Welcome to part two of our coronavirus business tips from PCI professionals!
If you missed out on reading part one, check out our blog and read all about it here. Many pet professionals are diversifying, updating their business plans, and improving advertising efforts. The experience from fellow PCI professionals may be able to help you come up with new ideas. We hope this can help you gain more knowledge and help your business move forward.
Meet Tess
Tess, a pet sitter, has stepped outside of her comfort zone and started pitching to people. A pitch is a very short rundown of your business and how it can bring value to potential clients. Be sure to carry business cards with you and increase your network!
What steps are you taking or plan to take to get your business back to the state it was in prior to the pandemic?
“I am stepping outside of my comfort zone and actually approaching people I meet in various places. For instance when I am in the pet food store. I hand people my business card and explain a little about what we do. I also make sure to bring up that I am a pet sitter in random conversations when the opportunity seems right,”
Is there any additional information or advice you would like to share with others who are in your same situation?
“Hold your head up and remember when you first started, business was slow and it gave you an opportunity to brainstorm about ideas to build your business. Now is the perfect time to brainstorm and try implementing new ideas or add new services to your portfolio. I have added stand alone litter box maintenance service. You remember people joking about a baby boom with stay at home orders? I know 3 people who are now pregnant. Pregnant women should not clean litter boxes but can still enjoy a relationship with their beloved cats. I announced that I will be happy to come as often as needed to scoop litter boxes, clean the area around it and also do a full clean and sanitation twice a month,”
Since business may not be back to normal yet, Tess recommends brainstorming and implementing new ideas. Maybe there’s an extra service you can add! All you need to do is experiment and review the results. If it is successful, then great! If not, you can always pivot and make improvements.
Meet Taryn
Taryn, a dog walker, wants to reopen business for clients if there is a safe and worthwhile way to do so. There’s a lot of information out there about how business owners can operate safely and you could consider implementing those guidelines. For more information on coronavirus and the impact it can have on pets, check out our blog.
What steps are you taking or plan to take to get your business back to the state it was in prior to the pandemic?
“The last few weeks have been very telling as far as what is to come for the future of my small business. All of my employees had to be laid off from the beginning. I assumed we would be out of work for a while, but that there would be a turning point. Given the new re-openings, it has been very difficult making the big decisions that now need to happen. Unfortunately, I think our return is most likely not going to happen. Given the current environment, I might be moving and I will probably end up foregoing the business. With that being said…if there is a safe and worthwhile way of reopening to our clients, we would absolutely love to do so,”
Is there any additional information or advice you would like to share with others who are in the same situation?
“Now is a good time to consider what is important to you and to follow it. We are entering a world where working remote and shifting gears is inevitable. Find a new way to be involved with the animals you love if you are struggling with getting back to where you were. Create something new, we are being given a lot of new opportunities in how and where we work. We can come together and build this industry in a new and exciting way,”
Just like Taryn brought up, take the time to figure out what is important to you and follow it. If you want to still be involved with animals, see what you can do to make it work and implement those ideas.
Meet Marie
Marie, a pet sitter and walker, shared how she is limiting time with her clients, using sanitizer, and wearing masks. These small and simple things can really make a difference. Your clients may appreciate the extra thought of keeping them and their fur babies safe.
What steps are you taking or plan to take to get your business back to the state it was in prior to the pandemic?
“Limiting in home time. Limiting clients in my home time. Wearing face masks. Using sanitizer and cleaner. Cleaning more frequently,”
Is there any additional information or advice you would like to share with others who are in the same situation?
“We have medical professionals with higher risk leave us a harness set at the door. We spray with sanitizer. We’re explaining to onboarding clients that they can come in and see our setup, but we discuss outside now. We also do what we call summer camp pick up and drop off for regulars. They pull up, we grab the dog and their stuff, parents leave. We spray down anything that could be contaminated before going inside,”
You may want to consider an onboarding call to stay in touch with new clients. During this call, you can go over how pick up and drop off works.
Meet Charan
Sometimes the best thing to do is to go back to the drawing board and start from scratch. It could lead to you having a new perspective on your business and help you figure out new ways to move forward. Charan brought up some good ideas, such as advertising in small businesses, using social media, and visiting apartment complexes.
What steps are you taking or plan to take to get your business back to the state it was in prior to the pandemic?
Treat it as if I was starting all over again. Go to “Mom & Pop” places to leave information, use social media, [and] go to apartment complexes,”
Is there any additional information or advice you would like to share with others who are in the same situation?
Keep working on your business! Find different ways you can introduce new services into your business. Educate your clients through newsletters & social media. If you can wear your logo anywhere when you go out…. do it!
By spreading the word, more people know who you are and what you offer. Many people consider using a car decal with their business information. VistaPrint offers affordable car decal options available.
We hope you were able to learn something new and figure out a way to improve your business. To learn more about Pet Care Insurance, please visit our website.
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