So, if you’ve been reading my articles for a while or heard me speak at industry conferences, you know I help companies realize the revenue they deserve. I firmly believe that this industry is filled with business owners who love pets and feel an amazing commitment to provide exceptional care. They invest in buildings (owning or leasing), all the necessary interior equipment and safety systems, staff, training, and technology…(I’ll stop before I depress the owners reading this). You get the point. This business is very expensive to get into and it’s critical to become profitable as quickly as possible.

My primary goal in helping clients succeed is for them to be paid appropriately for their exceptional care, risk, and investments. But in this article, rather than provide strategies on what TO do, I thought it would be fun and informative to share a few of the revenue roadblocks I’ve seen over the years and how you can avoid them.

Many pet care facility owners get into this business to provide great pet care. They often aren’t prepared for the massive energy and expertise other aspects of the business require. This includes answering phones effectively when clients – and prospective clients – call. Many pet care facility owners and employees feel the phone is an annoyance and interruption to providing great care for their animals.

Wise pet care business owners recognize that the phone is either a huge asset that allows revenues from new and existing clients to openly flow into their business…or a huge roadblock to prevent their business from being successful. Wise business owners understand that answering the phones properly is a highly critical business function and take the necessary steps to properly train their employees. This means that phones are answered promptly, profitably, and by the proper people. They verify training by vigorously maintaining quality control procedures.

We recognize these procedures are often put in place as a reaction to real situations and with the best intentions. Regardless, they are still revenue roadblocks. Here are some very costly revenue roadblocks:

1) Leaving A Message On Your Voicemail That You Are Full
(for Christmas or any other period of time)
You may think you’re being time efficient because why spend time on the phone when you don’t have space, right?

The better strategy is to answer the phone and allow the inquiry prospect to learn about your company. When a prospect calls you, your marketing investment has done its job. Your sales department then needs to take over. Telling the prospect about your strengths and superiorities, even when you’re booked, will give them reason to call back and book with you the next time they have a need…and hopefully they’ll call earlier or utilize another service you offer.

2) Cell phones
Employees distracted by their personal cell phones represent a huge safety and productivity concern. Having a strong cell phone policy can prevent dangerous errors, unauthorized pictures and lowered productivity. This is a very difficult policy to institute - especially with younger employees who are attached to their phones.

Your personal cell phone policy should be clear, upfront, and include explanations why the policy is so important. This, and having your workers sign off on this policy, will go a long way to adherence.

3) Making Customers Bring Their Own Bedding
Again, this may seem like a good idea. After all, this would save on purchasing and re-purchasing bedding when dogs chew or otherwise damage their beds. Unfortunately, many female pet parents (the majority of your better customers) cannot fathom the idea that their furry baby would be forced to sleep on a hard, cold floor. Women, in particular, are comforted by the thought their baby will be comfy on his/her own cozy bed. If you want to allow (not force) your customers to bring their own bedding, just remember you need to be able to launder the beds, dry them and return them to the owners when they depart. Sending a bed home that hasn’t been laundered is a customer service disaster waiting to happen.

Common complaints with clients bringing their own bedding are displeasure over having to remember the bed while they are busy packing for their own trip, lugging the bed around and, if they aren’t given their pet’s belongings when they pick up their pet, having to make an additional trip back to retrieve them.

It’s far better to let clients know there is no need to bring bedding since you supply very comfy bedding for all your pets.

4) Making Customers Schedule a Time for a Tour
A big no-no. Various industry publications contain articles on why pet parents should avoid facilities that require a pre-scheduled tour appointment. Doing so could be interpreted as deceptive (you only clean up or act appropriately when customers are present).

Far better is to have trained staff that are exceptional at giving tours during all business hours. To do so, they will need a consistent tour procedure that communicates and showcases the quality of care you provide.

5) Making It Difficult for Customers to Schedule a Daycare Evaluation
I get it. Of course you need dogs to be evaluated before they come to your facility and interact with other pets. I’m suggesting that you need to make it easy for your prospective clients to schedule the evaluation. Smart and successful businesses realize the customer is queen and king. Some of your best customers have high discretionary incomes. That means they are likely very busy. Telling customers that they have to be at your facility at a specific time only on certain days is virtually pushing them to your competition.

A better solution would be to have multiple and convenient times available on different days of the week as well as on weekends. And, if a client cannot make your available slots, before you turn them away, check with the manager or owner to see if there is any other way you can accommodate them.

There are many revenue road blocks; we’ll examine more in future articles. Start by reducing these and your revenues should start revving up rapidly. Wishing you continued success!

Laura Laaman is president of Outstanding Pet Care. OPC helps some of the most successful pet care facilities thrive in highly competitive markets and GUARANTEES THEIR CLIENT’S SUCCESS! If you would like to receive a complementary phone evaluation, contact the OPC team at www.OutstandingPetCare.com or call 1-888-735-5667.

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