A FEW PRACTICAL HINTS. 
295 
Sometimes to get any pay at all, you will have to receipt 
your bills for a reduced amount. Make out the bill for the 
standard sum, that they may know your rates, and that you 
are not reducing your charges, but taking something off the 
bill. I think we ought to charge more for the first visit than 
for succeeding ones. It is usually an extra ordinary one, and 
therefore, justifies a double charge. Some will hum and haw 
about the size of their bill, and at the same time, if your 
charges were insignificant they would not employ you. Every 
one wants first-class services, but as cheaply as possible. 
Some will call, consult you, obtain medicine and pay for 
it. Then if asked to call again to tell you how their horse or 
cow is getting along, will on returning show by every word 
and action that they do not expect to pay for advice, etc. 
Listen to them, and then advise them to consult you again when¬ 
ever you see proper to designate. They ought to understand 
that. 
When a new customer, instead of paying your fee, post¬ 
pones it, ask his name and address in full and book it before 
him. The chances are you will get paid soon. “ No cure, no 
pay,” is a poor plan and it will often swindle you. Tell them 
you charge for services and not for results, and that you must 
be paid even though the patient is incurable or dies. They 
who employ you must take the probabilities of recovery from 
your well intended endeavors. Tell some if they pay as they 
go, it will encourage you and stimulate you to do your best. 
After examining certain cases, you may broach the cur¬ 
rency question thus: “ Well, I see what your case is, and am 
willing to take charge of it and give you my best services, if 
my terms will suit you." Or, “Ah ! I am afraid I would charge 
you more than you would be willing to pav. v This compels 
them to ask your terms, and puts them in a frame of mind 
favorable to your purpose. 
Mark each bill sent to a customer, third, fourth or fifth as 
the case may be. An effective wording to certain slow cus¬ 
tomers, is to send their bill a short time prior to your having 
special need for money, and tell them you have very special 
need for it at the time you may mention. Another way is to 
