33
where we would say, ‘Come in in spring; we will get your pet tested and then will put it on preventives.’ I remember the angst I would have when someone would come in for protection in the July time frame and say ‘I’m here for my spring check. I didn’t get around to it earlier.’” Although year-round protection makes
sense medically, buying a year’s worth of product does not. “Heartworm prevention and flea
products are what would generally be called ‘A’ or ‘AA’ products because they are high-volume and high-dollar medi- cations,” Guenther says. “The fact that they are high-volume means you’ve got a lot of money tied up in them and, better yet, you should be able to receive a lot of money from them. “Then, it gets into how much should
you order? The price breaks on the big- ger deals are good, but I wouldn’t get into buying more than you can use in a 3-month period. Go back and look at computer data for how much you sold for a given month or given quarter, and order accordingly.” Guenther also advises treating parasit-
icides like money, which is a precaution many practices fail to take. “The first problem is that veterinarians
use computers, but they don’t use them correctly when it comes to inventory. If you are going to buy high-volume prod- ucts, you better make sure everything is linked properly, because, basically, you’re tracking money,” Guenther says. “Once a week or once every 2 weeks, count the actual products on the shelf and compare that with what’s in the computer. Review invoices, and make sure everything is accounted for. If there’s a discrepancy, you need to know what happened so you can fix it going forward. When I say ‘fix it,’ I mean you need to figure out if there’s a problem with your computer or your inventory tracking system, or if there’s a five-fingered discount from staff. That’s an ugly thing to say, but, really, what’s the street value of a heartworm preven- tive? It’s whatever I can get for it.” Finally, Guenther recommends avoiding
Trends magazine, November 2012
impulsive price wars with big box outlets and Internet pharmacies. This is particu- larly true when veterinarians effectively “package” convenience and expertise. If your purchase includes a special
offer that you pass along (e.g., two free doses in every package of six), be sure to inform clients of how that offer benefits them. Your overall price per package may be higher than that of a big box store, but your price per dose may be lower. “Many times we trick ourselves,”
Guenther says. “We think we have to price in a way that lets us compete head- to-head with the big box. I’d stay close, but I’m not necessarily going to meet that price. I’m going to go back and empha- size convenience and knowledge.”
4. Local + timely + personal = sales When it comes to marketing heart-
worm preventives, “the strongest mes- sage I believe a veterinarian can deliver is that there is no better or cheaper form of insurance,” Carpenter says. “If anyone has ever treated heartworm, it’s a hos- pitalization case with great stress and, many times, great danger to the animal. You have to keep the pet on exercise restriction. It’s very expensive for the cli- ent. It all could have been prevented with a pill provided once a month. I believe parasiticides need to be put in the same area as vaccinations. They’re just as important, and they’re just as critical.” To break through to clients who resist
putting their pets on a parasite regimen, Carpenter advises the following.
Get local, timely data (Guess what? It’s free) “If I asked someone what he or she
thought about in the past hour, I can estimate that 90% of their thoughts were about something that occurred or would occur in a local geographic area and the relatively recent time period,” Carpenter says. “For instance, my thoughts might be about whether my daughter is going to like her new teacher or if workers finished construction on the road. The point is that people’s thoughts are local and timely. It’s very rare that we think long term.”
If your purchase includes a special offer that you pass along, inform clients of how that offer benefits them. Your overall price per package may be higher than that of a big box store, but your price per dose may be lower.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68