Picture this: you are caring for a client’s pet and notice a drastic change in its eating habits. Or the poor pooch has some sort of discharge oozing from her eye. Or worse yet, the dog is breathing in a way that can’t be good.
Something’s got to be done. And quick. What do you do? You remain calm, compose yourself and put your plan into action.
You do have a plan… don’t you?
What makes a successful pet sitting business owner? How do you stand out from the competition and become the obvious choice for new clients? Let’s look into what personal qualities and traits are vital to your success.
Running your own pet sitting business and becoming your own boss is a dream come true for most people. However, without developing the necessary personal qualities and traits, you may quickly find yourself struggling to get off the ground.
As you know, trust plays a huge part in a client’s decision to use one pet sitter over another. If a client does not trust you, nothing else matters. She will not become your new client.
Understanding what is going through a client’s mind during the first crucial minutes of your contact together can lead to a growing business by winning more clients.
You hear plenty about how to give proper care to the various animals we are hired to watch, but sometimes forget that we must treat the human (the pet owner) with the same care and respect.
After all, it is the human making the decision to hire the pet sitter. Without winning over the pet owner, you’ll never get to use your amazing skills as a pet sitter that you’ve worked so hard to perfect.
The more a potential client sees you running your pet sitting business like a business, the greater chance you have at gaining that new client. If your clients see you running your business like a hobby or a side job, the less comfortable and willing they’ll be to hire you.
90% of your job, as pet sitter, is to gain trust. The pet sitter who gains the trust and confidence wins the client.
Internalize the Golden Rule of sales that says, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like, and trust.” – Bob Burg
If your clients do not like you, they will not use your service. Establishing trust with your clients may be one of the most important things you can do to assure they remain loyal and continue to see you as the best and only option for the care of their pet. Without a relationship based on trust, your client will look elsewhere for pet sitting services.