Five Ways to Connect With Your Clients
We all have those moments—the ones where you exit the exam room and start banging your head on a wall, because for whatever reason, you and that client just weren’t clicking. Well, in nearly sixteen years of practice I’ve learned a few ways to overcome that and actually connect with your clients…
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Remember them. Remember their pet’s history. A client who feels they are your only client will be 1000x more likely to follow your recommendations. This will probably require the help of your entire team (reviewing patient records, making notes in the client profile, etc.) but remembering the details goes a long way.
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Tell stories about your own pets. Laugh about that time you forgot to give the heartworm pill on time (we’ve ALL done it). Groan when you talk about doing foreign body surgery on your dog who as a taste for socks. They want to know that you’re human too and can relate to their struggles.
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Learn and use this phrase: “I don’t know.” Then follow it up with, “But here’s how we can figure it out…” It may seem counterintuitive but they’ll actually trust you more for it.
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Be good at euthanasia and send a sympathy card (or something similar). I can’t tell you how many clients have sent us the sweetest thank you notes after going through a smooth and compassionate euthanasia.
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Follow up. Check in. If you don’t have time, have someone from your team do it. Don’t wait for them to call back a week later when their pet has been circling the drain since going home. This goes back to #1—feeling like they’re the only ones who matter to you.