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I recently wrote a blog post ‘What does your perfect veterinary client look like?’ that I suspected might fire up a few people as it’s a bit of an uncomfortable topic. In the nicest possible way, I suggested that not all pet owners are the best clients for your business and that it was possible to come up with a picture of the clients you would like to work with it and then target your veterinary business to suit their needs.
The blog post received an interesting comment from someone who called me “a discriminatory, money hungry, ‘business’ person. Not a vet.”
Now I’m not picking on the person who left the comment because she’s just as entitled to her opinion as I am and frankly I appreciate anyone taking the time to comment! But I did find it interesting that she thought ‘business person’ and ‘vet’ couldn’t coexist. I also wondered how many others are uncomfortable with the concept of providing veterinary services and making a profit.
That’s my aim with Vetanswers – and I don’t think I should apologise for doing so and neither should you.
So yes, I am suggesting that there may be some clients that are not suited to your veterinary business and would be better off going elsewhere. I’m also suggesting that as a business owner you have a right to earn a decent return on the money you have invested.
As a professional with a number of years of training and experience I’m also suggesting you deserve to earn a salary that rewards the knowledge, skills and effort that you undoubtedly put into your job every day.
I do believe if you value what you do and the expertise of your team then you should value the services you provide. You should value them enough to price them accordingly and you should be confident enough in the quality of the services you provide to actually charge your clients accordingly. Not all your clients may agree and therefore may seek veterinary care elsewhere – and that’s ok too.
So what about you?
The louder our voices the more the industry will benefit – do you agree? Tell me in the comments section below – you know I love it when people leave comments 😉
The new year provides the perfect opportunity to chart new pathways towards growth & success in your veterinary practice. As the new year begins, it provides a golden opportunity for veterinary practices to pause and ponder on the journey so far and to chart new...
I came to the conclusion just last week that I am not “just a Vet Nurse” !
I am doing a Veterinary Behaviour Course which is predominatly aimed at Vets, the tutuor always had faith in me that I could do it but I gave the excuse I am just a Vet Nurse…..as I started the course and recgonised just how much I already knew (particularly compared to some of my fellow students) I realised I am not just a nurse.
The reason why I had this thought in my brain is because my boss inadvertently puts me down…….(I know he does not know he is doing it) but he does it too himself as well, because he always gets worried about what to charge….I have to keep reminding him it is ok to be a business person and make some money.
But it is hard when you hear it all the time from the General Publlic venting their spleens on the net critiscising “money hungry vets” In fact I came across a blog just today that said the very thing……….but we just have to remember these types of people are great at using the emotional blackmail (and they are usually the ones that have about 5-6 animals, are on some sort of government benefit and expect vets to subsidies the animals they cannot afford
I have found over the years you know who the genuine ones are and you really don’t mind helping them out
Hi Gillian, thanks for your comment. I think you’ve touched on some really interesting points. Maybe it does have a lot to do with confidence. If those in the industry constantly feel they have to apologise for their pricing is it because they don’t believe they are giving value for the money? I agree there are also far too many people who complain about ‘money hungry vets’ but I also believe that it’s often to do with ignorance – they have absolutely no idea of the expenses involved in running a veterinary practice. And why don’t they know? It’s often because nobody has told them. It’s all about perception – clients need to perceive they are getting value for money. And frankly – some clients will never be happy, no matter what you do – they’re not the clients you want!
I believe we think we are charging fair prices for the incredible array of services & profesionalism and knowledge that we have… but the fact that we are genuinely compassionate about the animals and our work we feel guilty that it has to cost people at all…
Because we care so much, that’s why we feel uneasy when sometimes people can’t afford the best treatment..
Thanks for your comment Jess – I agree. It’s because people who work in the veterinary industry do care so much that they may feel guilty about charging. It’s a shame though because it means that sometimes people have to leave the industry they love because financially it’s too much of a struggle. And you all have so much knowledge & skill that it’s also a shame it’s not always fairly rewarded.