“Dear Michell, I own a busy upscale salon in Canada. I have been grooming for more years than I care to admit. I am a Certified Master Groomer and I don’t really take new customers anymore, but my employees do. We often get ridiculous special requests from clients. I tend to be intolerant of these requests. However, my employees are still building clientele and need to be open to offering special services. Any suggestions on how to deal with special requests?” — Alex H.
We all know that we love our dogs. I’m sure you wouldn’t be reading this magazine or this story for that matter if you didn’t love dogs. We also know that we’ll put up with one heck of a lot for the sake of our furry friends.
The paradigm of “customers” and the level of contribution they make to our business is ever changing. Any entrepreneur committed to long-term success has all but erased any trace of the concept that customers are a necessary evil: people who bother us with their problems, individuals that we have to “deal with.”
Without a doubt, one of Lou’s all-time favorite phrases is “I love big dogs.” She says this when she comes in, takes one long look at the day’s appointments, and sees that there is a preponderance of big dogs coming in. By a preponderance, I mean more than one.
Last week, I attended a marketing and small business development seminar hosted by the local Chamber of Commerce. I am so used to participating in or teaching marketing and business strategy for pet-related businesses specifically, so I was curious to hear another perspective.
Do you know how large, multimillion–dollar companies grow their businesses? They focus on client retention. And while these companies may have huge budgets, the premise is very simple. Keep in contact with your current clients. Earn loyalty.
I have been grooming dogs for 31 years now. I have often wondered just how many toenails I’ve clipped (not counting my own, of course), how many anal glands I’ve squeezed, how many Poodle feet I have shaved… The list goes on and on.
To be successful in this business doesn’t just depend on your knowledge of grooming or the equipment you use. It can also depend on some very basic goals that you accomplish every day. They are simple goals, such as making money, customer perspective, and safety. These three little goals pass through our minds, but we never really think about how much they impact us every day we work.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
When I lived in Memphis, I operated a house call pet grooming business for many years. One of my favorite customers did a good bit of community volunteer work, including delivering Meals on Wheels.
Hi there. I am a country groomer who does a lot of double coated
shave–downs. I must shave at least one a day in the summer months. We get Goldens, Border Collies, and Australian Shepherds by the dozens. I have heard that shaving them is not good for their coat.
Although there are times when I just can’t, I usually take walk-ins for nail cutting. Last Wednesday was a particularly busy day, and I was letting the answering machine pick up quite a few calls as I tried to stay on schedule with all of the appointments.
At one point, the phone rang, and I let it go to the machine. The person hung up. A split second later, it rang again, and I still didn’t answer.
Ask the Grooming Tutor
“Hi Michell. I am struggling to get my clients to let me groom their dogs in a longer style. They all want them shaved. I am mostly speaking of Doodles, Havanese, Shih-Tzus, Poodles, and mix breeds. No one wants to pay for de-matting. They don’t bring them often enough. I am bored with my work.