Whether you’re just starting out or have been running your business for years, you may have experienced the panic of dwindling customers and asked yourself what am I doing wrong??  Truth is there MUST be a reason… Once you’ve found that reason you can take action and make the necessary changes.

Below are some of the main reasons you may be struggling to find customers.  Do any of them apply to you?

• You are covering a very small local area

Do you need to widen the area that you cover?  You may save on petrol sticking close to home but if there aren’t enough customers within that specific area you’re losing out altogether.

• You are not reliable

Eek! This is a tough one to admit but it’s a biggy!  We all deserve time off but are you making sure your customers have plenty of notice, don’t forget they need to find a replacement for you when you’re not available.  If they’re having to do this too often they may just find a replacement altogether.

• You are ignoring the customers you ALREADY have

Another biggy that’s easy to overlook.  Don’t forget your current customers are the ones that are ALREADY willing to pay you!  Nurture your relationship with them and they’ll stick by you AND recommend you to others.

• Your prices are too high or too low

What are other people charging? Go with the average or slightly higher.  People tend to think there is a reason if you’re too cheap.

• You don’t respond to messages quickly enough

It is difficult to respond to all queries immediately but people are impatient, if you take too long to respond to a query they will probably have already gone elsewhere.

• You don’t stand out from the crowd

There are increasing numbers of people setting up professional pet businesses, could you offer something different that others don’t?  What can you do to go above and beyond?

• You are invisible

Take off that invisibility cloak!  Ok bit dramatic… BUT customers won’t just fall in your lap, you have to put yourself out there in front of them or they won’t see you!  Which leads me on to…

• Your social media pages and/or website are not up to scratch

Facebook was THE biggest way I personally got customers when I first started.  I’d say 90% of my customers contacted me through my Facebook page or found me through it.  Make the most of it and make sure it’s looking good, that it’s clear, has all of your contact information on and is appealing to people who don’t know you.

• You are not giving the best first impression

Ouch… But critical.  If someone doesn’t know you from adam, they are purely judging you on the way you respond to their initial enquiry, the vibe you give off if you meet them, and how you appear on your social media pages.  They are trusting you with their door key and their family member (their pet) so first impressions are vital.  Would you give your keys and pets to someone you weren’t 100% sure about?

• You are not actively looking

This goes back to visibility, if you’re sitting at home waiting for customers to find you but not actively putting yourself in front of them, they won’t find you.  Are you advertising in the right places?  Where are your potential customers?

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