Scripts for success: Educating veterinary clients

According to Shawn McVey, owner of McVey Management Solutions and one of the trainers in the Biggest Gainer program, a four-month "boot camp" designed to help practices reach their best in fiscal fitness, effective client communication needs to hit these three high points when you're selling a product or service to clients:

1. Show the benefit of the product or service

2. Show a value to the client

3. Show efficacy or success rate of the product or service

Ready to get started? Here's an example script that you can adapt for use in your practice:

Combatting online pharmacies

Client: Can I get this medication cheaper online?

Clinic: Yes, sometimes you can, but sometimes it’s more expensive online. And you can’t be guaranteed of the effectiveness or quality of the product online. If you buy it here, you can.

Now, have some solid stats in the form of a handout or brochure ready to compare your prices with an online pharmacy and even a big-box retailer.

Promoting pre-anesthetic lab work

Client: Why is this surgery estimate so high? Another clinic gave me a much lower one.

Clinic: I know the cost of the surgery may seem high, but we want to be sure we’re comparing apples to apples. Another veterinary practice may not do pre-anesthetic lab work on all of their surgery cases. If that’s the case, their estimate may be $100 to $150 less expensive than ours.

At our practice, we do pre-anesthetic lab work on our patients because we have a 10 percent to 20 percent guaranteed improvement rate on the outcome, and we feel it’s the best medicine for your pet.