Creating the Contented Customer

It happens often, a new grooming client will call to make an appointment, and somewhere in the conversation they tell us they were NOT happy with their previous pet stylist.  These types of conversations make me cringe.  With a little gentle prodding, it usually comes out that it was not that the pet received a poor grooming, but that the somehow the groomer did not meet the clients needs.

Most pet stylists came to our profession because they love animals. Some of us, however, are far more comfortable dealing with animals than we are with people. This being said, we all know that communicating with the pet owning public is an enormous part of our job.  There are some steps we can take to help keep our human customers content and coming back to us.

 Have them from “Hello!”  Busy groomers often look upon a ringing phone as an unwanted interruption.  Irritation can radiate from their voice as they answer the phone.  Take a moment before you pick that telephone up, take a deep breath and smile. Your smile will be reflected in your voice, and you will sound welcoming to the person on the end of the line.  The way we answer the phone is often the very first impression a new customer has of us.  Make that first impression a warm, positive one.

 Good greetings:  When I meet a customer for the first time I make eye contact, smile, and extend my hand to shake. Many of us pet stylist types are women, and for some reason, many of us were not taught to shake hands when being introduced.  There are scientific studies that show that warm physical contact upon introduction helps form a positive impression. Use a good firm handshake, make that first impression count!  The very next thing I do is speak to the pet. I greet it, and compliment it in some way.  This seems to come naturally to pet lovers, but sometimes we are busy and forget.  Customers are entrusting their pets to us for a time, and they want to feel we care about their animal. We can convey our care by speaking to the dog or cat.  It can be something simple, like, “Come on Tank, we are going to make you look even MORE handsome than you already do today!”  or, “Precious, it is so good to see you today!  Lets go get this spa treatment started!”

 Clear Communication:  Another crucial step in keeping our customers happy is making sure that we understand what they expect from the grooming process.  What is second nature and blatantly obvious to us, is often a total mystery to our customers.  A collie owner called me recently to set up an appointment. She explained that her dog had some matting, and she was really embarrassed about it.  When I explained what the grooming would entail, and how much the charges would be, the lady asked, “And do you BATHE dog, too?”  Now, to me, a bath is pretty much a given in the grooming process, so I didn’t even mention it. To this pet owner, however, it was an unknown.  I was not very clear in my explanation to her, but thankfully she felt comfortable asking and I was able to reassure her that her dog would, indeed, be bathed during its visit with us.

 Education:   While most pet owners we come in contact with love and care for their pets, many do not have the slightest clue how to keep a dogs skin and coat in optimum condition.  It is our job to help educate people on how to brush and comb their animals to keep them from becoming matted messes.  One groomer I know berates clients and makes them feel afraid and ashamed when their animal comes in with tangles.  These clients respond by bringing their dog in only when it is such a mess they cannot stand it any more, or, by taking the dog to another stylist for care.  This groomer loses customers because of the way she approaches the problem of matted animals.  In contrast, another pet stylist I know brings customers back to the grooming area with their matted pets. She shows them the proper brushes and combs for their pet’s coats, and explains to them how to keep the coat tangle free. She demonstrates to them how top brushing does not compare to brushing to the skin and then following up with a combing.  I have seen people’s eyes as they register what they are being taught.  These customers become better pet owners and better clients all because of a few moments of time taken to teach them new skills.

 Wrapping it up:  When I return a freshly groomed pet to its owners, I take the advice given by Judy Bremmer-Taxman; I praise the dog’s appearance!  I will say to the owner, as he or she greets their animal, “Doesn’t he look GREAT!  Look how proud he is!  Don’t you love his new look?”  This ends our visit on a happy note.  The busy pet owner takes time to really look at the pet, and to agree, that it does, indeed look wonderful!  I also suggest we make the pets next styling appointment at this time.  If there were any doubt as to what style or length of trim the customer wanted, I check now to see if what I did was what they had in mind.  I can then make a note in my records for the next visit.

 Contented customers are customers that come back to us. They are also people who refer us to their friends and family, and speak highly of us to their veterinarians.  They build our business for us better than any type of advertising that we could buy.  It is worth it for us to give some thought meeting the needs of the human portion of our clientele.  Keeping people happy keeps our schedule full of pets to groom, and in the end, isn’t that what our goal is?