How many of you do this?
You are out shopping. You see something you want to buy; a great pair of shoes or maybe a meal out at a nice restaurant. You see the cost of the item. You automatically transfer it to dog numbers. You think to yourself, “I would have to groom two and a half dogs to get that.”
If you have groomed dogs for any amount of time, my bet is you play this game with yourself all the time. I know I did!
I stopped thinking this way when I started understanding the bigger picture of my customer’s value. I discontinued thinking of the value of a single dog (although it remains important). Instead, I started looking at the bigger picture –figuring out the value of my clients over an entire year. Once I put my pen to paper and punching numbers into my calculator (I was never very good at math unless there were dollar signs in front of the numbers!)I discovered something amazing. I revealed a client’s potential revenue stream once I started crunching the numbers. I had a gold mine in my client roster, I just didn’t know it!
The key number IS NOT the actual price of a single groom. The golden number is the FREQUENCY you service the customer.
Then take it a step further. Have you ever thought about the value of your clients on an annual basis? What about over the lifetime of the pet? Pay attention to the frequency number when combined with the groom price.
Checkout the chart below for a small to medium sized haircut type pet:
Annual @ $50.00 each Visit Times Over 10 Years
per Year
8 week client = $300.00 6.5 $3,000.00
7 week client = $350.00 7.2 $3,500.00
6 week client = $450.00 8.6* $4,500.00
5 week client = $500.00 10.4 $5,000.00
4 week client = $650.00 13 $6,500.00
Coat Maintenance Program @ $28.00 each visit
2 week client = $728.00 26 $7,280.00
Coat Maintenance Program @ $15.00 each visit
1 week client = $780.00 52 $7,800.00
*On 6 week clients, normally you will see the client 9 times per year due to the holidays.
If you want to find a gold mine in your business or in your established clientele, boost the number of times you see your customers annually. The most financially successful groomers and stylists are those that see their clients once a week, twice a week or even once every three weeks.
The healthiest skin and coat on a pet comes from keeping them clean and tangle free. With today’s gentle shampoos and conditioners, bathing a pet weekly or bi-weekly isn’t a problem anymore.
When we pitch this in our salons, this is a problem solving tactic that works well for us: First we ask if the pet sleeps with any of the family members. If they answer yes, then we ask, “How often do you change your sheet?” Typically, most people say weekly or every two weeks. We suggest they are bathed at the same frequency. Their eyes get huge but it offers the perfect opportunity to tell them about your ‘Coat Maintenance Program’ along with its benefits and the cost. Most people spend more on their morning coffee shop habit than what they would on having their pet bathed weekly!
What would you rather groom? A pet that comes in once or twice a year – whether they need it or not – or a client that you see frequently?
Remember, you would need to adjust the numbers based on your current pricing structure and the size of the pet, but you get the idea. Grab your calculator and pen. Crunch the numbers for yourself.
Hands down I’ll take the higher frequency every time. These are your loyal clients. They are easy to do. They are fast to do. They are your golden ticket to financial success in your grooming business.
Happy Trimming!
~Melissa
