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How to Become the Most Reliable and Dependable Pet Sitter Ever

strong dependable pet sitterHow would YOU specifically handle this situation?

If you’ve been in the pet industry for any length of time, you no doubt have a certain script that you follow for new client inquiries.

Whether this script is formal and on paper, or simply in your head at this point, you know what typical points you need to cover.

However, every once in a while, you get hit with a certain new client inquiry that requires a more delicate approach.

A Recent Email I Received

Take this recent email submission (pasted in full) we received through my pet sitting business (Alitia’s Animals) and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Potential client writes: “This is my third time looking for a reliable , dependable pet sitter for a long term relationship with my older two dogs. I’m passionate about taking care of my 2 dogs and the rescues that I take in.”

If you replied to this email with your usual approach, you’d be missing out on a great opportunity to gain a valuable client for life!

Let’s look at the email much closer…

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How To Get Others To Make You Look Even Better Than You Do

How would it feel if you were to be interviewed and profiled by the New York Times or MSN or any other respected publication?

Pretty good, I imagine, right?

And more importantly, how would it look to your potential clients and fellow pet sitter colleagues?

Even better, I’m sure.

When any third party writes about you, it speaks volumes about how they feel about you and how they view you.

This is called ‘borrowed credibility.’

Borrowed credibility is simply what happens when you are featured in an interview or news story.

The publication writing about you has its own credibility and you are then seen as sharing in on that credit.

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How To Use WordPress – The Webinar Replay [video]

Walking Tour of WordPress: Why WordPress is the Only Website Building Tool You’ll Need

In the one-hour long webinar below, Joshua Cary leads pet sitters through the entire WordPress system.

Whether you are completely new to the WordPress system, or looking to take your web building skills to the next level, you’ll discover why WordPress is the only web building tool of choice, and how it will put YOU in control of every aspect of your pet sitting website.

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Help, I’m just so frustrated with my pet sitting website!

crying babySee those words up in the title above?

Take a guess how often I hear those exact words?

Whether it’s about getting your pet sitting website up and running properly, trying to land in Google, or trying to make a simple update, managing your own pet site does not have to be confusing, difficult or the source of major aggravation.

And to add a bit of good news to the mix… Do you know how easily frustration in general can be cured?

Why Do Things Create Frustration To Begin With?

The definition of frustration is clear: The feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.

We usually become frustrated when we are not able to complete a task that we otherwise believe we are skilled enough to complete.

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A Rare Look For Pet Sitters Inside The Minds Of Your Clients [video]

How often do we as pet sitters get to be a fly on the wall and listen in on an actual gripe from a pet owner?

And how valuable would it be to hear what is currently bothering a client most about her pet sitter?

Well, through a friend of a friend, I got into a conversation with a woman about pet sitting in general and she decided to share this story with me.

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Everything You Need To Offer Gift Certificates On Your Pet Sitting Website

offer gift certificates to pet ownersHave you ever thought about offering your pet sitting website visitors the opportunity to purchase a Gift Certificate for your services?

It might be a good idea since, according to Consumer Reports, gift cards rank as the second-most given gift by consumers in the United States (and they are the most-wanted gift by women, and the third-most wanted gift by males).

The most challenging thing when it comes to offering your users gift certificates (or Gift Cards if you want to get fancy about it) is just figuring out how to put all the pieces in place.

The concept is surely not the issue. Offering gift certificates is nothing more than simply taking payment upfront for a predetermined number of services or a predetermined dollar amount.

This article contains all the graphics and documents you’ll need to begin offering gift certificates. You may download the files below and use them as you wish.
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Are Pets Not As Valuable As We Think? (And 2 Solid New Service Ideas to Offer Your Clients)

service bellHave you ever considered the idea that pets might be a ‘hazard’ to the elderly?

Personally, I have not considered that absurd thought, but one article I recently came across revealed this intriguing fact:

“Over 86,000 people per year have to go to the emergency room because of falls involving their dogs and cats, and these fractures can be devastating for the elderly,” said Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

I was going to present that as the topic for this blog post, but it got me thinking about something else you will appreciate much more.

Instead of debating the merits of that statistic in this article, I would rather offer you a solid actionable service that you can add to your website today and offer your potential clients to help grow your business.

(Something to help you grow your business is much better than trying to debate the value of pets, right?!)

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What A Grade School Assignment Can Teach You About Growing Your Pet Sitting Business

show and tellHave you ever been in a relationship with someone who would tell you that they love you, but would never really show you?

We are very aware of the difference, right?

When somebody only tells you something in words without ever showing it through action or effort, you naturally begin to feel a bit short changed.

The words alone have less and less meaning.

Well, this may come as a surprise but…

Your website visitors are no different, and if you want to have a powerful effect on each visitor (you know, on the pet owners who can become your potential clients) begin to utilize the grammar school assignment of Show & Tell.

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How To Never Lose Again To The Kid Next Door When It Comes To Price

barcodeHow many times have you weighed in on the hot topic of “should you list prices on your website, or not list prices on your website?”

You’ll be happy to know that this article is not about that specific debate, but rather will offer a solid middle ground that should make both sides happy.

Whether we are talking about “ICs vs. Employees” or “does advertising your pet sitting business on your car compromise the pet owner’s security,” nothing is more highly contested than the ‘prices on your website’ debate.

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10 Elements On Your Pet Sitting Website That Will Bring In More Clients

How exciting would it be for you to have more email submissions from your pet sitting website and to have your phone ringing more often?

Some weeks back, I made available a document (link to the file is below) that highlighted the 10 elements from my own pet sitting website that have been responsible for bringing in more leads every day.

And, as you know, converting more of your website visitors into leads is the quickest way to grow your pet sitting business.

Surprisingly, the way to accomplish that is NOT to simply get more visitors to your site (because you could have a ton of visitors with no one choosing to get in touch with you!) but rather to understand exactly what inspires, encourages and entices your users to take action.

Learning what gets more of your current visitors to make contact with you is not done by accident.

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