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Life is like high school. Those things that made you popular start to matter again. Like it, hate it, fight it, but it is true. The competent and likable pet groomer will attract far more business than the extremely talented but socially deficient expert.

I learned this fact early on in my first business; my fleet of mobile dog grooming vans.

That business grew quickly. In less than a year I was already adding vans and hiring staff. I had a couple phenomenal pet stylists over the years. I’ve also had a lot of average groomers over the years.

They were two individuals that stood out in all my years of running that company.

The first one, let’s call her Annie, was a compassionate social butterfly. But Annie was only a so-so groomer. Not only did she adore pets – she loved people. Love them. Annie was a chatterbox. She was especially fond of the senior citizens. She’d make clients special little gifts for their dogs. She had tea with clients. Have lunch with clients. Bring in the mail. Shovel sidewalks. Heck, she’d even stop at the store and pick them up milk! Clients adored her.

Annie routinely started her day late — and worked late. Many times her days would be 10 to 12 hours. She’d casually arrived at base (which was my home) between 9:30 and 10 in the morning — after every other driver was gone. She was almost always the very last groomer back at base, many times after 8:00 in the evening.

Annie drove me nuts. Rarely did she make the six dog quota we required daily.

The second stylist, let’s call her Ruth, was an amazing stylist. Amazing. Not only was she extremely talented, she was lightning fast. At the time, she could groom me under the table. She always made quota, plus, took a few extra appointments almost every day. She loved to make money. Wasting time was not her thing.

Ruth was always at base early. Most days she finished before 3 o’clock. I loved Ruth. She made us a ton of money. She was fast. She was efficient.

But then I started to look beyond the revenue. I started noticing which mobile groomer had a fuller appointment book weeks down the road.

Hands down — it was Annie. Her appointment book was almost all waste booked solid for weeks in advance. Clients simply would not take any other groomer than Annie.

Ruth on the other hand — she was always booked but her dispatchers had to scramble to make it happen. Even though she was talented and efficient, she lacked the ability to communicate. Even though she was passionate for a job, it did not show in her personality. Clients weren’t knocking down the doors to book appointments with her.

I learned to embrace Annie’s compassion for the job and the people. To Annie, it wasn’t about the money — it was about the relationships that she formed. The friendships she made. The people and pets that she could help brighten their day. Annie was one of our most popular mobile groomers — probably just like she was in high school.

Ruth? Not so much. Ultimately, I had to let Ruth go due to her lack of compassion for people and pets. Her personality just did not reflect well on my company.

Professional pet grooming is about building relationships — friendships. It’s about building trust with your clients and their pets. It’s about being personable. It’s about being able to smile while letting your love of the job shine through.

If you’re one of those folks that were extremely popular in high school, you’ll have no problem building your clientele. However, if you or someone on your team is socially inept, minimize the amount of contact they have with your customers. Let an educated social butterfly be your front person. That might be you, the owner, or it could be a well-trained receptionist who has an extremely bubbly personality.

Whoever is initially meeting your clients on a regular basis, make sure they are instantly likable. Their compassion shows strongly in all their actions. These are the same skills all the popular kids in high school possessed. Even as adults, life continues to be very much like high school. If you are in the service industry, a full book means you are winning the popularity contest.

The best professional stylists are those who have developed a confident degree of dexterity with the clippers. Moreover, good scissor work is rarely found on a badly clipped dog.

The two just do not go together!

For maximum freedom of movement and improved efficiency, hold the clipper like a large pencil, between the thumb and fingers. “Palming” the clipper makes for clumsy, awkward clipper handling and puts the pet at risk for cuts and nicks. Concentrate on positioning yourself so that the clipper is pulled toward you and held comfortably like a pencil. There are rare times when holding the clippers in your palm will improve dexterity, but this applies to very few moves.

To create the least amount of stress on your fingers and wrist, grasp the clipper at the “balance point” so the weight is equally distributed between each end. Hold the clipper in the correct position, then rotate it between your thumb and fingers. This positioning keeps your wrist firm but flexible, yet allows for almost unlimited wrist movement. This hold offers access to the most difficult corners of the pet with minimum effort. Concentrate on minimizing your wrist action.

Allow the weight of the clippers to do the work. Your hand and wrist are simply its guide. As you move from the top of the pet to make downward strokes, simulate the same amount of pressure that gravity provided on the top.

Your hand and wrist will act as a shock absorber during clipping, leveling out the bumps and dents in order to obtain a satin-smooth finish.

No matter what blade you use, it is important to maintain a consistent degree of “tip” to the blade, also known as “keeping the blade up on its cutting edge.” Imagine a pencil being held right under the blade as you guide it over the body. The closer the pencil is to the teeth, the higher the tip angle; the farther back you keep the imaginary pencil, the lesser the degree of tip. Generally speaking, the closer the blade cuts, the higher you need to tip the blade for it to be effective.

Every top quality stylist knows the importance of a clean pet. It is impossible to obtain a satin-smooth finish on a pet that has a dirty or filmy coat. On most pets, two baths with the correct shampoo is normally considered adequate to produce a squeaky clean coat. Rinsing the pet thoroughly is critical to avoid shampoo residue that looks oily on a dry coat and produces a film you can feel on your hands.

“Setting the coat up” is important to produce the finest clipper work.

This is achieved in a three steps:

#1.  THE DRYING PROCESS

The goal is to dry the coat so there is absolutely no curl or wave left in it. The natural coat of the pet – whether curly, wavy or straight – will determine which drying process will achieve the desired result. Correct use of a high velocity dryer can effectively produce a straight coat. Heat will “set” the coat straight. In some cases, the heat of the high velocity dryer, without the condensing cone, held against the skin in the final stages of drying will produce the desired effect. With very curly coats, hand stretch drying or hand fluff drying the coat using a stand type or hand held dryer is necessary.

Curly coats need to be as straight as possible in order to achieve a smooth, high quality finish. With a higher level of heat from the drying source, it is important to keep the air moving within a small section, while brushing in very rapid, light strokes, up to one to four strokes per second, just where the air is blowing. This will straighten the coat, just as a curling iron would curl a strand of human hair.

#2.  BACK BRUSHING

Back brushing is done with a slicker brush while brushing the coat against the grain. The pressure on the brush should be very light. The entire pad of the brush should make contact with the skin and coat. Keep the pressure light on the brush so the skin is not scraped, causing a potential “brush burn.” Back brush the entire coat once and make a clipper pass over the pet using effective techniques.

When the bulk of the coat is gone, repeat the process a second time to get a smoother finish. On the third back brush pass, look only for high spots or uneven areas. Minimize the number of passes with the clipper; otherwise the set up coat will be crushed.

#3. BODY ROLL

On drop-coated breeds, when a medium to long guard comb is used to clip the pet, a “body roll” is normally more effective than back brushing. The body roll simulates the natural shake of a dog, setting up the coat in its most natural position. Ideally, the pet will shake when it is placed on the table. Take advantage of this and make the first full pass with the clipper. If the pet does not shake when it is first set on the table, sometimes simply blowing lightly in its ear will encourage a natural shake. A body roll can be mimicked by standing behind the dog and grasping a small amount of coat, low on either side of the rib cage. Tug one side and then the other, making the skin and coat rock back and forth as it would in a natural shake. Most pets do not find this move uncomfortable as long as it is done quickly and gently. On the third pass, use thinning shears to smooth out any uneven areas.

Clipper work is not complete until no more coat is being clipped off and the coat is properly set up. If the clipper has been used effectively, there should be a minimum of thinning shear work remaining to make the pet appear smooth and polished. Areas that may need a bit more detail are around the outside edges of the feet, the ears, around the tail, under the front legs and the face.

The finished pet should have a nice, clean outline when viewed from all angles at a slight distance. Upon closer inspection, the coat should be of a consistent length without any clipper marks. If these steps are followed and the coat is properly set up, the stylist will produce a high quality haircut.

In my experience, the hardest part of running a business is STAFF!

Hands down the most challenging part of running a business is staffing it. Managing staff. Keeping staff. Paying staff. Keeping  them accountable. Keeping them productive. Keeping them happy.

And the real biggie – training them.

So let’s tackle the training challenge first. It’s far easier to hire basic labor than filling a position that requires skill. At our kennel, Whiskers Resort, we have an endless supply of dog enthusiasts that want to work in the kennel. With multiple colleges within our community, the labor force is easy to come by. After all, everybody wants to play with puppies!

But what about those jobs that require skilled labor? People like receptionists, bathers, managers and trainers.

One of the largest reasons I started the Paragon School Pet Grooming was because I could not find qualified groomers to operate in my fleet of mobile grooming vans. They just weren’t available. I still shudder when I think about it. There were times that I would have a van down for 6 to 12 months at a time before I could find somebody that could do the job. Not a very efficient way to run a business.

Working every day in a mobile grooming salon does not lend itself to a training environment. It can work if you just have to add polish to a skilled professional. But to take them from scratch? Nope. It doesn’t work. You just can’t afford the time it takes to train a new groomer – especially if you rely on YOUR productivity to pay the bills. Starting a person from scratch to become a competent groomer in a mobile just does not work!

To get a groomer that can work independently – with safety and quality – will take months, not weeks, to train. After all, this is not a skill that you can quickly show somebody how to do. It is not like showing them where the files are kept or how to use a coffee machine!

I’ve heard in some businesses, the company offers a new hire a two week training program. Then they turn them loose to groom ‘professionally. If that’s not a joke!!’ Okay – maybe in some circles they are out there calling themselves a ‘professional’ with just two weeks of training – but they’re not a ‘professional’ in my book!

Did you know that it takes the average person 3 to 7 times of hearing or seeing the same thing over and over before it actually sinks in? And that’s for an average learner. Sure, star performers might pick it up after the first or second try – but those people are few and far between. Most of us fall in the average category. We have to see or do the same task repeatedly before we do it correctly.

I’ve been in the pet care industry for over 30 years – primarily in the grooming aspect of the industry. Finding qualified groomers remains the number one problem in our field.

Finding talented grooming help was close to impossible was when I first stepped  up to the grooming table in 1979 – and it remains the same problem today. I have chosen to focus on this critical problem. I own multiple companies in the pet industry. On the educational side, my companies aid in training and personal development for both pet loves stepping into the field for the first time and for aspiring pet groomers and stylists.

It has always been extremely easy to enter the field of pet grooming. There are very few regulations of any sort. Anybody can start bathing and cutting hair off of the dog or cat, and call themselves a professional pet groomer. But that is so far from the truth. Those of us that spent years perfecting our craft know it takes time and dedication to become confident at all breed grooming. It takes years of practice and study.

Some of the ways that I have found to become a real professional include:

• Studying the AKC Complete Dog Book or your national all breed book
• Reading books produced by breed and/or industry specialist
• Attending workshops and clinics hosted by industry leaders
• Attending a grooming school – many have multiple programs to choose from
• Taking an on line study course from a reputable institution
• Attending continued education training at qualified grooming schools
• Watching videos produced by leading pet professionals

Even graduates coming out of quality grooming schools are not truly proficient. If they have graduated with above average GPA’s, they have given themselves a great foundation. It is the starting point of their career – but they are far from being a polished professional. They still need guidance. They still need coaching. They still need mentoring. They still need to study. And most of all – they need to practice A LOT!

So let’s get back to that hiring challenge. If you’re faced with having to hire a groomer, what should you look for. One thing I recommend is Attitude. Attitude. Attitude. I always look for somebody who’s got a positive, upbeat attitude. Someone who is receptive to new information. They need to be moldable. Adaptable. And they cannot be afraid of hard work. I hire on potential, not necessarily experience.

Once you have someone with a great attitude, helping them be best they can be is fun – and it can be very gratifying. Use the resources available to help them self-directing their own learning.  It will take time, dedication and patience before you see your new hire flourish but you can lighten your training load by taking advantage of many educational resources currently available. Heck, you might learn a thing or two yourself.

It amazes me that our industry has not advanced more in this area. Sure there are more grooming schools than ever was before. Yes, there are certification organizations out there – but they’re still voluntary. Licensing, in some states is starting to catch on. However, we’re still a long way from having even a basic comprehensive licensing program in place for pet groomers and salon owners.

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

Marc LaFleur and Melissa Verplank enjoying the 2013 Bissell Blocktail Party             Photo by Michael Buck – Wood TV8

For those of us that work in the pet care industry, my guess is a lot of you are just like me. You’re a softy. When you see an animal in need, you just want to reach out and help. Dogs. Cats. Horses. Birds. Wild animals. Heck, I think my husband has lost track of how many times he stopped to assist a turtle crossing the road! Bet you’ve done it too.

Today there are so many animals in need. Did you know that according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), half of the dog’s that end up in shelters are destroyed? It’s even worse for cats. Well over 50% are destroyed. There just are not enough homes for these animals.

This was the eighth year for the Bissell Blocktail Party. It’s a local event hosted by The Bissell Pet Foundation and Cathy Bissell (of the vacuum cleaner fame). It is a fund-raising event for local animal welfare organizations in West Michigan.

The Blocktail Party is the biggest fundraising event of the year for this organization. Participants enjoy music, ‘yappetizers,’ a silent auction, and mingling with fellow animal lovers and their four-legged friends. Last year the event raised $173,000 to help homeless pets in West Michigan.
My Whiskers Resort  & Pet Spa team has always been very active with this fundraiser. This year, Whiskers was a “Best in Show Sponsor.” Plus, many of our Whiskers team members were volunteers at the party, helping make the evening go off without a hitch.

And the best part – this year Marc and I were actually in town so we could attend the event! What a blast. We got to attend with all three of our ‘white dogs.’ The girls even got to sport their festive collars — something that doesn’t happen very often when they are patrolling the property on our farm.

The event was held on the grounds of Mangiamo, a wonderful Italian restaurant situated in the historic district of East Grand Rapids. At one time it was a lumber baron’s home. Then it went on to become a monastery. And later it went on to become a restaurant. A little known fact; before my husband became involved with the pet industry — he was a sous chef. He spent four years working in their kitchen!

When we got there, dogs and their owners were coming from every angle. They must’ve had close to 1000 guests at the party! I was amazed at the volume of silent auction items up for bids. Pets and people were mingling. Food and drink was plentiful. It was shocking that almost all the four legged guests were extremely cordial and exceptionally well-behaved.

The variety of dogs attending the event was immense. You could immediately tell dogs that came from rescue organizations. They got to sport a bright orange bandanna. It was remarkable how many orange bandannas were floating through the crowd – pure-bred and mixed breeds alike.

Cathy Bissell and her team have definitely had a very positive impact on pets in the West Michigan area. Even if your community does not host such an elaborate event as the Bissell Blocktail Party, there’s still lots you can do in your local area.

• First and foremost, as a pet professional, you are at the forefront of educating owners about the importance of staying and neutering.When a client adds a pet to their family, encourage adoption/rescue – giving a homeless pet a second chance.
• Donate your skills to make pets up for adoption more appealing with a fresh grooming.
• Make your business a donation drop site for items they need; food, towels, blankets, litter, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Designate a certain percentage of your sales or a particular service to be donated to one of your local rescue organizations. (flea baths, nail trims, simple upsell items.
• Become a foster home for pets in need.
• Volunteer at animal welfare organizations within your community
• Encourage microchipping for your clients so if a pet is lost, it has a higher chance of finding its way home.
• The majority of pet welfare organizations operate strictly through generous donation — donate money. (Donating the price of 1 grooming dog a week or 1 dog a month could go a long way in helping these organizations)

It was an honor to be a part of this event. It was a perfect night – the rain even held off for most of the evening. I hope the foundation was able to raise even more money than last year!

I’m proud of our Whiskers Resort team. Every time I turned around at the Blocktail Party, we ran into them… (It was extremely hard to miss Megan who has embraced creative styling.  At the end of her leash were brilliant orange and pink dogs! )  Many of our team members were wearing the official volunteer tee-shirts supplied by the Bissell Pet Foundation. Way to go gang!

Happy Trimming,
Melissa

P.S. Check out the clip below. Marc and I are interviewed at the party with the ‘white dogs.’

In a professional grooming salon, I think my favorite tool is a humble towel. I just never have enough.

I love the big oversized bath sheets for monster dogs. Large, thick bath towels are great for moderate sized dogs. The large towels are also fabulous for wrapping a wet pet after the bath too. Smaller sized and towels are super for more delicate areas, toy dogs or puppies. And once a towel loses its moisture absorbing abilities -they earn a second life being rags. In most grooming salons, having an unlimited supply of cleaning rags is always useful!

With my upbringing, I was taught to be extremely conscience of budgets. I love having an abundance of thick terry towels at my fingertips when grooming dogs. During the years that we were the busiest at the Paragon School of Pet Grooming, we were grooming anywhere from 60 to 100 pets a day. That’s a lot of dogs. That’s a lot of towels. I had a huge dilemma. My thrifty side hated spending the money on quality towels.

With a last name like Verplank – it’s pretty clear that I’m a Dutch. In fact, much of West Michigan is influenced by the Dutch heritage. One of the common threads that run through the Dutch gene pool is that we are pretty frugal group. We’re also extremely creative when it comes to pinching pennies.

I came up with a plan. We posted a sign on our front counter at the school. The sign said, “$.50 Off Your Next Grooming for Every Towel You Bring to The Paragon School.” Oh my gosh… the sign worked like a charm!! Okay, I figured we get a few clients cleaning out their linen closet. I thought we’d get a handful of towels. Was I ever mistaken.
Not only were clients cleaning out their own personal linen closets, they were also on the hunt for old towels. Friends. Family members. Neighbors. Coworkers. They weren’t shy. They’d ask anybody. Once they exhausted their immediate sources, they hit the streets. Little did I know, our clientele were avid garage and estate sale junkies!!

Before long, our regular clients were working for us salvaging worn and tired towels from the entire west Michigan area. They didn’t come in with a small pile of towels. Oh no. They come with garbage sacks full! Beach towels, bath towels, hand towels — gorgeous towels, thick towels, tired towels. They came in all shapes and sizes. And the best part. We were NOT picky.

The dogs didn’t care what color their towel was or how fluffy it was. If it was an absorbing piece of terry, we honor the $.50 off per towel offer to our clients. We could certainly use them all.

Our clients got so good at keeping us supplied with towels, we could only post the sign once or twice a year. Heck, some of the towels were so nice, they rivaled what I had in my own bathroom!

Honestly, where can you find towels for your grooming salon at $.50 apiece? Even if the towel was threadbare, we never quibbled with the clients. It all averaged out. In the end, this resource has always worked for us. We’ve been using this trick for almost 20 years. It’s the most economical way to keep our grooming salon stocked with high quality towels. Hopefully it will work for you too!

Happy Trimming,
~ Melissa

Are you looking to open a new shop where there isn’t a grooming salon? Expanding into a new market area with your mobile unit? Or are you worried about the new super store that just opened up down  the street? Maybe you are concerned about what will happen if you raise your prices.

Branching into a new market or new area? You are probably giddy with excitement over the prospect of all those new clients. Watching that superstore getting ready for its grand opening? You are probably worried beyond belief that you’ll lose clients. Are you fretting over how much to raise your prices? You are probably agonizing over how many clients will look for other options to get their dogs groomed.

Real worries.

Your current clients have four options. And your prospective clients have four options.  Here they are:
1. Use your service
2. Use a competitors service
3. Do it themselves
4. Not do it at all

Sometimes the biggest challenge you have with building a clientele is not your competitors. It’s your prospects.

So how do you win clients over? How do you encourage them to patronize YOUR place of business?  Simple.  Stand out in a positive way!

My Top Ten List of items you can do to start winning clients today.

1. Build Trust Through Compassion Towards the Pets & Their Owners
2. Look & Act in a Professional Manner
3. Cleanliness & Organization Skills Speaks Volumes in Every Area: Visually, Scent and Hear
4. Always Do More for the Client Than They Can Do For Themselves
5. Build Your Skill Level in Every Aspect of Grooming and Styling
6. Always Work with Safety at the Forefront of Every Action
7. Have Comprehensive Service Menu with Fair Pricing (that does not mean cheap!)
8. Be Consistent with Everything You Do
9. Have a Strong Presence with Your Website and Social Media Outlets
10. Smile – It’s the Best Sales Tool You Have – It’s Even Better When You Make the Client Smile!

Think about each of the 10 items listed. How can you put a positive spin on them? How can you make them unique to YOU? Each one of us is an individual. We all have strengths and weakness. The key to success is to play upon your strengths.

When you are a solo stylist, owning your own business, you have to be good at everything. Once you start to grow, that generally means hiring help. When you hire someone, don’t look for a carbon copy of yourself. Instead, look for someone that can complement your personality and work ethic. They will play off your strengths and offset your weakness.

No matter how well you do your job, the client needs to perceive the value of the grooming they receive on their pet.  It does not matter if YOU thing YOU are giving great service – the client has to KNOW that.

They have to value that great service. If they don’t – then they will look elsewhere to get their needs met. And many times, that means you are competing with the prospect themselves.

I’ve been testing this marketing method for almost 30 years. I started asking clients how they heard about us in the mid-1980s when I ran a fleet of mobile grooming vans.  Hands down, this marketing method has been my #1 form of advertising with every company I’ve run.  Mobile grooming.  Grooming salons. Grooming schools.  Full service luxury pet resorts.  If the company is based on service, referral-based marketing is the leader in getting new clients through the door.  It’s the #1 marketing method – period.

In his book, ‘The Referral Engine’, John Jantsch states “Human beings are psychologically wired to make referrals…  Making referrals is a deeply satisfying way to connect with others — asking for referrals is just another side of the same phenomenon.”

Stop and think about it.  If you’ve been able to read a testimonial from someone else or someone has told you about their positive experience with the company, don’t you go into the buying decision more confidently?  If you have a recommendation when you need to purchase something, especially a service based product, don’t you feel better about it?  Of course you do.

Referrals can come from anywhere.  They can be spoken or written in the form of a testimonial.  Of course, your existing clientele is your largest pool of influence.  However, there are many other areas of opportunity to encourage referral based marketing.

Areas of opportunity:

• Your existing clientele
• Hairdresser (they know everything!)
• Local pizza joint
• Coffee shop
• Vets
• Pet supply businesses
• Dog parks
• Rescue organizations
• Trainers
• Pet sitters
• Anywhere people gather and talk

So what is the best way to encourage referral based marketing?  Don’t be boring!  People don’t talk about boring companies.  They don’t rave about poor or even mediocre service.  You need to stand out – in a positive way.  People talk about things that surprise and delight them.  They talk about things that bring a smile to their faces immediately.  They talk about things that make them feel instantly comfortable with your company and/or your service.  As John Jantsch says in his book, “If the marketplace isn’t talking about you, there’s a reason.  The reason is that you’re boring.”

The key with referral based marketing is it needs to come from the heart of your company.  It has to be the real you.  Day in – day out.  People are automatically drawn to kind and caring service providers.  Compassion is clearly obvious from the second they walk through the door.  They instantly know if you have their best interest in mind and will provide a quality job.  Perspective customers and clients can spot a fake a mile away.

A lot goes into successful referral based marketing.  It’s not an overnight process.  It embodies the entire core of your business.  The more areas that you can make a positive impression upon the client, the higher the likelihood they’ll talk about you after they leave.

In the last 20 years the marketing game has changed.  With the explosion of the Internet and social media marketing in the past few years, it’s become much easier – and economical – to reach out and touch your clients on a regular basis.  An appealing, professionally created website is the new Yellow Pages ad.  Electronic newsletters replace the old paper version.  Facebook allows you to generate images and encourage clients to interact about your company.  A comprehensive e-mail database allows you to stay in touch with your customers.

Referral-based marketing is about making a positive impression upon your customers.  The impression is so positive, they can’t wait to tell their family, friends, and acquaintances about the positive experience they have had with your business. What are you doing right now to get people talking about YOUR business in a positive fashion?

Happy Trimming,

Melissa

Suggested Reading:   The Referral Engine by John Jantsch

Before the grooming process got started.

This is what I saw before I even BEGAN the grooming process on this little dog. I clearly saw the end results.

I feel fortunate because I have been asked to judge the Rags to Riches Grooming Competition hosted by PetGroomer.com and sponsored by Double K. Industries.  This is an international online grooming competition in which photos are submitted of dramatic pet grooming makeovers.  I have judged this competition many times in the past and always look forward to this assignment.  It always amazes me what a skilled pet stylist can do with a dirty, overgrown, and extremely matted dog.

You know the scenario – the client walks in with a dog that is in such foul shape, you hardly know which end is the front or the rear of the dog.  The dog is filthy.  Its coat is extremely overgrown.  It’s packed with dead undercoat and/or mats and tangles.  Or worse yet, the coat is in dreadlocks.  The simple solution is to just shave it off.  We can all envision a clean – but naked pet.  Sometimes that’s the best option.

However, the dogs that really capture my eye are not the shave-offs.  An experienced pet stylist with imagination can see the end result before they even put their hands on the dog.

• They see the potential.
• They see a clean dog.
• A dog that is totally mat free.
• A dog that has style.
• That has pizzazz.

They can see the end result of a beautifully groomed pet before they even begin.

Begin with the end in mind.

I can almost guarantee that every past winner of the Rags to Riches Grooming Contest uses this technique.  But if you are experienced, I bet you do this in your salon every day too.

The Rags to Riches Grooming Competition takes this to the extreme, but this technique can work with anything.  Personally, I’ve used this technique with great success in many areas of my life, growing my businesses and my grooming career.

I first started using this principle when I read Dr. Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People over 20 years ago.  Since then, there has been a wealth of material written about how to use this principle with great success.

When it comes to grooming and I see a dog come through the door, I instantly see the potential – the end result.  Most of the time, I can’t even remember what the dog looked like before I started unless I have a photo to remind me!

When it came to contest grooming, I would study dogs I wanted mine to look like – the end result.  I would take photos of top winning dogs.  I read books on structure and movement so I could clearly visualize the underlying structure of a well put together pet.  I would take photos of my dogs either wet or very short so I could clearly see THEIR structure.  Then I would draw the trim I wanted to execute on top of their photo.  This clearly allowed me to see the end before I even stepped foot into the contest ring or started scissoring.

If you have never studied this technique of goal setting and personal self-improvement, I highly suggest you spend some time learning it.  It’s highly effective and very fun! And the best part – you can apply it to ANY aspect of your life.

Happy Trimming,

Melissa

WHAT THE JUDGES WILL LOOK FOR WHEN JUDGING:

• Most dramatic improvement in the dog’s appearance from the “BEFORE” to the “AFTER” photos.
• Best groomed dog.
• Degree of difficulty and skill required to perform the groom.
• Quality of the photograph of the groomed dog.

Drying Techniques

There are five basic drying techniques that professionals use on pets. They are based on size, coat condition, coat type and personality of the pet. The coat type will often dictate which technique is used to produce the highest quality result. The different drying methods are:

• Towel Drying
• High-Velocity Drying
• Stretch Drying
• Kennel Drying
• Blanket Drying

Today I’m going to focus on the most important drying method to master: high-velocity drying techniques. Becoming proficient at this drying method will increase the quality of your grooms while decreasing the amount of time it takes to groom each dog. Bottom line: that’s money in your pocket!

High-Velocity Drying

About the High-Velocity Dryer

This drying method produces the fastest results with the highest quality if used correctly on any given coat type.

The pros of high-velocity drying include:

• Quick dry time
• Very flexible procedure
• Adaptability for many coat types
• Removes loose coat on shedding pets
• Ability to do a large percentage of de-matting on many coat types
• Clear view of the skin
• Safe procedure for all skin types

The negative points are:

• Some pets object to the noise and force of air
• It can tangle a long coat
• It will produce a mess on heavily shedding pets

As you can see, the positive points far outweigh the negative. Almost all of the negative points can be overcome through proper pet/dryer handling and correct technique.

Groomers, stylists, and bathers who regularly use this drying method should protect themselves by wearing facemasks, goggles and earplugs. These simple items minimize the amount of pet fur and dander that reaches the eyes and lungs, and helps deaden the noise to protect ears from long-term exposure. Pets will appreciate some type of ear protection too!

Using the High-Velocity Dryer

This method should be introduced slowly with any new pet or a puppy. Have the pet listen to the sound before the air is introduced. Help build its confidence. Once the pet seems calm, slowly and from a distance bring the air up around its feet or rear. Do this on a single speed, with no condenser cone. Once the pet accepts that, slowly bring the air in closer and move it up the body. Try not to let the air pass over the pet’s face or in its ears. As the pet grows more accepting, try adding the condenser cone, or, boost the dryer up to a second speed and then add the cone.

Move as rapidly as possible and work forward over the entire pet, excluding the head, watching for spray coming off the coat (the moisture you missed with the towel). Once there isn’t any more visible spray coming off the pet, return to your starting point. Holding a towel behind the spot you are working on can be helpful to reduce the amount of spray getting back on the coat.

Next, focus on getting the pet dry and the coat straightened. Hold the dryer as close as possible to the skin without curling the coat onto itself, causing tangles. Rapidly move the air around in a small, confined space. Watch the area constantly. When you first start on a section, the coat will appear slightly clumped together. As the hair dries, it will separate and become very fine. This is your signal to move to another area.

Leave the head, tail and ears until last. If the pet objects to having air blown around its face, change the direction of the air so that it does not blow over the face and ears. If the pet shows only mild objection, then hold its head for more control. If the problem continues, remove the cone to handle the neck and chest area.

If the coat is slightly matted or the pet is shedding heavily, you will notice the matted hair form a kind of spidery web as the coat begins to dry. Guide the air just behind the webbed section to work it out. Use the condenser cone with as much air force as the pet will allow. You must watch this process constantly to be effective. If the pet will not allow a condenser cone, or if you have worked the loose coat or mat as far as it will go with the air, give the coat a “boost” with a brush and mild air flow. Normally, this will remove the rest of the loose coat with the least amount of wear and tear on you and the pet.

Now that the pet is dry primarily from the condenser cone work, remove the cone and hold the base of the hose right next to the skin. Most high-velocity dryers do not have a heating element, but once they have run for a few minutes, the air they produce will be warmer. Removing the condenser cone and placing the dryer hose right against the skin takes advantage of the optimum power of a high-velocity dryer to “set the coat.” Setting the coat means straightening each hair shaft. Plus, holding the warm air right next to the skin will remove any remaining dampness. Work over the entire dog using the same method as previously outlined, but now work very close to the skin.

Finish the entire drying process at the head and ears. On coats where you want a full head shape, work from the base of the skull – the occiput – forward. If you want the coat to lay tight to the skull, blow the air back towards the rear of the dog.

If the pet is fidgety, grasp the ear at the base. This firm grip offers the most control and covers the ear canal. In most cases, a fidgety pet is objecting to the air going down into the ear canal. Don’t use a condenser cone for the head and face, but do keep the base of the hose right next to the skin for optimum speed and coat straightening.

Pets pre-clipped shorter than a #7 blade length before the bath will not need a high-velocity drying in the short areas. These areas will dry naturally as other coated areas are dried. Normally, a #7 blade length or shorter does not need straightening to yield the best results in the finish work.

Conclusion

It is important to master all drying skills. There are several drying methods and combinations to choose from, based on coat type, trim and pet tolerance. Incorrect techniques or careless attention to drying will waste more of a professional groomer’s time than almost anything else.

An active form of drying always will yield the best results. Having a beautifully clean and dried coat also will lessen the amount of time it takes to execute the final grooming procedures on a pet.

If at any point the pet objects or becomes difficult to handle, back down to the previous step that produced a positive result. If the pet severely objects to having its face dried, try placing cotton balls in the ears to reduce the air flow into the ears as well as the sound. Just don’t forget to remove the cotton balls.

Always remember, the pet takes its cue from you. Your confidence will communicate to the pet. Work gently, but firmly, using a minimal amount of verbal positive or negative reinforcement. Let your hands and eyes do the speaking for you.

The process outlined above may take just a few minutes or several, based upon the individual pet and your handling techniques. On occasion, a pet just will not accept high-velocity drying and another method will be necessary.

Once you have the pet’s cooperation, you can focus on the most effective way of using the high-velocity dryer on that pet’s individual coat type.

In trims that require a fluffy, smooth finish, you would begin at the base of the tail and blow the air forward, using a condenser cone. On many Terriers and sporting dogs, you want the coat to lay tight to the skin. With these breeds, start at the withers and work with the growth of the coat.

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Are you tired of working for others? Are you ready to step out on your own? Do you dream of owning your own business? Yes?

Fabulous – but are your prepared to open you own place?

Did you know that almost 50% of all service based businesses fail within 5 years? Don’t become one of those statistics. You need a plan. You need a comprehensive business plan.

A business plan acts as a road map. It’s your compass so you don’t get lost along the way as you launch your new venture. Not creating a plan is one of the biggest mistakes you could make with your future. It would be like trying to drive from Michigan to California without a map. Or a GPS. You’re not going to get there very quickly if you do not have a clear plan.

A comprehensive plan contains a number of key factors about your new business. This is a list of items from a business template I personally use and recommend whenever I start a new venture. It’s from the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). It can be found on line.

• Business Plan Outline
• Executive Summary
• General Company Description
• Products & Services
• Economic Trends
• Marketing Plan
• Operational Plan
• Management & Organization
• Personal Financial Statement
• Startup Expenses & Capitalization
• Financial Plan

I know – I know. Most new business owners are so anxious to get going – they neglect this critical planning stage. There is lots of money to be made and pets be groomed. You don’t need a ‘plan.’

Whoa there. Failing to plan is a plan to fail. Period.

Filling out the many details in your plan can be an overwhelming process. Many are so intimidated by the financial calculations; you want to skip that process all together. But don’t! If you are overly intimidated by sections of the plan, get help. All successful businesses have a team of people that have helped them succeed. Start building your team now.

Most people find it helpful to have the following experts on their team;

• Business Mentor
• Certified Public Accountant
• Bookkeeper
• Attorney
• Financial Consultant

If you do not have these experts to assist you with your plans, there are other options. You can take business and accounting classes. Attend local business seminars or workshops. Or take business classes on line. Plus, there are great computer programs that can help you set up and run your business.

Other resources to help you write a business plan include books, colleges and universities that work with Small Business Development Centers and counselors and mentors at the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). They provide low-cost classes on how to write business plans that can be very reasonable.

Most new businesses need some type of funding. However, it is so economical to start a pet grooming business; many new business owners skip the financial section of the plan. Big mistake. Even if you do not need a lot of money to start your business, writing a plan will allow you to clearly identify if your idea will be strong right from the start. Without a plan, you leave far too many things to chance.

You definitely will need a plan if you are going to apply for a business loan, look for private investors, or have business partners. Even if you don’t need assistance with funding, you still need a plan. YOU and  YOUR livelihood depend on it!

Before you even start to write your plan, get copies of loan applications used by banks, commercial finance companies, and government. These applications will give you a good idea of how much financial information you will need to include in the business plan.

A good business plan should provide a reader with a general idea of what a business owner is trying to accomplish. It should be well organized, neat, tidy, and easy to read. A reader should be able to get a good feel for what you want to accomplish within minutes of quickly flipping through the pages of the plan.

How long should your plan be? For a new start up grooming business, you plan can be 20 or 30 pages. You want to be concise and to the point. Long business plans are boring – and no one wants to spend time with a boring plan, including your potential funding resources! The text should be within one or two font families, making it very easy on the eyes to read. The text should be well-spaced. Bullet lists make it easy for the reader to get through a long list of details easily. Illustrations, samples of marketing materials, charts and simple spread sheets all bring the plan to life.

Just remember that the most important person for a business plan is YOU! By not working through the process of creating comprehensive business plan, chances are your business failing within a few years is greatly increased. Keep in mind, almost 50% of all new service businesses fail. Help yourself become successful by creating a plan for your new pet grooming business.

I’m so fortunate to live in a place I consider paradise. It’s a combination of woods, fields, orchards, and swamp. Here in West Michigan, we enjoy four seasons. (Okay, winter can drag on a bit too long some years) We’ve been on this large acreage for years.

In my down time, I love to take my dogs for runs, cut new trails, power walk, cross-country ski, snow shoe and horseback ride. I’ve been all over this property in the past 12 years. I know every inch — or so I thought…

A few weeks ago, I was out walking our property. It was one of those rare, gorgeous days in March. The sun was out and the temperatures were extremely mild. Nothing was green yet, but you knew it was coming.

I was Nordic power walking for exercise. I was approaching my one-hour mark but I was not ready to quit. I just crossed a stream and came to a fork in the trail. I was standing at my husband’s deer blind. Normally I hang a left and follow the trail through a field and ultimately back into the orchards towards the house.

But today was so pretty, I thought I’d test out a new path. My husband keeps a large swath brush-hogged for hunting next to one of the horse pastures. It looked like a perfect good-sized loop to explore.

I knew at the end of this open area, over in the corner, there is an old junk area. Almost every old farm has one of these on their land somewhere. We’re no exception.

As I approached the junk area, I looked through the underbrush. I thought to myself, “boy, there’s some big stuff back there — things I’ve never seen.” I needed to investigate. As I ducked under branches and wove my way back into the junkyard, I was surprised at how large the area actually was. There was A LOT of stuff back there!

The years have been slowly swallowing this area with underbrush. For most of the year, this area is so thick you couldn’t begin to see beyond 8 feet. However, on this day, the green foliage was not out yet. I had a clear view once I got back in there.

Wow. Here was this old Chevy truck. I’d never seen it before! How does something this large stay hidden from view? I have no idea what year this truck is. However, I swore I learned how to drive a stick-shift on an old farm truck just like this when I was in high school out west! I wonder what kind of stories this old truck could tell.

I’d been by this area 100s of times. This was the first time I’d ever noticed a virtual graveyard of large farm equipment and vehicles buried back behind the junk area. They’ve always been there — I just never noticed them before. The timing was just right today.

As I departed the area,  in awe of what I just found, I thought; our careers are like that too. Information is presented to us all the time. But what do we picked up on? What do we notice? What do we put into use? It’s all in the timing.
Careers change. Life changes. Information that is available to you all the time will only register in your mind when the timing is right. Can you use this information to improve your life or your career? Will it enhance your job somehow?

When I first started attending grooming seminars and reading books, I was like a dry sponge. I soaked up so much information so fast. It was fun. It was exciting. But then it kind of leveled off. I wasn’t gathering nearly the amount of information I was early in my career.

As I gathered experience, I become more selective about what I retained. When I was first learning to groom, there are priorities I needed to focus on first. How to do you get a pet clean? How do you blow out the coat perfectly?  How do you remove mats and shedding coat? How do you get a smooth clipper cut? I wasn’t ready to learn about breed profile trimming. I wasn’t ready to learn about balance and symmetry. I wasn’t ready to learn about the finer details of grooming. Running a business. Managing staff. Mastering marketing. But as I understood each new skill, I was ready to learn more. I was climbing that imaginary staircase, one step at a time.

I’ve been developing my career for over 35 years.  Just like with finding that old truck, it was all in the timing. As my career has unfolded, I learn new things all the time.  Most of the time, it’s nothing new or revolutionary. But it is to me. It’s fresh and new — to me. The timing was just right for me to apply this new tidbit of information.

Your career and personal development will be like that too. Never stop learning. Always be ready to gather new knowledge when the timing is right. You never know what you might discover.

Sight is probably the most developed sense in humans. Next is hearing, followed by smell. When you’re client walks through the door of your business, what do they see, hear and smell?

What type of image you present to your customers? Do you project a professional image? Do you project an air of authority as the expert? Your clients and perspective clients gain confidence in your ability by the clues should give them through sight, sound and smell. Will you handle their dog with compassion? Will the pet be safe in your care? Will you be able to provide a quality haircut that they love? People will automatically question your ability to perform at a professional level if what they see, hear and smell are not up to their standards.

A busy pet care facility can be extremely hectic. Sometimes we get so lost in our daily tasks, we lose track of what our clients see, hear and smell as they walk through our doors. If you’re immersed in the chaos, your senses can become dulled. It’s time to pull back and take a good look at what makes a first impression to your customers.

In Judy Hudson’s Learn2GroomDogs.com video called “What I Know for Sure,” she shares a great story told by a very wise grandmother. She said. “It doesn’t cost a lot of money to be clean. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to be neat and tidy. It does take a little elbow grease.”

Take a good hard look at yourself. Take a good hard look at your support staff. Take a good hard look at your salon. What could be done to present a more professional image to your customers? If customers can’t trust you — they’re won’t be coming back to you.

Start with yourself first. Are you freshly showered? Is your deodorant working well? Is your hair neat and tidy? Is it clean? Is it styled? If it’s long, is it neatly tied back? What about your clothing? Are you neatly groomed yourself in hair repellent clothing? Is it wrinkle free? What about that sandwich at lunch? Is it still stuck between your teeth? If you’re not neatly groomed, what kind of message does that send to your customer? Ask same types of questions of your staff. What kind of image do they present?

What condition is your lobby in? Is it old and tired or bright and fresh? If you have retail, do you keep the stock freshly turned? How organized is your registration area? What about the front entrance of the shop? Is there fur and dust bunnies collecting not only on the floor – but on the pictures on the wall too? It’s amazing what fresh coat of paint can do combined with regular dusting and mopping. If you are mobile, when was the last time you washed the outside of your van?

What do your clients hear when they walk through the door or if the phone is set down without putting them officially on hold? Are you fighting to communicate with the customer over the sound of a vacuum or high velocity dryer? Or are yapping dogs making it so distracting you can barely converse with your client? Worse yet — is somebody in the back room screaming at a dog? Some of these sounds can be controlled — some are just the nature of the business. However, you do have options to minimize the offensive noises through organization and salon policies.

When your customers walk through the door, what do they smell? Wet dog? Urine? Feces? Cigarette smoke? Anything offensive? Bottom line, if a salon doesn’t smell pleasant — it’s dirty. Working with animals is great. But what a lot of people don’t realize when they get into the business, you need to spend a great deal of time cleaning up after our furry friends. I don’t care what kind of animal is — animals create a mess! Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually, and annual cleaning duties all need to be addressed on a regular basis. Not only do you need to deal with all of those, but you’ll also need ongoing cleanup as your day progresses.

That’s just the nature of the beast. A little bit of awareness and a lot of elbow grease will keep your salon looking — and smelling – professional.
You can gain a great deal of trust by paying attention to first impressions. These first impressions are going to be highly influenced by; sight, sound and smell. Clients and prospective customers look clues about a service. If they don’t sense you have what it takes to provide a quality service and build their trust, they look to other grooming services that do have them. So provide clues that will keep customers returning.