Yay! I'm going Mobile!!!!!!!!!

[skc0104]

I am so excited! I finally got approved for a mobile grooming trailer and I should have it delivered to me around the first of may! Yipeeeee!!!! Now, HELP!!!! lol. I have a basic price list made up that is 5 to 10 $ more per dog, but I was wondering, I live in a rural area outside a big city. Should I create 2 price lists: one for local and one for the 30 minute drive to the city? I know a lot of my business is going to come from there, esp in the beginning. Also, I have heard pros and cons of advertising. I want to run ads, but my friend in another state says no, she never ran any ads, she just uses the van as advertisement. i see that once I'm established, but geez, how am I going to get any clients with no ads? I was thinking a small one in the newspaper, probably two weeks before I start so I can begin to book for when it arrives. I am so excited!!!! No more large corporation!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!

[Boxerfan]

I'm not mobile but maybe you could advertise up to say 20 miles for $xx price, and an extra 50 cents per mile after that (for example). A vet we used to have charged 50 cents a mile (each way) for farm calls and he lived over 30 miles away. Of course that was over 15 years ago too.

[NUNGUIS]

5 to 10 dolars difference from a shop is way too low i would do 15 to 25 dollars depending how far you have to travel and about advertising when i first started i put an add in the yellow pages and it worked for me,now most of my new clients are referals this year i decided that i will not advertise i'm very busy through the whole year and i hardly take new clients unless they are under 40#s or so. and good luck with your new business!

[hairdevil]

CONGRATULATIONS!! how exciting!!!! what kind of trailer did you go with and why? I'm still not sure which to go..trailer or van? Im leaning more towards van just for the convenience of parking and backing...and lack of enough power to pull with what I have...let me know which one you went for!!!! this will be a cake walk for you I'm sure! I would make up a flyer and put them at the vets offices and your local pet stores...maybe something in your lil weekly advertiser that comes out, if you have one. You will probably be busy in no time!!

[baddog]

My advise, don't listen to your friend....advertise, advertise, advertise!!!!! Start soon you want appts by the time your van arrives.

[SpikeyTheYorkie]

I am not mobile, but I do think that $5 to $10 higher doesn't sound like much. Remember, you have to DRIVE to each stop, so you wont be able to groom as many dogs. You need to make up for that in price. You are offering them a convenience, and you are paying the bills for your new trailer.

It is better to be a little high and go down than to undercut yourself, because it is very difficult to raise prices that much without losing customers, or making them angry.

Congrats, surely you will love it.

Tammy in Utah

[skc0104]

why I went with a trailer

I went with rightlookpets.com. They are so nice, and the trailers are competitively priced. The best part was it's done as an educational loan so you don't have to pay money down. I have savings, but I didn't want to dump it all into the down payment and then have nothing left for anything else. I went with the trailer because I do have something capable of towing it, but I also looked at the what if's. Like, if the car breaks down I can go rent one and not be down for days until the van gets fixed. On the flip side, I have to learn how to drive it and a van does seem more easily maneuvered. The main reason I went with it though was the price. They are half of a van, and they don't depreciate as quickly.
Thanks for the advice guys I'm so glad I found this site.

[RevWind]

I was also told no big advertising stint. My thoughts on advertising were flyers in grocery stores or anywhere they have a bulletin board. Also churches sometimes have an advertisement section in the back of their newsletters. At least here they do. Make friends with your local pet boutique. Especially a high end one. I'm hoping that will be a big source of referrals for me. Don't forget free listings in the online yellowpages and superpages. And a WEBSITE!!! Good and thorough. Policies and everything.
Good luck! I'm nearly there myself (hoping hoping hoping).

[OnTheSpot]

I live in a small town and drive to several small towns and one large town to groom. I charge the same amount wherever I go. With gas prices rising, I may have to add a surcharge for towns that are more than 20 miles away from me, but we'll see. As far as advertising goes, definately advertise! I was told not to pay for a yellow pages ad, but I decided to try it for one year, I felt it was pretty cheap and some people say that are having a hard time finding me.
Good luck, you're gonna love it!

[socalkevin]

I charge a 20 dollar trip fee for anything outside of city limits..which is usually 10 miles or more..have only had a couple people not like the idea..the rest paid and rebooked....

[Aussheplady]

While your grooming unit IS your best advertising, it is most effective if you have a website and graphics on the unit for them to locate the site to get more information. I advertised in the yellow pages in 2 books (in order to cover all the areas I work in). I only did it 1 year, after that, I had realized that I wasn't getting enough of a return from them to even cover their cost so I dropped them. Most of my clientele comes from referrals, but others see my van. I have gotten a few from Furminator's website (I am listed there as an authorized service provider) and some from my listing here at petgroomer.com. I stopped taking new large dogs over a year ago and refer those calls to a couple other mobile groomers. I am as picky about my clients as they are about their groomer. Most of my clients prebook 3-4 months at a time and most are every 4 week clients. Getting them to prebook does wonders for your bottom line plus keeps them happy as they always know that they will get in at the time frame they wish.

[Gracy Rose]

I didn't publish advertise, instead I advertised myself. I went to dog parks, met people and told them I was beginning a mobile business, I got clients that way. Then within a month, I was averaging about 4-6 a day.