Perhaps you possess a pattern for conversations you use when you meet clients in the exam room or across the reception desk.
This form helps keep the conversation on track, but it also must be flexible. After all, your practice might require preanesthetic
blood work, but the explanation that fits your concerns for a 6-month-old pug may not fit for a 13-year-old Shetland sheepdog.
Illustrated by Jennifer Taylor
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While it's essential to offer high-quality medicine, you're only successful if you can explain the care to pet owners and
offer strong, specific recommendations for their pets. So for a client with a puppy, you might explain young animals can suffer
from hidden illnesses, like liver or glucose problems. Or if you're facing a cat owner, you might share your concern that
an older kitty might have hyperthyroidism. The key to effective recommendations is learning more about the fabric of clients'
and pets' lives and stitching together personalized advice for the client and patient in front of you.
Who are you talking about?
Some things never change in veterinary medicine. For example, sick dogs likely need blood work. But pets have different wellness
care needs and their owners' concerns vary. So your most important client communication skill is the ability to tailor your
message. Start by asking questions. For example, what is the dog's lifestyle? Does he enjoy hiking in the woods? Or does he live on
a third-floor apartment next to an elderly couple? Find out about his life and you can offer stronger, more specific recommendations.
Who are you talking to?
You'll be more effective if you know your clients' background and choose examples from their lives to help explain their pets'
healthcare needs.
For example, if your client is a human doctor, you probably won't need to provide much detail about how intestinal parasites
affect the body. And if you want to discuss canine preventive health care with a client who's a dental hygienist, use dental
care as your example to pique her interest. Spend a minute or two explaining how you perform dental prophys and address clients'
common fears about dental care. When you explain why you sedate patients to clean their teeth, you'll share how you make it
as safe as possible, including using preanesthetic blood work to identify potential problems.
Timing is everything
Have you ever visited your human doctor and felt the team rushed you out the door? Did you wonder whether they even heard
your concerns and considered your symptoms? Or have you ever hurried to finish your medical appointment and felt the doctor
was moving too slow? Both situations show why timing is your friend.
So watch for the signals clients offer during visits. For example, parents with young children may be distracted and fail
to tune in to your diet and exercise recommendations. A coloring book and a box of crayons may help more than any words you
choose. Once you gain clients' attention, get to the point.
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