just wanted to know why you were chosen was it price location service you offered customer reviews. has a dog owner ever mentioned why you were chosen as the sitter for thier dog. I wanted to know what you think is the most important features that are important to a dog owners impression . what makes them repeat customers do you think it is a fair price for services your location your house etc.
The things I have heard from owners are:
Referrals from the foster organization members, neighbors, friends and pet parent remarks. I try to keep my fees reasonable for my long stays and the services I provide and location is also important. I have had potential customers want to use my services but the distance is to far for them where other clients will drive the distance for the TLC their pup(s) receive. All my "pups" are excited to come and pet parents tell me they know where they are going when they turn onto my street. I Love hearing that.
About half of our requests make reference to feeling like we would be a good fit based on our profile. Oddly, a majority of our clients end up having nervous or anxious dogs, so while I didn't write our profile intending to cater to that demographic, that seems to be what has happened. It works out well, as I've done a lot of work with anxious, even severely, aggressively fearful dogs (including my own, though you'd never know it to see them now) and they seem to trust me quickly and follow my dogs' lead. (I'm actually really curious - if anyone feels like checking out our profile I'd love to know what nervous/anxious dog owners are seeing in it.. besides the list of reviews that make mention of all the nervous dogs we've watched, that is!)
I really prefer customers who have done their research, so I put a lot of time and energy into our profile, making sure all the important information was there and putting up the best pictures to represent our lifestyle and what we can offer our guest dogs. Once a stay is booked, I'm diligent about getting pictures and posting them promptly (through Rover daily, but also as they happen on instagram and in updates to our Facebook page, so the owners can see them as they choose and I'm not triggering those push notifications all the time through Rover). I really strive to get good, print-worthy pictures for owners because that's what I try to do with my own dogs. Our prices are average, but I think our service pushes us beyond others in the area.
Laura - I have a really nervous dog with me today. Any suggestions of how to make the dog feel more comfortable? Many thanks in advance.
Hi Andrea - I could type a book here since every dog is a little different, but if you want, feel free to email me with a little more info and I'll try to help! citydogsdogsitting@gmail.com
My customers usually don't mention reasons, but the one time I asked, they said that it was based on my reviews.
From what my clients have said, my rates and ratings are the main reasons they contact me. I also tried to be very clear about what the owners can expect (like that I work full time and dogs are crated when I'm not home, which is part of why I also charge less than others in the area).
Oh, I've also had people comment that they like that I have had a lot of experience with fostering dogs from rescue groups with a wide variety of personalities.
Laura, I checked out your profile to see what nervous/anxious dog owners are seeing in it.
Your paragraph here may be why:
"What I'd like to know about your dog
My number one concern is giving all the animals in my care a fun, stress-free environment. For this reason, I limit my available spaces to two, and require a meet and greet prior to any overnight stay so we can carefully evaluate each dog as they interact with each other to minimize the chances of conflict and anxiety."
Maybe they liked that, your location & the fact that you have experience with special needs. Also you are mature (I don't mean old) and your profile is extremely well written! Do you write for a living? Also, may I copy the following from your profile? "I limit my available spaces to two, and require a meet and greet prior to any overnight stay" ~Susan BG
Thanks! And I don't write for a living, though I have a lot of experience. And I certainly don't mind you borrowing ideas, though I'd suggest rewording any whole sentences to make sure everything is in your own voice or it may sound out of place. :)
I've heard they saw I looked after another Beagle before so they wanted me to watch their Beagle. Another client told me she picked to meet with me because I have positive reinforcement training and that's how she trains her dog. I've also heard people tell me they picked me because they thought my dog looked cute and nice.
I think the rest is mostly due to my prices, location, I stay home full-time and that I show pictures that our apartment is clean and safe.
Although I never asked why a client chose me, I think a big reason is ....dare I say...my AGE! I have 40 years experience taking care of dogs...not 40 years professional experience, but I've been dog sitting since I was a kid! Most of my clients are my age, some a little older, so I think they feel that I'm mature enough to handle anything that would happen. One client did say that they liked my profile and reviews.
The number one reason people tell me they message me is because I have pet nutrition/health knowledge and more than likely there is something about their dog (Allergies, aggression, surgery, etc) The #1 reason people choose to book someone else is that I do work and am gone 6-8 hours at a time