Focus On Your Clients

Client Won’t Accept Their House Keys Back! Now What?

old keysHow many sets of client house keys do you currently have in your possession?

Plenty, I’m sure.

But, what is your [process,system] for returning those keys to the pet owner when the job is complete?

Now think about how your process would change if, for whatever reason, the client did not want to claim their set of keys.

Sound crazy?

Well, I received an email (a plea for help) recently from a frustrated pet sitter who finds herself in this predicament.

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Harness Lead May Be The Answer To Your Dog Walking Prayers

harness lead

You know when you see a product online and your first thought is, “How can this not already exist??”

Well, that’s what went through my head when my good friend, and pet sitting colleague, Tori Lattig of Endless Pawsibilities introduced me to Lisa Flynn, inventor of the Harness Lead.

As you’ll see, the Harness Lead is a 3-in-1 harness lead, slip lead, and collar lead, that can truly transform the way you walk dogs for a living.

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If You Do Not Find Excitement and Inspiration from this Video, Something Is Wrong

Google Hangout screenshot
Watch us on this Google Hangout chatting about how to grow your pet sitting business.

Every successful business owner understands that they need to learn from others.

Whether it’s in the form of following their journey and reading their work, or having a mentor, success rarely happens without some influence of others.

Marcus Sheridan is someone outside of our industry who I personally follow, learn from and admire.

More importantly, the main reason I’m so excited to bring Marcus into our industry is because the way he succeeded is something that pet sitters can replicate.

Marcus began as a pool guy. He owned a pool company that installed fiberglass pools to his local community. He’s a local small business provider.

And so are pet sitters. While looking bankruptcy in the face, Marcus changed directions and used his website as his biggest form of marketing and now his pool company makes over $4 million a year!

The nuggets he provides in this insightful video can and should be used by pet sitters starting today.

Grab a pen and paper and take notes. He discussed things you can take action on right now to make huge progress. (Some pet sitters already have!)

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What Does This Pet Owner Really Want? A Lower Than Low Rate?

one flower in the crowd
Where do YOU stand among other pet sitters around you?
You know that phrase that says “you can’t please everyone?”

Well, I’m starting to believe that no matter what price you charge, some pet owners will still think it’s too much.

Get this…

We had a call recently from a woman that began like most others.

After spending 20 minutes on the phone it was time to discuss prices based on the needed service (daily dog walking). We quoted our fee for service and this was her reply:

“Wha?? I just spoke with someone who can do it for $12. Thanks very much. [click]”

And that was it. She had hung up.

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Do You Drop A Pet Sitting Client If The Dog Becomes Aggressive?

pear bite
Are all bites created equally? How do you handle them with pet sitting clients?
As a business owner, you are faced with dozens of decisions every single day.

Some are big… (“Do I take on that client even though I see some red flags?” “Do I hire that person or go back to the drawing board?” “Who do I pay to redesign my pet sitting website?”)

While other decisions are not so big. (“Should I send a text or email?” “Do I run to the bank today or tomorrow?”)

Regardless of size, your ability to simply MAKE decisions will play a big role in the overall success of your pet sitting career.

The Big Decision — When To Drop A Pet Sitting Client

When is it time to drop a pet sitting client because of an aggressive dog?

Is it when the dog draws blood? Or when the dog growls and does not show signs of letting up?

Or is it close to never so you don’t lose out on the money?

These are the general choices a pet sitter has when faced with this decision.

I received this question from a Facebook fan and it’s a dilemma she finds herself in:

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One Simple Question That Opened Up A World Of Good For Us

Krisite, office manager
This is Kristie – Our first virtual office manager.
Like you, we’ve taken many many calls since the day we opened for business.

But only recently have we added one new question to our phone script.

In this audio clip below, you’ll hear Kristie ask the question, “Have you ever used a professional pet sitter before?”

We learned this technique through Bella Vasta’s Killer Phone Script Service and, as you’ll see, there is a ton that you discover from just this one question.

We were speechless with what we learned in the call below. Then we were able to lead the call in the correct direction and land the new client!

Here’s a 90-second audio clip that came in from a recent call.

Kristie is our office manager (and the one who answers the phones for other pet sitters using our Virtual Office Manager service).

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Want Your Very Own Virtual Office Manager for Your Pet Sitting Business?

All Good Things Must Come To An End…

It’s been a good run. At this time, we have stopped offering our virtual office service. After three years of answering calls for pet business owners, we made the decision to focus our energy and resources on the core services and goal of PetSittingOlogy.

Please continue to rely on us for your professional SEO and website needs, our upcoming PSO Membership Training, and our Annual Live Pet Care Conference!

beth my right hand
This is Beth – My right hand gal!

How does the idea of having your very own virtual office manager sound?

Whether you are a sole proprietor handling every aspect of your business yourself, or you manage staff and can use an extra hand, this may be just what you need.

Picture this… Your virtual office manager will answer your phone with a friendly, professional voice – Using your script, your company tone, your pricing structure, your details.

Have your personal office manager immediately handle all your incoming phone calls and incoming email submissions, too.

And the best part is that this takes place in the NJ office where I (Josh Cary) spend my days – this is NOT an outsourced operation.

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Google Desperately Wants To Recommend Your Pet Sitting Website

lightswitch coverAs pet sitters, one of the strongest marketing strategies you can rely on is your pet sitting website.

However, just building your website and hoping visitors find you is a long shot.

This article will connect the dots between building your website, showing up in Google for your chosen keywords and gaining a new pet sitting client.

First, it helps to understand exactly how Google works.

How Google Works

What do you think Google’s number one responsibility is?

It’s to deliver the best search results to its customer (search user).

So what do you think YOUR number one responsibility is?

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Look What Happens When You Think No One Is Watching!

peekingI was chatting on the phone recently with one of my PetSittingOlogy members, Andy Pomaville.

Andy owns and operates Playful Paws Miami and uses my pet sitting website template.

He has opened for business just 3 short months ago and currently serves a handful of clients. Andy loves how everything is going so far, and shared this interesting note to me on the phone.

Just As You Think No One Is Watching…

Andy’s client’s neighbor made it a point to let him (the client) know that she sees the dog walker everyday doing a wonderful job with his dog.

Imagine that!

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Become The Life Saving Pet Sitter for Pregnant Women

baby hands photoWe received a call recently through Alitia’s Animals (my pet sitting business) from a pregnant woman who, in a couple months, will be giving birth.

She has a sweet, loving, Pekingese dog who will soon be the big brother to the family’s new baby.

This pet owner got in touch with us because she needs pet care in place (quite possibly at a moment’s notice) while in labor at the hospital.

We have gone on the meet-n-greet, worked out all the details, got a set of keys, signed the documents and even received a $50 deposit that will be applied to service when she is rushed to the hospital.

Now, we wait for a brief text, email or phone call alerting us that our pet sitting job will immediately begin.

Nobody has to rush around later trying to coordinate proper pet care – it’s all already handled and she is in our system.

This is very responsible thinking on the part of the family.

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