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3 quick cat chats to connect with cat owners

Article

Got a minute? We've got your training solution right here. Use this quick activity to boost the number of kitties that visit your veterinary practice. Just click, print and practiceAs easy as 1-2-3.

Resources

Download these handouts and tools before your team meeting: 

Meeting guide: Explains the thinking behind the meeting and activities

Trainer's script: Step-by-step meeting dialogue

Role-play activity

Client handout: How to habituate your cat to a carrier

Client handout: Parasite prevention for indoor-only cats

Client Handout: What is good healthcare for cats?

 

Welcome to Firstline's Team Training in a Virtual Box, your complete guide to team training. Try this Micro Team Meeting in a Box to take five-a five-minute education break at your next team meeting. (Download your trainer's script here.)

The American Veterinary Medical Association census estimates that there are 74 million cats owned as pets and another 50 million feral or “community” cats in the United States. While dogs visit the veterinarian an average of 2.6 times per year, those cats that see a veterinarian at all visit just 1.6 times per year-about half as often as dogs. This makes the feline sector the biggest untapped growth opportunity for companion animal veterinarians.

With all of this opportunity, only 23 percent of veterinary practices reported their cat visits are up in 2015, according to the 2015 dvm360 Feline Care Survey, while 9 percent say visits are down and 65 percent say cat visits have stayed the same in the last year. So what can you do to up your game when it comes to connecting with cat owners? Try this quick activity with your team to practice common client compliance conflicts-and learn to overcome them.

5-minute activity: Role-play three cat client conversations 

Divide your team into pairs and pass out the team training tool “3 Common Client Objections.” Then ask each team to take turns playing the client and team member, role-playing these common objections from cat owners. Encourage your team members to paraphrase and find their own words until these conversations feel natural. 

1-minute activity: Thank your team 

Ask team members to find ways of introducing this message into their conversations with cat owners. Explain that at a future meeting, you will ask each team member to share a conversation they had based on your activity. For example, you could call clients who haven't visited in more than a year or ask clients visiting with dogs if there are any cats in their household. If the conversation went well, it can help encourage other team members. If it didn't go so well, you can brainstorm better ways to tackle conversations next time-and try again! Finally, don't forget to thank your team for their time and attention. Every conversation can help influence cat owners to offer better healthcare for their feline friends. 

One week later: Follow up and share 

A week after your team meeting, plan a follow-up team meeting. Spend 10 to 15 minutes sharing your success stories and places where your team struggled. Discussing the tools you've put to practice reinforces their importance and gives your team a chance to brainstorm solutions to any sticking points that might reduce compliance. 

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