Month: August 2017

How to Get More Clients at Your Veterinary Practice

by easyDVM

The sustainability of a veterinarian business is critical, particularly where there is competition. One of the key elements of a sustainable business plan is attracting and retaining clients. Here’s how to
attract those new clients and keep them so you have the edge over competitors.

 

Word of Mouth Works

One of the best ways of getting new clients is through the quality of the work you do, which can help you get recommended by existing customers. If your clients are happy with the care you give to their pets, they will recommend you to others. As a business, you can build on that feedback by setting up a reward scheme. When an existing client recommends a new one and they use the service, give them a discount on vaccinations or treatments. Another good loyalty scheme is to offer discounts to senior citizens, many of whom have pets as companions.

Use the Web

The internet is a gold mine for advertising and attracting customers. Make sure your website is up to date and the contact details are correct. By having web pages or a blog with search engine-optimized content, you can attract new clients searching for veterinarian care online. Don’t forget to use social media to attract new customers, too. A Facebook or Twitter account is an excellent way of raising the profile of your business, highlighting issues such as vaccination requirements, seasonal hazards for animals and more.

Give a Prize and Network

Getting involved in a local fundraiser by donating a prize or offering to judge a pet show is another way of publicizing your business and attracting clients. It helps raise the profile of the veterinary clinic and gets your name known on a wider field. Community events are also great for networking and sharing ideas, which may also help grow your business.

Using Veterinary Software Programs

Having a reliable veterinary software system in place is vital. This enables a clinic to track clients, send reminders and collect data on trends. It will produce information essential to the smooth running of your business and enable you to identify areas for development. Investing in veterinary software like easyDVM veterinary software also helps you keep accurate records and provide an efficient service that attracts clients. Software with up-to-date information can help you personalize your service, which can help make clients feel remembered and looked after.

Find the New Residents

Most towns have construction developments these days and there are always new people moving in and out of an area. You can use these opportunities to partner with a real-estate company to offer a discount to new residents, several of whom are likely to have pets and will be looking for a new veterinarian. Check out any pet-friendly hotels in your area and give contact details should a guest need assistance with a sick animal.

Use Print Advertising

Check out your area for local newspapers, particularly those that are free. Make sure you have a regular advertisement, as these attract customers. You can also offer a pet-focused column to the editor containing useful tips for animal owners. This can bring in new clients to your business and help raise the clinic’s profile.

There are many ways of attracting new clients in a veterinary business. By implementing a few tried-and-tested schemes, you’ll see your business grow.

 

EasyDVM Practice Software is a cloud-based veterinary practice management software system. We pride ourselves in offering a system that is user-friendly, easy to learn for new team members, full-featured and elegant in its simplicity. Best of all, all devices, multiple users, all your clients and patients, always affordable.

Pricing Strategies for Veterinary Services and Products

by easyDVM

When you open your veterinary practice, you may struggle to set appropriate prices for your products and services. Unfortunately, the problem doesn’t go away. Even when you’ve been a veterinary practice owner for years, you will still need to decide how to raise prices to keep pace with inflation while staying competitive in your local area. If you struggle to find a pricing strategy that works for your business, use these tips to set your prices appropriately.

Know Which Prices Are Shopped

Customers are very sensitive to the prices of some services and may switch to a competing veterinary practice if you raise these prices too high. However, some prices are less likely to be the targets of customers’ shopping around, so you can raise them higher to boost income for your business. In general, the most price-sensitive services are vaccinations and elective surgeries. Urgent pet care is less price-sensitive, as customers are often not prepared to spend time shopping around when their pet needs help quickly.

Price Based on Time

If you pay your veterinarians and technicians an hourly or yearly salary, it makes sense to price your services based on how much time it takes staff members to complete them. First, work out how much revenue you need each employee to generate during each shift they work to give you an acceptable amount of profit. You can then work out a price per hour or per minute for your vets and technicians, which you can use to set prices for the services you offer.

Mark Up Medications, but Not Too Much

There are two ways to make money on veterinary medications: one is to mark up the cost of the medications, while the other is to apply a prescription or handling fee. Most veterinary practices use some combination of these two methods to ensure they make a profit. Traditionally, most veterinary practices mark up traditional prescription medications to between two and two-and-a-half times the cost price and apply a small prescription fee. In most cases, customers are happy to pay for a medication that their pet needs to recover from an acute illness. However, they are more likely to shop around to get the best prices on medications that their animals need to take regularly for chronic conditions, so you may want to reduce your markup on these products to ensure your customers keep coming back.

Offer Payment Plans

Customers are often more willing to pay higher prices for veterinary services if they can spread the payment over several months. Consider offering payment plans that allow customers to pay their veterinary bills in installments to reduce price shock. Of course, you should remember that offering a payment plan means you are effectively giving credit to your customers, so you should check that they are able to meet the repayments. In addition, you need to budget for a small subset of customers defaulting on their payment plans.

Market Your Practice as a Premium Provider

Having the cheapest prices in town isn’t always the best way to attract customers to your veterinary business. Among customers, there is often a perception that veterinary businesses that charge more offer a higher level of service. If you are confident that you can offer a better service than your competitors, don’t be afraid to raise your prices to match.

EasyDVM Practice Software is a cloud-based veterinary practice management software system. We pride ourselves in offering a system that is user-friendly, easy to learn for new team members, full-featured and elegant in its simplicity. Best of all, all devices, multiple users, all your clients and patients, always affordable.