Stop Letting Clients Drain You With Lip Service

You know the kind of client I mean. The one who gushes, “Oh, she’s the best!” or “He really knows his stuff!”

But here’s the truth: that praise costs them nothing. And too often, it comes from people who have never actually paid you for your care. They’ve drained you of your knowledge for free, and they walk away thinking they’ve done you a favor by complimenting you.

That’s not commitment. That’s lip service.

A.C.E.S. students learn to understand value for their clients from Lab 1. Part of their training is in expecting payment.

Where Do Doctors Start Letting Clients Drain Them?

The system trains us into this trap.

As veterinary and chiropractic students, we’re told for years: you are poor. You live on loans, ramen, and exhaustion. You practice for free, you shadow for free, and you’re told to be grateful for the chance.

Then suddenly, the day you graduate, the story flips. Now you’re a “doctor,” and the world acts like you’re rich. Banks shove “doctor loans” at you, sales reps chase you with equipment, and everyone assumes you’re rolling in cash. Meanwhile, you’re sitting under six figures of debt with a beginner’s income.

No wonder so many young doctors hesitate to ask for payment. They’ve been conditioned to think their value is “potential,” not reality. So when a client hesitates at the fee, they fold. They discount. They give it away.

Payment = Commitment

Here’s the shift: when you ask for payment, you’re not just asking for money. You are asking the client to match your commitment.

You already committed long before you met them—financially, emotionally, and mentally. You signed the loans. You invested the years. You showed up ready to serve.

Now it’s their turn. And if they won’t commit, then you can’t be more invested in their animal’s health than they are.

The Bottom Line

Stop letting empty praise substitute for real commitment.

Stop giving your expertise away for free.

You don’t need lip service—you need partnership.

And partnership starts when the client invests alongside you.