Free Article HomeSubmit Article l Contact Us


Creating a Welcome Packet for Your Pet-Care Business Clients 
When you’re marketing your business you put a great deal of time and thought into the preparation of your materials. You analyze every word and picture to make sure you not only portray the service you provide, but that you entice potential clients to take action!

Once you get the call from a new client, the next piece of information they receive from you is crucial in solidifying your relationship. Whether you use a generic contract or have one that you tailor to each individual client is up to you – however, you need to remember that the materials you use to ‘seal the deal’ reflect the quality of your business and set the tone for the type of relationship you will have will your clients.

Because I’m a not just a business owner, I’m a pet-service provider – caring for the most precious possession my client has – I want all my paperwork to not only portray my professionalism, but the fact that my business is run by a ‘real person.’

I recently reviewed the professional relationships I’ve had with business coaches, fitness instructors and personal chefs, and realized that they all had something in common – a Welcome Packet – not a contract. It also occurred to me that I immediately liked working with these professionals because I felt at ease – almost like we were working ‘on a handshake’ instead of in a tight corporate structure. Don’t get me wrong – I knew that these welcome packets included all the same ‘fine print’ you’d find in a contract – it just felt better.

This realization led me to the creation of my own Welcome Packet for pet-care clients. A Welcome Packet can be an essential tool in your pet-care business’ success and can set the tone for the human touch to all your client interactions.

Here are some tips for creating and using a Welcome Packet for YOUR pet-care business.

1. Start with a welcome letter that is easy to personalize.

Include the client’s and the client’s pet’s name in the opening paragraph. Feel free to include anything specific you gleaned from your pre-qualifying discussion. Ex. “Dear Susan, It was a delight to talk to you today about Fifi’s puppy training regime. I certainly remember the early days with my pup and the stress I felt trying to get home each day at lunch to let her out. Fifi’s needs are really clear and I’m so glad we’ll be working together to make them happen.”

The welcome letter should also tell the client briefly what information follows in the document. (Ground rules, rate information, client profile and pet profile and anything else you will send with this initial letter)

The letter should include a brief list of what the client should expect and have prepared for their in-person registration meeting. (Keys, payments, completed packet)

End your letter with a personal touch by thanking them for contacting you and letting them know you look forward to meeting them and taking care of their pet’s needs. If you have set a date and time for your registration meeting, you should include that here too.

2. The next document in your packet is your “Policies and Procedures” – which I refer to as “Ground Rules.” This is a fairly extensive document which I begin with a statement that it’s important to our relationship that they READ and UNDERSTAND all the terms included before we start doing business together.

Items that I include are:

1. Fee
2. Payments and Deposits
3. Business Hours
4. Reservation Policies
5. Holiday Policy and Fees
6. Weekend Fees
7. Cancellations
8. Confidentiality
9. Visit Hours
10. Access to home by others
11. Additional Fees (delivery, transportation)
12. Emergency/Last Minute service
13. Registration Fee
14. Keys
15. Free-roaming pets
16. Pet-proofing certain areas of the home
17. Safe Access (shovel walks, clear entry)
18. Request for their comments and testimonials
19. Referral partner statement

3. The third item or document in the Welcome Packet includes a Service Agreement.

The service agreement includes the start date of service, reiterates the rate and states that the service can be renewed without any additional paperwork. It also states that we will complete the specific work as requested. In essence, this is the working contract for our services.

4. The additional documents in the Welcome Packet include

1. Pet Profile Form
2. Client Profile Form
3. Vet Release Form
4. Locksmith Release form
5. Pet Guardianship Form

All of these different ‘documents’ are combined in one file that is sent, via e-mail, to new clients. We also attach a copy of our testimonials, a referral list and a tip sheet for working with your pet-sitter with each Welcome Packet.

The Welcome Packet itself is fairly lengthy document and you should verify with your clients that they have DSL or cable internet access in order to receive the document. In rare cases where they do not have the ability to receive this type of attachment, the packet is printed and presented to the client during the registration meeting.

Our clients continue to tell us how much they enjoy working with us – and that they knew from our first ‘official’ interaction that we would have a good fit – because while they could tell we knew the ‘business’ side of pet-care, it was clear that we understood the ‘human’ side too!

Author Info:

Peggie Arvidson-Dailey, the owner of Peggie’s Pet Services, LLC and the founder of the Pet-Care Business Success System™ and The Pet Care Business Success University helps pet-care business owners throughout the US, Canada, UK and Australia find and book the best clients, make more money and still have MORE time for their lives! For more information on the Pet-Care Business Success University and to subscribe to “The Pet-Care Business Success Shortcuts E-zine” visit http://www.peggiespets.com/wst_page9.html. The monthly e-zine includes tips and information on the best ways to run a successful pet-care business and is the only FR^EE e-zine and information source exclusively for pet-care business owners. peggie@peggiespets.com

 
30 Most Recent Articles :
A Disputed New Business:Virtual Property Exchange

In many ways, the in-game economy is similar to a real world economy - goods and services are traded to mutual advantage and are mediated in currencies(gold,platinum,credit,etc.). An online broker, who goes by the screen name Rolala, was not a fan of online games until his 15-year-old son be[ Read Article]

THE UNITED STATES, A Terrorist Nation

I love the United States of America, but I cannot tolerate the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. No I am not shouting at you, I am simply making a distinction, a difference that thirty-seven states of the union have noticed and moved to rectify. You see, AMERICA isn’t America anymore, nor does it in anyw[ Read Article]

Dollars and Sense

When I speak of the Federal Reserve and the fiat monetary system that controls our lives I feel as though my words are falling on deaf ears. I have the sense that the simplest conversations suggesting that change must be made invoke fear and condemnation from my fellow citizens. When will we tak[ Read Article]

Constitutionality

Is the 16th Amendment constitutional? Of course it is, the Supreme Court has made that as clear as it did the issue of slavery. But let us remember that it took the lives of more than 365,000 brave American men and the destruction of the Republic to wrest the matter from the courts and resolve the[ Read Article]

Five Secrets to Effective Pay-Per-Click Advertising

With so many companies swarming the World Wide Web with their products, how can you and your products and services stand out? Your ready answer would most likely be effective marketing. But how? How can you catch the eye of a surfer skimming carelessly through web pages? How can you keep the at[ Read Article]

How to Sell Bonds

If you want to make good money with banks, or any institution, Government and agency bonds are where it is at. Simply because all Government bonds and agencies are AAA rated, and banks can buy millions of dollars of any bond without incurring any credit risk. All banks own bonds of some sort, a[ Read Article]

Closing in the Car Business

The “P” Word. Closing is all about helping car customers make positive decisions. It is not about pressure or manipulation. Your customers need help overcoming the “P” word. Procrastination! Procrastination is natural when it comes to making a buying decision. Your customer is trying to avoid [ Read Article]

If You Build It They Will Come, or Will They?

All right, so you invested your time and energy to build your organization a great new web site, but you are not getting quite the results you were hoping for. Few customers are visiting or interacting with you and rarely do you get prospects to contact you through the site. So what can you do to [ Read Article]

Confessions of a Yoga Teacher

The following are questions that Yoga teachers still need to answer, despite overwhelming evidence that Yoga is ?the mother of all health maintenance systems.? Mainstream thought is finally catching up, with the progress Yoga is making, but it has taken 5,000 years for us to get this far. Serio[ Read Article]

Vertical Creep in Search Results :: Should Organic Optimizers be Concerned?

I thought for this week I’d give a summary of some of the more interesting Search Engine Strategies sessions which are currently going on in New York City. I was at SES as a speaker last year in New York and I have to say, there is a wealth of information there even if some of it is contradict[ Read Article]

How to build link popularity fast and free

We all knew that back link or link popularity is a big factor to get good position in any search engines. But building link popularity some times really hard if you don't know how to do it. One of the hardest problem for new webmasters is to get back link to their newly stablis[ Read Article]

Does Chiropractic Care Really Make Sense?

The Role of Chiropractic in Treatment Beyond the Resolution of Symptoms Do you have the same nagging injury that never seems to go away? Are you suffering needlessly with pain? Are you fed up with taking painkillers? Do you want to find out what is causing your pain? If your answer is ‘ye[ Read Article]

The Economic Implications of Buying Drugs Online

Although the Internet is fairly new (at least to the mainstream) online shopping has grown by leaps and bounds. Now you can buy almost anything you need, from food to fishing equipment, right through your computer. Of course, this has meant that commerce has been forced to adapt to the changing co[ Read Article]

Manning and Manning-Can Either Brother Win the Big One?

It was just over a year ago, after the Colts lost to the Pats in their post-season contest, that Boomer Esiason said on national television, "I think maybe Peyton (Manning) is this generation's Dan Marino." Esiason went on to state that Manning "is a great football player, but he's not going to get[ Read Article]

Branding, Branding, Branding - MSN fails to keep it Straight

Sometimes you see promotions come along and you wonder: did they just do that? The current MSN promotion called msnsearchandwin is a prime example of this. Not only do they use “black hat” or at least “questionable” tactics on the site, but the messaging is inconsistent. In this article [ Read Article]

The New MSN Search Interface :: A positive change or the antithesis of transformation?

Now, instead of wide blue bars there are sleek silver-grey bars. Also, the top bar where the search box is became narrower. To me this makes the page seem less “closed in” and more visually appealing. I now feel as if I can trust the results more because they have more room. I’ve also noti[ Read Article]

Malta Holidays

With Malta visitor numbers static in recent years and facing new competiton from former Eastern Bloc countries offering cheap holidays, the recent announcement by the Maltese government that negotiations were at an advanced stage with two low cost airlines has[ Read Article]

Drug Rehab Treatment Centers as an Experience, not a Punishment

Choosing a drug rehab treatment center is a decision that calls for both negative and positive emotions. Nobody wants addiction to overtake their life to the point that rehab is the necessary step. However, the decision to go to one is something to look forward to, as it is the decision to rebui[ Read Article]

Some ways to improve your king content

There are thousands of articles, books and forum posts which showed that content is king in search engine optimization (SEO). In this article, you can find some ways that can help you improve this king content for your web site. * Content for people first, not for search engines - Some webmaste[ Read Article]

Aerosmith Just Keeps On Rockin’

For over three decades, Aerosmith have been one of rock's most revered and popular bands, crafting classic songs full of raw guitar runs and intensely energetic vocals. The band first reached fame in the 1970’s with a string of hits including "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way." During t[ Read Article]

Chicago Cubs Pitcher Mark Prior Re-signs

After many trips through the rumor mill, Mark Prior accepted the Chicago Cubs’ offer on January 27 to a one-year, $3.65 million contract. That is $900,000 more than the salary he would have earned under the contract he voided in November. Since Prior's definitive season in 2003 (18-6), he has cooled[ Read Article]

Social Networking - The Next Great Marketing Medium?

There has been a virtual explosion of social networking sites in the past couple of years. Even the big players like Google, Yahoo and MSN are getting into it. With so much interest in how social networks work, one begins to wonder if there is marketing potential within these social network[ Read Article]

How to choose paid directory for web site listing?

How to choose paid directory for web site listing? Search Engines are the major source of traffic for any website. High search engine ranking can boost number of your visitors and in turn leads to increase in sales. The best way to get top search engine placement is to improve link popularity [ Read Article]

Addiction Treatment Centers Using Experiential Therapies

Life is experience. Substance dependence overtakes a person’s ability to make her own decisions to experience life, and life is no longer actively participated in. Therefore, in overcoming addiction, it is vital to learn to re-experience life. This lesson helps a treatment center resident reint[ Read Article]

The DH: Making Life Tough for AL Pitchers

In 1973 Major League Baseball instituted three rules designed to lessen the power of pitchers and create more offense. One theory at work was that the game needed to be energized and that more hitting would create additional runs and excitement. Both the National and American Leagues lowered th[ Read Article]

Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way

Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way Almost everyone agrees; there is no more relaxing way to vacation than to take it to the beach. For the vacationer/traveler who hasn't considered a beach house rental before, they represent an affordable and fun family oriented alternative. There is an intell[ Read Article]

Malta Holidays and Hotels Buzzed by New Jets

With Malta visitor numbers static in recent years and facing new competiton from former Eastern Bloc countries offering cheap holidays, the recent announcement by the Maltese government that negotiations were at an advanced stage with two low cost airlines has sparked hopes that the island will see [ Read Article]

The Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs

If you’re like many Americans, the rising cost of prescription drugs may be costing you your health. In particular, seniors living on a fixed income with no insurance are finding it difficult to pay for necessary prescriptions out-of-pocket, and as a result, may be failing to receive the treatment[ Read Article]

Who's Tops in Hockey and Who's Not

The National Hockey League needs to do more to encourage better coverage of the hockey games. With so many other sports realizing national coverage, the NHL is sometimes forgotten. However, this year, there's a race for the Stanley Cup, and only one is set to win it. But which team will that be? [ Read Article]

The Danger Of Rounding Up Your Debts

Rounding up your debts is one of the biggest dangers to your financial position. It's also one of the easiest ways for your debts to get out of control. This way of thinking is best summed up by the following comment; ‘I already owe $27500 so what’s another $500. It takes my debt to a nice round [ Read Article]

 

World Top Stories :
Democrats Try to Minimize Stadium’s Political Risks
As workers prepared for a nomination address in an outdoor football stadium, aides to Barack Obama are feeling pressure to bring his candidacy to ground level.<br/><br/><span class="advertisement"> <a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=ba6699eca028480181189b6a17db1074&u=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/us/politics/29stage.html"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=ba6699eca028480181189b6a17db1074&u=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/us/politics/29stage.html" border="0"/></a></span>


 

Copyright © 2006 Realook.com All Rights Reserved.