1. Host workshops
Workshops bring your customers in for extra visits and help get new, potential customers in your door. Workshops offer a great opportunity to extend beyond your regular menu of services. Here are a couple ideas to get you started:Partner up with local trainers and ask them to come in and teach your customers simple cues at home to get their dogs to behave. When customers come in for workshops, they are likely to make a retail purchase or schedule an appointment while they are there.
Partner up with a local pet photographer. Rent out your facility to them for professional photoshoots for interested customers or you can ask them to give customers tips on how to take great pet photos.
Customers love the idea of Do-It-Yourself projects for their pets. Look up tutorial videos, scour Pinterest, and master a few projects that any customer will be able to do and teach a workshop yourself!
2. Make it easy to add on an extra service.
Offering individual extra services or bundling them into activity packages that customers can add-on to their main services is a great way to increase revenue. Get creative and think of fun package names that describe who should be purchasing the packages.Here are a few individual services you can add to your list:
Fur Brushing and Teeth brushing
Pet Manicures or Pawdicure
2nd and 3rd walks
Frozen Kong
Extra playtime
Bedding upgrade
Tattoos, dyes, and braiding
Now bundle them together with creative names:
The Spaw Package: Pawdicure, Pet massage, Fur dye
The Active Puppy Package: Extra playtime, 15 minute walk, Frozen kong activity
The Senior Canine Package: Pet Massage, Bedding Upgrade, Fur Brushing
3. Have at least one wall for retail items.
Displaying your retail items in an organized and attractive way invites customers to browse while they are waiting to pick up or drop off their pets. Make your retail items visible to customers as they walk through the door.PawLoyalty kennel software allows you to add retail items to customer purchases at the time of check-in, through the Customer Profile, and at the time of check-out. You can keep track of your product inventory within the kennel software as well so as the items start flying off the shelves, you can prepare to restock.
Here’s a tip: Place a few smaller items right at the front desk, so at check out, customers will be more likely to make impulse buys.
4. Schedule customer calls to confirm appointment details and upsell an add-on activity.
After customers have used the online booking feature, you can set up PawLoyalty kennel software to send out automated email reminders up to 10 days prior to a customer’s appointment. This will prevent no-shows and reduce vacancy rates.Schedule employees to make calls to customers to confirm their appointment details and also to take the opportunity to remind them about small upgrades they can choose that will make their pet’s stay more enjoyable. Train your employees to upsell activities every chance they get--over the phone, at check-in or check-out, and when they refer the business to potential customers. You will get your fair share of “No’s”, but each “Yes” you receive is well worth the extra effort. This also adds a personal touch to your business. Customers will appreciate interaction with a friendly and helpful employee.
5. Partner with another company who compliments your services and has the same profile for ideal customers.
Allow your partners to schedule events at your facility where they can promote their own businesses. For example, work with a trainer whom you can recommend to your daycare and boarding customers and vice versa. These strategic alliances are great sources for referrals. Increase your referral network and you’ll increase your list of customers as well.6. Create an email newsletter.
Sending out an email newsletter will keep you in constant contact with your current customers. If they are aware of your promotions and new services, you’re more likely to bring them back through your door. Adding your current customer’s email to their profile is an important on-boarding step that opens the door to more marketing opportunities.Don’t forget to segment your contacts. Promotions are only effective if they go to the right people. You wouldn’t want to send training workshop specials to customers with senior canines, so place careful thought into tailoring your emails to specific audiences to make sure you don’t end up in their spam folder.
There are lots of small ways that you can create more opportunities for your current loyal customers to spend more money with you. If the idea of raising your rates doesn’t sit well with you, these alternative options may still help you see an overall increase in your revenue. Make a commitment to try at least one of these ideas and let us know how they work!
We are in the construction phases of starting a ground-up dog boarding, daycare, grooming and retail space. Im curious to know if you have any suggestions on what items to sell in retail and what NOT to sell in retail? i.e. based on customer purchasing tendencies, demand, profit margins, etc. Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteHi Mandy, congrats on the new facility. I think the items that you are going to carry for retail really depend on the space you have and how you can merchandise various items. I like the impulse purchases (bully sticks, organic treats, etc) for time of drop-off and check-out. But to know what retail we would have to get the specifics. Give me a call and we can talk about your specific situation. 707-721-1588 is my office line.
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