Marketing Tips for Pet Sitters

6 Things Football Teaches Us About Pet Sitting

football on the fieldAfter a magnificent win by my favorite football team, the NY Giants, to win Super Bowl XLVI, it only seems fitting to discuss how many of the strategies and qualities it takes to win games can also be applied to success in your pet sitting business.

Vince Lombardi is one of the (if not the) most respected and admired coaches in football.

In fact, it is the Lombardi trophy that is awarded to the winner of each Super Bowl, so the guy must have been pretty special to the game.

Lombardi is known for his motivational speeches and after reviewing some of his famous quotes, it becomes more evident how he was talking about much more than simply football.

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Top 12 Tips for Your Pet Sitting Website in 2012

website tipsHave you made any New Year’s resolutions in regards to your pet sitting business?

Have you decided to gain a certain number of new clients? Or make this the year you hire pet sitters to join your team?

No matter what your focus going forward, you will always need to keep your website in tip top shape.

One of my biggest passions has always been helping pet sitters grow by improving business skills and improving your website presence.

Here are my Top 12 tips for getting your website in great shape in 2012.

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What Happens Now That Thanksgiving Has Past?

fall leavesDon’t you agree that this is one of the most exciting times of the year?

Having spent a few years in San Antonio where it rarely falls below 60 degrees this time of year, I am now back on the East coast, able to enjoy and experience one of my favorite seasons: Autumn.

The leaves change color. Fireplace smoke is in the air. And Holiday music is upon us.

Although, oddly enough, it did reach over 60 degrees a few days this weekend here in New Jersey.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to look forward and focus on the upcoming holiday.

As pet sitters (and therefor small business owners), we have the opportunity to land new clients, service current clients, and have one of our best months all year.

Want to see something I rarely show anybody?

Alitia and I, with the help, of course, from our team of pet sitters, brought in a total of $22,308.50 in pet sitting services during the very first December we were in business with Alitia’s Animals.

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How Is Your Pet Sitting Business Like Baking A Chocolate Cake?

chocolate cakeTruth be told, I’m not much of a cook. Ironically, I love food so that’s a bit of a dilemma.

What I’m most comfortable treating myself to is the quick and easy chocolate goodness provided by Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake – yes, right out of the box.

For my money, there’s nothing much simpler than following the directions:

Step 1 – Preheat oven.

Step 2 – Blend ingredients.

Step 3 – Bake 30 minutes.

That’s all there is to it. And the outcome greatly outweighs the skill involved to achieve the result.

But, What If…?

Baking a cake from a box is admittedly a simple process. Follow a few steps and wait a bit and you’ve got yourself a delicious cake.

But let’s not take the step by step process for granted. Because whether you realize it or not, most everything we look to accomplish in our day to day life is the direct result of following small, specific steps to reach the desired goal.

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The Simple Way To Stop Confusing Your Website Visitors and Start Helping Them

confusedDo you know what I love most about receiving email inquiries from my pet sitting website?

Besides enjoying the obvious lead, I love getting to learn more about how my website is actually performing.

Here’s what I mean. I recently received an email that said the following:

“I wanted to inquire about pricing info for in-home boarding. Your site was very informative and I wanted to look into this option further.”

It’s no secret that I take pride in my pet sitting website and work hard to make sure it converts as many visitors as possible into leads (which could become potential new clients).

When I read the statement about how informative my site was, I knew what I always thought was correct:

Every visitor arrives on your website with certain questions in mind. The better you help answer those questions, the more likely the visitor will take action and get in touch with you.

Is your pet sitting website helping or confusing your visitors?

You’ve probably already heard that content is king. Simply put, the more relevant content you have on your website, the more your visitors – and Google – will love you.

Below are 9 questions that your visitors need to know the answers to before they will even consider getting in touch with you. (It’s also a perfect way to add more content to your site.)

Side Note: #4 is my favorite secret weapon. Focus on that one alone and you’ll see results.

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Here’s Why This Pet Sitting Website Gets Lots of Clients

a signle eyeWhen was the last time you visited a website and simply stared at it for a while trying to understand what made it work so well?

Call me a website nerd, geek or junkie but I have a passion for doing just that. And pretty often, too.

Especially when it comes to pet sitter websites. As you know, I love all things website, and focus on that as the main topic of my teachings.

Put another way, turning more of your website visitors into happy clients is not something that happens by accident.

When creating my own pet sitting business website a few years back, I was certain to place specific elements on the page that would strategically increase the chances of a visitor taking action by getting in touch with us.

This effectively turned visitors into leads, and turned those leads into clients.

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How Do Pet Sitters Respond to Last Minute Bookings? [video]

hourglass photoAs most pet sitters know, the longer you’ve been in business, the more familiar you become with your own steps and processes.

Typically, a call or email comes in, you connect with the potential client, you spend time discussing all options.

Then you would set up a mutually convenient time to meet, receive the keys, get forms and agreements signed, work out payment, and the ball is rolling.

But what happens when a potential client contacts you in dire need for your services NOW?

As in right now. Like, tonight.

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All About The Pet Sitter In-Home Consultation [video]

How do you handle the initial in-home free consultation?

There are truly many ways to go from the first phone call with a potential client to the first day of service.

Many details need to be worked out including receiving payment – do you collect before, during or after the consult?

Do you get the keys at the consultation? Or do you have to make a second trip for them?

How and when does the client fill out your service agreement and forms? Is it on paper, or a digital copy on your computer?

(It’s all about efficiency and streamlining your day-to-day business operations.)

Inside this video, I show you the way my pet sitting business handles the initial in-home consultation.

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WordPress for Pet Sitters: Plugins

The Anatomy of a WordPress Plugin

When you hear the word WordPress, what comes to mind?

For some, it’s complete dread, confusion and frustration. For others, it’s a time-saving platform that is used to power their entire pet sitting website.

I’ve been using and recommending WordPress for many years now, with its power and flexibility only continuing to grow.

As we move forward, there is plenty we’ll be covering in regards to the major benefits of using WordPress for your pet sitting website, but this article is all about the WordPress Plugin.

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The Easiest Way To Help Your Competition While Hurting Yourself

This is a guest post by Bella Vasta of Bella’s House & Pet Sitting and Jump Consulting.

bella vastaPop Quiz: What do you think is the absolute best thing you can do for your competition (and the worst thing you can do for yourself)?

Give bad service? Under appreciate your clients? Destroy their personal property?

While all those are obviously bad, there is something even worse.

And the reason this other thing is worse for you and better for your competition is simply because it can easily happen without your knowledge or ability to prevent it before the damage is done.

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