"Once all of the holidays are past and you're looking at four or five months of low income, run some specials. Give a toy or a bone with every grooming, do discounts on boarding or free or cut price services."

The summer is over, school is back in and we are again wondering what we can do to boost business while keeping our expense as low as possible. The objective is to get your name out there, be visible, and get people talking in a positive manner about your pet care facility.

One thing I find that really works well is an open house. Sure, you usually do this in the spring, but who says you can't do it again in the fall? You can invite all the local humane groups, rescues, animal control, pet photographers etc. The list is endless. Why not get in touch with your local high school PTA? After all, you will be providing jobs for some of the students over many of the school holidays. Inform all of your local newspapers and radio stations. They often have a community section where they will announce your open house free of charge. Spend a little time on it, and you can generate quite a bit of interest and have a good attendance.

Each September for the last three years, we have hosted a "Beagle Bash", which is organised by the local beagle rescue. All that my staff has to do is make sure the kennel looks its best, because the group does all the work. Attendance has grown steadily every year, and this year the group had numerous television and newspaper interviews. Of course, every time they were interviewed, they mentioned the kennel. We had beagles galore playing around the pool, and the group was able to raise some much needed funds, as well as get leads for potential adoptions.

People who adopted in previous years also returned, bringing friends. Many of them are now our customers. All that the staff had to do was be available to show people around the facility. It has become a much anticipated event for all involved.

In the fall, you can host theme parties. You can do this outdoors, providing hot chocolate for your human guests and treats for the pets. It doesn't matter if it is cold outside, you can have a great time. Offer prizes for the best or most creative doggie and people costumes.

Another idea is holding a singles evening each week. Since we are not dog parks and cannot open ourselves up to the liability of having people in a yard with dogs that are not their own, we - the facility owners - would have to do some work. We would have to test pets for compatibility and play with them while their parents watch and mingle. You can, of course, charge for this service. Again you can provide some hot drinks. In the cold months nothing beats having a brazier going to ward off the chill for your guests while they enjoy a hot chocolate and socialise with other dog owners.  Guaranteed you will have happy dogs and owners, as well as new customers.

Once all of the holidays are past and you're looking at four or five months of low income, run some specials. Give a toy or a bone with every grooming, do discounts on boarding or free or cut price services.  All of these things will work well and be appreciated by your customers. How about a free raffle for a grooming or a weekend board? Anyone who boards or has a grooming done is given a ticket. You can hold the drawings monthly or at whatever interval you choose. All of these work well, especially if you have a lot of competition in your area.

Winter is a time when we really need to get creative in order to encourage customer to use our services. We know that when the Christmas season is over we are going to have four or five quiet months, so keeping your name out there is very important. I always make this a time to visit vets and take a little gift for the front office staff. They are, after all, the ones who recommend us to their customers.

Advertise your services. Big plastic banners work very well and are inexpensive. If you are lucky enough to be on a busy road, order a few different ones in bright colours and change them around often so that people will start to look for what is going on at your facility.

All of these things will help to keep your name out there. The more positive dialogue you can generate the better it will be for your business.

Source: By Liz Wilmot Source: Pet Services Journal November / December 2008