Before I went into business for myself I scoured the internet for useful sales tips for small business owners. I wanted to open a dog grooming service where I would travel to my customer’s house and groom their dogs with my own grooming equipment. I had worked as a groomer for years before I saw that many of my customers had difficulty traveling to and from the grooming location with their pets.

Some of our customer had very large dogs that were difficult to get into cars. Some were senior citizens that had difficulty driving and had to enlist the help of others to bring them and their pets back and forth. And many other people just had difficulty finding the time to make an appointment during the groomer’s regular hours of operation.

The sales tips that I read encouraged me to offer a unique service that somehow would set my business aside from my competitors. I decided to offer in home visits where I would travel to my customer’s house and bathe and groom their dog. This service would save my customers time and money spent on traveling. I was even able to offer prices cheaper than they were at the groomers because I would not be sharing my earnings with anyone else. I also was very open with my schedule and planned appointments when they were most convenient for my customers.

Other sales tips persuaded me to diversify the services that I provided as much as I possibly could. I offered to come and pick up my customer’s dog, take the dog to my house and groom and bathe it there. This way, my customers would not have to travel or worry about any mess being left behind in their home. For this service I charged an additional ten dollars making it an affordable and reasonably priced option.

I used the sales tips that I found while I was still formulating my entire business plan. This strategy helped me to learn how to take the service that I was providing, and make it more appealing than the other options that were comparable to it. I took something as basic as dog grooming, made it readily available and affordable and I instantly had a regular customer base. I also felt really good about the service I was able to provide, my service made my customers lives easier and it promoted the health and well-being of their pets.