success

Having Trouble Hiring Pet Sitters for your Team? There is a New Approach that May Work for You.

new approach to hiring
This other approach to hiring pet sitters for your team may be the answer.
If you’ve been in the industry for any length of time, at some point you get to a place where you are just working way too hard.

It’s time to hire.

The typical approach is to put the word out for pet sitters to join your team – either as ICs (independent contractors) or employees.

You may find yourself doing any of the following:

  • Placing an ad on Craigslist for potential applicants
  • Targeting local colleges for students
  • Finding housewives who want to make some extra money
  • Getting the word out to Vets in your area
  • Calling upon current clients who may make a good sitter
  • Bringing on retirees

Regardless of your success in any of these areas, there comes a time when you may find yourself with higher turnover than you’d like, and you need to go back to the drawing board to replenish your staff.

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My 5-Week Old Daughter Took Me From Insane to Success In One Day

danica photo
I continue to learn a lot about life and business from my 5-week old daughter!
Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.

How amazing is that?

That definition is incredible on so many levels especially considering the true definition of the word:

1. The state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
2. Extreme foolishness or irrationality.

What makes the Einstein definition so good is that he took the word and put it another way that we can all relate to – especially in business.

How many times do you consciously or subconsciously do something over and over while hoping for or expecting something to change this time around?

As a new father (just five weeks in!), I continue to learn this fact in an interesting way with my baby girl, Danica.

When Danica cries for her pacifier, I would find it laying near her body and pop it back in her mouth and all would be quiet again. But only for a brief moment until it fell out of her mouth.

You can see how this process quickly becomes *insane* – Danica would cry, I would put the pacifier in her mouth, moments later it would fall out, she would cry again, I would put the pacifier back in her mouth.

(Was I expecting a different result? That’s insane!)

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Life and Business Lessons Learned from My 1 Week Old Daughter

Dad and Danica
Dad and Danica

OMG – I can not believe I am a father!

My wife Heather and I gave birth to Danica Irene on Monday, June 17, 2013 at 3:04pm. She entered the world at 6 lbs 15 oz. and 20 inches in length.

I’m quickly discovering that being a good dad requires many of the same qualities and traits as does a good business owner.

I’ve been a pet sitting business owner since 2008, and have run other online businesses since 1999.

And while I’ve only been a dad for 1 week (at the time of this writing), it’s becoming crystal clear that many of the same traits I have had to perfect as a strong business owner also come into play to become an amazing father.

The 5 Things I’ve Learned As A Dad Just 1 Week In.

Here are the similarities I’ve noticed:

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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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Top 10 Reasons You Should Join Us in Las Vegas This Year

Did you know that in October of 2012, I held the first ever PetSittingOlogy Live Event and SEO Conference in Las Vegas?

If you didn’t know, there’s a reason for that! Simply put, I was given the opportunity to create the event a mere 7 weeks prior to the start.

And I did just that! In 7 short weeks, last October, I managed to put together an event that was a personal and professional success on every level.

This time around, I invite you to register for the 2nd Annual PetSittingOlogy Live Event in Las Vegas… with a bit more lead and prep time 🙂

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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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These Are The Online Tools I Can’t Live Without

tools
Working with the right tools in your pet sitting business can be the difference between succeeding or not.

Running a pet sitting business like we do (or running any business, for that matter) can fail or succeed based on the tools you use to manage your business day-to-day.

It’s no different than building a house, for example.

If you do not have the right tools to build the house, you will obviously be struggling from the very beginning.

Take a minute and think about what aspect of running your pet sitting business can run a bit smoother, make your life easier, erase your frustration.

It might be a task you don’t have time for, don’t have the desire to do, or don’t have the knowledge to complete.

In any case, arming yourself with the right tools and resources can be a life saver.

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The 5 Basic Reasons A Pet Owner Will Not Hire You As Their Pet Sitter

stop sign
The reason a potential client may not go with your pet sitting service is easy to overcome.
Here’s a bit of good news and bad news:

The bad news is that there are five basic reasons a pet owner (potential client) will not hire you.

The good news is that as pet sitters, we can easily overcome the top two reasons.

Have you heard of Zig Ziglar? Simply put, he was (and will remain) the legendary motivational speaker and sales training guru.

One of his most famous quotes goes like this:

“Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no hurry, no desire, no money, no trust.” — Zig Ziglar

I received a note recently from a pet sitter who asked if I have addressed the “Let me talk to my wife” objection from a potential client.

This is that article 😉

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The Result of Making Quick Decisions for Pet Sitters

petsittingology live event in vegas
Joshua Cary speaking on the topic of SEO at the first ever PetSittingOlogy Live Event in Las Vegas – 2012.

It was a seemingly innocent invite.

Bella Vasta was asked to speak at a poop scooping conference in Las Vegas and then decided to asked me if I wanted to join her there for some fun and networking opportunity.

It made sense for me to say yes, even just for the potential to meet other pet professionals in person, but I felt like I wanted to make even more of the invite.

I began to think that if I was going to be in Vegas, how can I make the most of it by bringing other pet sitters into the picture? Perhaps I could host a coaching or training event of some kind?

Very quickly, I began to think about the real possibility of holding a live event.

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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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