I know, I know, it is only the beginning of November but as busy pet groomers it is important to start to think about December, which is the busiest month for every groomer in the UK. If you are new at this get your diary marked out if it isn’t already and start telling your clients they need to book in soon to secure their Christmas slot.
One income generating idea that has worked for me in the past is to offer Full Grooms up until 22nd of December, then just offer wash & fluffs on the last couple of days 23/24th. Often clients will try to drag out their groom appointment until just before Christmas leaving you quieter than you would like in November. By not offering Christmas Eve Full Grooms the client will more often than not book an appointment earlier in December than they would have done. AND they will often book a wash & fluff just before Christmas Day to make sure their pet is squeaky clean for the holidays. So tell them now and encourage them to book both options. This also means that you can fill up your diary twice over with those wash & fluffs on Christmas Eve rather than the longer and harder work Full Grooms.
Another way to generate added income coming up to the Christmas season is to get ready with your spa treatment offers. A bit of festive fun for your owners and the dogs will love it of course. Below is example text of offers I have used in the past, at Harrods and in my local salon. The products mentioned are easily obtained from your regular suppliers, Christies Direct or Groomers or Redcape and are economical to buy – you don’t need much, you can just mix in a little cinnamon shampoo with your regular shampoo, and the spritz you just spray before the owner collects the pet.
You can create your own or use the copy below, add some festive photos and pop this into an A4 plastic holder on your reception desk, on your Facebook, Instagram, website – everywhere you can. Create two separate social media posts: (1) book your Christmas groom now, and (2) check out our Festive Spa Treatment List…. start sharing these as soon as you can.
In terms of pricing, this depends on your clientele, your location and your brand. At Harrods we charged £15.95 per treatment but locally these work at £3.95 per treatment. This doesn’t sound a lot but if you sell two a day, 5 days a week through December only that is an extra £320 in your pocket – without taking a single extra dog!
Merry Christmas to you all!