BUSINESS
Consider the example. A time pressured vet finds
dental disease (a progressive condition which needs
treatment) in a dog. Next, she offers the client three
choices.
1. Review things in three months because they
aren’t really bad just yet.
2. Try a course of antibiotics.
3. Undergo a comparatively expensive descaling
procedure to correct the problem.
What the client hears is that things can wait, because
if it really needed doing then wouldn’t the vet just tell
me clearly to get on with it?
If this recommendation isn’t made clearly, the client
may assume that things are OK and since that’s the
case they will go for the easy, cheap or safe option of
reviewing things in the future. Or in low cost/commit-
ment scenarios (like choosing parasite treatments) the
client will often choose the middle option simply be-
cause they don’t want to look cheap. Neither of these
options is effective in the dental example and the like-
ly result is that on the next visit to the vet (probably
triggered by a vaccine recall letter), the pet will have
“sewer mouth” and have suffered avoidable pain and
infection.
Choice as abdication of responsibility
Other vets (typically those short on confidence – new
graduates are a good example) use choice to subtly
force the client to decide, and hence move the re-
sponsibility for decision making from vet to owner.
How many times do you see “client declined X-rays”,
defensively written on the clinical notes. When in real-
ity the client chose a different option based on a poor
understanding of the situation because they weren’t
given enough guidance. ‘Client declined on cost basis’
and ‘client declined because they didn’t understand’
are not the same thing.
An alternative viewpoint on choice
My viewpoint on choice changed after seeing so
many consults where the best option for the pet was
not the one delivered.
I now train vets to:
1. Think through the choices then select the one
they feel is in the best interests of the pet’s health.
2. Make a single recommendation of this plan.
3. Use persuasive language that makes it clear what
the plan is and just as importantly, why this action
is necessary.
If, after some discussion, the client does not want to
follow this option then that’s OK.
You are not going to convince everyone. Some will
always be unable or unwilling to follow your advice.
In that case, you can respectfully move on to plan B
or plan C.
Much of the time though, this step down isn’t re-
quired when you do a good job of presenting plan A.
Choice and the veterinary “police”
“But the college/board say we must offer options”
you howl. Yes, they do, and I’m not advocating reduc-
ing those options, merely presenting them in a way
that makes it clear which option you believe (in your
highly qualified, professional opinion) is in their pet’s
best interest.
That’s not limiting choice, merely reframing it. No-
one one is going to leave your consult room without
a plan. It’s just that more of them will have a good
plan that helps their pet stay well or get better ASAP.
The win-win of persuasive communication
Vets are typically very honest, extremely hard work-
ing, committed to their patients and thoroughly altru-
istic. All of which are awesome characteristics to be
admired and encouraged.
Further, we spend years honing our clinical skills but
then lament the fact that clients never seem to do
what we want. All the while blaming clients and get-
ting in a funk about this repeating cycle.
My recommendation for you is to spend some of that
time and energy on getting good at the softer skills.
Take a class in presentation skills. Get a coach. Read
books. Educate yourself on the skills of effective per-
suasion and negotiation. Do these things and watch
three awesome things start to happen.
1. Your will form deeper more trusting bonds with
your clients.
2. You will get busier and hence have the chance to
accelerate your clinical development.
3. You will generate more income for you and your
practice.
What’s not to like?
Dr Dave Nicol is a veterinary marketing, HR and leadership expert. He has written three books,
publishes the weekly Hamster Wheel Blog and hosts a popular monthly podcast on iTunes,
exploring the anatomy of veterinary success, called Blunt Dissection. He has worked as a
senior vet and performance coach in no fewer than three corporate groups and has also
owned, managed and sold no fewer than three of his own independent veterinary hospitals.
You can learn more about his work on his Facebook page www.facebook.com/drdavenicol.
vet360
Issue 05 | OCTOBER 2017 | 6