Morgan J. McArthur, DVM for The Veterinarian

20 Sept 1998

I came across a joke the other day that I know you’ll enjoy. Mind if I share it with you?

There was an engineer who had an exceptional knack for fixing all mechanical things. After serving his company loyally for over thirty years, he happily retired. Several years later his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past.

The engineer reluctantly took on the challenge. He spent a day studying the complex machine. At the end of the day he marked a small X in chalk on a particular component of the equipment and proudly stated, ‘This is where your problem is!’ The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.

The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his services. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:

One chalk mark $1

Knowing where to put it $49,999.

You may have already heard that joke. Have you thought about it in the context of veterinary medicine? Vets have an understanding of complex [biological] machines… we possess exceptional problem-solving skills…and have some customers who’ll try anything and anyone before they come to us because we’re ‘too dear’…and when we do solve the problem there can be a profound lack of appreciation for what we’ve brought to the solution.

You’ve gotta laugh, don’t you? Sure, because it’s so bloomin’ true that if you’re not laughing you’re crying!

The statement at the end really sums it up, though. Do people really know what they are paying for when they come through your door with their problems? By taking a few extra moments to listen to them and to fully explain your assessment and approach you’ll make your mark with your expertise and experience. And that will help put your bill for professional services in the proper perspective.

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