Are you highly productive at your grooming table? Are you whizzing though 6-8 pets with ease – or more? Are you able to work smoothly? Are you able to work without interruptions? Are you confident with your trimming skills? Do you have a constant working method you apply to most of your grooming jobs – every time?

In our business – time transfers to money and/or time to spend perusing other actives besides grooming pets. Ideally, most small to medium sized pets should take 45-60 minutes to complete – from start to finish – bath, dry and finish trim. If you are not hitting these numbers, you probably are not ‘in the grooming groove.’

If you are not hitting these targets, it’s time to analyze the problem areas. Over 50% of the time, the time wasted is in the bathing and drying process. On a simple trim, like a one length all-over style that you do every 6 weeks, the breakdown looks something like this:

• Pre bath prep: 5 minutes or less (overall observation, trim nails, clean ears)
• Bath: 5-10 minutes (double shampoo plus skin conditioning treatment)
• Towel Dry: 1-3 minutes
• High Velocity Dry: 5-10 minutes
• Finish Trim: 20-30 minutes

Grab that timer. Watch that clock – a BIG clock that is easy to see at ALL times. Time yourself. Identify areas where you could improve your productivity. No one can improve anything unless they know a starting point.

Make a game out of it. Use the provided time line as a basic guide. This guide will help you set up your time targets in each area. Break it down. Time yourself. With each procedure – try to consistently improve your best time while maintaining safety and quality. Build in a sense of urgency in what you do with every pet.

Don’t stop. Try as hard as you can to minimize interruptions. Interruptions are energy busters. Sometimes it’s difficult to get back into the flow of things. There is no better feeling than getting into the ‘grooming groove.’ Your days will fly by effortlessly.

Groomers and stylists that in the grooming groove, get great satisfaction out of their work days. Even the simplest trims look great. Groomers and pets are injury free. Clients are thrilled with the work. Happy clients translate into repeat customers. Repeat appointments equal a full grooming book for upcoming months and a successful salon, regardless of its size.

Happy Trimming!

Melissa