Lead and Client Management Tips for Pet Sitters
Looking to take your pet sitting business to the next level? You need to set yourself apart as a professional. Show clients that you’re the one they want to entrust their pets to.
To do that, you need a lead and client management system. If you’re not familiar with what that is, don’t stress. We’ll walk you through setting up a sales funnel that works for your business and helps turn prospective clients into regulars.
Do you need a lead or client management system as a pet sitter?
Yes! If you want pet sitting to be a significant portion of your income, you need a way to keep track of your schedule, your clients' information, and prospective clients.
Most pet sitters are pretty casual about their business and focus most of their energy on caring for the pets rather than also managing the client relationship. You can set yourself apart from the competition by developing the organizational and communication skills that allow you to manage your clients as well as you do their pets. That’s how you go from having occasional pet-sitting gigs to commanding higher rates in the market and even having a career as a pet sitter.
A basic lead management funnel for pet sitters
Lead management is an important tool in business and a practice that is the backbone of successful business owners' client rosters. The central idea is to move people through a “sales and marketing funnel” where they go from not knowing who you are to being a repeat client.
For pet sitters, there are 5 basic steps:
Step #1: Attract (Marketing)
First, you have to get the client to notice you. There are a ton of different ways you can market yourself as a pet sitter, and we cover more of them in this article. But the important thing is to get across who you are and why you excel as a pet sitter to as many prospective clients as possible.
Don’t spread yourself too thin. Pick 1-2 channels to try at first (Instagram, website, local flyers, paid ads, etc) and see what works for you. Establish reliable ways for people to find you on digital platforms and keep your branding and messaging consistent, so they know what to expect. Choose channels that not only work for you, but are also where you think your desired clients will spend the most time.
Step #2: Capture (Marketing)
Once you have someone’s attention on your chosen channel(s), the next important step is to create a way for them to easily contact you and capture their contact information. At this point, you need to keep things short and sweet.
Make it as quick and easy as possible for people to reach out to you. Try to ask them for no more than 3-5 pieces of information (name, phone number, email, number of pets, etc). It should be quick to hand out your contact information, too. You can go old-school with business cards or use QR codes to connect with new clients.
Step #3: Qualify (Sales)
Now that you’ve attracted clients and they submitted leads, you’re moving from the marketing part of the funnel to the sales part. That means it’s time to dig a little deeper and figure out if these leads are really a good fit for you and your business. Respond to the clients as quickly as you can, either by phone or email (24 hours or less), to share more about your business, your availability, and ask any questions that weren’t answered in the client's lead form.
You need to find out if they’re a good fit for you (Good location? Non-aggressive pets?), and if you’re a good fit for them (Can you give their pets medications? Do you know how to handle separation anxiety?). You could do all this through a more in-depth form, in person, or over a video chat.
If everything lines up, it’s time to get them booked!
Step #4: Book (Sales)
Scheduling and payment are other steps that you need to make as easy as possible for clients. There aren’t really any good free tools for this, though some “free-mium” scheduling tools may be able to get you started. If you have your own website, there may also be options available either through your website provider or embedded widgets, for example.
The easiest way for many pet sitters will be to maintain their own schedule privately (though we recommend using a tool like Google Calendar) and have clients request what days they need. Once the timeframe for the sitting is approved on both ends, send them your payment information or invoice. Outline clearly how you can be paid and when you expect the deposit and full payment.
This step might not always be simple; some clients may not book immediately, either through lack of need or indecision. Set regular times to reach out to these perspectives and see if they need a pet sitter for the upcoming holiday or season.
Step #5: Cultivate
Ideally, a client won’t just book with you once; you’ll continue to watch their pet for years. But that won’t happen if they don’t have an excellent experience with you every time - that is what makes client management so important. Cultivate good communication techniques so clients know what to expect before, during, and after you pet sit for them.
Take good notes on what each of your clients (and their pets) likes and dislikes, so it’s easy for you to connect with them on every interaction. For example, if you know that one of your clients loves to go camping with his dogs, you might ask if they’ve been to any new parks since you last saw them.
Lead and Client Management Tools for Pet Sitters
There are some basic tools that will help you connect with clients and take their info, like:
And other systems that were created especially for the pet sitting industry.
Client management tips for pet sitters
How you treat your clients makes all the difference.
Here are some tips from our expert sitters to take your business to the next level:
Build your brand thoughtfully. When sharing or creating content on social media, make sure you always put your best foot forward. Ideally, prospective clients will think of you as an authority on pet care and a professional before they ever speak with you.
Get invested in your clients and their pets. Ask lots of questions when getting to know them, and really listen. If you understand how their household works and what kind of care the pets are used to, you immediately feel like part of the family. Take note of your clients' interests (as well as their pets) so you can connect with them organically as you continue to work together.
Keep your notes organized. Everything you learn about clients' needs has to be kept in a secure and orderly fashion. You need to be able to quickly look up a dog’s allergies without leaving the door codes where anyone could get them.
Create good outreach habits. Develop schedules and set aside regular time to send out proactive marketing communications like pre-appointment reminders, post-appointment follow-ups, lead cultivation to old clients, and fun outreach like holiday cards.
Let your calendar think for you. Don’t try to hold everything in your brain. Put every booking and appointment in your calendar and make sure you check it before agreeing to any new bookings or clients.
Automate where you can. Along similar lines, use whatever automated tools come with your email system to schedule check-ins in advance or your calendar to send automated reminders. However, an over-reliance on AI tools to write your communication can leave you sounding robotic.
Bonus Tip: You don't have to go it alone
Now, earlier when we said there weren’t any good options for client and lead management that were built around pet sitters' needs, that wasn’t entirely true. While there aren’t any options that you can purchase as an individual pet sitter, if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should check out G&G Pets.
Our customized platform collects, organizes, and securely stores all of the information you need on the pet’s habits and schedule. The clients fill out their profiles when they join, so when they reach out, you can already see if you’ll be a good fit.
We also streamline communication between you and the client. They can have the benefit of being able to reach out to you when they have questions, and you can have the option of keeping your personal contact information private.
If you’re the kind of pet sitter who wants to develop your lead management skills, we already know that you’re the kind of professional we want to work with. And we’d love to meet you! Use the button below to join the best pet sitters in the Bay Area.
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