7 Things That Will Kill Your Employee's MotivationMarch 9, 2015Almost every new employee brings a high degree of motivation to: Be the best they can be Contribute to your practice Learn new skills Get along with other employees Remain with your practice for the long haul “I Love My Job.” The challenge for practice leaders is to build on that initial motivation, and to create an environment where motivation grows deeper. Eventually, a sense of motivation can blossom into an attitude of loyalty and commitment. This reminds me of a scene at the altar of a wedding I once heard about. When the groom started patting his pockets as though looking for something, his best man asked, “Did you forget the ring?” The groom worriedly answered, “No, I think I’ve lost my enthusiasm.” Looking back on 36 years of leadership in veterinary practices makes me wish I had researched and written this article many years ago. No, I didn’t make all the mistakes all the time, but my leadership could have been better, especially in the area of keeping team members motivated. A lot gets written about how to motivate employees. But what about the flip side; things that kill motivation like weeds choke out a vegetable garden? Killer …
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Is There a Practical Way to Write an Emergency Action Plan for a Natural Disaster?February 13, 2015“What would you do to continue practicing veterinary medicine, to continue paying your staff, and to communicate with your clients?" asks the "Disaster Preparedness for Veterinary Practices," an AVMA Publication. "If you do not prepare now for what you will do in a disaster, then the disaster will dictate the outcome of your business — possibly the outcome of your life.” The image of Noah’s Ark is often used by veterinary and other animal-based businesses. It makes a good analogy for the value of a written natural disaster plan. A good plan definitely has the potential to save a business when faced with a natural event of disastrous proportions. Understandably, the thought of crafting a written emergency action plan to cover potential challenges caused by a natural disaster might seem as unnerving as manually building a huge boat. Think of the plan as an addition to the line of defensive measures you already use to protect your practice from all sorts of threats. The good news is there are numerous resources online to help you develop a plan that uniquely fits your circumstances. Before looking at some of those resources, imagine landmarks on a map. Each landmark can help you …
Why You Should Take Your Client’s Temperature TooFebruary 12, 2015We’re used to taking the temperature of our patient, and even when we need a little help steadying the front end of the animal, we know our way around the back end pretty well. But what about our client’s “temperature?" Well, it’s the emotional “temperature.” Clients who are laid back, easy to get along with, friendly, and pays their bill could be understood as having a “low” temperature, and are not much cause for concern for either party. But clients with “high” temperatures are those ones we have to watch. They can be heated up for any number of reasons, which displays itself as any number of emotions such as anger, disappointment, grief, concern, highly attached … well you probably get the point, the ones we lump into the “high-maintenance” category. They may not be our favorite type of client to interact with, but because they make up a large number of our cases each day, knowing how to interact with these clients will certainly help us get through the day. The first step is simply to “take” their temperatures. It’s not difficult; typically within minutes, you can tell how hot they are by their words, actions, persona, demeanor, non-verbal …
How to Help Clients say Goodbye to Dying PetsJanuary 23, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Saying goodbye to beloved pets is an emotional and difficult decision for owners. Your team’s compassion and kindness can bring comfort to grieving clients. Remember, half of what you care for is on the other end of the leash—people. Here are ways to create comforting goodbyes: Offer a quality-of-life consultation. If the client is unsure about euthanasia, schedule a 30-minute consultation. The veterinarian will perform a comprehensive assessment of the patient, including its ability to move comfortably, eat, drink, urinate and defecate. Getting expert medical advice helps clients make rational, rather than emotional, decisions. The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (www.aplb.org) offers resources, including a quality of life scale. Wendy S. Myers Make clients more comfortable through the use of cushy seating, soft lighting, relaxing sounds and tissues. Also allow them ample time for last moments with their pets. Schedule enough time. For attended euthanasias, conduct procedures during low-traffic times, such as the beginning or end of the day. Allow at least 40 minutes, giving clients ample time to say goodbye. If a client prefers not to be present, plan for 30 minutes to admit …
Why 2015 Should be a Good Financial Year for VeterinariansJanuary 22, 2015Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News This year is the time to “put up hay,” according to one economist who keeps a close watch on the fiscal health of the veterinary world. Michael R. Dicks, Ph.D., director of the Veterinary Economics Division at the American Veterinary Medical Association in Schaumburg, Ill., advises practice managers to pay down debt and increase reserves in 2015. Many indications show that this year is shaping up to be a good one for most industries, including veterinary, Dicks and other financial experts say. “The U.S. economy will continue to grow this year at a rate greater than in 2014,” Dicks said. “This should increase the demand for veterinary services, and veterinarians should see an increased number of new clients or visits by old clients.” Since 2008, the U.S. economy has struggled through a slow recovery and veterinarians, like other service providers, have struggled as well. Therefore, an upbeat forecast may be welcome news for operations that have treaded water over the last six years. The bullish outlook for veterinarians is buoyed by positive indications for the nation’s overall economy in 2015. The U.S. gross domestic product is forecast to grow …
Is Your Practice Prepared for a Natural Disaster?January 15, 2015Just before sundown on November 15, 1989, Mother Nature was making it clear that trouble was on the way as wind, rain and lightning strikes steadily intensified. The National Weather Service had issued tornado warnings for a wide swath of North Alabama, placing our practice in the center of potential tornado touchdowns. As the sole owner of the practice at the time, I suddenly realized how unprepared I was to protect the lives of my staff, the pets housed in our kennel and, heaven forbid, how to function and offer services in the days ahead if we took a direct hit. Fortunately, for us, the direct hit missed our location that night, although we did experience some minor flooding. Instead the tornado touched down in nearby Huntsville, Ala where 21 people lost their lives and $100 million of property damage occurred.1 Does Your Practice Have a Plan of Action In Case of a Natural Disaster? It’s so easy to overlook something as important as a plan of action for an event that may never happen. Most of us convince ourselves that we have a plan “in our head” about what we’d do if we were ever faced with devastation from …
How to Prepare Clients for Hospital AdmissionsJanuary 6, 2015Originally published in the December 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Let’s say the veterinarian diagnoses my 5-year-old cat, Opus, with Grade 1 dental disease during his preventive care exam. After explaining the diagnosis and answering my questions, the doctor asks the technician to present the dental treatment plan. Here’s how to prepare clients for surgical and dental admissions. Explain service first, price last. Use the term “treatment plan,” which emphasizes needed medical care. Avoid saying “estimate,” which centers on price. Stand at the end of the exam table, forming L-shaped body language, or position yourself shoulder-to-shoulder with the client. This is collaborative body language, compared to a confrontational posture of talking across the table with a physical barrier between you and the client. Educating clients before showing prices helps them make informed decisions. Cover prices with a dental report card or preanesthetic testing brochure. Explain each item, pointing to the left column of medical services. After you’ve shared step-by-step photos and discussed medical services, reveal the price. Clients may jump to judgment if they see prices first without understanding the comprehensiveness of professional dental care. Schedule the procedure at the time of diagnosis. If you have computers in exam …
Why You Should Communicate the Value of Preventive CareDecember 10, 2014Originally published in the March 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News While visiting Navarre, Fla., to present seminars, I noticed a roadside sign at a Walgreens advertising a parking lot vaccine clinic with $10 rabies vaccinations and $25 heartworm tests. Down the street, Ace Hardware sells a seven-way dog vaccine for $6.99 with a disposable syringe. Vaccines are stored in a plastic shoebox in the Coca-Cola cooler near the register. Besides the obvious OSHA violation of storing vaccines in a refrigerator with human foods, what instructions do these customers get on vaccine administration or reactions? Pet owners have multiple choices for preventive care services and products. The Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study found an average of 15 competing veterinary care providers within a 10-mile radius, including mobile vaccine clinics, pet store clinics, private practices, specialty hospitals and shelters.1 A 2013 Communication Solutions for Veterinarians’ study found that 60 percent of dogs and 52 percent of cats received preventive care exams during a three-year period.2 Besides putting patient care at risk, the lack of regular preventive care also affects practices’ health. A dog owner typically spends $208 during a preventive care visit while a cat owner averages $186, according to the …
How to talk with Confidence about Pet NutritionDecember 3, 2014Originally published in the May 2014 issue of Veterinary Practice News Did you know that a pet owner who buys diets from your veterinary hospital returns an average of eight times during the year? In addition to healthy food sales, those eight visits give you opportunities to improve compliance for professional services and products. When your client service representative rings up today’s food purchase, she should check the status of all pets in the family in your practice-management software. Let’s say your employee discovers a second dog is overdue for care. Tell the client, "Let me get Mason’s therapeutic diet for joint care. Did you know that your dog, Rocky, is overdue for preventive care? He needs a preventive care exam, vaccines, heartworm/tick screen, intestinal parasite screen and preventives. Let’s schedule an exam to get Rocky up to date. Which day of the week works best for you? Do you prefer a morning or afternoon appointment?" Once the client responds with a preference, offer two choices. Known as the two-yes-options technique, this phrasing significantly increases the chance you’ll schedule the appointment. Say, "When would you like to schedule Rocky's exam? We have an appointment at 9 a.m. Tuesday or 3 p.m. …
How to Turn Your New Clients into Lifetime ClientsNovember 24, 2014When new clients visit your veterinary hospital, what experience do you provide to ensure they’ll become lifetime clients? The average bonding rate of new clients is 60 percent. First impressions begin with phone calls and end at checkout. Here are tips to create exceptional experiences. Set up records during scheduling calls. Invest 2 minutes to enter the client record in your practice-management software. Gathering details over the phone lets you start the first visit on time rather than having 15 minutes of valuable exam time eaten up with paper work. Say, “Let’s schedule your new puppy’s exam. To speed your check-in process as a new client, we’ll get all of your information over the phone now.” Then get the client’s name, address, cell and home phone numbers and email. Request her pet’s name, birthdate, gender and breed. If phone lines are ringing and clients are lined up before you, offer to email the new client a link to your website where she can complete the form before the exam. Say, “Let me get your email and within the next 30 minutes, I’ll send you a link to our website where you can complete the new client registration online and read about …
