People Who Waste Your Time
  • willywilly
    I often wonder if I'm dealing with new client meetings in the best way. Currently, if a prospective client wants to meet the walker I will pay the walker for their time, which is only right. If it's for a short term, feeding or pet sitting gig, I will charge the client a consultation fee (most are happy to pay). However if it's in relation to possible ongoing daily walks, I will give the consultation free of charge and pay the walker out of pocket.

    However, this being Manhattan, I find that there are a lot of rude time wasters out there who will have me and a walker come for a meeting across the city sometimes at late hours of the evening (walker has to come back into the city from Queens or Brooklyn etc), and despite the meeting going very well and despite them having giving the impression that it was a done-deal over the phone, they decide to tell you at the meeting that they're interviewing 6 other dog walkers and that they'll get back to me.

    Sometimes, they never do get back. I'll email them, text them or leave a very polite voicemail asking them if they could please let us know one way or the other because we need to know whether or not to keep the slot open - yet they don't even have the common decency to call and say they've gone with someone else, even though we spent an hour or two to come and meet them. Meanwhile, I'm out of pocket for the consultation fee that I've paid the walker. These people make me so mad and it's all I can do to stop myself from calling them up and telling them what I think of them sometimes!

    I understand that competition is heavy at the minute and on many occasions I've been given it straight, that they went for some neighborhood walker who is a dollar cheaper (but who has no back-up and isn't insured). Fair enough, but it really pains me to have to pay this consultation fee to the walker out of my own pocket every time.

    I've been thinking about charging even prospective long-term clients a meeting fee and telling them that it'll be subtracted from their first invoice if they sign up with us, but I'm not sure how well this will go down. I have a feeling that many people will just tell me that the 6 other dog walkers they've arranged to meet don't charge such a fee, and pass on me straight away.
  • Pet+Sitter+BiblePet Sitter Bible
    Willy, I hear you and understand how you feel. My Father once told me something which I would apply to your post here. To do deal you're going to have to get screwed sometimes. Personally I would not charge customers for an initial meeting. Part of the reason I say this is because I think you will automatically lose business with this policy. If you immediately have to get into payment, credit cards, check, cash, etc. I think some people will immediately get scared away even if they could be good clients. I feel what I've grown to improve upon is weeding out bad clients ahead of time in the same way we weed out bad employees. If someone wants to meet a 2nd, 3rd time, etc I would definitely charge then. Just my two cents.
  • willywilly
    You're probably right about not charging customers a meeting fee, but only if they're looking to set up long term walks. For the customer who wants a couple of one-off weekend walks and would like the walker and I to come meet them beforehand to "show them where the food is kept" or to collect a key, I have no qualms about charging the meeting fee. It's very rare for someone to object and even if they do, it's not hard to explain to them that I have to pay the walker for their time and if it's just for two walks, it's not worth the effort if I'm $10 out of pocket to begin with.

    I'm definitely getting better at weeding out the bad clients, but on the other hand, I'm finding that customers are getting better at hiding their little deal-breaking "bombshells" over the phone! I always make sure to clarify what they're looking for long term, yet occasionally I'll get someone tell me they need a permanent ongoing dog walking arrangement but at the meeting casually mention that it'll only be for a month or so. I think some people get sick of being told "no we can't do that" by everyone they call, so they figure they'll just lie to the next company.
  • Pet+Sitter+BiblePet Sitter Bible
    Hey Willy, we're on the same page about charging a meeting fee with short-term clients, it's prospective long term clients I'd think twice about charging a meeting fee with, thanks!
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