Episode 199: How To Do Virtual Meet and Greets In Your Pet Business

How to do Virtual Meet and Greets In Your Pet Business One of the "blessings" of our new normal under COVID-19 is that it has opened the realm of finding virtual alternatives to our everyday processes. One of these alternatives is virtual consultaations for pet sitters. That's where you hop on a video call with your potential client and host your meet and greet - virtually! Nikki & Steph, co-owners of Dog Jogs, have actually transitioned to now conducting ONLY virtual meet and greets, and have a wealth of knowledge to share. Their company truly believes that 'a tired dog is a happy dog' and specializes in jogging dogs. They also believe in providing effective, efficient resolutions to customer service issues and ensure complete client satisfaction. Which is what helps them continue to think outside the box, and grow their business by evolving as challenges arise. This year will be Dog Jogs' 4th year in operation, with many plans for many more to come! Nikki & Steph - Dog Jogs Virtual Meet-N-Greet In Action! Show Highlights [2:45] - Who are Nikki & Steph and how and why did you start Dog Jogs? [4:15] - What sparked your idea to conduct virtual meet and greets, and what trepidations did you have? [7:45] - Walk us through your thought process for implementing virtual meet and greets and how you successfully accomplished that [9:45] - How do you handle potential behavioral/aggression issues with the pet during virtual meet and greets? [11:00] - How did you instruct your clients to send over the videos you requested? [12:45] - What's been your staff reactions? [15:00] - What percentage of clients have shown pushback ? [16:30] - How and why are you going to be marketing this new process? [18:00]- What advice would you give to pet business owners that are afraid to start doing virtual consultations? Links Dog Jog's Website: https://dog-jogs.ca/ Jump Mastermind: /mastermind/ Let's Connect! Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’' Are You New Here? Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below. Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here. Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here. Transcript: This is episode 199 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business. So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, and today I've got a pair of mastermind members with me. The reason they're here is because they are killing it. I know that we’re in the middle of all this COVID stuff and hearing things like “We’re not going to come out of this the same way we went in,” and “This is the new normal,” but truly, the gals I’m about to introduce you to—Nikki and Stephanie—have been doing it differently. They’ve really changed the focus of their business, and that actually started before all of this, but the situation catapulted them forward. They are the co-owners of Dog Jogs, a pet care company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Their company believes that a tired dog is a happy dog and specializes in jogging dogs—not walking, but jogging. They also focus on providing effective and efficient solutions to customer service issues and ensuring complete client satisfaction. That’s what helps them continue to think outside the box and grow their business as they evolve and as changes arise. This year marks Dog Jogs’ fourth year in operation, with plans for many more to come. I wanted them on this podcast because there are a couple of things you need to realize about their story. First, they’ve only been around four years. Think about where you were in your fourth year or where you want to be in four years. Also, many of us focus on pet sitting when people travel or dog walking when people are at work, but these ladies go into people’s homes and run with dogs. Think about all the extra liability and questions that come with that. What they’ve done is remarkable, and that’s why I wanted to bring them here. They started Dog Jogs back when Nikki was working shift work, and her dog Koda had separation anxiety. Running with him helped. Doing a five-to-eight-kilometer run every day kept him better behaved, and when she realized there wasn’t a dog jogging service in the area, only walking, she thought—why not start one? It was different from daycare because it offered convenience; no drop-offs or pickups, and the team could feed and care for dogs right at home. I love that the model is unique because many people think about adding jogging as an afterthought, but Nikki and Stephanie went all in. During COVID, they started thinking about how to handle meet and greets safely. Within the first couple of weeks, nurses and elderly clients began asking if consultations could be done virtually. They thought, why not? Everyone was on Zoom and FaceTime already, so it was becoming normal. They tried it, and it worked beautifully. Their first virtual consult was with an elderly client who injured her hip and couldn’t walk her puppy. She was already familiar with Zoom, and when the meeting started, she simply turned her camera to introduce her dog. It was adorable. From there, the concept clicked. The pandemic created a new problem—people needed pet care but didn’t want others in their homes—and Dog Jogs provided the solution. They came from a place of yes, adapting quickly and sewing the parachute on the way down. It helped that the older generation had also become accustomed to video calls as a way to connect with family. From that success, they developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for virtual consultations. They began asking clients to film short videos showing leash behavior, home access, or harness setup. It ensured safety and helped staff prepare. They learned some of this on the fly, but also from experience turning down in-person clients when dogs were too strong or unmanageable. Safety was always a priority. Clients now take them on virtual house tours to show supplies, treat locations, and leash setups. For tricky harnesses, they demonstrate how to put them on. The tech side was messy at first. Video files were too large to email, so they began using Dropbox and Google Drive, and if that failed, clients could text videos. They also created a templated series of emails: one explaining virtual consults and another with step-by-step Zoom instructions and videos. It’s easy for clients to follow, and staff found it helpful to reference. Their staff’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Previously, Nikki and Stephanie handled all consultations themselves, but now they upload the recorded Zoom calls to client files so joggers can watch beforehand. It better prepares the team for new clients. If it’s the first in-person walk after a virtual consult, staff record notes or videos about the dog’s behavior to share with the team. It’s more collaborative and empowering, giving staff ownership and trust. They’ve now conducted 100% of consultations virtually, and while it’s been a slower season, no one has turned them down. They plan to market this new process more heavily because no one else in their city is doing it. Most competitors still do backyard visits. For Dog Jogs, this is leadership. They’re setting a standard in their area and positioning themselves as innovators. Clients appreciate the clarity. Dog Jogs communicates confidently: “This is how we do it.” If someone doesn’t want a virtual consult, that’s okay—they’re probably not the right fit. Nikki and Stephanie understand that structure builds trust and protects efficiency. For sitters who are hesitant to start virtual consultations, their advice is simple: just do it. Their first session wasn’t perfect—they had no SOPs—but they refined the process afterward. They watched recordings to see what could be improved, made checklists, and continued evolving. Every consultation is slightly better than the last. People are often more willing to adapt than we think. Most clients understand the reasoning when it’s explained clearly—they want safety too. It’s similar to pricing: you set your rate and stand by it. Virtual consults are no different. If it doesn’t work for someone, that’s okay. They can refer them elsewhere. Bella wrapped up by reminding them how powerful their leadership mindset is. Dog Jogs doesn’t wait—they do it scared, test, correct, and continue. That’s why they’ve achieved so much in just four years. They also found inspiration in Marcus Sheridan’s video training on virtual consultations inside the mastermind group. His insights on virtual sales confirmed that they were on the right track and motivated them to refine their system. Bella praised their innovation, saying this approach puts them ahead of the curve. Virtual consultations are something jumpers do differently—they lead, and the world catches up later. Nikki and Stephanie’s process is the first 100% virtual model Bella knows of,