Getting Organized

Ring, Ring!

Many dog pros feel like slaves to their telephones, reporting a near compulsion to answer them no matter the hour, inconvenience, or what else may be going on. What if the call goes to voice mail and the potential client moves on to another choice?

Put the Phone Down
There are several compelling reasons to put the phone down.

•    Answering calls throughout the day hurts efficiency and productivity.

•    It can also contribute to burnout by eroding the work/home barrier. Having and enforcing set work and non-work hours when running a business is key to enjoying your profession for the long haul.

•    And don’t overlook the ethical issues involved in allowing oneself to be distracted by a conversation with a potential customer while being paid to care for another client’s animal. Whether out on a neighborhood walk, in the middle of a training session, or on the daycare floor, the dogs in our care should rightfully have our full attention.

Besides, it’s entirely normal and professional for businesses to keep hours. Short of emergency services, what high end companies do you know that are available at all times?

Make Them Want to Wait
Still, the worry persists that the dog pro who picks up the phone first is likely to get the job. Here are some tricks to make potential clients choose to wait for you:

The tone and content of your outgoing message can make all the difference. Too often this tool is underutilized.

Tell clients what you’re doing that’s keeping you from answering.
Perhaps you’re training dogs or giving your undivided attention to the daycare playgroups. In other words, you’re being the kind of responsible professional they’re looking for to care for their own dog.

Most importantly, tell them when you’ll return their call.
Have set times of the day for this task so people know when to expect to hear from you. When people can put a timeframe on their wait and feel assured that they’ll be speaking with you soon, they are much less likely to call the next number on their list for “insurance.”

Record your message daily.
A freshly dated message increases a potential client’s confidence that they will hear back from you. It also makes you appear particularly organized and professional—why should they call anyone else?

Include your marketing message.
Slip in a brief statement or two about why you are worth waiting for. What is it that makes you best? A commitment to safety? Personalized attention to each dog?

Keep it short.
Long messages irritate. Resist the temptation to include superfluous information they can more easily get from your website. And speaking of which, don’t tell callers to visit your website for answers to all their questions. Most likely they’ve just come from there.

Check your website.
Is it doing everything it could to answer peoples’ questions and sell your services? A strong marketing message on your site can contribute to peoples’ willingness to be patient, too.

Message Examples

Don’t: “Hi, you’ve reached The Best Dog. We’re sorry we can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message we’ll call back as soon as we can. Or you can visit our website at www… Thanks and woofs to you!”

This message, while nice and short, gives no sense of why someone should wait.

Don’t: “This is The Best Dog. We’re sorry we missed your call. Please leave your name and number at the beep. We provide daycare and dog training classes. Our classes include puppy and basic manners and agility. You can see a class schedule on our website. Our daycare is open from 7:30am to 7:30pm, with pick up and drop off hours between 7:30 and 8:30am and 6 and 7:30pm. Late fees are assessed after 7:45pm. We’re open Monday through Friday except on national holidays. For daycare we require a behavior evaluation. Drop in eval hours are Mondays and Fridays between 12 and 1:30pm. Thank you and we look forward to talking to you soon.”

This one is too long, and with nothing to show for it—all the content is simple information that could easily be seen on the website, and the message lacks any kind of marketing punch.

Do: “Thank you for calling The Best Dog. We are either with a client, teaching class, or on the daycare floor. We look forward to giving you and your dog our same personalized attention. It’s Tuesday the 23rd and we will be returning all calls today between 12 and 1pm and 7 to 8pm. Please let us know where we can best reach you at those times. We look forward to hearing how we can help you enjoy the best in your dog.”

Ah, just right. Why wouldn’t they wait? They know exactly when they’ll hear from you and you’ve given them a sense of your professionalism, reliability, customer service. You’ve also made it clear that their dog will be well cared for and slipped a little marketing promise in—working with you means enjoying a good dog.

Spending just a little time on your outgoing message can make a big difference—and release you from bondage to your phone.

For more insights into managing client communication, consider joining our group coaching program THRIVE!

Structure abounds in our culture and we’re accustomed to its rule. From school and college and into the workplace, the majority of us rely throughout our lives on some form of exterior framework to keep us on track. Little wonder, then, that many small business owners struggle with the sudden lack of direction self-employment presents. At one end of the spectrum, entrepreneurs report feeling adrift. Faced with the myriad tasks that vie for attention every day, they scatter their efforts and accomplish only dribs and drabs, either because nothing actually has to be done right this moment, or because launching any non-routine project seems overwhelming. The opposite reaction, one that’s just as common, is workaholism. The trainer works herself into the ground because no one says stop. There’s always one more thing to do; the goal post keeps moving. With an unsustainable workload and a diminished personal life, such a trainer continually teeters on the verge of burnout.

How you tackle such issues depends on your individual situation. You might contract out certain obligations (see previous columns), create new organizational systems and policies, or hire staff. All steps I recommend. But the most effective tool I know of is the master schedule.

What is a Master Schedule?
A fancy computerized calendar or simply a piece of paper divided into the seven days of the week. What’s important is that a master schedule breaks a typical week into chunks of activity—it declares which days and times will be used for which types of tasks. For example, one person’s master schedule might set aside 9am to 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays for marketing. Another trainer may dedicate all of Wednesdays to marketing. Still another might prefer to relegate the first two hours of work Monday through Thursday to the same important task. Each is likely to get his or her marketing work done because it’s built into the schedule.

What a Master Schedule Does for You
The end result is, as the old adage goes, ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’ By assigning set days and times for all ongoing tasks, you commit to a routine that increases productivity and decreases stress. It’s much easier to address a task when you know for a fact you’re supposed to be focusing on this particular thing and nothing else—no more sitting down at the desk dumbfounded by the choice of where to start. Similarly, when downtime is clearly dictated by the master schedule, your personal life isn’t soured by the constant nagging awareness that work remains to be done. It will be done, and you know when.

The master schedule also allows what is arguably the best part of being one’s own boss—spontaneously taking time off now and then. Say a friend calls on a sunny morning to tempt you into playing hooky. A quick glance at the master schedule tells you what you need to know: What was supposed to be done today? Is there another time and day that work can sensibly be transferred to? If yes, go play without guilt or anxiety. If moving things means missing a deadline or will create a domino effect you may have to pass this time around. But you do so based on practical realities, instead of wondering if you unnecessarily cheated yourself out of some fun.

How To Make Your Master Schedule
Sit down with a few sheets of paper. On one, list the tasks associated with running your business. The usual suspects for trainers are: Private consults, classes, phone and email, general admin, marketing, and projects (like developing a new class curriculum, re-tooling policies or rates, or writing a job description for an assistant). On another sheet, write all the personal things you want or need time for—family, your own dogs, hobbies, days off, etc.

On a third sheet, write notes regarding your work style. Do you lump tasks or split them? As in the earlier example, eight hours of marketing can be worked into a weekly schedule as a full day, two four-hour chunks, or four blocks of two hours each. In making these decisions, pay attention to your personal bio-rhythm. Do you rise with the sun, fresh and focused? If yes, place desk time such as project work in the morning. Not fully conscious until noon? Maybe mornings are best for walking your dogs or reading a good novel.

Once you have your lists, first write in tasks tied to a specific day or time. If you have a contract to teach public classes on Tuesday nights, that’s a set item. Next, plug in items according to your bio-rhythm preferences. Place service tasks, such as classes and privates, in spots that are likely to be most useful for clients, but that also suit your needs. Keep an eye on efficiency—it’s best to schedule multiple clients back to back rather than sprinkling them throughout your week and be constantly on the way to somewhere.

Once you have your master framework, superimpose it on your actual calendar and start living by it. When tasks and obligations arise, slot them into the pre-assigned days and times.

How To Use Your New Schedule
“Do” dates instead of “Due” dates
Most people keep to-do lists of some kind, whether on scraps of paper, a PDA, or the computer. Our lists, however well or poorly organized, may keep us from forgetting things but don’t always guarantee they get done. This is largely because there is no provision for how the items on the list will be addressed. We try to fix this by giving ourselves due dates, or deadlines, resulting in additional stress when those dates come and go without results.

A master schedule, by contrast, is based on do dates. Let’s say you decide to launch a community lecture series as a marketing project. Rather than wondering when you’ll have a chance to get to this wonderful idea, you open your calendar or turn on your PDA and look for the next chunk of marketing time not yet assigned to a specific task. Say that’s three Thursdays from now—great, you schedule that time slot for brainstorming your lecture series. No doubt that brainstorm will create a list of other things to do, which you will then assign to subsequent marketing days. The result is that this project will get done, because time has been allocated for it. And when you sit down at your desk that Thursday, you’ll know exactly what to dive into—no guesswork, no indecisiveness, no stress.

Scheduling Clients
Counter-intuitive as it may sound, you need to protect your schedule when you deal with clients. Don’t ask which days or times are good for them: Give the appointment times you have available. If they need or prefer a day or time you don’t have, don’t bend. Apologize and repeat what’s available. Nine times out of ten they will be impressed by your professionalism and how busy you must be and match their schedule to yours. The occasional client that gets away is never worth compromising your schedule for. This is not arrogance or lack of caring, but a recognition that scattering appointments across the week greatly decreases time management efficiency, produces stress, and impedes the day-to-day and project work that pushes your business forward. Self-employed people often feel compelled to accommodate any client but the reality is that a professional business makes and adheres to policies, including regular hours and appointment times.

You are the Master
I recommend living strictly by your master schedule for the first few months. Keep track of what works and what feels strained, and readjust the schedule until it’s working smoothly for you. Once you’ve settled into a routine you can bend your schedule as you wish. Get up on Thursday only to realize you don’t feel like working on your marketing and would much rather tackle that new class curriculum? No problem, do your class today and move the marketing to the slot assigned to the curriculum. You’re the boss, after all.

 

Want to read more? Using Your Master Schedule 

 

Not so long ago, we thought of multitasking as something only computers could do. But now it’s a required skill listed on most human job descriptions, usually somewhere after “detail-oriented.” And with cell phones, Twitter, CNN, and flat-screen TVs on gym treadmills all vying for our attention, we can be forgiven for thinking ourselves capable of tackling more than one thing at a time.

But if you’ve been stuck behind a driver on a cell phone you know that multitasking rarely works as well as we’d like to believe. Our brains simply aren’t wired that way. Multiple studies have shown that attempting two tasks at once (emailing while returning a phone call, for example) leads to distraction, errors, and wasted minutes. Each mental shift requires time to restart and refocus. One study of office workers by the University of California-Irvine showed that workers interrupted by emails or phone calls took an average of 25 minutes to return to their original task.

You’ve devoted time and money to understanding the minds of our four-legged friends. So let’s spend a couple of minutes on humans. Simply put, we’re built to focus. It’s in our nature to tackle one task at a time. Which is easier said than done, we know. Every day dog pros juggle clients, dogs, leashes, keys, and treat bags, just for starters. And it’s easy to let these demands take precedence over desk-bound tasks like marketing, billing, and the like. But the continued growth and success of your business depends upon these tasks, which depend on making the most of your desk time.

Break It Down
For dog pros, time is money, and we urge our clients to adopt a master schedule for both long-term and daily projects. Incomplete tasks (and their attendant worries) rattle around your head until they’re finished. Scheduling tasks—deciding exactly when you’re going to get them done, rather than relegating them to an ever-lengthening to-do list—makes tasks easier to get to and clears the mind of worry about them, providing you with a little extra focus.

When it comes to desk time, you’re no doubt faced with more than a single task. Marketing, emails, phone calls. Social media updates. Newsletter and blog writing. Professional networking. Hiring. Research and continuing education. Maintaining and sharing your expertise (and thereby growing your brand) require all of the above.

Divide your tasks into discrete chunks of time, anywhere from ten minutes to two hours, depending on their importance and difficulty. Anything with an alarm will do: a watch, a cell phone, even an egg timer. Start the clock and for the next few minutes, do nothing else.

It’s a well-known fact that a task will expand to take up the amount of time allowed for it. If you schedule an hour for emails, they’ll take the full hour. But if you schedule only 15 minutes, you’ll zip right through. So get a little ruthless with your egg timer. You might be surprised at your own efficiency.

Cut The Noise
The first time you try this method, your mind, accustomed to constant distractions, will rebel. Seemingly of its own accord, your hand will grip the mouse and click on Facebook, or that link to the YouTube puppy video. It takes time to retrain your brain and learn new habits.

So protect your focus. Close the door. Shut off the TV. Give your pups a stuffed Kong. Close your email and your browser and silence your phone.

If you habitually get lost while wandering the Internet, emerging three hours later with a fuzzy head and nothing accomplished, consider software programs like Freedom or Self-Control, which shut off your Internet connection for a predetermined length of time. If a tool helps you, use it. But don’t procrastinate by searching for the perfect system of productivity. You’ll learn more about your working process from your own trial-and-error.

Prioritize The Big Stuff
It’s tempting to want to clear the deck, tackling emails, phone calls, and billing before engaging in longer-term, bigger-picture projects like marketing or curriculum writing. Trouble is, too often those emails and phone calls swallow all your time, and once again you’ve put off the important work for another day. Unfortunately that other day exists only in some alternate universe, unreachable by us mere mortals.

Chances are those emails can wait another hour. A new blog post may be harder to write than an email, but fresh content on your website will boost your ranking on Google, making it easier for prospective clients to find you. Every time you sit at your desk, pick one big thing to work on, even if it’s only one chunk of a larger project. For a little motivation, imagine how you’ll feel with that blog post written. Now picture how you’ll feel should your day be lost to emails. Tackle the crucial business-growing stuff first, then clear the deck.

Take A Break
We can learn from our R+ training when it comes to desk time. So reward your own good behavior. Stretch, refill your coffee, reach down and scratch your dog’s ears. For a particularly egregious task you’ve just finished, you might even consider chocolate.

Leave It Neat
It’s probably happened to you: you sit down to write your next newsletter only to have the vacuum cleaner call your name. Who hasn’t cleaned a sink full of dishes when faced with a blank page? The price of procrastination is high, so we don’t put off your desk work until after you’ve cleaned the kitchen. But if you’ve had a successful day at your desk, with more than a few items crossed off your list of tasks, take a couple of minutes to tidy up. Piles of papers tend to attract more piles, but a clean office can make your next scheduled desk time easier to face.

Changing your routine (and building your business) doesn’t require expensive or complicated tools. When it comes to productivity, less can be more. A calendar, an egg timer, and a little bit of discipline is all you need. Armed with these tips, you can get more done during your desk time, and help put to rest the myth of multitasking.

Depending on where you live, summers and holidays likely see RVs rolling down the highway, station wagons and SUVs loaded down with bicycles and camping gear, school-age children screaming through local parks in the middle of the weekdays, or tourists sauntering about with cameras and pointing index fingers. What about you? Did you get a break this year?

Everywhere we travel giving business talks for dog pros, we hear the same refrain: “I haven’t had a vacation in years.” “I couldn’t possibly take time off.” People have even tried to tell us that it’s impossible for a dog trainer/sitter/walker/daycare or boarding operator to take a vacation. We disagree. Not only is it quite possible, it’s imperative.

There are countless advantages to working for yourself as a dog pro—no supervisor micromanaging your work, no co-workers who make your eyes roll, no busy work or illogical requests coming across your desk. Oh, and you get to work with dogs. But then there’s the downside: No structure, no one to hand you a regular paycheck, all the responsibility for just about everything, so many people relying on you. Oh, and no paid vacation time.

It’s easy to feel that you can’t get away. Who would take care of the dogs whose owners are away on vacation? What would your clients do without daycare or walking for a week? Who would answer the phone and return emails? And how could you possibly afford it?

Before we help you answer those questions, here are a few more: How can you afford not to take a vacation? Who will take care of your clients and their dogs when you’ve burned out? What will you do instead of working with dogs when you are so tired that you don’t enjoy it anymore? Remember what the airline flight attendants say before take off: You’re supposed to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. There’s a good reason for that.

Here are tips for a stress-free vacation from doing what you love:

Plan Ahead
Your schedule is crazy. You can barely keep up. You can’t imagine when or how you’ll get away. The trick is to turn the calendar page. Turn as many pages as you have to to find a blank spot—a week where nothing has yet been penciled in. Pull a fat black Sharpie marker from your desk and fill that week with so much ink you couldn’t possibly write over it.

There. You have your dates. Now you just have to figure out what fun things you’ll do and where you’ll do them.

Give Lots Of Notice
Given how busy dog pros tend to be, you probably had to plan a few months out anyway, so this one’s easy. Give your clients plenty of heads-up about your plans; at least a couple of months’ notice. Then put it in your calendar to give them a reminder at the one month, two weeks, and one week marks, just to be safe.

Let clients know what’s expected of them. You may choose to arrange a substitute walker or sitter for your clients, for example, but don’t feel obligated to do so. Schools close in the summer, on holidays, and for teacher in-service days, and working parents manage to figure out what to do with their children. Your clients can absolutely do the same for their dogs.

Simply write, “We’ll be closed on these dates. I wanted to give you early notice so you have plenty of time to make alternate arrangements for Fido.” You’ll likely be showered with well-wishes for your vacation and supportive comments like, “It’s about time! You sure deserve it.”

And if you’re worried that your clients will jump ship while you’re gone, don’t be. The likelihood of that is very, very low. They’re going to be just as excited to see you back as their dogs are.

Choose The Slow Times
The dog industry has natural yearly cycles. Sitters and boarding facilities are busiest during the holidays and summer months, for example, while these times tend to be slower for most dog trainers. Take a look at the patterns in your business and, if possible, take your vacation when things tend to be slower. This will help keep your revenue losses to a minimum and lessen the impact on your clients as well.

Budget
Put a bit aside for your vacation during the busier months so you can take time off with less financial stress and worry. Then get creative about planning a wonderful vacation that fits your budget. You may not yet have the funds for a trip to Europe or the Bahamas, but perhaps a road trip would do the trick. Are there unexplored areas close to home that you’ve overlooked for their proximity? A friend to visit? Maybe resources you haven’t considered? One of our clients announced a small upcoming vacation at home and one of her daycare clients gave her use of a vacation home!

Go
You’ve planned and budgeted, now go. It’s that simple. Just go. Have a great time. The world and the dogs will be there when you get back.

Don’t Work
If your budget only allows a staycation, be disciplined about not working. Lock the computer in a closet if you have to. Consider putting together an itinerary of day trips or plans—hiking, lunch with friends, a novel you’ve been looking forward to—to make sure you take advantage of your downtime.

It’s tempting to keep working right through vacation these days. E-mail, texting, and mobile phones make it hard to truly get away. But nothing ruins a vacation faster than taking a frustrating phone call or dealing with a missing class registration. So record a vacation phone message and turn on your auto reply. There’s little that can’t wait until you get back.

If you find that you rest easier and enjoy yourself more not knowing you have a full inbox waiting for you, allow yourself an hour of email each morning. Then lock the computer away and go have fun.

Plan For Easy Re-Entry
Try to give yourself at least one day at home before you jump full time back into the business. Get unpacked, maybe catch up on a little email, take it easy. The transition from vacation to business owner can be jarring. Take it slowly and you have a better chance of bringing some of your newfound vacation zen back with you into the job.

Make A Habit Of It
Plan to take at least one vacation every year. In addition to the obvious personal benefits, your clients will become accustomed to your vacation schedule, making the whole process smoother for everyone.

One trick is to take the same week or weeks off each year so your clients know to plan for those dates. This is an easy way for facility-based businesses to give staff time off (and maybe even take an extra day or two for deep cleaning and a little maintenance work). And it means you don’t skip a year and cheat yourself out of some much needed and deserved time off.

Work-life balance is something we prioritise in THRIVE! Discover how you can win back ‘me-time’ through our group coaching program.