How I Built a Creative Grooming Clientele from Scratch

Creative grooming is a statement, it provokes joy, it’s artistic and attention grabbing, but building a clientele that trusts you to transform their pet, with dye that can last a long time, takes patience and a strategy.  It does not happen over night.  You have to start somewhere and personally I think it should start with your own dog.  When I decided to expand my services to include color,  I told my husband I needed to get a white standard poodle and along came Zoe.  Here’s how I built a steady stream of color clients and how you can do the same!

 

I knew I first needed to get experience and get familiar with dye products.  You don’t have to have a white poodle, but I strongly recommend practicing on your own dog.  I also have a short haired dog, Bentley, who I have learned other techniques on.  I believe in the beginning it’s important it’s your own dog.  That way you can control if they’re seen or not.  As we are learning creative, there’s going to be things that work and things that don’t.  That’s just the process.  You want to protect your work though.  If something doesn’t really work, but that dog is out in public, your name is being attached to that work.  I also feel as an industry, we have to protect what people see, because people are so quick to put down this specialty.  If the dye doesn’t come out right, instead of provoking joy, people will have a negative association with it.  If your creative groom comes out the way you intended post them on all your platforms, post behind the scenes, post a reveal video, tag the dye company.  Get your work out there to let people know you can do this!

 

I see in grooming groups a lot of groomers don’t charge or heavily discount their first creative grooms.  Personally, I feel it’s hard to then charge more.  I always feel charging your worth is important.  This is why practicing on your on dog is also a key piece in this to me.  I don’t agree to anything I don’t think I can do.  If it is something new that I’m nervous won’t come out right, I have in the back of my mind, I could always discount them or not charge later. However, I usually do whatever I can to make sure they leave my shop up to my standards, even if that means an extra round of dye, that I don’t charge for. Ultimately, that dog represents me and is my reputation.  There’s nothing wrong with offering a discount in the beginning, I would just be very clear what you would typically charge.

 

The first color groom I did on Zoe was simple.  I gave her purple boots and did the tips of her ears.  Then I took her everywhere!  I didn’t wait for people to come to me.  I took her out to dinner, to street fairs, to the mall, farmers markets, dog events (not just in my area, people will drive for this service), and pet stores.  I made stickers of her with my social media on it and handed them out.  I also always had business cards to hand out.  People noticed her right away.  Poodles get attention, but as I’ve added to her look, the attention has escalated.  People want photos with her, of her.  I always hand them a sticker and ask them to tag us.  The reality though is of the hundreds of stickers or business cards I hand out, maybe 10ish people will tag her and maybe 1 or 2 will come to my business.  Try not to get discouraged.  Looking back over the years of doing this, I know I have been planting seeds.  I have seen the growth and opportunity come, but it takes time and dedication.

 

Many pet parents are nervous about dye and rightfully so.  I work hard to educate the general public that I only use pet safe non toxic products.  When a certain brand was harming dogs, I was honest with my clients and quit using it.  It’s most important that they trust I put their dog’s interest above getting to do a fun design.  I also do not color dogs who have skin issues, severe matting or don’t like grooming.  I like to take photos of my customers dogs throughout the process and send them to the parent after on IG.  It’s fun to go live on social media too, so pet parents can see the process and see their dog.  I always try to do little extras for these clients, because they pay a lot for this service and I want them to feel special.  I also like it when they come back and say we made their dog famous after posting them!  

 

If you want to build a color clientele, you need to show what you can do!  Your work is art and your dog is your best advertising tool.  Be bold, be visible and build your brand around your creativity.  We together are growing this industry.  There’s a whole market of pet parents looking for something expressive, fun and different.  Give them a reason to choose you!

 

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