16 Steps To A Perfect Pet Sitting Job

Are you doing everything possible to assure an exceedingly positive experience for both you and your clients?

After all, the more you enjoy doing your job, the more your clients will return. And the more clients that return, well, you get the concept…

Imagine the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction you’ll obtain from not only doing a job well done, but also completing a thorough job well done.

You’ve covered all your bases, and life is good.

I’ve outlined 16 steps that will take you from the initial contact with the potential client all the way through your post-job follow up email.

The actual pet sitting is up to you. If I could help you out with that too, you know I would.

16 Steps To A Perfect Pet Sitting Job

1 – Communicate and reply quickly from initial contact.
The longer you wait, the greater chance the potential client will have found someone else.

2 – Be open and professional during your phone call.
Use humor when appropriate and establish rapport. Find personal, relatable stories to share.

3 – Listen.
You know the services you offer. Your potential client may not. Really listen to her needs and decide together on the best care for the pet.

4 – Address common objections before client brings them up.
Learn to control the direction of the conversation by covering typical questions before the potential client has a chance to bring them up.

5 – Set up your meet and greet as soon as possible.
The sooner you can further establish your relationship and get the ball rolling, the better You don’t want your potential client still searching elsewhere after your chat.

6 – Dress the part.
First impressions count. You’ve gotten as far as the meet-n-greet. Continue to impress with your professional look and appearance.

7 – Display your knowledge and expertise.
Go in prepared. Ask questions that the client may not have thought to consider. Research the breed in question.

8 – Get a deposit.
Whether you receive 10%, 50% or 100%, getting a deposit upfront will help solidify the job and decrease the chance of cancellation.

9 – Send a thank you email.
After the initial meeting, send a brief email thanking the client for her time and/or choosing to hire you. Reiterate your commitment to serve.

10 – Overstay your welcome.
Go above and beyond what the service requires. Under promise and over deliver. Take extra care with her property and belongings. And of course, bond with her pet.

11 – Communicate with the client.
Check in with the client with their preferred method of contact. A simple email, phone call or text will go a long way. Let her know how things went.

12 – Leave a Report Card.
At the end of the job, leave a completed report card detailing the days events. Include stories about how your time was spent with her pet.

13 – Leave something personal.
Leave behind something special, such as a photo of you and her pet, or a poem, or a painting, or cookies, or a treat for the pet…

14 – Assure a safe return.
The day after the job has ended, you want to touch base to make sure the client has not run into any unforeseen circumstance that would prevent her from arriving home on time.

15 – Ask for a testimonial.
Once the client has had time to return to normal life, send an email thanking her for her business one last time. Then, ask for a testimonial. If the client was thrilled with your service, she will jump at the chance to rave about you. Let her know to simply hit reply and use it on your website.

16 – Keep in touch.
During the year, keep in touch with your clients to keep yourself on their radar. You should establish a blog, email newsletter, twitter account or Facebook page to effectively remain on their mind. Feel free to forward along an interesting article she may find helpful.

What’s Missing?

These 16 touch on the general outline of a successful pet sitting job.

We can certainly come up with a list of plenty of other things to do, as well. What steps do you think will help ‘fill in the blanks?’