutic pet diets in the hope other veterinarians can benefit. It's no secret online pet food sales have grown dramatically in the last few years, especially as more people use e-tailers for their shopping needs. According to a 2017 article, e-commerce accounted for more than 18 percent of dog food sales and close to 13 percent of cat food sales. Further, Amazon's pet food sales increased 34 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017, and retail …
Leveraging your team to its maxMarch 4, 2019If you always do what you have always done, you always get where you have always gone. This is a slight variation of Einstein's definition of insanity. Let's explore how this unfolds within the realm of veterinary team utilization. Your veterinary team is made up of people with various passions and talents. Each team member brings great depth and breadth to the services provided to the client and patient. Clearly defining their roles, expertise, and scope of practice improves the delivery of veterinary care. You may recall the 1999 Mega Study1 commissioned by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), and American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) entitled "The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medical Services in the United States." The study defined six critical issues to be addressed for veterinary medicine to succeed moving into the next millennium: 1) Veterinarian's income 2) Economic impact of large numbers of women in the profession 3) Global demand for all categories of veterinary services 4) Inefficiency of the delivery system 5) Supply of veterinarians 6) Skills, knowledge, aptitude, and attitude of veterinarians and veterinary students Let's briefly address the other categories before delving …
What veterinarians can learn from the Sears bankruptcyFebruary 20, 2019Sears, one of America's longest standing household names, recently raised the white flag and filed for bankruptcy. Started by Robert Sears in 1886, the company bearing his name clearly struggled in the past few years. The reasons are important and somewhat universal lessons to be applied. So how can veterinarians avoid mistakes that brought a 133-year-old iconic business to its knees? Adapt or die Sears was a pioneer in catalog sales, but slow to change with the times. More recently, it struggled to compete with Walmart and other big box stores. Similarly, veterinary practices face competition from multiple "players," including low-cost vaccine businesses (e.g. farm stores, feed stores, human pharmacies, pet stores), spay and neuter clinics, and even local family practices. This has profoundly affected the profitability of practices that relied heavily on "yearly shots," instead of focusing on the importance of (bi)yearly physical exams. Sadly, this philosophy made vaccines look like commodities, which means clients are likely to gravitate to the cheaper provider. Another factor that has historically affected revenue is the development of three-year vaccines. Again, those of us who didn't stress the value and importance of a (bi)annual exam are now facing clients who feel they …
Building trust with pet parents through digital marketingFebruary 5, 2019Pet parents come in all shapes and sizes, ages and genders, backgrounds and income levels. Yet, they all share a few common concerns that guide them as they choose a veterinarian. In addition to a convenient location and budget considerations, such as pricing and the availability of financing, pet parents put a high premium on finding a veterinarian they can trust. Why is trust so important to today's pet parents? Today's pet owners live in a world that tells them they shouldn't trust anybody. The combination of claims of "fake news," well-loved celebrities and politicians acting badly, or major corporations indulging in unethical behavior results in a public wary to take anything on faith. The benefit of the doubt has evaporated, leaving veterinarians forced to market themselves in an environment where customers do research before committing to even the smallest purchase. (Think sports drinks and snack foods.) Choosing to get health care for a pet is a high-consequence decision. Seventy-eight percent of pet owners agree a pet is a member of the family.1 In July 2018, a survey conducted by Pew Internet and American Life found more than one in five people research specific physicians and hospitals before seeking …
Not planning an exit strategy? You shouldFebruary 4, 2019The average baby boomer today is approximately 63 years of age, and in seven years, all of them will be over the age of 60. Obviously, this has implications on the number of veterinary practice owners exiting their business. Baby boomers are unique. Unlike generation Xers who value time, traditionalists who value community/family, and millennials who value individuality, baby boomers value success. They are also known for their 60-hour work week. These two attributes—working hard and being successful—should also play a role in how baby boomers approach their exit strategy. The Exit Planning Institute (EPI) estimates 50 per cent of business exits are involuntary, meaning they are unplanned and/or unexpected. If you are fortunate, you will experience an unplanned exit because you received an offer for your practice you did not expect; if you do receive an offer, we would advise you not accept the first offer without seeking professional advice. Why's that? Well, it is likely neither the only offer available nor is it likely to be the best offer. The reality, however, is most involuntary exits are due to death, disability, divorce, or disputes. Avoiding regret and preparing for an unexpected exit Engaging in an exit planning …
Five reasons clients will love your dental experienceFebruary 4, 2019What if clients loved their pets' dental experiences at your veterinary hospital? As most dogs and cats have periodontal disease by age three, you will speak with clients multiple times about dental treatments over their pets' lifetimes. Creating a positive experience for the first dental procedure can set you up for success when you need to present future care. Here are five strategies for creating stellar client satisfaction through your dental services. 1) Tackle paperwork in advance. Don't wait until the morning of procedures to get signatures. Clients may have experienced road rage while driving to your clinic, chased the cat for 45 minutes trying to get it into the carrier, and were late for work. Instead, have clients sign treatment plans and anesthetic consent forms on the day of diagnosis when they book procedures. At my recent seminar in Reno, Nev., a technician testified this tactic reduced a 20-minute surgical admission to seven minutes. A backup plan is to use text and email together. Two days before the procedure, text the client to confirm the admission appointment: "See you tomorrow at 8 a.m. for <pet name's> dental admission. No food after 10 p.m. Water is OK. We emailed …
Practicing in paradiseJanuary 15, 2019In 1982, four scuba diving-loving colleagues came up with the crazy idea of setting up a veterinary practice on the beautiful Caribbean island of Turks and Caicos. To that end, they created 52 shares that would be available to other colleagues.
Are you an LCD manager or an HCD leader?January 9, 2019Observing the differences between lowest common denominator and highest common denominator management.
