Hey Gang,

I wanted to publicly apologize for 2 posts/emails you received the last couple of days. I hired a couple of so called professional freelance writers who took advantage of the opportunity. 

I respect you and your time and you. You have come to expect only high quality material from this site and that has not changed.

I’d like to do now what I should have done originally, and offer the opportunity to my readers to contribute.

If you have marketing or pet care information you think would be valuable to the Dog Business Daily community of readers please submit a sample of an article to me at: fran@dogbusinessdaily.com

When submitting an article consider what your fellow pet care business owners might appreciate. Share tips or tricks for marketing and promotions that have worked for you, especially anything unique and creative.

Any article accepted will be published on my site, marketed on twitter and emailed to the Dog Business Daily subscriber list.  Your business and website will receive credits in the signature of the article.

I appreciate you and am dedicated to helping you build your pet care business.  Hopefully this opportunity will translate into PR and increased authority for you in your market. 

Warm Waggles,

Fran

A Custom Vinyl Banner Can Give New Businesses Much Needed Attention

The area of town I live in is really starting to grow commercially . This is exciting, as many new national and local businesses are developing space and creating commerce and activity around our main square. We have all heard rumors about which business is going into which building , but until those vinyl banners go up to tell us , it is all pure conjecture . Luckily , most of the new businesses have temporary custom vinyl banners in place that say, ” Coming Soon - Ladles ” or similar pre-notifications . These custom banners really get people talking about the new businesses and make people avid to try them out once they open.

The restaurant, Ladles, is a great example of a good custom vinyl banner attracting the right kind of attention. For months, while they awaited the completion of their new building , a temporary vinyl banner sign hung in the window with its name and estimated date of opening. My family and I pass that building every day, and that custom vinyl banner teased us for what felt like forever . We couldn’t wait to try it! And guess what? A lot of people felt the same way, because the day they opened , there was a line going out the door to try Ladle’s offerings - just because the owners didn’t wait to make good use of an attention grabbing custom banner !

How Do Custom Banners Maintain Attention?

Ladles has been open for a few weeks now, and business as of yet remains good. The vinyl banners have also evolved lately , still urging people to come in and give them a try . What kind of custom banners are these? Well, for starters , that “Coming Soon” banner has been changed to a “Now Open” sign. It is still a temporary vinyl banner sign with those two simple words , but it tells people that they are something new to try . Also, some people may have missed the opening dates on the first temporary custom vinyl banner , and it never hurts to remind the public of your new business.

Ladles also has a custom banner out in front of its building, with a graphic of a soup ladle and the slogan , “Hot Soup For Cool People.” So catchy I remembered it without even trying! Ladles is tucked into a new brick building with several new businesses, so it must use custom banners to stand out . Otherwise, the public might think the whole building was office space or even idle . Using a few different custom banner signs to create curiosity makes people want to try out your product !

Design An Amazing Custom Vinyl Banner

Remember the soup ladle on the new restaurant’s custom business sign? It’s the perfect graphic - simple, recognizable, easy to remember, and representative of the business. The coloring of Ladle’s vinyl custom banners is also well conceived - black lettering on a pale yellow background. Contrast of colors is essential on a vinyl banner to ensure visibility, and yellow is a color known to inspire appetites.

And take their slogan, “Hot Soups For Cool People”. This slogan Ladles came up with is also a great one - relevant to the business, soups, and memorable with its opposite word usage - hot and cool. The phrase is also small enough to fit onto the custom banner without cluttering it up with too much distraction and leaving enough space for the lettering to be large enough for people to read from a distance. It is also very clever in that it compliments its customers - it says to them that they are “cool.” It’s a marketing tactic that works, and Ladles has created an excellent design for a custom vinyl banner . No wonder they are always packed with customers new and returning !

Don’t Limit Your Use Of Custom Banner Signs

The owners of Ladles did not order just a couple custom vinyl banners to promote their business. They used several - both temporary and permanent - to indicate that they were coming, when they were coming, what they are, and when they opened. Their clever use of multiple custom signs and effective custom business sign design piqued people’s curiousity and made them eager to check them out. So when opening your own business, think about how useful custom banners are in creating anticipation and excitement. Before you know it, you’ll have a line out your door too!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you know about my now 8 1/2 month old Blue Heeler puppy Lucy. She was a shelter adoption and my fourth rescue dog. (You can click here to see “adorable” pictures of Lucy on the “My Babies” page).

She was and remains my greatest challenge and therefore, my greatest opportunity! Since the day I adopted her she exhibited severe aggression. How a grown person could ever be afraid of an adorable little 4 pound puppy - I couldn’t have told you…until Lucy!

You might also know that I am deeply involved in personal empowerment. As a matter of fact, my primary business is as a life coach - which is why you read so much about leadership skills here at the Dog Business Daily blog.

Lucy showing up in my life was not an accident. She provided an amazing opportunity for me to practice staying in the present moment. Her addition to my life helped me grow so profoundly in the 7 1/2 months we have been together.

The growth has had ripple effects into every part of my life. I will only bore you with one story… how she has brought me to new heights in my marketing strategies.

Stay open to the possibilities in what you perceive as “problems” and this universe will take the seeming worst circumstance and turn it into a beautiful blessing.

I am about to embark on a mission to find the Worlds Greatest Dog Trainer and in the process, demonstrate some amazing interactive marketing strategies that you can use to profit your dog care business. STAY TUNED!

For those of you who don’t know about Lucy - let me take this opportunity to introduce you to my little angel and begin the story of my search for The World’s Greatest Dog Trainer.

Even if you don’t know about Lucy, you should understand from reading my blog that I have a passion for dogs. I believe they have been created to help raise the consciousness of the world.

I adopted Lucy - some would say on a whim, I call it inspiration. I visit my local Humane Society often to hug and love the dogs at the shelter. I always want to bring at least one dog home with me but usually leave with empty arms.

On my visit on November 15, 2007 I knew I was going to get a puppy. When I met Lucy, it was done! The Lee County Humane Society has a great adoption process that to my dismay would require me to return late the next afternoon for their first available adoption time slot.

I witnessed Lucy’s aggression for the first time before the adoption. Immediately filled with doubt and fear, I asked if she had been separated from her pack because of behavior issues. I was assured she had not been separated.

I later found out the entire litter exhibited aggression - Lucy was the most severe.

An 8 month long story short - Lucy’s aggression issues led me to two of the worlds best trainers found right here in my community. First, Chris Adams of Oak Bowery Kennels, Opelika, AL and Maria McCausland, D.V.M., one of my vets at Parkway Animal Hospital in Auburn, AL.
Between Chris and Maria I have developed the skills to control Lucy’s aggressive tendencies to keep her, my other three dogs, myself and others safe.

While going through these first 8 months I experienced a great deal of doubt and fear.

The first few months I was being attacked by Lucy almost daily. I doubted whether I was the right person to handle this type of dog. Part of her aggression issues are simply her breed. A Blue Heeler is in charge of herding cattle - she has to be tough.

She is bred to control her environment and if her human pack leader is not strong enough - she would control me too.

Open to the experience and opportunity for me to learn and grow I allowed the right teachers to come into my life. You know the saying, when the student is ready. I had been going to Parkway Animal Hospital for almost 9 years and hadn’t had the pleasure of working with Maria.

Maria was the vet on duty that November day when I left the humane society and drove straight to the clinic. The journey had begun.

I ultimately have gained the pack leader position and in the process an inspiration for an amazing marketing strategy.

Bookmark this site - you don’t want to miss the amazing integrative marketing lesson we will unfold over the next few months.

You don’t have to be a marketing genius or spend hours every day reading marketing journals to figure out how to capitalize on market trends.

Take a look at your own behavior and then observe your friends, neighborhood and community for similar trends.

How for example have your behaviors changed with the rise in gas prices?

Have you limited your driving? Do you tend to consolidate your trips more now than ever? If you need to run to the grocery store, do you take the opportunity to stop at the bank and dry cleaners on the same trip?

If you notice these behaviors in yourself, your friends, neighbors and community there is a good chance it is happening in a wider arena. How do you translate this trend into marketing ROI (return on investment)?

Consider your ideal client. Consider where they spend their time, what they do all day? Most of our pet care clients have jobs. Most spend around 60% of their time traveling to and from and working at their job.

If your observed trend is translatable to your ideal clients - that means your clients are consolidating their drive time to and from work and on lunch breaks handling their daily spending chores.

As a business owner you should consider how to reach the consumer at the point of decision. As a subscriber and reader of this blog, you should consider how you might serve the clients needs through your services and products.

First consider how you might assist the client in their effort to consolidate their driving activities. Second, consider how you might reach new prospects where they are making buying decisions.

Accomplish both of these goals in the same marketing campaign and you have a prescription for success.

The relevant marketing point of this particular trend is you will want to market to the prospect while they are at work. One strategy to market to the prospect at work is to partner with the business or building management. Offer on site doggy day care, on site grooming or dog walking. Provide pick up and drop off services for your most common services like doggy day care, boarding and grooming.

If you are a pet sitter, try a unique marketing strategy like baking doggy biscuits with your phone # and business name on the wrapper. Get permission to leave the biscuits in a prominent place in the business - maybe with a receptionist.

Even if you don’t have a retail shop or ordinarily offer other services you could sponsor an on site doggy bathing day to promote your pet sitting business.

The point is get to the prospect where they are spending their time and making their buying decisions. Offer something of value in a unique way to maximize your marketing ROI.

Warm Waggles,
Fran
fran@dogbusinessdaily.com

How to Get Your Articles “Out There”

Before you send out any articles to anyone, you must read their guidelines fully! Failure to follow the set guidelines for posting/submitting your article usually ends with straight out rejection.

Most people will want the following.

1) Article 500 to 700 words in length -Put the exact amount of words there are in the email to the ezine publisher/article announcement list.

2) No spelling errors

This is as simple as doing a spell check

3) Complete contact details of yourself and a short synopsis of your article.

What this means is that when you send an email to say an ezine editor, you include a brief introduction about yourself, your contact information if needed and a short run down of your article. Anyone else but the ezine publisher or article announcement owner doesn’t see this.

4) Word wrap

You will want to wrap your article to 65 characters for each line. What this means is that every line of your article has 65 characters or less in it. This is important for margins in email.

There is a free tool that will do this for you, that I love. It will also help you with your article writing as well. You can get it from <http://www.ezineassistant.com>

5) Article in the body of your email

Never send your article as an attachment in an email. Most people don’t open attachments for the fear of viruses, so send all articles only in the body of the email. This is a big stumbling block for newbie writers.

But the best advice I can give you is to follow any guidelines set to the “T”. If you are unsure, ask someone.

So what should my email look like to any publisher? Here are a few examples.

“Please consider this article for your website or ezine. Permission to reproduce if byline stays intact. Courtesy copy appreciated; not required.

TITLE: Business, Patti and Lucy are Opening a Doggy Day Care!

AUTHOR: Doggy Diggs, The Dog Coach

WORD COUNT: 627

WRAP: 65

URL: http://www.doggydiggs.com

Mailto: doggy diggs, 123 Bow Wow Rd.

"Article Title: Make your business Doggy-Friendly

Author Name: Doggy Diggs

Contact Email Address: lucy@yahoo.com

Word Count: 1216

Category: Pet Care

Copyright Date: 2008

Special Requirements For Reprint: You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the complete resource box is included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Please send it to:

Send Your Articles Out To Thousands

Here are the best resources anywhere on the Internet to post your articles. If it’s not here, don’t bother with it!

Here are a list of ezine directories. You will find hundreds even thousands of ezines that are looking publish articles on all topics.

<http://www.published.com>

<http://www.ezine-dir.com>

<http://www.writerswrite.com/epublishing/mldirectory.htm>

<http://www.zinos.com>

<http://www.topezineads.com>

<http://www.directoryofezines.com> - The best, but it’s not free

<http://www.ezinesplus.com>

<http://paml.net>

<http://www.ezinesearch.com>

<http://www.marketing-seek.com>

<http://www.ezinelinks.com>

<http://ezine-universe.com>

<http://www.ezineseek.com>

<http://www.freezineweb.com>

<http://www.newsletter-directory.com>

<http://www.ezinedirectory.com>

<http://www.list-city.com>

Now not everyone of the mailing lists you find will accept articles, and not every ezine directory will tell you who does and who doesn’t accept articles, so it will be a bit of a process in finding out which ones do and don’t.

Make sure you write down all the details of who you submit your articles to and make a directory, so you know where to send them next time.

Here is a list of article announcement sites:

<http://www.websource.net/articlesub.htm> - The best of the best

<http://www.marketing-seek.com>

<http://www.ideamarketers.com>

<http://www.authorconnection.com>

<http://www.ezinearticles.com>

<http://www.makingprofit.com>

<http://www.clickz.com>

<http://www.bpub.com>

A final tip - use original content only for article marketing. It is absolute death to your article marketing if you are found re-using content - your own or any one elses. New, never before published articles are the rule.

Do you have a marketing strategy planned out for the entire year?

Does such an idea give you a knot in your stomach? It really
isn’t that difficult to plan an annual marketing campaign.

When you utilize this strategy - it will keep profits growing all year long.

No matter what time of year it is - there is no better time to
start planning ahead.

Once you fully understand the power your marketing campaign’s can
have - you will start to have a lot of fun at this…just hang in
there and give it a try.

Remember, here at Dog Business Daily we take good marketing strategies, add a new twist to make them great strategies. Don’t assume you are already doing what we are talking about and skip the articles.

Chances are, even if you are using the marketing technique - you haven’t incorporated our unity dog strategies that super charge these very same techniques.

The easiest way to design an annual marketing campaign is to look
at holidays and local events. I will have to leave the local events
up to you to discover and utilize but take a look at this example for a national holiday promotion.

potential holiday campaigns...

Did you know there was a holiday called Mutt’s Day? It is July 31st. Imagine what you could do that day to bring a little fun, awareness and assistance. If you consider how you can help questions when thinking about a holiday promotion - you are certain to stay on the right track and come up with a profitable campaign.

I bet you can think of several ways to help promote adoptions on Mutt’s Day. What about giving discount coupons to all of your customers and prospects who have adopted or rescued a mutt?

Or hold a doggy day at your location - spend the entire day giving baths to your communities mutts.

Could you partner with your local shelter and give away a free bath coupon for all dogs adopted during the month of July?

These are just a couple quickie, not terribly imaginative ideas, for one day of the year. We have a whole section dedicated to holiday marketing in our book, How To Recession Proof Your Dog Business. Because of the power some of the strategies hold for increasing market share - we won’t publish them in public areas.

The only way to get them right now…well, there is no way to get them right now…the only way to get them will be to pick up a copy of the book when it is released in a couple weeks.

We spell out several campaigns for each month of the year you can run with exactly as we have described or tweak and make them your own. Either way, this one chapter in the book alone could grow your business by 100% - 200%.

Get on our subscriber list if you want to receive updates on the book, How To Recession Proof Your Dog Business. The importance of speed to market can not be over emphasized here.

The first dog care business in your community that engages in the strategies we discuss in the book are locked in with the particular groups. Speed, being first to market is critical to your business success. It is the difference between being the number one pet care business or just one of many in your community.

Have you attributed any business loss this summer to gas prices?

The truth about prosperity is that there are those who prosper during recession and those who fail in times of plenty. The mindset and creativity of the leader who refuses to accept the status quo….who finds opportunity where the majority sees problems is what creates true freedom.

True financial freedom is not dependent on the economy, circumstance, politics or even gas prices!

So how can you use the rising gas prices to improve your service to your clients? It is safe to be aware of the responses of the masses and choose an opposite strategy.

What are the most common responses of pet sitters and mobile pet care professionals to rising gas prices? Most pet sitting companies increase prices and justify it by increased fuel costs. Sounds logical right? Every industry does it.

What if your pet sitting businesses can set themselves apart from the competition by actually doing exactly the opposite? What if you could massively grow your business during a so called recession?

Here is one of our tips that can do absolutely nothing but improve your service and customer loyalty…review your logistics.

If you have sitters who are traveling more than a few mile radius - hire more regionally located sitters. Contact some of your best clients in your remote areas and ask if they can help by recommending a potential candidate.

You might be surprised that your client may be willing and anxious to work for you part time. Many of your clients are closet pet sitter wannabe’s. (Of course you must be as diligent as always when hiring these temporary or part time employees).

Once you get your team in place - market the poop out of the fact that you are not raising prices. Actually, to give your clients a break during these busy summer months - with gas prices raising…you are going to lower prices.

Offer discounted service….buy 3 get 1. Refer a friend and get a free pet sitting. Now is the time to grab market share. Your competition won’t know what hit them. This so called recession could see your business double.

What if you are a doggy day care, groomer, dog trainer - or any other pet care business where you clients come to you?

hmmm, what shall we do….

• partnering with some of the largest employers in your community and setting up temporary service areas? How many new clients do you think you might get from that business because you are on location? Do you think you might set up a long term remote program if you get enough response?

• setup drop off points at key areas in town where you have determined are most desirable for your client base. Basically, you are splitting the cost of the gas increases with your clients. Market the poop out of this too!

• offer several clients in key areas free services to “host” your services - make it a marketing event to draw new clients.

These remote location strategies are ideal for massive increases in profits and market share. Brainstorm with your staff for a while and you will start getting excited. Think about all of the new services you could offer and introduce in a non-traditional setting. You could introduce agility training, fitness programs, a weight management program. Hold a retriever training clinic; a doggy wash open to the public. What if one of your remote locations were a state park or area where you could offer hiking….hey these all sound a lot like totally new services you could add to your business.

Think like a auto dealer tent sale on kibble. You are offering the same product but going out to the public. Your clients benefit because you are closer to them. You are making them aware of additional services and ways to enjoy time with their dogs.

You benefit because you are the only dog care business creating innovative solutions for your clients. The pr, brand exposure and high energy events generate huge momentum for your every day business.

These are just a couple ideas really just designed to get you to buy into the belief that gas prices, recession, economy….nothing outside of your creativity and imagination controls your business success. Take any apparent negative and ask yourself how you might think of the situation differently.

Before you know it - you won’t see problems any more…just opportunities. Its not cliche’ if it works!

Register for your newsletter at the above right to receive innovative marketing strategies and to receive updates about our upcoming book release: “Recession Proof Your Dog Business”

PS, Always confirm and update your insurance coverage for any new services you provide; including offering off site service.

Would you be interested in learning a clever marketing strategy you can use month after month that consistently brings in new clients without loosing a single dollar in profit from your existing clients?

How many “incentives” have you used before that can make that claim? Most “event” marketing has the unfortunate side effect of forcing Dog Business Owners to loose margin from their existing clients. Very rarely do you find a strategy that allows you to retain margin on existing clients while at the same time growing your new sales.

Offering a sale of any type is simply a risky profit proposition if not handled properly and one of the most common mistakes we see pet care business owners making.

The strategy we are going to discuss here is guaranteed to grow new business while maintaining existing margins - without any ill will or potential for disgruntled customers.

Pet Care Businesses offer services and products that are absolutely perfect for what I call “event” marketing strategy.

When you think of event marketing most people think of major holiday sales and promotions. The pet care business is extremely busy during holidays, especially pet sitters and doggy day cares. But this is not what we are talking about.

Remember, our “event” marketing strategy grows new business and retains existing margins. Almost all holiday promotions and sales result in discounting services and products to existing customers. Although we do realize it is a prime time for gaining new clients - and we are not discounting this strategy - it is not what we are talking about in this article.

Did I mention that this same strategy can set your entire annual marketing campaign on auto pilot?

Enough suspense already, here it is:

Creative, innovative event marketing to associations, groups, organizations, forums….tribes.

Every major career, industry, business segment and niche has their own holiday, their conventions, trade shows and meetings.

Let’s just talk about holiday event marketing.

For example, the first week of May was Nurse’s Week. To celebrate nurses week you could have created a promotion for pampering the beloved dogs of your communities nurses. How easy would it be to target nurses in your community?

If you are whining that I am giving you an example of something you can’t use again until next year…how about this one: the third week in May is National Police Week. Our communities protectors and crime fighters…what could you do to serve them for a change?

How about partnering with a child care professional (or just dragging along your best friend or best employee) and offer a police officer night out package. Kind of a “more than 2 for 1″ offer - you sit the dog and the kids for less than it would cost them for a baby sitter. Make the dog sitting special - add a fitness/exercise component so officer mommy and daddy come home to a well behaved, tired dog and kid!

Why not? How much good will can you afford? How many new clients do you think you will get from within the police community? How about the referrals - heck, they know everyone in town.

Do you think an officer who hasn’t had a real night out in weeks or maybe months isn’t going to want to give back to the business that gave him/her time alone with their spouse?

It is just one idea - any idea you come up with just needs to be serving your client’s needs first. You will always get back when you give. When you are marketing creatively like this - you won’t have any competition.

This is “event” marketing 101 - I’ve got a lot more ideas but you are going to have to wait to read my book, “How To Recession Proof Your Dog Business” when it comes out in a few weeks.

Research indicates that the investigation stage is the most important part of any sale. Most people think selling is about persuading someone to do what they want. In fact, it is about finding a need and demonstrating your capability to provide the solution.

The finding the need part, the investigation stage is the critical piece most dog business owners, all types of business owners and sales people miss.

Uncovering, clarifying, developing and understanding the prospect or clients need is accomplished through questions. The more questions asked the more often you end up with successful negotiations.

Don’t assume that since you are running a doggy day care or a dog sitting business that you know all about your clients’ needs. You can provide the same service to many many different clients for many varied reasons or problems.

People buy services or products to meet needs or resolve problems. They decide to buy at the point when the problem has caused sufficient pain to make the solution more desirable than the current circumstance.

“TIP: Don’t ever introduce your solution too soon.”

The reason “selling” has a bad rap is because we associate selling with trying to push products or services. It is not pushing if you thoroughly understand a problem and also have the perfect solution. When you have gone through the investigation stage and really understand the need - your solution is welcome and the client is grateful for you helping them relieve their pain.

Just think of it this way…Would you feel like a pushy sales person if someone came to your front door, just having run out of gas in front of your driveway, telling you their sad story about how they are going to be late for work and will probably get their pay docked - if you happen to have a few gallons of gas sitting in a can in your garage and you offered it to them?

Seems silly to feel bad for helping a guy out doesn’t it? That is exactly how you have to think about your business solutions. You are providing a service or product that brings great relief and assistance to those you provide it for.

The only way you will know however, what your client needs is by asking questions and understanding their problem. After you do, your offering is not going to feel like a sale - but like a good friend lending a helping hand.

People don’t expect help for nothing. They gladly pay you for your help - they “want” to pay for your services. People don’t want charity - they want solutions.

Next time, we will talk a bit more about the right questions to ask.

If you provide dog kennel services a few simple tweaks and you could double your profits from your existing clients and add another 20%-30% in profits from new clients.

• What is the single most important factor to your business success?

• Your unique selling proposition!

What is it that you do that none of your competitors do? Or, what do you do so much better than your competitors you don’t even consider them competition?

If you don’t have an answer to that question - it is time for a quantum shift in your marketing strategy as well as execution of your day to day business. Your Unique Selling Proposition is what allows you to ignore competitors pricing. It allows you to flourish when the competition is struggling to keep the doors open.

If you run a dog kennel service there are several things you can do to immediately differentiate yourself from the competition, command higher prices and retain long term clients.

• Hire a trainer
  • a trainer on staff to work with your kennel clients
    • your clients take a home a dog that is more obedient and well behaved than when they arrived is sure to come to you whenever their travel needs require sitting or kenneling
    • if choosing between in home dog sitting and day care a client is going to choose the provider that keeps their dog happier
      • if the client comes home to a mess and a dog full of pent up energy they instinctively know they dog was not happy or fulfilled while the owner was away
  • a trainer of course is another stand alone source of revenue for your business

• Add a dog runner/walker to staff
  • For the same rationale as the trainer - a tired dog is a more well behaved dog
  • adding a dog runner to staff allows you to add additional services for your dog kennel clients
    • I call my dog running / dog kennel package - Fit Kennel
    • The client is paying for dog kennel services as well as up to 3 - 30 minute running sessions per day

• You get the idea right? Adding additional services to bundle with the dog kennel service that also serve to increase obedience and fitness are not typical and are extremely well received by owners. Sure, there are plenty of pet care businesses that provide multiple services but rarely do they aggressively bundle the service and almost never do you see the connection between fitness, obedience and kennel services.

I’ve got a few more suggestions I will e-mail anyone who posts a comment and requests them.