Using Postcards to Attract New Pet Sitting Clients

Filed Under My Pet Business, Pet Business Tips | Leave a Comment

Yesterday I shared with you a plan to motivate employees that included a incentive for marketing your business. Today I’m going to show you the postcards that I’m giving to my sitters so that they can distribute them and generate referrals.

In the past I have sent out similar postcards via direct mail to selected neighbourhoods.  I used a website www.Zillow.com to find addresses to send them to. This was pretty time consuming and of course I had to pay for postage too.

This time around I wanted to give my sitters an opportunity to get more local clients by distributing in their neighborhoods and leaving in local stores.  I have had a lot of success leaving flyers in restaurants, pet supply stores, and vets offices.

Here is the postcard (my scanner would only make the image black and white and the quality is not great - normally the front logo and text is in color and printed on gloss card stock):

Marketing Postcards

I had these done at www.Vistaprint.com. It is very easy to use their design tools and they do a great job at a very reasonable price - I got 1500 of these for around $150 including shipping. 

You can see that on the front I have my business logo, a description of what we do (Professional In-Home Pet Sitting Services), a tag line, our phone number and website. Without turning the card over they know enough about us to make a decision to keep the card or to toss it out.

On the back left hand side I give them some detailed information about the service and a mission statement.  It’s also important to let them know if you are insured and bonded as it lets people know that you run a professional service.

It is the right side of the card that I really wanted to discuss.  This is the first time that I’ve put a special place on the card for sitters to write in their name to collect referrals and the first time I have directed people to my website to collect free gifts.

You can see that I’m offering new customers a special discount of 10% on their first group of visits if they can tell me who referred them (ie who wrote their name on the card).  This gives customers an incentive to tell me which gives my pet sitter re-assurance that they will get credit for the referral and recieve their bonus. So really it’s an incentive for both the sitter and new customer.  If you don’t want to discount your service your could offer a special perk such as some extra time, a bath, a small bag of treats - anything you think your potential customer will value. You could even partner with a pet store in your area, or pet service, and offer a free promotional gift from them, or a small discount on their service. 

For more information about my sitter incentive plan see my blog post:

How to Use an Incentive Plan to Motivate Your Staff

There is no reason why you couldn’t use the same card in a customer referral bonus program. You could give these cards to your exisiting customers - get them to put their name in the place provided on the right side, and have them give them to friends or leave them a local stores for you.  When a customer gets a referral you could reward them with free visits or a gift card for products from a local pet store.

I have added the free pet services guide and pre-travel checklist as an incentive for people to visit my website.  When they get to my site they will need to fill in a short form and give me their name and email address in order to claim the gifts.  You can see the page at www.clawspawsjaws.com/petguide.html.

When potential customers sign up and get their gift they are then automatically subscribed to my monthly newsletter.  This lets me follow up with them and build a relationship with them. 

This is important as many people who recieve the post card won’t need pet sitting services right away.  They may lose the card before they ever need me!  Getting their name and email and permission to contact them means that I can keep in touch with them, provide them with useful pet information via my newsletter - and hopefully when they do need a pet sitter, I will be the first service that they think of and they will call me.

To use this technique in your advertising all you need is a simple web site with an opt-in form and then a gift to offer people for signing up as an incentive for them to give you their name and email address.  The gift must have enough perceived value for them to part with their personal information.  When someone signs up on your site you send them the information. 

You can set this up to run automatically by using an autoresponder service like www.aweber.com.  Aweber lets you set up an email list on their server. When someone signs up for the list you can then have the program automatically send them emails and attach your free gifts.  This service is excellent if you plan to deliver a monthly ezine (email newsletter) to your clients as a follow up tool. 

Try this out with your business and see what response you get with it! I’ll update you in a couple of months and let you know how it works for me.

If you have any questions about getting the cards, setting up your website, or using an autoresponder service please leave them under this post as a comment.

How to Use an Incentive Plan to Motivate Your Staff

Filed Under My Pet Business, Pet Business Tips | 1 Comment

Incentive planAt the end of last year I decided that I needed a way to get my pet sitting staff to feel more involved and connected to the

business. I wanted them to feel that they would be rewarded for good work and their income would be determined by how committed they were to helping me to grow the business.

So, I set up my first pet sitting contractor incentive plan. It is now part of the package that I give to prospective pet sitters at their intial job interview. So far I have found that everyone I have interviewed has been receptive to the idea, and love that they have control over how much work they get and how they are compensated.

Let me explain how I put together the plan.

When I was working out what to put in the plan I really thought about what I wanted from my pet sitting contractors. I decided that the things that are important to me are:

1) Pet sitter retention - once I find a great sitter I want them to stick around. They know the routine, I am comfortable working with me, and we have built up trust. It is a lot of work to continually seek new staff and then build a good working relationship.

2) Pet sitter availability during our busiest holiday seasons. I want my sitters to make themselves available to work on major holidays as this is when we really need them.

3) Ability to care for pets during an emergency. I want my sitters to have some basic first aid knowledge so that if an animal is injured during their visit that they could give first aid until they can take them to a veterinarian.

4) Willingness of pet sitter to help find new clients. I want my sitters to actively promote the business in their local area.

As I work with independent contractors I am not allowed to provide training to them and pay them a flat percentage of whatever the customer is charged for the visits that they make. I also give them any tips left by the customers.

Based on the 4 important characteristics I then put together my incentive plan so that it rewards my sitters for the behaviors that I want them to give me.

The 4 modules are:

1) A pay scale that is based on length of service. When a sitter starts they are payed X % of the client charges. After 1 year with us they then get a 5% increase (ie X + 5 %). After 2 years they get another 5% increase in pay ( X + 10 %). I make the start date for each sitter their first visit or the first time that I issue them a check.

2) A skills incentive that rewards them for taking a pet specific first aid course. I offer to increase their pay percentage by 5% upon completion of the course which will be active as long as their certificate is current.

3) A holiday bonus. I pay sitters an additional $5 per visit for working on major holidays. I pass this $5 per visit increase on to the customer.

4) A marketing incentive. If sitters will distribute flyers or postcards advertising the business then when I get clients that call and tell me that they were referred by a specific sitter, then the sitter will be guaranteed that job, and also receive an increased percentage payment for the first week of visits that the customer books with us. I have designed flyers and postcards that give our clients an incentive to tell us who they were referred by just to make sure sitters get credit.

Make sure you call back in to read my next blog post as I will be showing you a picture of my postcard and you’ll see how this works.

You could use this same incentive method to encourage any other staff behavior that is desirable.

Here is an action plan that you can use to set up your incentive plan:

a) Write down the behaviors that you want to encourage

b) Work out what your staff want or need the most. Incentives don’t have to be pay based. People are also motivated by recognition, giving them more hours / or work, allowing more flexibility, benefits, etc . You want to design your incentives around what you think drives them to give you their very best.

c) Design an incentive that will reward your staff for each of the behaviors listed in (a).

d) Put together a document that describes each incentive and exactly how each works.

e) Distribute to existing staff and give to prospective staff at initial interviews. You may also want to talk to them as a group or individually to get their feedback and make sure they understand each incentive.

f) Track your results. Are you getting better behavior from your staff? Are they earning the incentives that you offer? If you find they are not interested in obtaining the bonuses you offer, ask them what bonuses they would prefer. Modify your plan if you feel they are reasonable.

Incentive plans can really benefit both you and your staff.

If you would like to see my full plan - I will be giving members of my Pet Business Success Circle Coaching and Mastermind a copy of my pet sitter incentive plan for our monthly expert call in August. We will also be talking about finding great staff and my hiring process. If you’d like a sneak peak at my business this is your opportunity. Sign up now for just $7 right here.

10 Top Tips to Design Effective Business Cards

Filed Under Pet Business Tips | 2 Comments

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. 

How to Get More Customer Referrals for Your Pet Business

Filed Under Pet Business Tips | 1 Comment

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!

How to Create a Pricing Strategy for Your Pet Business

Filed Under Pet Business Tips | Leave a Comment

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. 

« go back — keep looking »