10 Top Tips to Design Effective Business Cards

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Many comprehensive marketing strategies miss one very important, albeit small, tool to build a business.  A business card is an absolute essential.  You never know who you’re going to meet in line at the grocery store or out on a hike with your family.  The world is small and a business card can make all the difference between a new customer and just another stranger. To make the most of this small tool, pack it with these ten features and get the most bang for your buck. 

Logos brand your business and help build mind space.  Show someone the Nike swoosh and they think shoes.  The orange circle and red circle blending into each other signify MasterCard and Cocoa Cola has their gorgeous curvy red bottle.  If you have a logo on your business website, unify your brand and include it on your business card.  Give people an image which represents you and helps them to remember who you are and what you’re about.  One note – make sure your logo doesn’t overpower the rest of your card. 

Clean and easy to read.  A business card must be clean and easy to read.  If you have multiple locations, list a primary location on your card or just your website address and telephone number.  A business card which is too difficult to read will get tossed or quickly forgotten. 

Friendly slogan or tagline.  Do you have a slogan or tagline?  Like a logo, this type of marketing will help create mind space – people will remember you when they need your services.   

Call to action.  Use your card to motivate a sale.  For example, “call now and receive 10% off your first appointment.”   

Memorable URL.  Don’t forget your URL.  Even if you’re a brick and mortar establishment, it’s essential to have a website which at least lists your locations, hours, and services.  The majority of internet users research online before they make a purchase.  Have a website and list your URL on your business card.  The more memorable your URL the better.   

Contact information.  This sounds like an obvious thing to put on your business card however you’d be surprised to find out how many people actually forget key contact information.  At the very least you want to list a website address and a phone number.     

Hours.  Provided there is room on your card it is often helpful to post your business hours with your contact information.  This is particularly important if you have a brick and mortar operation.  There’s nothing worse than hopping in the car to go to a business and finding out they’re closed - especially if you have your pet in your car with you.   Address.  Likewise, your location is essential if you have a brick and mortar operation.   

Make it a coupon.  The back of your business card is a blank slate.  Don’t leave it blank.  Make it a coupon to encourage people to make a purchase.  You can also use the back of the card to market your website opt in list.  For example, “Visit www.ourwebsite.com for a free report on how to care for your dog and the environment.”   

Pass it on.  When passing out business cards, give people more than one.  On the back of the card you can print something which tells people they’ll receive a Use the back to encourage reciprocity or word of mouth marketing.  “Share this card with a friend and receive ten dollars off your next service.”    Business cards provide a wealth of opportunity to both inform prospects about your services and market to them.  Spend some time making your business card easy to read, informative and use the back to promote your business in a creative way. 

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How to Get More Customer Referrals for Your Pet Business

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A happy customer is a valuable marketing opportunity.  Unfortunately the folks businesses usually hear from are the unhappy customers.  The challenge is to motivate happy customers to spread the word about your pet business.  Here are five great ways to get more customer referrals.

1. Get Happy Customers

The first thing you need to get customer referrals is a happy customer.  That requires:

#            A quality product or service
#            A quality customer service experience
#            Satisfaction with the buying process

The next step is to motivate your happy customers to spread the word.  That often requires motivation.  You have to reward customers for their referrals.

2. Offer Incentives

One great way to motivate referrals, particularly in this new limited budget economy, is to offer customers a coupon or a percentage off their next purchase in exchange for a referral.  Money is a powerful motivator and if customers are truly satisfied with your service they’ll be more than happy to spread the word about your business.  The extra cash serves as a reminder and a way to show your appreciation for their contribution

3. Recruit Affiliates

Another idea commonly used by all sized businesses in every industry is to pay your customers for a percentage of their referral sale.  This is called affiliate marketing.  It’s another money motivated type program whereby a customer receives payment for referrals.  These programs are family easy to set up and manage with affiliate marketing software programs.  Additionally, you can base your payment system on a number of options ranging from payment for referred name only, click through or payment for sales.

4. Offer a Referral Bonus

Offering a bonus for on the spot referrals can work for some industries.  For example, if your pet business has a newsletter once someone has become a subscriber you can ask them for five names and email addresses.  If those referrals are provided they’ll receive a coupon, discount, product, or instantly downloadable book or video.  Of course make sure the book or video is something they’d be interested in and motivated to obtain.

5. Speak up

It’s okay to ask a happy customer for a referral.  Via email, snail mail or even on the phone “Would you know someone who could benefit from my products or services?” is a straightforward and easy approach to broadening your customer base.  The answer will either be “yes”, “no”, or “I’ll think about it and let you know”.

Referral marketing begins and ends by providing a positive and memorable customer experience.   Once you’ve set the groundwork creating and communicating a referral marketing strategy is much easier.  People will be happy to spread the word about your wonderful pet business!

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How to Create a Pricing Strategy for Your Pet Business

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Pricing StrategyPricing your services is perhaps one of the most anxiety filled steps in building a successful pet business.  Too low and you’re not taken seriously, too high and no one can or will afford your services.  It’s a wiggly tightrope to walk.  Here are three steps to help you stay balanced and find the perfect pricing structure to meet both your needs and the needs of your customers. 

Step One.  What is your competition doing?  Your competition’s pricing strategy is an essential metric by which you will measure your own pricing strategy.  Take the time to examine the pricing of the pet service down the street as well as the pet service on the other side of the country.  Use this information as a starting point, not the determining factor, by which you’ll establish your prices. 

Be sure to examine your direct competition as well as the indirect competition.   For example, perhaps you offer grooming services so other grooming businesses will be your direct competition however a boarding facility or a veterinarian who also offer grooming services are your indirect competition.  Additionally, stores which offer ‘do it yourself’ grooming products may also be considered indirect competition. 

Step Two.  What is your USP?  USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition.  What makes you unique and different from your competition?  What can you do better or add to the services to demand a higher price?  Make a list of everything your competition does.  What benefits do they offer?  What makes them unique?  What do they do very well?  What are their weaknesses?    Now make a list of what you presently do very well and what you can offer to make yourself stand out above your competition.  This uniqueness, this essential customer service is what you charge for.   

Step Three.  Market your uniqueness.  A large part of the success of a pricing strategy rests in the success of your marketing.  To demand higher prices, it is necessary to position yourself as the expert, as worthy of those high prices. Take a look at your current marketing strategy.  What can you do to position yourself as a leader in your industry?  How can you market your ‘expert status’ to raise the value of your services? 

Armed with the information you now have about your competition’s pricing as well as what makes your services better and unique, you can now create a pricing strategy which makes sense for you.  Make sure that with the pricing you choose that you are able to cover your costs and make a profit that you are comfortable with.  

Remember that no pricing strategy is set in stone.  If you find you’re a bit too high for some services add an incentive or package your services differently to justify the price.  Offer special promotions and use a lower pricing structure as a marketing opportunity. Likewise if you find you’re booked solid then consider raising your prices.  Your customers won’t likely mind and the extra income is always good. 

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Pet Safety Tips for a Fun 4th of July

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FireworksMany of us will be taking care of pets this weekend as customers travel for the forth of July. Most cities host fireworks and if you are in a rural area you may have friends and neighbors who launch fireworks in their backyard. If you have pets that are afraid of thunderstorms, the garbage truck, or other loud noises they will probably also be disturbed by the noise of the fireworks.

My friend, Diana Guerrero is an animal behaviorist and gives the following tips for making 4th of July a safe and fun celebration for everyone and ensuring that you don’t reinforce negative responses in the pets.

“Pet lovers need to first understand that ‘comforting the pet, although done with good intentions, can actually reinforce the fear and panic.”

Diana L. Guerrero is an author and pet pioneer who shares over thirty years of revolutionary techniques and innovative services. She publishes ARKANIMALS.COM and is an international columnist on animal behavior and training. She writes for animalsnet.com, a animals only search engine (scheduled to launch in August) and many others magazines and journals.

She explained that “training by accident” often escalates pet problems and suggests pet owners verbally reassure their pets. Voice communication does not reinforce the fear like cuddling, petting, holding, and trying to physically relieve the stress does.

The age of your pet, socialization, experience, and breed can also influence their reactions. Animals with an established history of problems will likely worsen. Elderly animals may get better simply because they lose their hearing.

Animal are fine-tuned for survival and their senses are distinctly more acute than humans. Smells, rumbles and sudden bursts of light can illicit escalated reactions in pets.” Guerrero explained.

There are ways to work through noise phobia exhibited before earthquakes, during thunderstorms and throughout firework displays, but it takes time and preplanning. In the meantime use some quick tips and tools to address the problem behavior, which escalates annually during the Fourth of July holiday.

Diana suggests the following:

· Keep your animals inside during July 4th and for a few days to a week prior to the holiday.
· Make sure you have a tag with current information on your pet during this time.
· If you take your animal outside for toileting or any other activity, make sure they are under physical restraint via a collar and leash.
· Leave your pets safely at home instead of taking them to picnics or other holiday events.
· Play music or turn on a radio station with soothing music to help mask outside noises.
· Buy a plug-in Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) dispenser. This permeates the air with a calming scent and reduces fear and anxiety.
· Keep your pet busy with activities or chew items before the height of noise making occurs.
· Visit your veterinary medical professional and ask for melatonin. This oral neurohormone often provides help for sensitive animals. Use with the veterinarians dosage recommendation and dont try to do it yourself.
· Flower remedies work on an energetic level. Five Flower® or Rescue Remedy® mixes may help reduce your pets anxiety.
· Create a safe haven. If your animal is habituated to a crate you may want to provide access for security. Other options include the bathroom, laundry room, garage, basement, or any other den area. The room to choose is one where there are no windows to jump through, or where windows can be blocked off and are too high and narrow to access.
· Some animals want to hide and will feel safe in a favorite spot, like under the bed. You can create sleeping bag tunnel or similar option for them.
· Plan a party and play instead of participating in other events. Making new traditions can be fun and helpful for your pet.

Pet owners should always check with their veterinarian or behavior specialist before using any drugs or tranquilizers. They should also watch guests–since an open door can provide an opportunity for animals to bolt outside.” She said.

Use simple steps to get you through the crisis. If your pet has noise phobia problems you should start your behavior modification problem right after this holiday.”

You can check out more of Diana’s great pet behavior tips at her blog http://www.arkanimals.com.

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Avoiding and Dealing with Difficult Clients

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Dealing with Difficult ClientsDifficult clients come in many forms - picky people, constant complainers, fault-finders, and the worst of all - angry customers.  Setting expectations early, and living up to your promises can head off most of these problem people.

When you do run into problems, treating customers with respect and empathy, listening to their problems and then taking swift action is always the best solution. Research indicates that customers who complain are likely to continue doing business with you if they fell they were treated properly and their problems addressed. 

In the past 3 years I have had very few angry clients. I believe that prevention is always better than cure. Having good processes in place and working hard to provide your clients with peace of mind while you care for your pets will ensure happy customers.

Before we discuss how to deal with angry customers here are some of my tips for angry customer prevention:

1) Set clear expectations by accurately describing your services on your website, in your sales materials, and at the initial client interview.  Make sure the customer knows exactly what they will and will not recieve as part of your service. Ensure that your pricing policies are clear and client understands what they will be charged.

2) Leave pet clients a note every time you visit or provide a service for their pets that details the time that your service was performed, how their pet behaved, anything unusual that occurred, and what services were completed.

3) Encourage clients to call to check up on their pets while they are in your care. You will find that many clients do not call but knowing that you are available will give them confidence.

4) Send a confirmation email to clients before their services commence. Give them the contact details of the person that will be caring for their pets. 

5) Give clients a card or keyring with you business contact numbers that they can carry with them so that they can easily contact you if there are changes to their plans such as flight delays. 

If you do have to deal with an angry customer then you should follow this 5 step plan:

Respect :  Remain in control of your emotions and respect the clients need to express their greivances. 

Empathy:  Put yourself in your customers shoes and see the problem from their perspective. 

Listen: Let the customer vent and listen attentively to undertand the source of their frustration. Don’t try to cut them off or urge them to calm down. Acknowledge their feels and when you feel that they are finished say “I’m sorry you’re experiencing this situation, let’s take a look at the next step”

Identify the problem: Restate the problem to them to confirm that you’ve understood the heart of their issue. 

Resolve the problem: Leave the customer with the understanding that your goal is to resolve their problem. Give them a time when you will call them back and then do your best to make the calls, or get the information to get the problem solved. Get back to the customer at the time promised even if you haven’t yet resolved the issue to give them status. This will let them know that you are trying your best to get things fixed. 
 
Follow this plan and you will have done everything you can to keep their business.

Remember that prevention is easier than cure. Look at your business processes and see where you can improve your customer service and put measures in place to ensure that clear expectations are set before you care for your clients pets.

If you’ve found a system or approach that works please share it with us by leaving a comment after this blog post.

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