So many groomers have “regular” clients. The ones that have been coming for years. The owners trust us with how their dog will look, without having to give instructions. This type of situation takes time.
The client must develop trust in their groomer. Trust that everything is getting done that should be done. They must also be happy with the grooming at each visit. Then it suddenly happens. My clients come in, chit chat for a few minutes, their dog is happy to see me, the dog and I play for a few minutes, then I tell the client what time to return and off they go on their merry way. I groom the dog the way I feel looks best and that will be the proper length until their next appointment. The perfect situation.
There are also the clients that have been coming for years. Their dogs get the same haircut at every visit. Yet, the client must always give instructions. “Cut her nails”, “Clean her ears”, “Short around the eyes”, and the list goes on. We scratch our heads sometimes thinking “don’t we always do that?”. Well nine times out of ten, yes, we do. There is also that time that perhaps the nails were forgotten or the ears were not cleaned properly. When things are “forgotten” people tend to lose trust that we will do what we are supposed to do. This is when they feel the need to remind us. Then there are those that just have the need to remind us even though we have never forgotten!
Every client can be little different
So here we have the perfect client that let’s us do whatever we want because they trust in our ability to make their dog look beautiful! We also have the client that gives instructions at each visit.
So here we have the perfect client that let’s us do whatever we want because they trust in our ability to make their dog look beautiful! We also have the client that gives instructions at each visit.
Let’s discuss “instructions”. We all have clients say “you can take her short today”. I have found that my version of short and their version of short is NEVER the same. I have also found that my version of 1” and their version of 1” is also NEVER the same. Sometimes it is shorter and sometimes it is longer. It is so important to ask questions when this happens. I normally will hold the hair up on the dog’s body and say “do you want half of this left? This gives them a reference as to how much will be cut. If they want the dog shaved I will say “Do you want it to look really smooth or do you want some fluff left? I know this sounds silly but if you don’t clarify what “short” means the client could potentially be upset that either the dog was cut too short or not cut enough. Always be thorough when talking length of coat.
Now I will go back to my “perfect client”. The other day I had a Wheaton-Doodle client come in. They were going to the beach for two weeks. She said “cut him really short because he is coming with us”. I was pretty surprised to hear that because he is in a really nice scissored trim. He is on a great schedule. He comes every 4-5 weeks and never has a tangle on him. So when I heard “really short”, I was thinking a #2 comb all over or along those lines. I asked the client how short and started to show her on the dog’s body and legs and she said “Oh no!!! Just trim him like you normally do but take his face a little shorter because it grows so fast”. Talk about scratching my head! Can you imagine if I just assumed and didn’t questions her? She would have been extremely upset… I am sure of that!
So the moral of the story here is…
as groomers, it is always a good idea to ask questions. Whether they are the “perfect client” that never gives instructions or the others that are asking for that inch when they really mean two inches! It is always better to be safe than sorry!
Communication is the key to success!
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