596: Being Price Proud
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How confident are you when sharing your rates? In this episode, we explore the mindset of being price proud—what it means to stand behind your pricing without apology. We discuss how pricing is a reflection of your values, structure, and the quality of your service. From overcoming imposter syndrome to handling client pushback, we share practical tips to strengthen confidence and communication. Whether you’re a solo sitter or leading a team, this episode will inspire you to sell with pride, not guilt.
Main Topics:
Value-based pricing strategy
Overcoming pricing insecurities
Confidence in client communication
Differentiating premium pet care
Reframing sales as service
Main Takeaway: “We’re not extracting money—we’re delivering something worth paying for.”
Pricing shouldn’t make you squirm. If you believe in the quality of your service—your training, your structure, your reliability—then your pricing becomes a reflection of that value. Being price proud means you stop apologizing and start owning your role as a professional. Clients don’t just pay for a dog walk; they pay for peace of mind, for consistency, for trust. When you confidently communicate your rates, you’re showing clients what they’re truly getting—and why you’re worth it.
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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Pet sitting, dog walking, pricing strategy, professionalism, client trust, service quality, business mindset, value proposition, client communication, service standards, business growth, client feedback, service differentiation, business confidence, service pricing.
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin
Meghan 00:01
Hi, I'm Meghan. I'm Collin. We are the host of pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. We appreciate you joining us today on this episode, 596, we also want to thank pet sitters associates and the Florida Pet Services Association for sponsoring this episode. We can't forget our executive producers on Patreon as well. They find value in the show, and they love giving back to the podcast and helping it to keep going every week. They are Adriana Amber, Barbie Beck, Erica, Jan Janie and Jenny, Julie, Catherine, Keith and Liz, Lori and Lucy, Rachel, Sarah Savannah and Scott, Theresa and Yvonne. We are humbled by all of your support and are so thankful you enjoy the podcast. If you are listening and enjoy the podcast too, you can go to pet sitter confessional.com/support, to see how you can help out. One of the biggest things that we worry about as pet sitting and dog walking business owners is our price. A lot of times we are nervous about raising our prices, thinking our clients are going to leave us. Pricing isn't just about a number, it's really about a message. We don't want to be competing on price with other dog walking and pet sitting companies. We don't want to be a race to the bottom. We want our prices to reflect our professionalism, our reliability, the fact that we are undergoing these trainings and educations and we are the best in the business.
Collin 01:16
Well, Meghan's dad actually used to be in sales for years and years, and we were having a conversation with him just a few days ago about an opportunity that we had and how we were trying to stage and position ourselves. And just the conversation started revolving around price and what we were doing, and he set this phrase of something that he went through when he was in training for a few of the businesses that he worked for he had to be and they taught him to be price, proud and how important this was for going in and speaking with clients or prospective clients. I mean, I've certainly had to mumble my rates to a client on the phone or in person because I was a little bit embarrassed. You know, I know a lot of people also feel like they have to explain or apologize for pricing. In a lot of cases. I see that on Facebook groups a lot, but this this price proud. It means that we can give a price, we can stand behind it without hesitation. It means that when we say the price, we know it's backed by something, it's recognizing that the pricing actually represents quality, it represents reliability that we bring, and experiences that we have is what we can pull from our past and our history to bring forward and say, Hey, this price represents all of this and all of me and my business, but it's
Meghan 02:35
not necessarily a justification for our prices. We're not saying I charge this much because I have to pay for gas that goes up, and I have insurance, and my website costs a lot of money, and my Google Voice number costs money. We're not defending our prices. We're not justifying it, but we are saying this price means something. It is backed by our quality,
Collin 02:58
and this matters more than ever. As prices continue to rise all around us, we're getting a lot of comparison shoppers, more which you get a lot of comparison shoppers, and you couple this with a business owner's imposter syndrome, it all makes it really hard to hold the line on pricing, because we have somebody who's coming in questioning your pricing, and if you yourself feel guilty, or you feel bad, or you feel self conscious about your pricing. Of course, it's it's easier to give in a little bit and give that extra discount or give that free visit, even though you know that
Meghan 03:33
your prices are worth it. But the truth is that if we don't believe in our prices, if we say our rates are negotiable, or we drop the price because we feel bad for the client that our clients won't likely believe in our rates either. So what does it mean to be price proud? It's all about your mindset. It's not one of arrogance. It's more about alignment. You're not charging more just to charge more to be a greedy business owner. You are charging more because that reflects your service standards, your structure, your business, how you run it, and your training, experience and education. This concept can be hard, though, because we didn't get in this business to sell ourselves and to sell our services. We came in to play with puppies and kitties. Not a lot of us are really excel at the admin side of things, so and then the selling. Many of us recoil at the idea of being sales people because of negative experiences with pushy tactics, or over promising and then under delivering, or feeling manipulated and misled. We don't want to feel skeezy. We don't want to feel like we are just trying to take advantage of people, but we are operating a business. We do need to make money that
Collin 04:38
I that concept that feeling manipulated, misled, feeling skeezy. I know I have definitely internalized a lot of that over the years from past experiences or dealing with salespeople, marketers, cold calls, all of that stuff. I can sense it and feel it feels oily and disgusting, and every time we have to put into. To practice a tactic, or we have to sell ourselves. I have to fight that in me to go I have there are good, ethical tactics to go about doing this. And at the end of the day, marketing is just talking to people about your business and building a relationship with them, finding needs for people and helping them solve them. And when I can come at it like that, it really helps, because until about 1000 AD, the old English word salon simply meant to give or deliver or offer, selling was all about giving, not gouging. It was about providing value, providing a service, helping instead of taking and pillaging. So we have to ask your ourselves, ask yourself, what are we giving to our clients? What are we what do they get when they use our services, right? Is it? Is it just a dog walk? Is it just a photo? Is it just a litter scoop, or is it peace of mind? Safety? Is it compassionate care? Is it reliability? Is it whatever you fill in the blanks there, that's what we're actually talking about here. We're giving these things to our clients. We
Meghan 06:15
can also frame it as that we are giving something of real value, something that we believe in, we believe that pets should get the best care possible, and that means in their own home, where they're comfortable, they have their same routine, the dog can stretch its legs in the yard, or get a neighborhood dog walk, feel grass under its feet. These are the things that we truly believe we're passionate about, and we believe in that this is the best care you could also think
Collin 06:39
of something that improves the lives of your client or their pets. So your client gets to take that extra lunch date, or take that, you know, late night movie with her friend, or that your client gets to go see their family over Christmas. And when we can frame it in this way, right? It's a quality of service. It's a quality of life thing we can be proud in selling that that is something that we can be proud to offer people, to stand before them and go, it's not about the price, it's not about the dog walk. It's about you being able to live your life. It's about your dog being able to get what they need, and your cat being able to hear, right? We're not extracting money, we're not extracting money, we're delivering something worth paying for. And that's the mindset that I have struggled with so much, is I feel guilty taking this money because I want to do the service anyway. But here's the thing, the person on the other end, they want my service too, this exchange of problem solving. Giving something to them, they get their problem solved is worth money. That's what we're actually talking about.
Meghan 07:47
Because, again, we are a business, not a charity. We have to make money to pay ourselves, to pay our employees, to make sure that we have an emergency fund in case we fall and break our leg and can't work for a while. If you don't believe in what you are offering, or you're embarrassed by it, that really is a bigger issue. Consider whether you need to change how you deliver your services. Do you need to make them more premium, or do you need to offer different services? Think about how you relate to money. A lot of it can be traced back to our childhood, if we had a lot or not. A lot of that can be brought forward into how we act now, in our in our relationship with money, in our own businesses.
Collin 08:24
If you're squeamish about the money, right, you're also going to be you may be squeamish also about the services that you're actually rendering. If you're not truly happy with those, if you feel self conscious about what you're offering to people, if you don't truly believe that it's the best or the or one of the best options and solutions for somebody, that's where we have to start. Redesign your intakes, redesign how you do your dog walks or what your cat visits look like. Put all of that on the table and start chunking away to build something that you're actually proud of. The
Meghan 08:55
opposite of price proud can be price shy, and there are hidden costs of being price shy. You may not attract the clients you want. They may not value your boundaries or your expertise. They may just want you to come in and throw food on the floor for the cat and walk out and spend three minutes there. Well, that's not the kind of premium service that you want to be offering. You want to care for the holistic approach to the cat
Collin 09:16
Well, or if you do have qualifications, if you do have your certifications, if you have your trainings and these background stuff, and you're still shy about this, well, that may communicate to a client that that training wasn't worth a whole lot, or those letters after your name don't mean anything because you're not standing here screaming them from the rooftop. Yeah,
Meghan 09:35
it can create confusion and inconsistency in your messaging. You may think you're portraying something to your clients, but it's actually the opposite. You really risk being burned out by over delivering and underpaying clients. If you have a mismatch of what you're offering to the client expectations again, they're thinking they're just going to come for three minutes, throw food and be done, and you're just offering this whole array of services within the 30 minute visit, and they're getting really a. More than what they want, that could be a mismatch, which, at the end of the day, they're not really going to value, because they just want a quick and easy service, and you're here offering everything extra. We're
Collin 10:08
killing ourselves for people who don't care at the that's exactly what this is. I'm really glad that you got to that point, Meghan, because we feel that in our own business of man, oh. Man, if they had any idea the amount of hours that go into this, the amount of discussions and the training and the tactics and the team approach and all, if they had any idea, man, they would. Well, would they Right? Right? That's the question that we have to ask ourselves of I'm pouring we pour so much into this, 155% all of the time. And if the clients don't actually value it on their end, it's kind of pointless, and it's wasted on them. And so instead, we can be price proud up front, not shy away from the price, not try and eke out or get people to believe in our prices, and just say you either understand this or you don't, and those are the clients that really understand what they're getting. And every time we get one of those, we just we love having them so much because it makes working hard and doing extra that much easier because they get it. And
Meghan 11:12
it's really all about laying the foundation behind your prices. Again, it's a hard line to walk between justifying and saying, This is what it is. Take it or leave it, but it really reflects our business's integrity when we can say, Yes, I am the most expensive in the area, and you get exactly what you pay for. So think about what backs your pricing? Is it your industry knowledge and experience? You know, even a 15 year old can say, I have pet experience. So unfortunately, that's not that doesn't really get you very far these days. You know, do you have ongoing training or certifications, continuing education? We've noticed in our community a really a lack of pet first aid and CPR certification. So maybe it's even that that sets you apart from the others. Do you have clear standard operating procedures or a clear Client Onboarding system? Do you have pet business liability insurance and coverage if you have a team of employees, what is your training for them look like? Do they have operational oversight? Can they go to your manager or yourself whenever they have a problem? Your reliability, your availability, your consistency, maybe even your team approach is, what backs? Your pricing you have to pay your employees, so automatically, that's going to raise your rates.
Collin 12:24
Well, I just realized that you and I say the word certification very differently, and certification and certification, but, but I think what's important here is that where these these are things that back your pricing. More importantly is your mindset around them. Do you value your knowledge and experience? Do you value your SOPs, your standard operating procedures, your training? Do you find these worthwhile? Because if they are, then your pricing just naturally flows from that, and
Meghan 12:54
you're going to be a lot more confident when you go and tell somebody your prices, if you kind of shy away from it, and you have your head hang low and I charge $35 for a dog walk. Yeah, people aren't going to be excited by that. If you believe in your prices, you are going to stand strong, even when a client says, Oh my gosh, you charge how much for that dog walk, you are likely not going to be as offended as you would if you were embarrassed by your prices. You're really going to stand tall and have the backbone and say, Yes, I am the most expensive in the area, but my services reflect that
Collin 13:26
we remember, right? We're not just watching pets, right? We're managing health, we're managing behavior, we're managing safety. This is we are acting as a professional liaison to vets to trainers to groomers, to behavioral specialists. Yes, back again. If you imagine just that perspective, what would somebody pay to be the go between, between a vet and themselves? We get to be that again. If we view ourselves at the center of the hub of pet care around a pet's life, the value that you bring there alone is immense,
Meghan 14:03
because we have to remember that while we are providing physical peace of mind, the client gets to physically leave the home. They get to physically check their phone and know that their pet is doing okay, that they're happy, that they got the walk that they wanted. But we are also providing emotional peace of mind for our clients, they get the good feelings of, oh, Zeus was so happy when I came home. I didn't have to spend my time and and going anywhere again, the physical but also I get the happy feelings of, he was content. He just took a nap the whole time. He got some exercise with the dog walker, and I was a good pet parent, because he got to stay in his home where he's most comfortable, and he didn't have to get jostled around
Collin 14:42
anywhere. I think one of the most undervalued aspects of our business is our structure. We have to remember that our structure is part of our service. A couple quotes here that come to mind. I that one of my people that I follow, said, You know, nobody notices or nobody applauds the scaffold. Scaffolding. But without it, everything falls down. Without the scaffolding, you could you don't get paintings, you don't get the Sistine Chapel. You don't get the these beautiful facades or total makeovers of buildings and renovations of these things. None of that happens. The simple scaffolding, the very humble scaffolding that's out there that is core to our business, all of that structure, all of those processes and all those procedures, every step along the way, is part of our service. That's what clients get. Are they getting a dog walk, or are they getting a service? Right? They are paying people pay for the system, not just the time,
Meghan 15:40
but it can be hard when clients don't actually see that all of that is done behind the computer, all the admin work, all the hours spent route planning and making sure everybody gets from point A to point B. And it can be hard when somebody cancels and they go, Well, I don't really like your cancelation policy. I want a full refund back. And we can feel on the inside of, oh, I want to justify of like it took me an hour to route plan your visits, and you submitted them last minute, and I really had to interrupt my night and my dinner with my family in order to accommodate your request. So I do need some sort of compensation as well, and that's why I charge the cancelation policy. It can be really hard not to say those type of things to clients when they want to push back on. Why do you have this policy? Why is this this way? So it's not about being cold. It's about communicating your policies up front, which hopefully builds that trust and minimizes conflict later. Now, of course, people don't read sometimes. You may have it in your contract or on your invoice or on your website, or send that to them when they book services, and they still may not read your cancelation policy that you know you can only do so much.
Collin 16:44
We do all of those and still have people go, Oh, I'm sorry, what? What's the cancelation policy?
Meghan 16:49
But knowing that you're doing the best that you can will hopefully minimize those conflicts. Something that definitely helps build trust is our friends at pet sitters, associates, all professionals should have specific pet business insurance. As a pet sitter, you know how much trust goes into caring for someone's furry family member, but who's got your back for over 25 years, pet sitters Associates has been helping pet care pros like you with affordable, flexible insurance coverage, whether you're walking dogs, pet sitting or just starting out, they make it easy to protect your business. Get a free quote today@petsitllc.com and as a listener, you get $10 off your membership when you use code confessional at checkout. That's pets@llc.com because your peace of mind is part of great pet care we've talked about. When you stand strong in your price, it builds that confidence, and that really can impact perception clients. Perception of your price really shifts based on your own presentation of it. Are you again? Are you shy? Do you shrink away? Are you hesitant about it? Well, then the client will probably do that too. They're going to second guess what you're saying, saying you're pricing clearly and calmly with no apologizing. I'm sorry I have to charge as much it is a holiday or I'm sorry I do have employees to pay no say it boldly and confidently. When you have that confidence, it signals competence to the client. To be clear is to be kind. And so when you are clear with your pricing, the client knows exactly what to expect. When you are unsure, clients can start wondering what's off or Well, maybe their price is negotiable. I can probably knock off a couple dollars if I just say these right words, yeah. If somebody
Collin 18:19
asks you, how much is your dog walk? In your first responses, they're gonna start to wonder, right? The client's gonna go, Well, do they not know their pricing, or what's weird about their pricing? What's coming down the line, what's hidden, what's going on? Why isn't this clearly stated? How much is your dog walk? 27 Bucks, or $35 or whatever that is for you. And state it you're not asking like we, I see this a lot. How much is this? Is it 20? $20
Meghan 18:50
or it depends on what you the client want to pay? Yeah,
Collin 18:53
clients, ultimately, especially in this kind of service, they want to feel taken care of, not like they're having to bargain, or not like they are bargaining with somebody. We we're not selling a commodity here. Commodity some some of our services could start reaching the commodity kind of offerings and pricing, but ultimately, we're selling trust. We're selling peace of mind. This isn't just a bargain bin thing you can find on every quarter for super cheap. It's really valuable. The service, in and of itself, is
Meghan 19:23
premium well, and frankly, with the clients who are looking for a discount every single time or only use you when sales come up, they're probably going to give you a lot of headache, whether it's breaking your policies, breaking your boundaries, or because they're trying to find the best deal. Well,
Collin 19:37
I just realized that we did episode 592 about bridging the trust gap, and one of the things that we didn't talk about was the importance of our confidence. When clients see that they believe that we believe in our work, they feel reassured. They can feel like they can trust what they're getting. We get so many clients who are on the fence about this service as a whole. They. Have never had somebody come into their homes like this, or maybe they had a previous bad experience, or maybe they, you know, whatever that is, they're coming to you and they're going, I don't know, I don't know about this. Is this the right choice? Remember, if people view their pets as members of the family, they are very cautious on what new things they try and what new things they do. And if they're talking to somebody who is not confident or doesn't sound or come off that way. It can be very unappealing to them. We first encountered this with a client that's goes up a couple years ago now, they were traveling overseas, and they wanted us to come over four times a day and for an entire month. Month and a half is what it was, six, 6am 11am 3pm and at 9:30pm I will never forget those days, those times, and when she asked for a price quote, I was actively like shaking, because this was the most money we had ever quoted anybody, and I had so we went round about this, and do we say this? What do we do? What is this going to be? And we held firm, and we told the price, which was a lot of money. And she went, great. How do I pay? She she was looking part of that sale, what? And it was a sale, we have to be honest. I was a salesman at that point. Was delivering confidence that not only we could provide this service, but that it was going to be the best service. So selling, again, is all about giving, delivering. It's offering, and it's offering you, and it's very it's very heart centered what we do, because
Meghan 21:35
a lot of times, and I know we have been guilty of this as well, we assume what the client can afford. They may not drive a very fancy car, they may not live in a fancy house, but they will love their pet so much that they're willing to pay whatever it takes a premium in order for their dog to get taken care of and have the best experience possible. So we've learned that it's not always about going after the affluent clients. It's about going after the passionate pet parents. It doesn't matter what income bracket they're in, it's really about the standard of care that they want for their pet
Collin 22:06
well, and this particular client, I knew when we talked with them about what they were looking for, that we were and are truly the only ones that could have provided this service given our team based approach, our software, our training, our oversight, how we operate, everything in between, the levels of communication, all the policy procedures, was wonderfully and beautifully built for this exact request. Oh, you need four times a day for a month and a half straight. Fantastic. We use block scheduling and have employees that are dedicated to these time blocks. We've got you covered, right? We, we genuinely believe in what we can provide, right? So our job is now to get that into the right hands of the people who need it be eager to improve our skills, our selling skills, specifically so that we can get our services into the hands of people who need it, who need you, who need more of this, right? We need to be working on it. It's a constant process as we look because our confidence isn't just a benefit. It's not something that comes in afterwards. It's like, Oh, great. This is nice to be here. It's our responsibility to the people as we believe that they are better off with our care, with us serving them, that person, that pet, that family is better for it,
Meghan 23:23
and we are sure that you believe that for your clients as well, otherwise you wouldn't be here offering the services that you do. So we've talked a lot about confidence, but how do you build that? What does that look like? Part of it is saying out loud to yourself, it may sound weird, I offer dog walks for $35 and if you heard that in shivered, this part's for you. But if you can't say it out loud to yourself, it's going to be super weird saying it out loud to somebody else. So say it to yourself, first in the mirror. Practice with yourself, then practice with a friend. Say them until it feels normal, until it feels freeing. Write it down. Write down not just your price, but also some common pushbacks and your rehearsed responses as well. I'm sure we've all had the pushback of, well, my neighbor can do it for $5 a day, so I'll just go with them, or that's my entire mortgage for a month. I can't possibly pay that. And the classic phrase, oh, I'll have to talk with my husband, and I'll get back to you. We know now, after hearing that phrase hundreds of times over the past 13 years, that that means they're not going to go with us because our prices are too
Collin 24:25
high. We'll never hear from you again.
Meghan 24:29
But know your value and track it. Keep a file of positive client feedback. What do they love about you? What are your Google reviews and your Facebook reviews? Say, repeat that back to yourself again. Use a mirror. I provide a great service that gives my clients peace of mind. I am dependable. Repeating
Collin 24:45
back that feedback really helps externalize what you're doing, because now you are seeing your services through the eyes of your clients, the people who love you, the people who value you, the people who trust you. You're repeating their words from how they. Because oftentimes we know the nitty gritty details in the back. We know how hard things are, and we know how messy things can be, and yet we still feel self conscious about what we're offering. And so being able to, while we might not believe the words that we were wonderful and everything went fantastic, if I can read the words that somebody else wrote, it helps just a little bit more so document when your reliability your experience prevented an issue. I love this. It's not just because too often we can say, well, I don't know what I missed because of what I'm operating at. But when you have that moment, if you went, Oh, because I always review the notes before the client leaves, I caught XYZ document that have a book, have put it in a notebook so that you can go back and look and look and say, Look, all of this is not for naught. Everything that I'm doing has a reason and is purposeful. List your investments that you do throughout the year, your training, your gear, your supports, the conferences you attend to, the awesome podcasts that you listen to, whatever that is. Make sure that you're writing these down so you can go back and reflect and look and say, I've done things, I've invested I'm better now than I was in the beginning.
Meghan 26:06
This should be pretty obvious, based on everything that we've said on this episode and pretty much every other episode. But don't aim to be the cheapest. It is not a race to the bottom. Just because your neighbor offers dog walks for $10 does not mean you need to do that as well. Aim to be the most trusted, not the cheapest. Cheap and value are not the same thing. A lot of times on Facebook posts, when somebody's looking for a pet sitter, they say, I want somebody who's affordable and reliable. Well, I chuckle when I see those, because those are not the same thing. If you want somebody affordable, if you want to pay only $10 for a dog walk, they're probably not always going to be available, because they're going to have to have another job. They cannot subsist on your $10 a day. Or, you see,
Collin 26:45
I need somebody who is experienced in this kind of breed and this stuff, but it's not going to break the bank again. They are trying to do these polar opposite things, and in that phrase, you get what you pay for. We often chuckle and say this whenever we see the really cheap pricing out there. But we can also take this phrasing and turn it and use it to for when we come out with our pricing or your pricing, when you say you know what you do get what you pay for, and I'm worth paying for because of what you get out of this calling all pet pros ready to level up your business. The Florida Pet Services Summit is happening this year, August, 21 through the 23rd at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, hosted by the Florida Pet Services Association. This summit is your chance to connect with fellow petpreneurs, gain elite education and spark creativity in your services, whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting out, this event is tailored to help you thrive in Florida's unique pet industry landscape. But everybody is invited. Don't miss out on this opportunity to network, learn and grow, secure your spot today at FL pet association.org,
Meghan 27:49
part of being price proud means that you know clients are going to push back. This is going to happen, but we can prepare for it when we feel equipped and empowered with the possible questions that clients are going to ask or the pushback that they're going to have, we can feel more confident. So first, know that in all likelihood, it is not personal, it's informational. They may just not have the budget for your prices. Often, the clients just need help understanding the value. So ask some clarifying questions. What were you hoping for in a provider? How can I best serve you? Can I walk you through how our service works when you ask these open ended questions of how or what it's going to better clarify exactly what they're looking for and how you can help, and then you can use some of their language that they're using back to them so they fully understand what we're all getting into. Well,
Collin 28:39
yeah, a lot of people will just say, oh, I need a pet sitter for to the July 4. And I'll say, Okay, well, when you say pet sitter, what do you mean? What are you looking for? And that's usually when they find we find out that they're they're needing an overnight person, or they're needing something else, or whatever. And we can say, Okay, well, cool. Well, I hear what you're saying is, x, y, z, here's how we can help you in how we're structured to do that, to really help them understand what we're where we're coming from on this, and we have to make sure that we're using comparisons wisely. Because too often it can be tempting to say, Well, I'm not like those other people down the road who only charge $10 because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right? We don't want to be bashing anybody, and that's not what this is about. We're not bashing competitors, not bashing people. We are highlighting what makes us different. So emphasize your quality, not quantity here, right? Well, we focus on individual attention. You know, professional reporting and safety protocols is what we're all about here in my business, so that you can make sure that you're staying positive in this and highlighting the key differences that you provide that other people just can't
Meghan 29:43
it really is all about reframing your mindset from a negative one to a positive growth mindset, saying things like, well, I can't speak to how they operate and their standards at XYZ company, but here at ABC Company, this is what we do. This is how we offer exceptional. Services. Of course, there are going to be clients though that just say, no, no, thank you. This is not for me. You're too expensive, or they may laugh in your face or laugh on the phone. We've gotten that as well. We have to let these clients go. If someone is focused only on your price, if that's their first question of, how much does it cost, or I need a dog walk tomorrow, how much is it going to be if that's their only focus, they're probably not your right person, because they're either looking for something immediate and will never use you again, or are only going to be looking for discounts, you have to protect your time, your emotional energy, for clients. So if you have people who are always looking for sales and always looking for a cheaper price, they're probably not your ideal clients. They're not those clients who align with your values of offering the most premium, the best care possible, having to pay your employees well, well, you can't do that if somebody's always looking for a discount and they're only willing to pay $10 for a dog walk.
Collin 30:54
So just as we're supposed to practice saying our prices out loud, and again, I want to encourage you to do that if you have never done this. And here's what you need to do. You need to say your price for your dog walk and then or your pet sitting visit. And then you need to practice saying the price out loud, as it has been multiplied for the duration of the client's trip. Okay, I hear that you're looking for three visits a day for your week long trip. So what that is, is that is three visits at $30 a visit. So that's $90 a day, right? I'm going to take 90 and then I'm going to multiply that by seven you're going to pay for your week long trip. That is $630
Meghan 31:28
now that can be absolutely terrifying to some clients of Whoa, that's a big number. I don't know if I'm going to be able to pay that, but it is, again, to be clear is to be kind. We want to be as transparent as possible on the front end. So one, we don't have to chase down clients, or we don't get an angry Google review, or we're not having the client at the end of all the visits, and they get back from their trip and they say, Well, I loved your service, but it was way too expensive, and I don't really want to pay that, or I'm not going to use you again because of how expensive it was, and I didn't know that up front. Just
Collin 31:59
as we need to be practicing saying our pricing, because you need to say that $630 in the most confident, straightforward, clear way. We need to be practicing also our responses for when people have pushback against us. So when they're not happy with the pricing, or when they hear that 630 they go, I can't believe that. I've never heard of something so expensive you need to practice and have this in your pocket to say, well, we might not be the cheapest, but we are the most prepared and responsive, and that's what you're getting, or maybe it's we offer peace of mind, not just pet care, right? Something that I have been practicing a lot more of is as I'm having a conversation with on somebody on the phone, probably two years ago, I would be on there trying to convince the people, okay, well, let me see if I can get this to work, and try and push this forward more and more. What I've been saying is, you know what, I would just want to make sure that we're the right fit for both of us, and it doesn't sound like it's really going to be a good fit. And admitting that and being upfront with that, going, Look, I know you came in looking for pricing or for this kind of service, I we're not a good fit because of what you're looking for. We can't provide it at that price, and that's not something that we can do today, and then we move on. But when you can practice these things, they become second nature, and then we don't have that panic that builds up when we do get that pushback. It is important
Meghan 33:17
to remember that your pricing reflects your structure, your training, your experience. When we build that confidence in our pricing that is going to translate to trust with our clients, okay? They know this is what it is. I'm not going to be able to negotiate here. You don't need to justify your prices. Just clearly communicate them. Some people aren't going to like it, and we just we are not for everybody, and we have to be okay with that being a price, proud provider attracts the clients who respect our work, who want the experience that their dog gets the emotional, ooey gooey feelings of I did hire the best company because I am the best pet parent around. Remember, as a dog walker and pet sitter, you are not just selling a service. Yes, we provide a service, but we are giving quality care. Peace of mind, we need to stand behind it proudly and confidently and shout our prices from the rooftop. So think about this week, one change that you can make to step into this price proudness. If you would like to share that with us, you can email us at Pet Sitter confessional@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook and Instagram. At Pet Sitter confessional, we so appreciate you listening today. Thank you for taking your time. We also would like to thank pet sitters associates and the Florida Pet Services Association for sponsoring today's episode. We will talk with you next time bye.
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