True confession. I read a lot of online grooming forums. I enjoy seeing what other groomers are doing, thinking, and trying. I often learn new tips and tricks and sometimes get good ideas for my blog posts.
Sometimes, pet groomers get some unusual styling requests. I bet you will recognize some of these: "Shave the poodle feet, but do it all the way up to the wrist joint.", "Trim the legs and feet much closer than the body."....
Pet groomers are not required to hold any official certification in most states, and grooming is largely an unregulated industry. This means anyone can buy a set of clippers and scissors and call themselves a professional groomer.
If you want to stir up some arguments among a group of groomers, bring up the topic of offering “shedless treatments” as an add-on service. The three most significant points that groomers argue about when it comes to this discussion are:
I do a lot of thinking when I am blow-drying dogs. Last week, as I was (endlessly) drying a Cocker Spaniel, I began to ponder some "do's and don'ts" that apply to our industry. Here arethree of each that I came up with.
Each year, the AKC releases its list of top 10 most popular breeds. Many of the breeds don’t have a lot of coat. How does a grooming business proactively maintain its volume when haircut dogs are less popular? You build your bath and brush business!
Have you checked on the condition of the walls in your grooming space lately? Chances are, they have some grime that needs attention. The walls in our grooming areas get blasted with moisture regularly, especially near the bathing and drying areas. Moisture captures dust, hair, and dander (so much dander), and it all sticks as the walls dry out again.
In an ideal world, our customers would bring us sweet, wriggling puppies and allow us to groom their pets until they die at an advanced age. The dog would be used to us and how we handle it for grooming, and we would be used to the dog and its behavior. Customers would appreciate how we make their pet look and smell and never forget to tip. But it's not an ideal world, and the above scenario is not the norm.
Using courtesy in your business is a way of showing respect to your customers or potential customers. In a post-Covid world, many people have experienced less courtesy than we remember having in the past. In the grooming industry, there are some simple steps to ensure you are offering the people who reach out to you the kind of courtesy that will make them feel good about you and your business practices.
Do you prefer that your customers contact you via telephone, text, or a messaging platform? Increasingly, groomers are giving up the standard phone call in preference for messaging. The benefits are as follows:
