Just recently started out! I have my profile complete, I have business cards which I will give out to pet shops next week. But I am confused on how people book pet sitters to pet sit in their home. Can you request people that you want to work with?
Hi Briana- Don't limit your business cards just to pet shops. Also check with gas stations, your favorite salon, fast food restaurants, veterinary offices, groomers, apartments near you, hotels and not just the ones who take dogs/pets. If you live in an area that is popular with tourists and you can pet sit in your home, hotels that do/don't take pets and get booked for special events, (concerts, art fairs, conventions, etc.) some people need a pet sitter that can take their pet(s) for over night, a couple days or week. Don't ignore a business because it doesn't have anything to do with pets. And, make sure you follow up with the business that allow you to leave your cards, depending on the business, at least once a week to month. It takes time to develop a re pore with a business owner or manager so keep your smiling, pleasant, friendly face in front of them, where ever you leave your cards. Also, the owner, manager or front desk personnel are "business people", even gas station clerks, so dress appropriately. You are a business person and want to connect with their business and First Impressions can either help or hurt your chances of promoting yourself. Not all businesses will work with you, either they (vets/groomers) offer kennel service, some gas station chains won't, so don't get discouraged. You pay for your cards so use your intuition. I suspected that a couple apartment front offices and one vet office threw my cards away. I made a point to stop in a month later and they didn't even remember me or have my cards. I never got customers from them.
-Kathleen D.
Thank you so much!! Very helpful!!
Hi other Portland sitter!
I'd start by filling out the details in your profile. What you have is good, but especially before you have any verified reviews, your profile is going to be all the information potential clients have to go on. Go into detail about your experience with animals and what you can offer to clients. You're competing against a lot of established sitters, so tell people why you're the best choice for their pets. Get some more badges (the Rover 101 training badge is a great place to start!) to help you in the search rankings. Finally, I'd consider removing any pictures with pouty/kissy face (unless you're kissing an animal in the picture). Remember this profile is the face of your business. It's a pretty casual industry, but you still want to appear professional. Good luck!
Thank you for the helpful tips!!
The Rover booking process starts with your profile. Since you will be sitting at the client's home, you might want to mention what a visit includes and how many visits you will make. The client comes to the site looking for a pet sitter, they find your profile, you start a dialog, have a meet & greet if appropriate, then they decide whether to book you. It may take awhile since you are new, so just be patient. Some clients prefer to take their dog(s) to the sitter's home, some prefer to have you come to their home.
Alright, good to know! Thank you!!
No, customers will contact you with a filled out rover request. You can only see the potential customers that directly contact you. You should receive an email or text message about it. If there's someone you know outside of the site now, send them a link to your rover profile or they can search for you in your zip code and book through rover.
Thank you!!