Banking on Trust

Of all the themes – clinical and otherwise – that were struck at the NAVC Conference in Orlando in late January, the one that resonated most loudly was trust.
According to Louise Dunn, Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consulting, successful practices are doing the right things. They’re providing high-quality clinical care, taking care of their clients, running a sound organization. “But they have a secret that carries them through recessionary times,” she said. “Trust.”

Veterinarians have to rely on the trust their clients and staff have in them. They have to earn it. In turn, successful vets trust those who can be trusted. “You have to be able to trust that someone has the skill set to do what needs to be done, that they have the desire to do it, and the consistency to do it time after time,” Dunn told the vets. Strong relationships – and successful practices – are built on the foundation of such trust, she said.
Although she was speaking about vets’ trust in their staff, she may as well have been talking about their trust in their sales reps. Can your customers trust you? Can they count on you to do what needs to be done?

“In tight times,” Dunn continued, “[vets] have to strengthen the bond with [their] customers.” That’s because when the economic outlook grows bleak, consumers become more selective about the companies they do business with, including their vets. Again, while the message was directed toward vets, it has just as much meaning for distributors. After all, vets – like their customers – are going to gravitate toward the vendors who they believe have their best interests in mind, as well as professional expertise. “Don’t let your relationships [with clients] fray,” Dunn warned the audience. Reps: Don’t let your relationships with your customers fray. Now more than ever, wear your value on your sleeve.

In another presentation, John Sheridan, a vet from the United Kingdom who runs a consulting firm called Veterinary Business Briefing, also talked about trust. Again, speaking to the vets, he said that “the extent to which you encourage your staff to do things depends on trust.” Vets sometimes underestimate the skill level of their staff. If they have a knowledgeable, competent staff to whom they can delegate substantive tasks, they will probably improve the performance of their practice. The question for Vet-Advantage readers is this: Can you count yourself among those whom your vet customers can trust to do the things you do well?

You have a lot to offer. As Sheridan pointed out, sometimes what vets have in clinical skills they lack in business smarts. “Management is concerned about where we are not, and where we want to go,” he said, somewhat eloquently. “It’s planning. Then it’s organizing the business resources to achieve specific objectives, which we need to define. Then you have to monitor performance. You need to know on a regular basis a number of measures.”

As vets struggle to gain the management and leadership skills that are called for today, reps can step in and lend a hand. After all, you see enough successful practices to know what works. And you’ve seen enough unsuccessful ones to know what doesn’t. You know what technologies are available to help your customers improve patient care and make their practices more efficient and profitable. That’s knowledge your customers don’t have. So share it with them. Earn their trust. Earn their business.

But while doing so, don’t forget the little things that mean so much. As Sheridan pointed out, a smile, eye contact, good communication skills and reliability mean a lot to pet owners. Successful vets know this, and they train themselves to do these things. How about you?