WANTED: PET SUPPLY DROPSHIPPER

I received this email message from Matt Voore:

“We are looking for the very best drop shipper to supply product for our top rated online dog community portal. We are very familiar with the process and common issues concerning drop shipping.  We would like any extra information to confirm that you are a quality drop shipper who we can form a long-lasting professional relationship with and keep our customers coming back. We appreciate any additional information that will help put our concerns to rest. “

 E-mail Address: mvoorejr@msn.com

PetEcommerce.com Launches New Service

If you’ve ever considered selling pet supplies online but weren’t sure where to start you may find our recent podcast interview with CEO & Founder, Joey Pomeranke of the new start-up, PetEcommerce.com very interesting.

The idea behind PetEcommerce is to allow brick and mortar pet stores to add over 15,000 pet supplies to a branded, customized website that you create using user-friendly online tools that PetEcommerce provides, and have PetEcommerce handle all the picking, packing and shipping for a flat monthly fee of $50.

The thing that I found most interesting from interviewing Mr. Pomeranke, is that ANYONE, not just established retailers, can open up their own, fully-stocked online petstore and be selling pet supplies the next day!  That’s assuming you pony up the $50 a month.

This presents tremendous opportunities for pet groomers, pet sitters, doggie daycare facilities, etc, to jump into the growing pet supply business with only a $50 a month commitment!  And there are no long term contracts or commitments.  And believe me, as someone who ran an ecommerce pet supply site for 10 years, paying someone $50 a month to entirely run the backend of the business is waaaay worth it.

Commissions are 25% of the manufacturer’s list price of the item and PetEcommerce claims that they’re not making money off the pet supplies themselves but off the $50 a month fees they charge for the service.  This is key, because in the highly competitive world of selling pet supplies online, pricing is cut throat.  One of the reasons I sold my Lucy The Wonder Dog business earlier this year after running it for more than 10 years was due to the insane pricing wars that constantly rage throughout the Internet.  And that’s not including selling on Ebay.  So while it’s a great time to be a consumer, retailers need to have strong stomachs.

Since pet supplies only average 20 – 40% margins on most items, knowing that PetEcommerce isn’t taking a percentage of already slim profit margins is reassuring.

Please note:  Even though the company makes it easy and affordable to set up your fully-stocked pet store, you’ll still need to market your business and drive traffic to your own site.  Don’t think that by simply setting up your store you’ll be in business or make any sales.  Read our article “How to Double Your Online Business Without Spending Another Dime On Advertising”.

PET SITTER/GROOMER/WALKER/SCOOPERS ADVANTAGE

This is why I think that people already involved in the pet business have a huge advantage.  You already have a customer base.  You already have business cards, brochures, contracts, invoices, etc.  You can add your pet store domain name to your existing materials or send postcards or other methods of announcements to let your customers know about the convenience of shopping in your onlione store. 

It’s always easier to do additional business with existing customers (assuming they’re happy with your current services) than to bring in new ones!  Opening a PetEcommerce online store could be the additional revenue stream you’ve been looking for.

PetPro Group Offers Petrepreneuers A Home

I’ve been a member of the PetPro Yahoo! Group for over a year now and I’ve always found it to be a helpful and resourceful place for those people who either want to start a pet business or grow their existing business.  Sound familiar?

While this blog and it’s companion website mirrors that philosophy, the PetPro Group has over 525 registered members.  Each day (as with all Yahoo! Groups), the Group sends out an email distillation of all the posts for the day which keeps people engaged in the subjects being discussed. 

And according to Stacy Hansen, the PetPro moderator, “Everyone acts very professional”, which I can tell you from moderating my own forums, notably the DOG BYTES forum on Delphi, is quite an accomplishment to keep the peace and keep discussions on track and moving along.

If you’d like to hear more about the PetPro forum and get some good insight into marketing your own pet business, please listen to our recent podcast interview with Stacy Hansen recorded in mid-September.

See you on PetPro!

PET STORE WEBSITES

In the September 2007 issue of Pet Age Magazine, I’m quoted in the monthly “Counter Intelligence” column titled, “What To Do Online”. 

 Columnist Barry Berman recommends that “every business today needs a website”.  And it’s no different for pet businesses than any other business.

Does having a website mean selling products on it?  Not necessarily.

You can.   But having a website can also be more about getting listed in the search engines so when someone searches Google for “pet supplies, yourcity, state” your business comes up in the results.  If you don’t have any website presence at all you’re not even in the game! 

As more and more consumers skip the Yellow Pages and head right for their PC’s, local search is booming! 

According to a recent Comscore study, “…63 percent of U.S. Internet users (or approximately 109 million people) performed a local search online in July 2006, a 43-percent increase versus July of 2005. ”  Meaning, if your business doesn’t have a website of any kind, you don’t exist to these people.

As the article goes on to discuss, having a website is only half the equation.  The other half is getting traffic to the site in an effort to convert that traffic to new customers.

“Optimizing means using keywords effectively throughout your site,” I’m quoted as saying.  For instance, if you’re a pet supply store that sells Solid Gold dog food, make sure you have some text on your site that uses the phrase “Solid Gold Dog Food” several times throughout one particular page of the site. 

This will attract the search engines to that page and index it under any searches for the phrase “Solid Gold Dog Food”.    This is sometimes referred to as a “landing page” because it’s where the person searching for those terms “lands”. 

Having a properly “optimized” site combined with regular updates and some form of email marketing are all ways to grab your share of the action.

Because in the end you have to ask yourself:  When people search online for your type of business, are they finding you?  Or your competition?

NEXPET: YOUR PET STORE TRAINING PROGRAM

If you’re a pet retailer than you should know about NexPet. NexPet is a pet store association, or co-op, of over 400 medium-sized independent pet stores that have banded together to get big store buying power and discounts.

But what I especially like about this co-op concept is the marketing and pet store employee training program that they provide for their members.  Yes, they are able to pool their buying power to get discounts from manufacturers and distributors.  But more than that, they enable the independent pet store owner with the resources to train and retain employees and create a better retail experience for their customers.

As the owner of my own small business, I know how hard it can be to manage all the day to day tasks and still have the time and foresight to invest in your own business by investing in your employees. 

NexPet makes it easy by providing edicational materials and, more importantly, methods of quantifying the training and education of employees so you can gauge the results in black and white.  They create a system that any independent pet retailer can plug into.  It’s almost like a franchise concept without having to share your profits! 

I, for one, know that when I’m shopping, whether it’s for pet supplies or consumer electronics, that an educated employee is MY best route to a satisfied purchase.

BOO TO BAMBOO DISPOSABLE PET BOWLS

Has feeding your dog or cat with a clean bowl become such a huge challenge that the world needed to invent a disposable pet bowl? 

The folks at Bamboo Pet (a division of Munchkin, inc.) apparently think so.

In what must have been a huge hit at the weekly marketing brainstorming meeting I can only imagine that it went something like this: “Let’s invent a pet bowl with a disposable insert inside so we can sell them the bowl and then keep selling them the inserts!”

While the founding fathers at Schick and Gillette must have been applauding in their graves I ask you from a consumer standpoint:  Is it really such a terrible hassle to “WASH” your dog’s bowl inbetween meals?  I don’t mean to rain on the parade of the folks at Bamboo, but what’s wrong with using the DISHWASHER?  Aren’t there enough disposable products in the world already?  And while the Bamboo inserts are recyclable, you know a certain percentage will find there way into already crowded land fills anyway.

I personally don’t use a “dog” bowl for either of my two dogs.  I use regular “people” bowls and just stick them in the dishwasher along with all the other dirty dishes.  At 200 degrees F, all the dishes are pretty much perfectly cleaned if not sterilized.  And even if you prefer using a personalized dog bowl with “Fido Ate Here” printed on the side or the quintessential paw print design, almost any dog bowl worth it’s weight in kibble is machine washable!

And alas, if for some bizarre reason you don’t own a dishwasher or (gasp) your dog bowl isn’t machine washable, there’s always the primitive yet highly effective way to clean your dog or cat’s bowl.  It’s called a “SPONGE” with “SOAP” and “HOT WATER”.

SELLING PET FOOD

If you’re a pet sitter, dog walker or doggie daycare business then you already have the trust of your existing clients, right? 

As any business owner will tell you, gaining new clients is how you grow your business.  But what about maximizing the value of your existing clients?  Your clients already trust you to take care of Fluffy and Fido, so why not capitalize on this trust by upselling them pet foods that you recommend? 

There are several pet food opportunities out there that you can easily add to your existing business.  But before we name names, let me briefly explain a dirty little word that you may have heard from time to time that’s actually not as bad as you may think:  network marketing.

Network marketing, commonly called Multi Level Marketing (MLM), involves not only selling a particular product or line of products (think Amway) but recruiting others to sell the same products and you get a percentage of what they sell.  If you build a “downline” of salespeople under you, you get a percentage of their commission.  It’s an effective way to earn an income by basically recruiting and training others to do what you do. 

What does this have to do with pet food you ask?

For ten years I have been a sales rep for Flint River Ranch pet food.  Now, while I can recruit others to sell the food and profit from their efforts, I focused more on selling the actual food and feeding it to my own dogs.  I get paid a commission based on a sliding scale on the total volume I sell a month.  And that includes the food I buy for my own pets!  So I’m basically getting cash back for feeding my own dogs a Super Premium dog food that was rated as one of the Top Dry Dog Foods by the Whole Dog Journal!

While I’m first-hand familiar with Flint River Ranch, another dog food line that is equally top notch is the Healthy Pet Net opportunity which you can read about here.  Because the key to success is to really believe in the product.  It comes across in everything you communicate, especially if you “walk the walk” and feed it to your own dogs like I do.

For more info on becoming a Flint River Ranch sales associate, check out the application page here.

GET FREE ADVERTISING FOR YOUR PET SITE

For those of you that have a website for your pet business, congratulations, you’ve taken the right steps to help grow your business.  In and of itself however, a website will only contribute to your growth if it is able to attract enough prospects who are looking for what you are offering and then be able to convert them into paying customers.  Converting prospects into customers is a complete numbers game whether you’re cold calling on the phone, mailing postcards, sending emails or using your website.  The simple fact is this:  if 100 prospects turn into 1 customer, than 1,000 prospects will turn into 10 customers.

Consider your website like a fishing net.  The more schools of fish that pass into your net, the more you can expect to catch.  This article will show you a 100% free way to attract additional visitors to your website.  What they do once they get there, however, is up to you (see our article on the effective use of Autoresponders).

This is where the PetLinkExchange comes in.  PetLinkExchange is a free banner ad program where you place a banner ad on your site and, in exchange, get your own banner displayed on other sites.  The ratio for the free service is 2 to 1, meaning for every two displays of a banner ad on your site, your banner ad gets displayed one time on another pet-related site.

 And if you need help creating a professional looking banner ad, don’t fret.  Check out AdDesigner.com.  It’s 100% free with an easy point and click interface, making animated banners a snap.

While there are several other banner exchange networks out there, PetLinkExchange is one of the only banner exchange programs dedicated to pets, so you know your ad will be appearing in front of an interested audience.

AUTORESPONDERS CAN GROW YOUR PET BUSINESS

In the second part of our series on using email marketing to grow your pet business, no discussion would be complete without talking about the use of email autoresponders.  Briefly, email autoresponders are automated messages that get sent to a person when they fill out and submit an online form or sign-up box. 

I’m sure at some point you’ve shopped for something online and got an automated receipt.  Or you filled out a sign-up form and got back an instant message that thanked you for signing up?  In fact, in the email message you received, it probably addressed you by your name.  These are all the powerful features of using autoresponders to build your prospect database and allow you to stay in touch with customers and prospects and effectively grow your pet business.

Here’s a great example of an autoresponder course that I developed for MyPetBusiness.com .  People interested in starting a doggie daycare business signup for the 5-part course on how to start a doggie daycare business.  Immediately upon signup they get a welcome email and part one of the course.  Then, over several days, they continue receiving the course.  You, as the publisher, have the ability to send one every day for a week or one every three days for a month, or once a month for a year.  Whatever you choose.  And here’s the point of it all:  each part of the course gives great, in-depth information about starting a doggie daycare business while also making an offer at the end of each email to purchase the instructional DVD on this and related topics.

WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND:  Using autoresponders is the best form of relationship marketing.  You are sharing your knowledge and expertise with people who want to learn more — from YOU!  Teach them and help them and you’ll soon turn strangers into prospects into customers. 

Let’s say you’re a pet sitter.  Set up an autoresponder on your website about preparing to leave your pet with a sitter while on vacation.    Make it a three part series.  Discuss what to expect and how to prepare when leaving them in a kennel as the first part.  Second part, write about what to expect and how to prepare to have a pet sitter come to their home.  Third, write about how to take the pet with you in a car, plane or train.  You get the idea. 

It’s important that each article be thorough and informative.  All you need is a single sentence and link at the end that says something like “For more information about booking a pet sitter in your home, visit www.yourwebsite.com” .

And the beauty of this whole system is that once you prewrite the articles and set up the autoresponder it keeps marketing your business on autopilot 24/7.

In all the techniques in my kit bag for online marketing and marketing in general, using autoresponders is my favorite one of all.  You put the time and effort in upfront and then it acts like a funnel bringing interested customers right to your inbox!

If you have any questions, please add them in the comments link below.

PROMOTING YOUR NEW PET BUSINESS

Ok, so you’ve decided to take the plunge and start that pet service business.  You’ve chosen to either start a:

• Pet sitting business
• Dog walking business
• Pet grooming business
• Pet waste removal business
• other

But money and cash flow is tight.  Especially in the beginning.  So how can you market your new business locally as quickly and cost-effectively as possible?  Well, it may sound obvious, but “Go where the pets are.”

Yes, print yourself some flyers and business cards and make yourself a list of the following places in your local area:

• Veterinarians
• Dog Groomers (assuming you’re not starting a grooming biz)
• Dog Walkers (assuming you’re not starting a dog walking biz)
• Dog parks
• Pet stores

Personally go to each and every place on your list and introduce yourself and your business.  Ask if you can leave flyers, cards or brochures behind.  Vets and stores like to recommend good resources to their clients so don’t feel like you’re “selling” anything, cause you’re not.

After you’ve covered each one of those places, consider posting your flyers in less-targeted places (for pets) but targeted for people.  Most supermarkets have some type of bulletin board.  So do banks, some pizzarias, sandwich shops, bagel shops, etc.

Most local businesses do not mind helping other local businesses, especially if you’re a customer of those establishments.

And if you want to go the extra mile, write a basic press release and send it to your local newspaper.  Local papers LOVE stories about pets.  Get a neighborhood kid to pose with their pet (or your own) and send it in with your press release and I doubt the paper can resist running it!

Once you get a bit of cash flow, I would take out a small ad in the services section of your local paper.  Don’t do it just once, though.  That’s a waste.  Run it at least 6 to 10 times.  To spread it out, run it three weeks on and three weeks off.  Repeat impressions are key!  Then repeat as often as you can afford to.

Between your flyers, your press releases and your classified ads — you’ll be everywhere in no time!