How to get referrals from vets as an equine or canine practitioner
Here’s 5 things to remember when building a relationship with vets
1. It’s your responsibility for vets in your area to know who you are- it doesn’t matter if they are open or not, whether they already have inhouse services or a practitioner they refer to. They need to know that you exist and this is up to you to make it happen.
2. Decide what you’d like from the vets in your area – referrals I know, but you can’t simply introduce yourself and expect that they send all of their clients to you. So decide the next step. Do you want to discuss a case or shared client, introduce yourself, arrange a meeting at the practice, invite them to an event you’re running or want to give them a demo?
Phoning to just say hi seems a bit weird, and you probably won’t do it!
3. Make the reception team your friend – you need to speak to the vet (s) you want to start working with.
Emails probably won’t make it past info@nicola’svets.com. They won’t get passed onto the right person, or might not even make it out of the spam folder.
You need to pick up the phone. Some practices have numbers on their website, others don’t. The reception staff are busy and they are also the gatekeepers to you getting access to the vets you want. You need to get them onside. Call them when it’s a bit quieter, and avoid obvious busy times like 9am on a Monday morning or lunchtimes when everyone is on a break.
Ask for their help, get to the point quickly and acknowledge that they are busy.
4. Follow through to get your meeting, demo or chat arranged. Vets are very busy and they deal with emergency situations. You might get cancelled. Realise it’s nothing personal and reschedule.
5. Ask – address the elephant in the room
Explain that you’d like to work together, ask if they would consider referring clients to you, or what you need to do to make this happen.
Many vets refer to more than one practitioner, as you all do very different things. They might say no, they might not being able to override protocol at the practice, BUT should that vet move or set up their own practice they know who you are.
If you’ve enjoyed this article on getting veterinary referrals as an equine or canine practitioner why not get some further help from Nicola? Book a free mini strategy call at this link here where Nicola or one of the team will give you some personalised ideas and advice to help you grow your business. Ask us anything from not feeling good enough as a therapist, how to feel more motivated, to making more sales, attracting more clients and tackling social media.
