You have just received a call from a new client and set up an in-home interview with them to meet their pets next Monday night. Do you have a system in place to welcome them to your pet sitting family that reinforces your brand and your committment to caring for their pets responsibly?
I recently put into place a email welcome letter that I send out to new clients after we schedule their interview. My letter includes:
1. A thank you for trusting us to care for their pet sitting or dog walking needs
2. A reminder to let us know who referred them to our business so that we can send them a thank you and reward through our referral program.
3. An invitation to sign up to our newsletter to receive pet care tips and discount coupons
4. Username and password along with instructions of how to log-in to our online scheduling software
6. A description of what to expect at the interview and the information that we will need from them to complete the contract.
7. An explanation of our payment policies
8. A summary of our company’s mission statement
9. A request that the customer lets us know what we can do to make their experience with us purrfect!
I keep the template of this email handy so that I can send it out to them immediately after they schedule.
Sending clients welcome information assures them that your business is run professionally and confirms to them that they made the right choice to schedule with you. If they are still shopping around for a sitter – receiving your letter may be the tipping point that convinces them that your company is the one that they should be using.
You could also include a downloadable copy of your pet sitting policies and contract so that they know what to expect when working with you – and can make a jump start on filling out the contract before you get there for the interview.
Let me know if you have other information or methods for welcoming new customers by leaving a comment on this post.
Have a fun and happy weekend!
Great Ideas Danielle!
A few extra things that I personally do:
If it is a referral from one of my links on my website, I offer a discount as a reciprocal.
I take pictures of all new pets and keep a file. Also insert in my daily checklist and also keep on file in case of an emergency situation.
I also have an arrangement with a local dog bakery to do custom treats from my business on the first visit and also holidays.
Offering Paypal as an alternative payment plan has closed the deal on many new customers for me as well. When people are traveling, sometimes the last thing they think of is paying the pet sitter, so offing alternative payment plans helps to make your business more attractive to potential clients.
Thanks Lynn for your suggestions. I love the dog bakery tip – that’s great. I’ll have to try that out myself!
I do now offer to accept credit cards – I guess paypal would also be easy to set up. Do you have a place on your website that they can pay for visits or do you just send them a paypal invoice?