173: Investing in People
Brought to you by Pet Sitters Associates
Summary
Why is it important to invest in the people around us? How does it benefit us? We focus on community not for the benefits that come from it, but from a selfless mindset and motives. We share why investing in your clients helps them connect with, and believe in, your business. We also discuss what it means to grow your community and give them the most value possible in all we do.
Topics on this episode:
Why invest in others?
Who is your community?
Being selfless
How to grow your community
Main takeaway: Pursuit of community, instead of growing business, can become part of your business culture and who you are.
Links:
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
community, people, pet, clients, pet sitters, podcast, sitters, services, events, business, important, dog, walks, supporting, question, confessional, business owners, area, local, interacting
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin
Meghan 00:17
Hi, I'm Meghan.
00:18
I'm Collin. And this is pet sitter confessional,
Meghan 00:21
and open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Hello, welcome to Episode 173.
Collin 00:32
Hello.
Meghan 00:32
Today we're going to be talking about investing in people. If this is your first time joining us, welcome, hello. And if you've been with us for a while Welcome back, we have a whole catalogue of 172 other episodes, lots of different topics and pet care. And you can go back and listen to those anytime. You can take notes on the interviews and reference back to them anytime at pet sitter confessional comm slash Listen, and if you are listening to this on Apple podcast, we would love it if you would go and give us a positive review. That really helps other people to find the show and know that it's something to be worth listening to. We also want to thank pet sitters associates and our awesome Patreon members for supporting the show today. So this episode is all about investing in people, specifically what it means to grow a community instead of just a business. So we are all business owners, but we also have a community around us.
Collin 01:31
Yeah, whether you know it or not. And I think the first question here is what is community and these days, it's a lot harder to define, I think, than just just even a handful of years ago. But the first community that we can think about is you know, you have a client list, you have a list of all of your client names. So what else can we be doing with them? I think it's important that we understand why we need to focus on community over business in the first place. And it can come as counterintuitive, because you know that question of well, shouldn't we be focusing on drumming up business instead of this other stuff? Well, what about us doing advertising and marketing and getting the word out? Well, there's a really simple principle in business and in life, really, and we've actually talked about it before here on the podcast. It's the 8020 rule.
Meghan 02:19
And most times we talk about this concept in terms of the time dealing with clients. So 80% of the problems come from 20% of our clients. But it also holds true for marketing as well, where 80% of the time, we're sharing and we're giving and 20% of the time we're pitching ourselves. And this is the ideal because you know, sales people they want to be selling all the time. And you can tell when a salesperson is being really salesy. So you want to back off of that a little bit and only do about 20% of the time.
Collin 02:51
But if we take this concept of spending time in the 8020 rule, if we take that concept into the world around us as the people we're interacting with, how should we be spending our time? Well, that's 80%, interacting and engaging with others. And then 20% selling our services, pursuit of community over business can become just part of your business culture and who you are. It's showing where you place value and the importance of people in your world.
Meghan 03:17
Yeah, so there's already a community around you and around your business. And what's refreshing about that is that it shows that you didn't have to do anything to get them there, they are already there. But what's terrifying about that is that it means people know about you and are interested in what you're doing. We get comments all the time and meet and greets of, oh, I've kind of been stalking your Facebook page or your Instagram page. And that's very creepy. But people do look at that stuff and want to buy from you and look before they buy.
Collin 03:50
As we think about community. Remember, the focus is not on us. It's not on our business. Yes, there are many benefits that come from focusing on community like building your authority on a particular subject matter, brand awareness or local connections. But again, community is not about us, it's about those we're giving to and how we support them. It's when that lists of clients start interacting with each other. We've recently had a few people start asking for the contact information of other dog moms and dog dads who use our services. So they can take their dogs out on playdates together, because they're trying to begin socializing them and want people to go and have fun with
Meghan 04:30
So the focus there is not on how much money we can bring in for ourselves, but getting them in touch with each other. And if we approach a community with what can I get out of it, others can really sense that, you know, again, the salesperson who's being overly salesy. We've all been in a group or an activity where the organizer talks a lot about doing it for you. So I am going to show you guys something really awesome. Or I'm doing this for you guys. But it's plainly obvious that A hard sales pitch is just coming moments away, or there's a really heavy pressure to support them in return. And it's really an icky feeling. A lot of times this comes in the form of direct sales. But we're not talking about that today, we're talking about a genuine interest in helping others not this sales person, but helping others, educating them, connecting them, empowering them, bringing joy to others, with nothing expected in return.
Collin 05:27
Right. It's all about selflessness in our actions. And others can in fact, sense that in our motives behind it.
Meghan 05:34
So our kids are learning about different community members at school right now. So doctors, firefighters, construction workers, they all help the community. And that's certainly certainly one aspect of community, there are actual members living in the area, you run your business. And we can think of them as total community members. It's the Vegas group, because it's literally everyone. So community in the broadest sense, however, we can also think of community as the people we interact with while running our businesses, community in the narrow sense. So that's the people that you see operating your staff members, your clients, other business owners, if you're out walking your dog, and you see another dog walker, that's community in the narrow sense. And they each contribute something to your business, whether it's directly in the form of using your services, so monetarily supporting you, or indirectly through telling others about you if you have a cooperation with another dog walker, or another pet sitter in the area, those are part of your community,
Collin 06:34
or a client who goes on and tells people about you and your services and brags about your services to others. And it's this last group that is important to note that some people will never actually need your our services, but they will still tell other people about us because they like what we're doing. They see the posts that we're putting out there, they see the Facebook Lives, they see and hear about how we are interacting with others in the community. And they latch on to that and they see that we're doing something cool, and they want to go and tell others. And these communities can be both online and out in the physical space in the world around us. And it's important to remember that our total community is going to spread far and wide.
Meghan 07:14
One thing that your clients may brag about to others is that fact that you are insured as pet care professionals, your clients trust you to care for their furry family members, pet sitters associates is here to help for over 20 years they have provided 1000s of members with quality pet care insurance. If you work in the pet care industry or want to make your passion for pets into a profession. You can take your career to the next level with flexible coverage options, client connections and complete freedom in running your business. Learn why pet sitters associates is the perfect fit for you and get a free quote today at petsfit llc.com. You can get a discount when joining by clicking membership petsitter confessional and use the discount code confessional at checkout to get $10 off today. Check out the benefits of membership and insurance once again at petsfit llc.com. Another important question to ask is how do we serve them? How do we serve the members of our community. And for those that are supporting you monetarily provide the best possible service. That's an easy one, you already do a great job supporting them in that way. And that seems obvious because that's what they're paying for. But putting it another way, you're solving their problems in the most direct highest value way possible. And these are the people who get you and understand the value you bring. They don't complain when you raise your prices. They don't complain when you take a weekend off for vacation. And for those who aren't supporting you, monetarily, you could provide opportunities for them to be involved and connected. So you can go on gatherings, group walks, fundraising opportunities, volunteer somewhere at a local shelter, you can have a Facebook group for just your clients or your general area that you service. You can have watch parties for something like the puppy bowl or the kitten halftime show during the Superbowl. And you can also have training events as well.
Collin 09:07
And those are all things that we can do for the community. And you may be thinking okay, but I don't have a community or my community is really small. So how do we grow our community? And this is in fact the hardest part because we already said that whether you know it or not, there are people around you right, but the next question is okay, how do I grow it? We have to think back to the online versus in person communities. So do you have a local Facebook group for pets, start one and invite everyone in your town to join literally everybody in town where you can share pet information. You can give Facebook Lives demonstrating proper walking techniques or how to secure a dog in a car
Meghan 09:46
or share memes in there or tips on what to feed your pets and what not to feed them
Collin 09:51
bring on that's to talk about dental health puppy injuries, vaccinations, or just encourage members to share and lead discussions of their own. If they Have questions.
Meghan 10:00
Something that is awesome at building community is a podcast. Hey, we joke but seriously, audio is growing super important in people's lives clubhouse is just proving that even more. And one of my favorite stats about this is that the demographic with the highest listener rates to podcasts are millennials and younger. That's us, that's probably you listening
Collin 10:24
well, and coupled with that is, it's also good to know that the demographic with the highest pet ownership are also millennials and younger. So podcasting for pet sitters doesn't have to be difficult, and it's great for those of us who maybe aren't comfortable in front of a camera just yet.
Meghan 10:40
Yeah, you get to share your knowledge. You get to connect people you get to share in Facebook groups, hey, I've got this podcast, you get to interview other local pet experts in your area veterinarians groomers, you get to partner with people. It's a really cool bonus to your clients for promoting your community at large. And it's a way to stay connected and learn more about pets.
Collin 11:01
So some podcasting basics. It's okay, if you're an introvert, the great thing about podcasting is that it doesn't have to be live, and you can totally edit it. And you can certainly do a live and Facebook and talk to your Facebook group, record it and then release it on your podcast, two birds in one stone. It's also important to stay true to yourself, and what you want to talk about. You don't have to cover topics that you're not interested in, or topics that aren't important to your clients or that you just don't know anything about. Yeah, it's totally fine. And it doesn't have to be long. 15 Minutes or Less is a great length for many people, especially if you're just starting out. And you will be surprised just how fast that time goes. Especially as you start getting more comfortable behind the mic
Meghan 11:47
if you do have specific questions about podcasting, and we're always here to help
Collin 11:50
right if you want to brainstorm ideas, or just want help editing, shoot us an email,
Meghan 11:54
obviously the pandemic shot local events in the foot. So but slowly they are coming back. And when local events become more of a thing. Hopefully, by the end of this year, you can get out there more and celebrate, you can host city wide dog walks, you can host hikes in connection with other sitters in your area. Put on a community first aid and CPR training for your clients. I know a lot of clients don't know the basics in pet first aid and CPR, this would be an awesome way to not only get your name out there, but also to help them be better pet parents. And then also you can give cooking classes for homemade pet treats. I know that's something that we were thinking about expanding into. So if you make homemade pet treats, put your recipes on social media or give cooking classes for that. And
Collin 12:40
part of this growing the community is actively reaching out to other local businesses. So if you do dog walks, but not grooming partner with the groomer, if you walk by or maybe go by the same Juice Bar every day, ask if they'd be willing to have a pet friendly event where people could get a discount on a juice or mingle outside with other pet lovers.
Meghan 12:57
The important thing to remember is we don't exist in a vacuum as individuals or as business owners. There are people in your town that want to get connected with you there are other walkers or sitters in your area who want to do community over competition.
Collin 13:11
Right We are seen and looked at and looked to in our community in both that broad and that narrow sense. how we respond to events how we lead and communicate sets an example for others. When COVID started ravaging the globe early last year, petsitter stepped up and came points of contact for people with questions about state and local ordinances. sitters like Judy from tails on trails back in Episode 116 hosted reopening seminars with local businesses to make sure everybody was doing the right protocols and meeting the proper standards. As cheesy as it sounds, dog walkers and pet sitters across the globe gave clients peace of mind instability during the most tumultuous event of our generation. And when national and international conversations swirled around Black Lives Matter and racism, pet sitters like the Tasha and Kylie from fire hydrant petsitting works to have tough conversations in their communities. And if you're thinking, right, well, those big events don't happen very often. What else could we possibly do or help with
Meghan 14:14
Jay patas, who we interviewed in Episode 129 played a big role in helping his local animal shelter when it lost its funding from the city because of a massive decrease in taxes from COVID pet advocates and pet sitters rally to raise funds to make the shelter truly nonprofit and self funded, which is awesome. They got a matching grant to help them also operate in the next few years. You could also help educate about the most important things of having proper lead equipment, adopting from the shelter, advocating for better laws and regulations for the health and well being of pets. And even doing some special segments or series on your social media posts about different breeds of dogs because I'm sure you get this a lot where we go to a meet and greet or a potential client contacts us and they say I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I got this breed of dog. Or I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I got a puppy. So those kinds of conversations on social media are very important, so that your clients can be better pet parents. So you want to provide the most value to them that you possibly can on social media, you want to inspire them, motivate them, encourage your clients and potential clients who are stalking you. They want to be better pet parents, so equip them with the knowledge that they're needing, then they're wanting. You know, we've even partnered with a local pet adoption and training nonprofit here to provide a free service, the first free service to people who adopt pets locally, because adopting a pet isn't just a short term thing. It's a long term process. And we want to be part of that pets care. So we have partnered with them to hopefully increase the likelihood that they're going to be with that owner for the rest of their lives. So we want to help smooth that transition and make their first few services just one less thing that they have to worry about. And we'll also be volunteering at the city's bark in the park events when those start up again later this year. Why not have a booth and promote your services an awesome opportunity to bring the community together and post it on social media do a few giveaways or a raffle that will bring the engagement how you choose to contribute to your community will flow from what you are passionate about.
Collin 16:24
At the very human level, we should all strive to make the world a better place for everyone and every animal. as business owners, we have a unique platform and position in our communities to help lead that kind of change, to bring others together and to do our part.
Meghan 16:38
We'd love to know how you bring your communities together and what you define as your community you can let us know on Facebook and Instagram at pet sitter confessional, or you can give us a call. We love voicemails 636-364-8260,
Collin 16:54
we want to thank our sponsors, pet sitters associates, and for our amazing Patreon for contributing every month to help us to produce this podcast.
Meghan 17:04
We would also love to know any kind of feedback that you guys have if you enjoy these topical episodes or if you enjoy the interviews or both. We want to give you what you want to provide you the most value in your businesses. I know we get a lot out of this for our personal business by hopefully you guys do as well for your businesses.
Collin 17:23
Thank you so much for listening.
Meghan 17:25
We really appreciate it.
