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This Little Gem is One of Your Best Marketing Tactics

There’s a secret to marketing your salon.  Do you want to know what it is?

~ Bows ~

Top secretThat’s right, bows.  Well-made, brightly colored, and altogether wonderful, bows.  The bow is your secret weapon and one of your best marketing tools.

“Seriously?!  I thought bows were just for decoration?”

Bows are a genius marketing tool.  They bring attention to your business.  In a nutshell, that little splash of color is doing your promotion work for you.
How?

The best part about this tip is that you already know the answer.  Look at this page.  What grabbed your attention first?  Was it the pictures?  The colorful text?  If so, that’s no accident.  The eye is naturally attracted to bright colors.

Beautifully groomed pets attract even more attention when they have a bright splash of color.  Applying bows as a finishing touch on a marvelous groom is a sure way to generate interest.

Getting attention is the #1 goal of any marketing campaign.  Beautiful bows do that in a fun and attractive way.

Accessorizing a freshly groomed dog can be a highly successful marketing opportunity.  Adding colorful bows to a pet can be the perfect way to get owners talking about your styling services any time others see them.

I learned this trick when I was very young, with our family’s first dog.

When we traveled, we’d send our Golden Retriever to a local kennel before we left.  When we picked her up, she’d always be freshly bathed and sporting a simple, felt fabric bow on her collar.  The bow color would change with the seasons, but this simple bow was there every time.

In our small community you could always tell when a neighbor had been traveling, because his dog would be wearing the same type of bow.  As we stopped and chatted, mixed in with the conversation would be the name of the kennel and how wonderful they were.

If that basic little bow had not been there, the kennel name would never have been mentioned, and a marketing opportunity would have been missed.

I carried these lessons of my childhood over into my grooming business.  Every dog that stepped out of my salon or mobile van had this bright finishing touch – unless the client requested otherwise – which wasn’t very often.

The bows were always subtle and stylish.  I used the seasons and holidays to dictate the color and themes of the bows.

Christmas and springtime bows were always popular.  At Christmas, we pulled out all the stops to add a festive sparkle and shine to the bows.  In the Spring, we made basic bows adorned with small silk flowers.  After a long Michigan Winter, this fun little bow lifted everyone’s spirits.

Successful people know that the difference between good and great is in the details.  Bows and finishing touches are part of the entire service package you offer to your clients.

Making attractive bows does require finesse.  It takes a bit of time to learn.  But once you figure out a method that works well for you, you will be limited only by your own creative spirit and time.

Many professional groomers and stylists use down time to create bows, in the same way that many people use knitting or crocheting to relax.

However, if basic bow tying just isn’t for you, there are many companies that specialize in wonderful, ready-to-use bows.  We encourage you to use them!

There are thousands of ways to market yourself as a professional pet groomer.  Choosing to accessorize a freshly groomed dog can generate lots of word-of-mouth advertising.  Adding colorful bows to a pet gets people talking about – and remembering – your styling services.

Isn’t it time you took advantage of the best sales tool for your business?

Happy Trimming!

~ Melissa

P.S.

Did this idea help? Go online and tell us what you think on the Learn2GroomDogs Facebook page.

To see videos on this topic, click here!


What Does Your Future Look Like?

“The success you have tomorrow is predicated on the work you do today.”
~ Darren Hardy

I saw this quote recently and it really got me thinking.

Are you struggling or thriving? Whatever it is, it stems from things you did yesterday. Last week. Last month. Last year.

Everything you do is a set-up for the future. Your health. Your relationships. Your job. Your business. This single thought is essential to everything we do.

Do you:

  • Sit on your duff and eat crappy food? You will suffer physically down the road – maybe not tomorrow but it will catch up to you.
  • Fail to put positive energy into your relationships with people or pets? You’ll end up with uncontrollable children, empty friendships, and untrained pets.
  • Give your job less than 100%? There is a good chance you could be replaced by someone who will make the commitment to putting in the effort.
  • Pay poor attention to satisfying your clients? Clients will not return, and you won’t have a business to support you, your family, or your staff.

What you do today totally impacts your future.

So how does this play out in the grooming world? What can you do today to ensure you will thrive tomorrow?
 
Here are 5 areas that can really influence your overall success.

The Amount of Knowledge You Apply

The more you know about your field, the more confident you will be. That confidence transfers in many ways to grooming table. Plus, it will play through in a positive way to your clients. You will be able to communicate effectively with them. You’ll instantly know how to groom any breed of dog, in any condition, with any temperament. The more knowledge you have, the easier – and more enjoyable – your job will become every day.

What are 3 things you can you do today to help your future?

  • Study official breed standards
  • Watch videos by top pet stylists
  • Read books on canine anatomy and structure

The Quality of Your Work

High-quality work always brings customers back. It creates client loyalty and positive relationships. For most clients, their pets are much like their children. They love them and want to be proud of them. If you want to win the hearts – and the pocketbooks – of your clients, make sure the work at the other end of the leash is top-notch.

What are 3 things you can you do today to help your future?

  • Make sure your dogs are SQUEAKY clean
  • Focus on getting the perfect drying technique mastered for each coat type
  • Go over your work one more time – look for rough or uneven spots

Winning at Customer Service

As a professional pet groomer or stylist, you are a problem solver. Clients bring you their pets with a host of problems. Most are overgrown, dirty, or shedding. You need to uncover what their underlying needs are and present solutions to solve the problem. As you’re solving the issue, do it in a way that creates a memorable experience for the customer. It’s important to do more than just meet their expectations and satisfy their needs. Do it in a way that excites and delights them every step of the way. A smile will go a long way but there is much more to the customer service game. You need to look at every interaction with the client and figure out how to make it extremely positive.

What are just 3 things you can you do today to help your future?

  • Take the time to listen to your client and offer viable, attractive solutions to their pet care needs
  • Make it a goal to earn a smile from every client
  • Always be honest and upfront with all clients

Presenting Consistent Marketing

Effective marketing creates a desirable experience that connects with prospective customers and clients. To take it even further, it’s about creating clients who want to share their experience with others. Marketing is more than just your business card or a paid ad. It’s about how your phones are answered. It’s interaction with clients and their pets. It’s the impression you, your staff, and your salon make when your client walks through your door. It’s the images and messages you post on social media. It’s your printed material. Your advertisements. Everything you do to entice pet owners to use your service.

What are just 3 things you can you do today to help your future?

  • Take the time to groom yourself – always present a pulled together, neat, clean, and polished image
  • Smile when you answer the phone – it transmits instantly to the other end of the line
  • Make sure your salon is fresh smelling and appealing

Being Financially Savvy

No one starts a grooming business to give away their services or lose money. That’s not what going into business is all about. Whether you are a solo stylist, an employee, or a business owner, you need to pay attention to your money. Ideally, you need to charge enough for your services so that you can pay yourself a fair wage, pay all of your bills, pay your staff (if you have them), pay your taxes, and still have a little left over for emergencies. If you don’t pay attention to the details of how money flows into your business and how it goes out, you could get into trouble quickly. You have a responsibility to yourself and to your team to be financially knowledgeable.

What are just 3 things you can you do today to help your future?

  • Set a budget for yourself or your salon and then track your progress regularly
  • Create a daily sales goal
  • Keep accurate financial records with the aid of a computer, bookkeeper, or accountant

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless actions you can focus on today to positively impact your future. Hopefully the ideas in these sections will get your juices flowing. There is always SOMETHING you can do today to improve your tomorrow!

Everybody wants to be successful. The bottom line is that success is hard work. You have to put in the effort. You have to put in the time. You have to pay attention to the details. Sure, today might be difficult, but think about the long-term benefits? Will your efforts today help you tomorrow? What about next week? Next month? Or even next year? There are many areas you can focus on to improve tomorrow.

Always remember, to be successful – to thrive – you need to put forth effort today so that your future will be bright.

Happy trimming !

~Melissa


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