Point #1 - If only vets really did this. Clinics don't spend the time detailing these products that they should. They used to talk about fleas all of the time but got lazy when Advantage and Frontline arrived since they were supposed to be "set it and forget it". Now flea prevention is treated like fast food - do you want fries with that? And vets wonder why people don't see any value in buying from them versus the pet store up the street. If there's no value being added by the vet and the price is 5% more, why bother buying it there or going out of your way to swing by the vet when you go to the retail stores all of the time and you'll be there anyway? Wake up, MOST of the OTC stores don't sell it that much cheaper than vets anyway. Sometimes it's more expensive since there are few in-store discounts outside of the vet. Yes, Walmart is the exception but they are probably trying to build a market for their generic. Here's the thing, pet owners have been told for many years that the brands at the store are just like Frontline, are better than Frontline, repels when Frontline doesn't, has one of the same ingredients (methoprene) as frontline plus, blah blah blah. There are big signs at petco that try to steer you away from frontline and to one of their more profitable seargants or hartz brands. But pet owners still want Frontline, they don't give a rats ass about the molecule fipronil or whatever. To them it will be one more product claiming to be just like Frontline. So practice best medicine doc and don't worry about these very common business issues (it's called competition) that are easy to overcome.
Point #2 - That's just not true. AAHA and others publish average vet markups and it is indeed still about 100%. The manufacturers have given you discounts that you can offer (funded by them) for $30 off, free does or whatever. But the AVERAGE vet still at least marks this stuff up 100%. I'm a rep and let me tell you a little secret, my most advanced customers who really "get" both medicine and business, actually go up to 150% or more. Why? See my point above about providing value. When you don't give your clients a grocery store experience they feel like they should buy it from you because there is a perceived quality difference. Billions are made in the salon haircare industry using this same model. Same brand available at the drug store (through diversion just like we deal with in vet medicine) but people still buy it at their salon.
