Now that the holidays are over and we are onto a brand new year we need to be creative in catering to the needs of customers and keeping their cats professionally groomed. Some grooming salons see a decline in "regular" business after the holidays because their main customers have already be puffed and fluffed for the festivities. What can be done in the dead of winter to generate business? Especially cat grooming business? Here are a few tried and true ideas:
1. Send out reminder cards of Mid-Winter Clean Ups
2. Place a "Special Winter Groom" advertisement in your local paper.
3. Take flyer's announcing your "Special" to local veterinarians and ask to leave a few on their counters.
4. Dominately display an A-Frame Sign in the front of your salon announcing your sale - complete with balloons.
Mid-Winter clean ups can include:
Belly Smoothies (Kitties still stay warm, but the hair isn't all over the couch)!
Sanitary Clips (Kitties will keep their "waste" was it's suppose to be - in the litter box)!
Paw Care - Trim the Toe Tufts and the Paw Hairs - (Keeps litter box messes in the litter box).
Trim the Nails and Clean those Ears.
Comb the entire cat - Get all of the loose undercoat - Your customers will appreciate the reduction of "dust bunnies" in their homes.
Remember too - Wet baths are not necessary at every groom, so once you're finished with the basic clean up - take a moist face cloth and spray it with rinse-less cat-safe shampoo and give the cat a good once-over. Viola- a mid-winter's dream cat. Prepped for the next groom in a couple of months.
Also keep in mind that if your market calls for "Sales", "Reduced Pricing" and such. Offer these mid-winter grooming clean ups for $5.00 or $10.00 less than a regular groom. You're going to be making the same money when you take into account you are not bathing and drying the cat. This is a win-win for everyone. The cat is groomed - the customer saved a few dollars - and you made your normal fee. Sounds like a winner doesn't it?
Happy New Year! If you have any suggestions or comments on this or any of our blog topics, please email us at procatgroomers@aol.com. We would love to hear from you.
Comments