In the Dog's House

What Could Go Wrong? (My First Grooming Competition)

I’m sure you are all wondering where on earth I was last week that I didn’t post, well… I competed for the first time last Sunday! Although it’s a little off topic I thought I’d share my first competition experience with all of you.

The Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) of Waukesha put on a rescue rodeo competition with all proceeds going to help homeless pets. When I first heard about this I thought, “What a great way to get my feet wet and get the jitters out before All American!” So I signed up and was happy as lark. Shortly after, I started talking to people who compete and heard the same story time and time again; if it can go wrong it will at your first competition. Blissfully ignorant of the validity of that statement, I smiled and nodded pleasantly thinking that I couldn’t happen to me. Boy was I wrong.

Morning of the competition, I am up and on the road by 8am for my 3 hour drive down to Waukesha. The competition didn’t start until noon, but I thought the extra time to set up, get a free lunch and chat with other WAPPS members was well worth getting up at 7am on my only day off that week. Before I continue, have you all ever heard the joke about Wisconsin seasons? We only have 3: winter, still winter, and road construction. April is just past still winter, making it the WORST month for road construction in the entire year (if counties decide to start then). Since my county hadn’t started any major road works yet, I foolishly assumed that there wouldn’t be too many issues on my drive down…

A little over an hour into my drive, I am cruising happily down Hwy 45 when suddenly a single sign notifies me that the highway will be ending in 5 miles, and to take the next exit.  I do as the sign says, expecting detour signs to get me back in the direction I need to go but there were none to be found! I do not have a GSP, my cell doesn’t have internet and I have no idea where I am. Calmly I decide that I have a good cushion of time and can try to figure this out. Choosing to go West towards what I hoped was a town, I miraculously picked an alternate route after several turns with no signage. About 20 minutes later and I am back on track.

At this point I thought to myself, “Alright! Crisis averted and I am still making great time! Maybe I should call Mel and talk though some of my pre competition jitters.” So I call my friend Mel (a fellow groomer and rock star friend) and we chat as I continue toward my destination. After an hour of venting and giggles, Mel lets me go to check in a client and I realize, while I was gabbing away I had missed my exit! I am now only about 20 minutes away from the competition but lost in Milwaukee (and a rather rough part at that!) Knowing that I can only luck out navigate once in a great while, I stopped at the nearest gas station for directions. I had printed off my original directions from Google maps, including the address of HAWS and several contact numbers just in case. As I get out of the car to ask the gas station attendant directions behind his bullet proof glass, the wind that had been crazy that day decided that my printed directions were a necessary sacrifice and swept them out into four lanes of traffic before I could even blink. Not letting the wind get to me, I ventured inside and got mediocre directions on how to get to Waukesha, but he had no clue where HAWS was and now neither did I.

As per directions from my new gas station friend, I get onto Interstate 94 and start madly dialing my friends. I had for some reason memorized the address of HAWS, but not the phone numbers of anyone that could actually give me directions there, so the next best thing was to get anyone with an internet connection. After calling all of my family, my partner Jay, and several friends in California, my dear friend Ashley in Texas answered her phone.  In a panic I explained my situation and she promptly saved my butt! She stayed on the phone with me until I pulled in the parking lot, and wished me luck. The time was now 11:40am, and I only had 20 minutes to get all my stuff unpacked, meet my dog and figure out what the heck I was going to do with it!

I run in, mutter some quick pleasantries as I set up all my equipment and find the person I need to get my dog from. At this point there are only two dogs left, so I reach in the hat and pull out a little slip that says, “Moose”. And this is what I got:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say I was dumbfounded by the 4 inches of hair on Moose’s back, neck and sides while having less than an inch of floppy wimpy hair on his spindle legs. I was told Moose was some kind of Poodle mix, that he was moving to New Mexico (adoptive family) and that although he was portly, he had already lost 2 pounds in the 2 weeks he had been there. At this point my brain was so fried from everything else that had gone wrong that something just click. I may have had a lemon, but I’d be darned if it wasn’t going to be lemonade! I settled on a modified Schnauzer face with more of a Westie skirt (to hide his bulge) just when time was called to begin grooming.

I expected to be terrified grooming while Chris Sertzel judged me and a room full of dog lovers watched but somehow I tuned it all out. I wish I could say that was the end of all the things that went wrong, but sadly it wasn’t.

Since I was one of the last people to arrive, I got to set up my table front and center, less than 2 feet from the spectators. The lovely people in the front row: 3 small talkative and whiny children and a mother who could not control them. I channeled all my patience and pushed through. 

Moose was also not a fan of his muzzle being touched, period. So when it came time to blend his lovely new schnauzer face, while the kids in the front row threw a fit… let’s just say I did what I could and was proud that I did. Frankly getting eyebrows alone on this dog was a miracle.

I knew I wouldn't place, but I was darn proud I had done the best with what had ended up being a pretty rough situation, though it did help that I feel in love with Moose while grooming his wiggly butt. After the winners were announced, I cuddled on Moose one last time and gave him back to the kennel staff. Two days later his adoptive family came to pick him up and adored his haircut. So the new owners were happy, and in spite of all the craziness I actually had a great time! That makes me a winner in my book.

The All Important Pre-Groom Interview

    Asking the right questions on the phone with a potential client is imperative to determine whether they would be a good addition your client base, and if house call is the right fit for this dog and customer. Some house callers perform an in-person consultation to determine this. For many this works well but personally, I ask very detailed and specific questions over the phone to save money on gas and time.  Here are the questions I ask clients to get a better feel for the type of client and determine how best to move forward. I will also explain with each question why these are so important to ask, and what I am looking for in their answer.

 

1.       Are you familiar with what house call grooming entails and the type of services I offer?

This is an important question for many reasons. I have had several people set up appointments that were actually surprised when I asked for an address to come to them, for some reason they thought I was a salon! To avoid this kind of mix up, make sure to ask this question. This also gives you the opportunity to educate your potential client if they are not familiar with all you offer and have questions about house call. Make sure to discuss your services professionally and confidently. People can sense how you’re feeling through your voice.

 

2.       What type of pet(s) do you have in your household? What breed(s)?

Although this question is obvious for information about the pet(s) you will be grooming, it also opens up a conversation about all their animals. Many owners do not know that cats can and need to be groomed. If you offer this service it gives you the opportunity to explain the benefits of cat grooming and potentially add more grooms to your trip than the pet(s) they originally called for.

 

3.       When was the last time your pet(s) was professionally groomed?

This gives you an idea of the condition of the pet(s) for quoting a price, and how frequent this client usually has them groomed. If it has been quite some time since their last groom, ask why. Make sure to stress professionally when asking this question as well, if the owner is bathing their pet(s) at home and not doing it properly this means a lot more work for you!

 

4.       Where are you located?

This helps you determine if they are in your service area, and if it is in an area that known as a bit “rough”, you have the opportunity to simply say you don’t service it (potentially keeping you safe).

 

    After gathering all of this information you are in a much better place to determine a price quote for the client, and whether they are the type of client you are looking for. A polite way to turn a customer away if you are unhappy with any of their answers is to state your next available appointment as very far out. Using these questions as my starting point, I have been able to selectively choose the type of clients I want for my business in a polite and professional manner. I hope this helps you do the same.

 

Marketing House Call

                This type of service is very unique and knowing how to market it can be very difficult. I am by no means a marketing or advertising expert, but I will share with you what I’ve done that’s worked, and how I approach clients about my services.

 

Explaining House Call to Clients

               The first and most important part is explaining house call to perspective clients in a way that explains what house call is and immediately addresses the first question that usually comes to mind: will there be a mess.  I address this on the very first page of my website. Here is what I have:

“What is house call grooming?

House call grooming means that I come to your house and groom your pet in the safety and comfort of its own home. Many mobile groomers set up a shop inside of a van or truck. Instead, I bring portable equipment into your home, garage or any area of your choosing. No need to worry about clean up either. I do my best to make it look like I was never there.”

In this paragraph I have not only explained what house call is in a clear manner and answered the all important mess question, but I’ve also started on some of the benefits of house call with the “safety and comfort” portion. This leads us into the next part of marketing house call to clients: illustrating the benefits.

                Whether you’re talking on the phone, in person, online or through advertising emphasizing the benefits of your service is paramount.  There are many benefits to house call and certain areas will want to focus on certain things (ex: cage free), but here are a few that work across the board:

• Low stress environment for both pet and owner
• Personal service (the same groomer every time)
• Convenience of service

When you talk to clients about these benefits I find it important to not put down other styles of business to promote my own. You can easily discuss these without comparing them to a salon or mobile groomer and I think it presents you more professionally.

 

Advertising Methods

                Let me share with you the type of advertising I do that has been effective in my area, along with some tips from fellow house callers via the new House Call Groomers group I’ve started on Facebook. The main advertising I do for my business is online. Along with my website, I have a Facebook page for my business and utilize free listing sites such as Google Places, Yahoo Local, and Find A Groomer Inc. I have also had great success with Craigslist, though this seems to vary from area to area.  The number one suggestion for advertising from the group is either magnets for your car, or lettering for your vehicle so that your car becomes a mobile billboard just like a mobile groomer’s van. It’s hard to measure a success rate with this but it’s definitely an easy and affordable why to advertise.

                Thinking out of the box is very important in advertising house call. One group member had an excellent idea that I never would have thought of! She posts fliers at her local RV parks. Her area has a large population that comes in the winter and she has gotten tons of clients by catering to them and grooming in their RV. Thanks for the great tip Rena!

                Along those same lines, placing cards and fliers at elderly homes that allow pets is another great idea. I contacted all my local assisted living homes and found one that allowed pets. They were actually so excited about the idea that they asked me to do a small demonstration for their clients to let them know about the services! Apparently it has been very difficult for them to shuttle clients to and from grooming shops, and they do not have the space for a mobile van to set up so I was the perfect solution to their problem.

                Another out of the box idea is to start a doggie play group for your area. Since I mainly cater to small dogs, I started a small dog play group for my area. During our meets I will give basic instruction on home maintenance grooming and many of the members have become very loyal clients. The best part is that I get to see these dogs even more often and if the owner has questions about in between care I am right there! This has also helped strengthen relationships I have with clients that found me a different way, and I highly recommend this to everyone.

               We could spend pages and pages discussing advertising, and there will definitely be more posts about this, but for now I hope this has helped you with discussing house call to your customers and given you some interesting ideas on ways to advertise. As always, if you have any questions or would like to make a recommendation for a post, feel free to email me at alyssaforss@gmail.com .