See those numbers work if there are certain things that can be counted on as assets, and this business has none. The location is leased, the customer list is almost non existent, the owner recently got into a war of words in a popular social media site with a detractor, and has never collected phone numbers, addresses, birth-dates or anything else about her customers. But actually thats not a bad thing in this case, because since she has been operating by trying to UNDERCUT instead of OVER QUALITY her competition, you don’t want those customers anyway. The first time they see the new price list, they will all go away on their own.
So I suggested she do the same thing I suggested when she wanted to start her sideline business of information products. “You need to write a book.” Not a huge 300 page tome, as a matter of fact if you can keep it to 100 – 120 pages that PERFECT! The title? Well thats just as easy as well, “Why you SHOULD be paying your groomer more: The 10 things that your groomer will NEVER reveal about low priced dog cuts!
OK , so now SOME of you remember, yes Kay is the award winning groomer who had training videos that she needed to market and needed a tag line! Thats right and her book, the 10 things your Groomer will NEVER REVEAL about keeping YOUR Dog HEALTHY. I’d like to say it was a NYT best seller but since that book, like the one I’m suggesting now, are going to be given away to perspective customers, you cant really get ON a best sellers list if your giving the book away! But think about it, if you’re used to paying $17 for a dog groom and you’re new place says the average will be $50 what in the world is going to make you EVER want to try a service thats TRIPLE the price? Well for one thing, if you break down some if the services that are provided that with the new owner that will keep your fuzzy friends part of the family for an average of 5 years longer. Thats what!
That will kill at LEAST 5 chapters, with the first one introducing the new owners and staff the next 5 will be an in depth HEALTH REALTED explanation of the extra services, accompanied by a personal story from your current salon highlighting at least one if not more pets whose health was improved dramatically by obtaining these services on a regular basis! Posting good looking photos of these dogs in the new salon help substantiate the book as well. So now you have your first 6 chapters you have 60 – 75 pages, you will then fill it with testimonial stories \from your current clients each chapter highlighting a different health concern that all dog owners deal with, but how your clients have been able to avoid, for example Chapter 8: Food they are SO much MORE than they eat! My mom thought she was doing her little hunney bunny a great service by only feeding her 8 Oz. Of soft moist XYZ refrigerated food, only to find that after 30 days of ABC Hard Dry food she was thinner, healthier and keeping up with our new puppy… those kinds of stories NEVER go out of style.
Combine each of those next 3 chapters with the human heart needs (yes I know theres 4, just waiting for YOU to catch up), and you are now sitting with a GREAT 11 – 12 chapter 125 page ‘booklet’ that will require an advertising investment of $1.10 each, but they have a cover price of $9.95, you are now giving your clients something of a VERY high perceived value, something that is an advertising expense, and something that you can use to introduce yourself to every veterinarian in your new town, and you have created an amazing gold mine of information.
I know we have been through this before, but its all true, its all about writing, and you know the one things you MUST do to be a good writer, and that is, to keep READING.
Preferably something like my blog, because YOU KNOW that with 2 hours a day you can write YOUR book in just 21 days!
But Remember TWO very important things!
1) if you’re writing NON fiction, make sure you have your facts straight. After all what would YOU want an author to be able to say about his sources if they were writing about YOUR son or daughter?
2) Never stop writing but more importantly NEVER EVER stop reading!