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Practice Manager

8 tips to get heard

You educate clients, recommend care, train new team members, propose ideas, relay CE experiences, lead meetings ... Whew! You talk a lot. So use these tips to make sure you're heard.

There's a simple reason my practice's compliance rate was twice the AAHA compliance study numbers. It's communication," says Dr. Ernest E. Ward Jr., a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member and owner of Seaside Animal Care in Calabash, N.C. Dr. Ward spoke at Firstline Live at CVC East in Baltimore about how to improve communication and boost compliance.

Foreclosure pets

According to USA TODAY, family pets, their lives altered by the ravaged finances of their owners, are turning up in animal shelters in large numbers in some parts of the country.

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We haven't told our dog, Sebastian, that he'll have a new sibling this August. When our son was born a few years ago, Sebastian was the most enthusiastic cheerleader you could ask for. So I'm hoping he'll revive that same joyous spirit when he has another little human brother or sister. These transitions take patience, but there are many little rewards along the way.

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How you deliver information may be overriding your message-and preventing colleagues and clients from taking you seriously. Learn how to improve your presentation and earn their respect.

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Most of us aren't very comfortable talking about ourselves. It's a hard skill to master, and too often it feels like you're bragging. But if you're not talking about what you do well, how will others know? If you're waiting for them to catch you in the act, you may have a long wait.

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You'd much rather be working with clients and pets than thumb-twiddling or standing around dreaming about services you could be rendering. So use these tips to cut back on no-shows and get back to business.

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Feeling sapped? Rundown, tired, out of sorts? Oh yeah. It's so easy to give and so hard to say no. You do it all the time. It's the 15 minutes at the end of the day you spend making a comfy bed for a sick pet or the extra walk you sneak in for your favorite boarder. Or maybe you volunteer to stay late to finish filing or clear the clutter from the reception area. The truth is, you do a lot.