In class we have covered the importance of “Buyer Beware” and “Seller Beware”. We have seen that buyer beware has become more of a thing of the past, with the introduction of the internet. With the internet we have an almost limitless amount of information at our finger tips and can research any product anytime. This has been a tremendous advantage to honest salesmen as well as to buyers. Although there has been numerous advantages and an increase in sales with the internet, there has also been down side in medicine. With the introduction of sites like WebMD and PetMD, people have become their own doctors and found ways to educate themselves to diagnose themselves and their pets. I do not have any experience in human medicine so I will not talk on this matter, but working three years as a veterinary assistant I will speak on the disadvantages of so called “educated buyers”. In the case of Veterinarians, it is not enough to be a well educated, caring and great with animals. Veterinarians must be great with animals and great with the animals owners. They have to sell themselves in away that is in the best interest of the animal, but also in the best interest and the liking of the owner. This ability to please owners and still give the pets the proper treatment has become much more difficult with the introduction of sites like PetMD. This site allows owners to search symptoms of their pets and better understand how to take care of their pets. It has done a lot of good in its recommendations for pet treatment and training, but in some cases it has harmed the animals because of “educated owners”. Owners will see that their pet is not acting normal and see that there is a loss of apatite or their pet is acting lethargic. Instead of taking their pet to the vet for treatment they will look up the symptoms and do a self diagnostic and treatment at the expense of the pet.
This is where it becomes hard for the seller to sell. In the case of the veterinarian, it is made more difficult because they have to deal with an owner who has already had a “first opinion”. They have to try and diagnose and sell their knowledge of the pets symptoms and treatments, but this is made difficult when the buyer has already set their mind on what they perceive to be the problem. Sellers and Veterinarians alike must find away to gently explain to the buyer what is right in away that does not offend the buyer and lose the business in the process. The seller must have a firm grasp and knowledge to be able to sell to buyers today, but they must also have a firm grasp on how to explain to the buyer why their product is better, or why their treatment is more accurate and not lose the business in the process.
BoweryJE22
That’s so interesting that there’s a WebMD for pets, I never would have thought of that. While I understand the struggle of vets having “educated” owners come in, I also understand the struggle for pet owners. As a long time pet owner, and daughter of a pet sitter, we don’t like going to vets because they’re so expensive and frequently push “required” or “necessary” shots or procedures which really aren’t necessary. How many people benefit from things like PetMD compared to those who think they know more than the vet?