2012 is starting out on the right paw! Royal Canine Mobile Grooming is going to be better then ever. I’m very excited about the changes I am going to implement this year. My goal is to run my business even more efficiently. This means more time for me to write and make dog bows!
The first thing I will be doing is encouraging my customers to communicate with me by text or email, especially my new customers. (Thank you Judi Cantu Thacker for this brilliant idea) In my world the phone is becoming a thing of the past. I can never stop to answer it when my hands are full of soapy bubbles but I can peek at a text message. I can peek at an email and I can respond immediately to both. The last thing I want to do is stop and listen to a voicemail once or twice and have to write the information down. When a customer responds by smartphone all the information is stored for you forever. It’s the only way to go.
I will be adding to my Policy Form that I must have access to the pet when the owner is not home. This is becoming more important to me everyday. The busier mobile groomers get, the less they can accommodate their customers time and day requests. Crazy as it sounds, in our business, they have to accommodate us! What takes precedence is the daily schedule and route. We are only one person. We can only be one place at a time. It doesn’t make sense to zig zag all over town wasting gas and minutes.
NO MORE SHAVEDOWNS! After six years in this business I am pulling the plug. I am done. I have found these are the customers that you can’t make happy. More important, I don’t enjoy doing it. If potential customers are not willing to get on a six week grooming schedule or less, I am not the mobile groomer for them. They will have to go elsewhere.
Charge by the hour instead of the trim. This is a BIGGIE! One thing I have learned in this business is that two dogs of the same breed are not created equal. Look at these guys and you have the classic example.
There is another reason why charging by the hour is so important. If one of my maintenance trims should miss an appointment, you know what that means! The next time I see the dog they will have twice as much hair. More time. More labor. Explain to your customer up front that there will be a higher groom fee. Make sure they know you are not “raising their price.” You are just being fairly paid for the additional time it takes to groom the dog.
I’d like to close with some words of wisdom. Keep this is mind everyday. As I always say: Run the business. Don’t let it run you. You come first. Get tough. You can say “No.” Do what makes you happy. Take care of yourself everyday. Feel good about yourself and what you do. This is the key to a successful business and a happier you.
I want to wish everybody a happy, healthy holiday and New Year. There are going to be some very exciting new things for Go Mobile And Succeed in 2012. It is wonderful to see our industry grow in so many new directions on the Internet. Who knows what the future holds for every one of us. Just wake up everyday and do your best. That’s what I do!
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Holiday Special until December 25th!!!! Free shipping on all Go Mobile And Succeed Products. Treat yourself or a special grooming friend to the secrets of my success. Go Mobile And Succeed, 49 Essays on Pet Grooming and Go Mobile And Succeed – The Two-Hour Seminar DVD. For more information go to: www.gomobileandsucceed.com. You are always welcome to send an email to: ellen@rcmgrooming.com.
Ellen you are a true insperation to me!! You have already given me the courage I need to make 2012 my best year ever!! Wishing you and your family a very happy holidays and a wonderful New Years!! Thank you always!
Posted by: Christine Dunkerley | 12/14/2011 at 06:36 PM
Thank you Christine. I will know you will do great.
Posted by: Ellen Ehrlich | 12/16/2011 at 05:07 PM