Running a small business is scary. It’s a lot of great things, too—freedom and control over your schedule, who you work with, and how you work, just to name a few. But it’s also scary. There’s a lot of uncertainty and a lot of responsibility. For most dog pros, owning a business also requires stepping […]
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Handling Unhappy Clients While Sticking To Your Policies
Pleasing an unhappy dog often comes down to simple things. Taking out a leash. Saying the word, “W-A-L-K.” Bologna. Pleasing unhappy clients, however, can prove more complicated, and even dog pros with the best customer service skills find that they can’t please all the people all the time. Here are a few steps to cut […]
The Boundaries of Customer Service
We’re guessing since hanging up your dog pro shingle you’ve had occasion to question the “customer is always right” adage. Yet we’ve worked with enough dog pros to know that too many take good customer service a little too far—often bending over backwards for clients to the breaking point. We understand the desire to grow your […]
A Successful Attitude = Success
Attitude is a key component of success. All the old cliches apply: Whether you approach your business goals with a can-do attitude or Eyore’s certainty of doom matters. Whether you view a class with four students as a glass-half-full victory with room for improvement or a glass-half-empty failure will make a difference in how—or whether—you […]
Handling Seasonal Slowdowns
Ugh, those seasonal ups and downs! Take the holidays, for example. For some of you—trainers in particular—they usually mean heading into a seasonal slowdown. And for others—pet sitters and boarding facilities come to mind—they mean gearing up for a big ride. Then, after the holidays, trainers get the post-holiday calls as dog guardians decide that […]