odd client , rant

[maladee]

I hate to rant but I can not believe this.

I had this client 1yr ago very nice dog and very nice client they always said what a great job I did on their dog ect...

Then all of a sudden stopped calling me to do the pom.

I figured they found someone cheaper when about a month ago I see the caller ID on my phone was from them but they did not leave a message ,I called them anyway just to be told they called me on accident.

Fast forward to today I get a message to please call them and tell them what my price is so they can determine if I or the cheap groomer did there dog last month.I was VERY busy today so I thought they would get a answer from cheap groomer, I was wrong, she left another message begging me to call her back with a price.

So I called back letting her know my price, and I asked how much does cheap groomer charge, she said 40 $ ,as much as I loved this dog I could not go that low.

Many of the shops charge the same thing, I can not bet that price. I told her I can not do that, I felt defeated some how, I needed the money but that would not pay for fuel to get there.

Anyone else been in the same predicament ?

[Emma123]

It sounds as if your former client doesn't realize that there are differences between groomers. You probably offer services or do things in a way that some other groomers wouldn't. Perhaps you take extra time to dematt, or you have years of great experience, or you know how to handle her dog so that it is comfortable and not stressed, or you sanitize your shop every day... Letting the conversation be about price is not good for any businessperson. Gently steer the conversation to other issues -- like "how is little Suzy doing? I remember that she was nervous about nails. How's that going for her?" Let her know that you are the sort of groomer who has a real passion for your work and for her pet. There is simply no way to win a price war. Winning it is losing.

[woofus]

I hear you there. I about fell out of my chair when I read that a new groomer in town charges 40-45 for "large dog" bath and haircut packages. I keep wondering what qualifies as a 'large dog'. A St Poo?? She's out of her mind... There is something to be said, though, about charging low prices and NOT being a horrible groomer. I don't charge what they do at my last job and since I'm not working on commission, it's not that bad actually. My prices are lower than I think they should be for what I can provide, but for this community they aren't that far off.

Money will always mean more to some people than quality. Most of our imports from other countries are cheaply made and cheaply sold. We don't value quality any more as a culture. Its all speed and cheap cost. I guess the upside is that it seems to be changing in some areas. Some people are coming around and seeing the value in a good groomer, or a t-shirt made by their neighbor.

[SilverStarWing]

I'm in the same boat as you woofus. With so many shops in the area, people want the cheapest. If your not cheap enough they'll go somewhere else, regardless of quality. Sad really. And what hurts us is that theirs a really bad school in town, and the owner of the school recommends new graduates to open their own salon. That could be good OR bad, depending on how the client thinks.

[Starshan]

It sounds as if your former client doesn't realize that there are differences between groomers. You probably offer services or do things in a way that some other groomers wouldn't. Perhaps you take extra time to dematt, or you have years of great experience, or you know how to handle her dog so that it is comfortable and not stressed, or you sanitize your shop every day... Letting the conversation be about price is not good for any businessperson. Gently steer the conversation to other issues -- like "how is little Suzy doing? I remember that she was nervous about nails. How's that going for her?" Let her know that you are the sort of groomer who has a real passion for your work and for her pet. There is simply no way to win a price war. Winning it is losing.

Emma, Thanks for this advice. My mobile is so slow & the big spaces between new client calls has me forgetting to explain the differences & just focus on their question. I read this this morning & after making breakfast I got a call. I didn't answer her question right off & explained a little about mobile first. She wasn't turned away from the price either, helps that she works from home & works for Boeing. She almost got off the phone to check her bank account but decided to check it while on the phone & asked a few more questions. She booked her 2 Shih & I'm happy. Now to remember to do this every time.

Most callers are price shoppers & when they hear mobile is a little higher then a shop they tend to find excuses to get off the phone. So frustrating to the point I really am thinking of opening a home shop but SilverStarWing brought up another thought of having too many shops in the area. There is atleast 5 shops around me on this hill, that's not including vets with groomers (atleast 1 of those in town & 1 down the hill in the next town in a huge vet).

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy mobile

[wolfy-hound]

You shouldn't feel bad if the price they want to pay is too low for you to make enough profit.

Think of it this way.... if they want to pay $20, and you need to charge $25 to make enough profit, then you start to feel "But it's just $5, I could maybe lower my price $5, right???"

No, you can't. In order to remain a business, you must charge a certain amount. So that $5 DOES matter. That $20 offer might as well be a $2 offer. Would you agree to do it for $2? No, of course not. But even one dollar under that profit margin is a lost cause for you as a business.

Your business is important, it's not a hobby where we can fudge and winkwink nodnod about how much we need to charge. Your time, your expertise and your abilities are worth the price. Don't doubt it! Go you!!!

[Emma123]

Good for you Shannon!! People are busy and gas prices are high, so mobile really does offer good value for the price. Paying extra is well worth it for the convenience.

[maladee]

Good for you Shannon!! People are busy and gas prices are high, so mobile really does offer good value for the price. Paying extra is well worth it for the convenience.

Your exactly right I had someone the other day make the same comment about gas.

I am in the same boat as starshan very hard to get new clients cause of stiff competition, I have tried to talk up the good points of mobile ,today someone came up asked for a price , I told her all the great points about mobile and then told her the price, she seemed pleased, we shall see where this goes.
,

[Downtowndogs]

Not.worth.it.

Don't even bother with people like that. Just this year I've seen two(YES 2!!) mobile groomers go out of business and two full service shops. This is just in my little nook of an area under 10 miles. Two mobiles were the bargain groomers and one shop was a bargain shop. I didn't even know that those two mobile groomers had existed until I started getting calls with my shop price being the same or higher. I had never seen them even though it was in this area. The others I have no clue or can't even remember why they closed. Don't under price and feed the cheapskates. They will just come back and ask for more and more. Don't lose money and give services away no matter what.

I'm in a shop and right now I have a competitor (new) who charges half of what I charge or less. I'm not going to compete with that. They have actually told clients their goal is to be the cheapest to get all the clients in the area. They are grooming "At cost" LOL, yeah great business strategy..I guess the business owner doesn't need a paycheck anytime soon...or later...or ever. Their Doodle price is $10 less than a shihtzu at my place. While her rent is 2.5x mine because I looked at the same spot and said "oh heck no".

So anyways the lesson is don't let a client cost you money each time you groom for them.