The Accidental Marketing Plan: What My Local Vet Taught Me About Selling Online
No really, this is about a vet. Stick with me. Please read to the end, especially if you're local to me. I don’t want any vet heads to roll because of an analogy.
The other day, I walked into a vet with a cat that wasn’t sick but looked like it had been dragged backwards through a tumble dryer (not the first time I've dealt with a cat in a tumble dryer). I expected some advice. Maybe ointment. What I didn’t expect was a full-blown small business marketing lesson.
Here’s what happened
The vet took one look and said:
“He’s bored. Try a puzzle feeder or he’s going to keep destroying your house.”
Then she opened a drawer and handed me her own branded puzzle feeder. Locally made. Nicely packaged. R95.
Now if you’ve ever looked at puzzle feeders on Takealot, you’ll know they usually start around R250. This one looked great, and it was being recommended to me by someone I already trusted.
No sales pitch. Just a calm “this might help” and a quick story about how it helped another cat stop chewing cables.
…I bought it.
What does this have to do with you?
Everything. Because this is marketing done well. Quiet confidence. Real usefulness. Something available to buy, right there and then.
Meanwhile, too many business owners are still waiting. Waiting to build a funnel, launch a shop, or redo their logo. You don’t need any of that. You need to do what this vet didn’t actually do (more on that at the end).
Let’s break it down.
1. She solved a real problem right away
She didn’t go on about her qualifications. She saw what was wrong and offered a fix.
📌 Are you doing that in your business? Or are you still telling people how long you’ve been passionate about your industry?
2. She had a product ready, branded and priced well
It wasn’t some imported gadget. It was affordable, locally made, and ready to go. At R95, it felt like a no-brainer. Especially when the next-best option is R250 online, and I don’t trust half the reviews.
📌 Could you have something useful ready to sell at the point your customer needs it most?
3. She told a story instead of selling hard
The recommendation wasn’t pushy. Just a quick example of how it worked for someone else.
📌 When last did you tell a short, clear story that helps your customer picture success?
4. She kept her branding simple and visible
The puzzle feeder had a simple sticker with her name on it. It didn’t need to be fancy. Just clear and present. That product is now in my house, being used daily, with her brand staring me in the face.
📌 A sticker with your logo costs very little online. But the ongoing brand visibility? Priceless.
How this works in your business
You don’t have to be a vet. You just need to show up with something useful and tell people about it.
Here are some real, practical examples:
Plumber
You’ve found a unique fix that works better than others? Don’t just do it. Tell your client about it. Show it to them. Brag a bit.
Electrician
You know which solution works best for older houses or dodgy wiring? Tell your client. Share the trick. People trust transparency.
Solar installer
You know that turning off Eskom on a sunny day saves the client money? Say it. Don’t gatekeep good advice. You won’t lose money. You’ll gain loyalty.
(Speaking from personal experience here.)
Spa or beauty tech
You’ve created a baking soda, coconut oil and salt rub that works wonders? Use it during treatments. Package it. Sell it.
(Disclaimer: this is completely thumb-sucked. Don’t trust me on the recipe. But you get the point.)
Local accountant
You’ve built a spreadsheet to track expenses that you personally use and know it won’t take business away from you? Sell it. Your clients will thank you for it and still come to you for tax season.
Florist
You find a mix of sugar and bleach helps flowers last longer? Tell people. Or better yet, make it, add a drop of essential oil, bottle it and sell it as “fresh flower booster”. I’d buy that.
(Again, the bleach thing is a guess. Don’t come for me.)
This works for nearly every business. People want to know what you use, what you recommend, and what actually works.
OK, here’s the truth
That story about the puzzle feeder?
…It’s made up.
But only the product part.
I’ve seen plenty of South African businesses do exactly this in real life. Offer a small, helpful thing at the exact right time and sell it with confidence. It’s simple. And it works.
My vet is brilliant, but I can't imagine he's building cat puzzle feeders in his spare time.
Rather, he's casually telling me that our male puppy called Armstrong is, in fact, a girl. Without cracking a smile, despite my insistence that I'm sure he's wrong.
(He wasn’t.)
If you know where we live, you probably know our local vet. And while there aren’t branded puzzle feeders, they do stock some incredible dog toys. I’m especially fond of the dead duck. So is Bob.
And now, for the real stars of this blog...
Our Pavement Specials
Bob (right) was intentionally a girl called Bob. Armstrong (left)... is an entirely different story and an entirely different dog. One that's scared of the kitchen cupboard and her own dog blanket.
Here they are. The real curtain wreckers.
Introducing the Hollywood Gang – mum Star and her babies Blaze, James Earl Jones Jnr and Guy Gibson – plus the very sizeable Slash, who weighs over 10kg and has lived on two continents. Blaze calls like a homing beacon everywhere he goes. If you’re in Bazley, you’ve probably heard him or called me thinking there’s a cat in distress. Guy Gibson is screamy cat, known for yelling at the Checkers60 drivers from the gate in our last place. And JJEJ? He mostly chills. Until 2am. That’s when the gecko hunts begin, the alarm system is triggered and we end up explaining, again, that yes... sorry. It’s the cat.