Keep clients compliant with OTC products

Veterinarians' biggest concern about flea and tick products going over the counter, according to the 2010 Veterinary Economics State of the Industry Study, is how accurately clients will use the products without veterinary instruction. (Click here to see the complete, ranked list of veterinarians' concerns.) But new research may change the question from how effectively clients use the products to whether they'll use them at all.

According to new findings from the Journal of Consumer Research, the short-term frustration associated with learning a new skill may be enough to turn consumers off a product for good, regardless of how beneficial it may be in the long run. Through a series of tests, researchers gauged participants' confidence in learning how to do simple activities, such as folding a shirt in a new way.

Researchers found that initially people expressed high confidence in their ability to master a task they had never tried. But, after getting the chance to complete the task and finding it didn't meet their expectations, many participants became overly pessimistic about their ability to perform the task and their ability to improve over time. Eventually, however, participants overcame that pessimism and frustration with practice.

So how can you make sure clients purchasing flea and tick control products over the counter don't throw in the towel after one or two tries? Continue offering them the same great instruction and encouragement you always have. And maybe beef up your educational efforts on how important year-round parasite prevention is for every pet.

Want tips on how to improve your client compliance? See the related links below.