I'm saw that a post like this has been made before but it was deleted. Anyway tomorrow is my first meet and greet!! I am very excited but nervous at the same thing. Do you have any tips to help calm my nerves and hope things go smoothly? Has anyone had a first meet and greet that did not go so well but still got more clients in the future? Im scared that it won't go well and it's the beginning and end of my rover business.
Hi Michelle:
It's natural to be nervous, so the best advice I can offer is to be prepared. I noticed that you are also a travel sitter like myself. I always go into the M&G with a list of questions and go over each question. I always ask how I will be entering the home for my visits (key? security code? etc.) and where the dog is normally kept - anywhere in the house, or a certain room, or will the dog be in a kennel? I always ask about (and look) where the food/water bowls are, and where to discard poop bags. Here is a M&G checklist from the Rover blog that you can use/add to https://www.rover.com/blog/meet-greet...
Good luck!
Excellent. Some or all of this you likely know. You want to be on time or early and calm (dogs sense&react to energy). Start by introducing yourself to the pet parent, then bend down parallel to the dog and let it sniff you. After that I'd suggest a walk before going inside. Ask all of the questions that matter to you. Ultimately, it has to be the right fit, for both you & the pet parent. Don't worry if you decided to decline. It really won't hurt your business.
These tips are from the help center: https://support.rover.com/hc/en-us/ar...
Don't be nervous! One of my first meet and greets didn't go well, because the dog didn't like my dog, hehe. Eventually, the owners said, "No thanks," to me, and went with another sitter. In spite of that, I am booked every week! And it is so much fun!
Here's what I do at meet and greets: When a client comes, I tell them I'd like to take our pups for a very short walk up and down the road just to give everyone a chance to know each other (this was great advice I followed from reading another sitter's comment in these threads). Following that, we go to our backyard where we take the pups off the leash and watch how they interact. This will tell me a lot. I never accept aggressive pups. Finally, after 5-10 minutes of socializing in the yard, we make our way inside the house, off leash. That way, the dog can get a feel for the lay of the land, the smells, etc.
More often than not, it works out. Very rarely do I decline someone. And when I have, it never hurt my business. It will work out for you, I promise! =) You're going to have fun with this! =)