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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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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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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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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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Another 8 Pet Sitting Websites That Connect With Visitors

chain linksAn acting teacher of mine once told us that it’s ok to steal, as long as you steal from the best.

She was referring to stealing acting technique, and was by no means promoting blatant theft or copy, but rather making the point that if you are going to learn from others, you should learn from those doing it right.

The same can be said for most anything in life, including perfecting your pet sitting website.

We learn the most by observing, analyzing or understanding what others are currently doing that works.

Last year, I wrote an article called “7 Examples of Pet Sitter Websites That Perfectly Connect With Visitors” and the response was extremely positive.

So I decided another showcase was in order.

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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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Your Dog Is Fat: The Secret To Confronting A Client With Uncomfortable News

Here’s a wonderful question I received from a pet sitter.

It addresses something we all have to deal with at one time or another in our business: Confronting a client with an observation we think is not in the pet’s best interest.

Joshua, I have a question about how to handle a situation with a client.  The first time I sat for them in the spring, their dogs were healthy and large but not obese.

Sitting for them this past couple of days I’ve seen one dog extremely overweight and his collar was obviously too tight around his neck.

He coughs occasionally and I wonder if it’s the tightness of the collar. I loosened the collar one notch but he really needs a whole new collar to be comfortable. Also, it seems as if he is not getting the exercise he used to since the fat and skin flaps hanging from his collar just seem to me as cruel.

How do I tell this guy in the most tactful way possible about my concern for his dogs weight problem and snug collar? I’m not very good at delivering uncomfortable news and I’m asking you for some suggestions on how to approach this matter. I’d really appreciate anything you can give.

I really don’t want to loose this client.

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