Veterinary 'Clients' Or Veterinary 'Customers'? You Decide

Author: Jonathan Posner
Posted: Thursday 16th February, 2012. 18:36:27

Back in the 1980s I was a salesman selling portable exhibition stands. The stands were lightweight aluminium frameworks that folded down into what looked like a small bundle of rods, then opened out into large structures that you could hang display panels on.

But however technically 'whizzy' they were, they were simply a product off a shelf. Selling them required the skills of a salesman, not a professional qualification. Which is why I had long-running battles with the company MD when he insisted that the people we sold to should be called our ‘clients'. My point was that we were providing a product transaction not a professional service (although we did have transparent pricing and very high standards, obviously). So to me, they were our ‘customers'.

I believed then, and still do today, that understanding the difference between the two types of buyer is critical to building value. A client expects to pay more to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a professionally qualified, informed expert who's had years of training, ongoing experience and CPD. A customer, meanwhile, expects only a commercial transaction - goods and/or services in return for payment.

The danger comes when a client is offered a professional service but is treated as a customer. They see a qualified person and receive the benefit of that person's expertise, but the whole delivery of the experience - before, during and after - leads them to believe that it was transactional not professional.

Which is worth considering if you're running a small animal practice. Are you treating your pet owners as customers or clients?

Thinking about the totality of their experience, is professional value added at every stage? For example, do vaccination / flea / worming reminder communications lead with the health benefits of the visit or simply remind the pet owner that an appointment is due? Has a weight and body condition assessment become a ‘check-in routine’ and ‘form-filling’ exercise – or a meaningful health conversation-opener?

Think about whether pet owners are getting professional service or coming to a 'shop' where they buy veterinary advice.

Because if the pet owner thinks that, then they're a customer not a client.

And it's much easier to shop around if you're a customer.

Jonathan Posner is a Business Director at Masius, a brand marketing and advertising agency with a specialty in veterinary marketing. For more information visit www.masius.com or contact Jonathan Posner on 0207 307 9158 /jonathan.posner@masius.com

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