In the pet care business?  Here's a tip on writing an email newsletter:

Don't lead with something to the effect of "sorry to bother you, but..."

If your message is so weak that you have to apologize about sending it, don't even bother.  I'd say that sending something like this is probably even detrimental to your business.  

If you've got something to say, say it loud and say it proud.  Don't hide behind an apology before your reader even knows what you're talking about.  

If you're sending an "appropriate amount" of email to your pet business customers and they've requested to be on your list (you're not spamming people that haven't personally signed up for your list are you?), then you should never have to say "sorry to bother you".  

If you're doing email correctly for your pet care business customers, they should want to hear from you!

This probably sounds really basic and obvious at first, right?  I mean, how hard is it to respond to a new dog walking or pet sitting customer when they contact you?

Well, in our opinion, it's not hard at all to respond.  What's hard though is how to respond well and in a way that leads to a sale.  That's the hard part.  So, here are a few easy steps on how to approach a new client so that they go from a "just looking around" prospect to a brand new, loyal, and happy customer.

2. Ask About The Hot Button:  Every buyer of every product on earth has a "hot button".  This is the item that's most important to that person at that exact moment.  Sometimes it's price.  Sometimes it's quality, reliability, or date availability.  Sometimes it's something you'd never ever guess.  That's why you have to ask about what it is.  This step is crucial because if you just start blabbering away about how cheap your rates are and you happen to be talking to someone who expects to pay top dollar for a high-quality service, you just blew it.  An easy way to get into this question is to ask at the beginning of the conversation "What exactly are you looking for right now?"  This super-easy question will likely bring out the "hot button" and it lets you know exactly what you need to talk about first. 
3. Tell Them What Happens Next:  If they've never used your dog walking or pet sitting service before, they don't know what the process is to get started.  So, you have to tell them.  After you've completed the phone conversation and they've told you they don't have any other questions (and you believe them), tell them very specifically what the next step is.  Is it to meet in person?  Do they have to fill out any forms?  Do they need to put down a deposit?  Even if they don't commit to anything right then and there, still let them know exactly what needs to happen next for you to be able to help them.  

These are pretty basic, right?  Well, most of your competitors aren't doing all of them, if any.  So, focus on these 3 simple steps and you'll have a big advantage over the other services in town. 

The average price for a 30-minute dog walk is between $15 to $25.  For our own Elmhurst dog walking services, we charge $19.95 for a 30-minute visit.  Our price is solely determined by the duration of the visit.

You’ll find that many dog walking companies will not have one set dog walking fee.  The most common theme I’m noticing between dog walking rates is the varying prices based on the time of day.  It’s typically cheapest to have your dog walked between 11am and 1pm, as the price will go up for earlier or later visits.   

Not only does time make a difference, but also the day of the week can change the cost as well.  Weekend dog walks can easily be an extra $5 or $10 on top of the normal, weekday walk.

And to further complicate things, some companies provide discounts for the number of walks you schedule each week.  So if you schedule more than three walks, you’ll save a couple dollars.   Great, who isn’t happy saving a few bucks?  But wrapping my head around all the different dog walking prices based on so many different variables is too confusing. 

I’d rather spend my efforts interviewing the potential walker or company to determine if they are trustworthy, reliable, and get along well with my dog (and me, since I’m the one who will be communicating often with that company). 

At the end of the day, I don’t think cost should be the main factor to consider when choosing a dog walker.  So long as the rates seem reasonable to you for the quality of service provided to you and your pooch, that’s what counts.

As a business owner, we want to keep our Naperville Dog Walking Prices as easy to understand and remember as possible. 

And we certainly don't want to "trick" you into thinking you're getting one price when you're really going to be charged another. 

There's always just one price for our Naperville Dog Walking services.  And it's simply determined by how long we're with your pet.  The prices are:

• $14.95 for 15 minutes
• $19.95 for 30 minutes
• $24.95 for 45 minutes
• $29.95 for 60 minutes

If you want us to come on Christmas day it's $10 extra.  But I think most people would find it reasonable that visits on a major holiday day might cost a bit more -  that's probably expected. 

Anyway, we just try to be as transparent as possible with our pricing for all our Naperville services.  And I think people appreciate that.