By Michell Evans
August 15, 2016
“Hi Michell. I am struggling to get my clients to let me groom their dogs in a longer style. They all want them shaved. I am mostly speaking of Doodles, Havanese, Shih-Tzus, Poodles, and mix breeds. no one wants to pay for de-matting. They don’t bring them typically enough. I am bored with my work. From what I learned at the Northwest grooming Show, I am doing things all wrong. how do I take a clientele that I have trained to want their dogs shaved every three or four months and convince them to want longer styles a lot more often?” submitted by bill M.
This is much easier than it seems Bill. lots of groomers find themselves making this turn at some point in their careers. As we grow in grooming we can show our clients to be better clients. It is scary to make changes but don’t get trapped by fear. Your clients respect your proficiency and will follow you in a new direction.
Start by sending a letter to all of your clients describing all that you have learned and the direction you plan to take. email is a good way to reach them but you can also snail-mail them and/or offer a hand-out at the salon.
Here is an example of how to communicate the changes that you would like to make:
• tell them that you are much better able to help them with their dog’s health and well-being if you see them on a a lot more regular basis. This tells them that you are planning to book them a lot more frequently. inform them that this is the only way you will be able to safely, comfortably, and happily care for their family pets in the future. This tells them that you are not ready to negotiate.
• tell them that you are a lot more focused than ever on the health, safety, and style of their dog. This tells them that the changes you are making are in the best interest of their dog. let them know that you have attended the Northwest grooming Show, (or pet dog show, or certification, or workshop, or subscribed to streaming educational source, or purchased a set of educational DVDs) and that you have discovered new and better ways to care for their furry family members. This describes the reason for the changes and why you are making them now. inform them that you plan to continue to learn and improve your grooming skills for the rest of your occupation and that you plan to use your boosting knowledge in the care of their pet for lots of years to come. This tells them that they can expect a lot more changes and price increases in the future and that you hope they will respect and appreciate your growth.
• let them know that it will cost them a lot more but it will be worth every penny because their dog’s coat, skin, and nails will be maintained rather than salvaged. This tells them that their pet will benefit a lot more from the new policies than the old. tell them that their eyes, mouths, ears, anuses, genitalia, armpits, toes, and tails will get twice or three times as much attention with the new grooming schedule. This reminds them of how crucial your services are in monitoring their pet’s health.
• recommend monthly grooming and tell them that about 1 inch of coat, depending on the breed, is a healthy, elegant length for their dog. One inch of coat protects and insulates their pet dog in the cold as well as hot months/climates. Well maintained coat keeps them amazing in the summer and warm in the winter. keep in mind that even though 1 inch is a provable measurement, it serves as an average and may not be technically an inch. The coat may be shorter than an inch in some places and longer than an inch in others but to the layman/client it all just looks like “about an inch”. very short coat uses no protection from the elements what so ever. suggest that they let you try a a lot more proper style on their pet dog and if they don’t love it you can change to something simpler next time. This indicates their pet dog gets all of the benefits provided above plus it looks a lot more stunning than ever! once the client gets used to their pet dog being washed and trimmed regularly, it is hard for them to go back to a smelly unkempt bed mate.
Learning to maintain coat and de-matt efficiently takes a little time and practice so start out with a little less coat and work up to a lot more stylized trims. This is also much easier for the clients to accept at first. Be sure to charge for de-matting. Although the idea behind having them come monthly is that they will not be matted, some will have matts. It must not take quite as long to trim a well maintained monthly client as it did the three month shave, so in theory, a little bit of time for de-matting is built in.
Most importantly, Bill, if you lose a few clients you will fill those spots with the customers that are ready to come in a lot more frequently. For example, if you have a full clientele that currently come in every three months and you convince one-third of them to come every month, you no longer need the two-thirds ofnull
