Episode 299: Is Your Pet Sitting Software Working For Or Against You?

Jodi came to me wondering how she could get more clients. We took a look into her systems and found out that the way in which she is having people sign up was stopping the sale from happening. She was having to send UN and PW to a new user and while they were waiting for that to happen, they were finding other solutions. Her software was working against her. When you compare Jodi's sign up to Rover, the potential new client was able to sign up quickly and check off PET CARE for their trip to Cancun and be done with it. With Jodi, they were left wondering if she received their info and what the next step was. Her software was working against her. So much, that every year in the Mastermind, we actually go through five members' websites and sign up. We time how long it takes to sign up and if there are any spot points. There are some very popular software out there that actually STOP the sales process. Today, we are diving deep into ways that your software might be working against you. My goal is to make sure that your software is an asset to your sales process and not a liability. BTW - As I wrote these notes.... I wonder if anyone actually READS them. Will you send me an email to bella at jumpconsulting.net and let me know? Ok, onto the epsiode! :) Biggest Takeaways: 3:29 Don’t Overwhelm your client 4:00 Mastermind guide about how to use software 4:40 Important aspects of how to choose pet sitting software 5:28 Simple is better 6:10 Why Rover Is Beating The Professional Pet Sitter 7:53 Free tool for finding software 8:19 GPS importance 8:56 Quickbook integration 13:19 Screenshots on your website 14:30 Big Surprise! 14:50 Get to my Instagram for the offer Recommendations: If you find yourself google searching "how to choose a pet sitting software" then my newly developed (free!) software tool is for you. Head over to jumpconsulting.net/software and choose five top features that are most important to you and your business. From there it will generate a list of recommended software to try out. This takes the work out of researching many different software systems to help you and your business run smoothly. Links: Bella Vasta on Instagram Why Rover Is Beating The Professional Pet Sitter Software tool Mastermind Transcript: This is episode 299 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 another episode of Bella in Your Business. This is episode 299. Next week, we're gonna have a party, and I can't wait to get there. But first, we're gonna continue on the software train and talk a little bit more about whether your pet business software is working for you or against you. There are all different kinds of software. In the last episode, I told you that we compared 19 software systems altogether on a comparison chart. Rather than just giving you that chart, we went ahead and gave you the option to pick five of your most important features, and then it spits back the software that has them. You don’t have to worry about being overloaded with too many choices or decision fatigue. All you gotta do is go to jumpconsulting.net/software — that’s completely free. I encourage you to post it everywhere and help all of your fellow sitters out. As a pet business owner, you know that having the right software can make or break your business. But what are the right software tools for your business? How do you know which one to choose? How do you know if you should switch software if you’re not getting a return on your investment with your current one? Maybe your software is making you create more processes in your client onboarding because it’s not intuitive enough. I’ve gotten under the hood of so many businesses where I see them making ten steps when they only need two, but they have to “Mickey Mouse” it together. My dad used to call that a Mickey Mouse fix—gluing things together just to make them work. It becomes more complicated than it needs to be. So really think about this: is your software working for you or against you? Is it helping the flow of clients come in, or is it stopping the sales process? Some popular software completely stops the process and overwhelms clients. They go from “help me solve my problem” to “this is too much, I’ll deal with it later.” The right software won’t do that. It’s an important tool for business owners—especially pet businesses. They all require a little bit of your customization, but it should make life easier, not harder. In the Mastermind, once a year, we record how at least five different companies use their systems. It’s eye-opening because while many use the same software, the setup and customization make all the difference. If you’re in the Mastermind, you can find that in the guides—or tag me and I’ll show you. And if you’re not in the Mastermind yet, side note—why not? Go to jumpconsulting.net/mastermind. Now let’s get on with it. The most important aspects you want to consider are scheduling (which we talked about last episode) and ease of booking. Is it simple for clients, or do they have to fill out a form, wait for an email, fill out another form, and follow instructions? It shouldn’t be that complicated. When I ran my pet sitting company (sold in 2016), clients went to my site, chose “new client” or “existing client,” and boom—they were in the system. New clients went straight to the profile. Then to the pet profile. Then they clicked “scheduling.” Simple. Simple is better. Remember—this is pet sitting and dog walking, not rocket science. Stop complicating it. Complication scares people away and prevents sales. Now, I’m not saying the information you’re asking for isn’t important. But there’s a time and place for it—and it’s not at the start, where it overwhelms the client. You want your clients to feel like they just won something. Give them a quick win—“Okay, I’m signed up with a pet sitter!” That’s why Rover is killing it over professional pet sitters—it’s easy to sign up with them. Next is client information. Your clients should be able to update their notes. I used to tell clients, “I’m so sorry, I’m not in front of the system right now, and I want to make sure we don’t forget to change Fido’s food from one cup to two. Can you log in and update it for me, please?” That ensures it’s accurate and gets to the sitter—plus it puts responsibility where it belongs: with the client. You are not an order taker. Communication between sitters, walkers, and clients is another big one. Does your system allow you to message privately with sitters and clients, or are they texting clients directly from their phones or personal emails? That’s a huge problem. If you don’t have a system that centralizes communication, it’s working against you. If this is starting to feel overwhelming—don’t worry. Go to jumpconsulting.net/software and use our free tool. Enter your top five features, and it’ll show you only the companies that have them. Next—GPS tracking. With gas prices high and everyone trying to tighten their routes, GPS is more important than ever. But not all GPS features are equal. Some software only has check-in/check-out GPS. Others show the sitter driving around. Be clear on what you need. And by the way, if you use independent contractors—you should not be using GPS tracking at all. That’s considered control, and it’s a whole other legal issue. Don’t do it. Next, integration with QuickBooks. Some software requires you to manually export and import data into QuickBooks. Others sync automatically—or connect to similar platforms like FreshBooks. This is vital because importing invoices efficiently saves you tons of time. Even though some claim to handle finances “in-house,” most don’t go deep enough for a full P&L view. They track income but don’t give you expenses or payables. You need your systems to talk to each other. If your software has an open API (and only one in the pet industry truly does), that’s gold. It makes your bookkeeper’s life—or yours—much easier. When your financials are updated and clear, you can make smart business decisions. You’ll know what brings in the most revenue, what drains your time, and how to shape your marketing messages accordingly. If you’re spending 80% of your energy on pet sitting but it’s only 30% of your income, that’s a problem. Your software should help you see that. Don’t get paralyzed by decision fatigue. We’ve done the heavy lifting—just decide which five features are most important, and go from there. Stop making binders and three-ring folders because your system doesn’t do what you want. That’s not only costly but chaotic. Or when clients can’t sign up themselves and have to wait for you to create a username and password—that’s outdated. Also—stop calling it a “portal.” Nobody wants another “portal” in their life. Think of how you feel when your doctor says, “Go check the portal.” It’s a turnoff. Find a fun way to present it—something exciting that makes your company feel approachable. Better yet, show it off on your website. Post screenshots of what the client experience looks like—notes, journal entries, updates. That way, when people sign up, they’re already familiar and comfortable with your system. We’ve got your back with this. There are at least 19 software options we’ve vetted, and we’ve made a whole spreadsheet for you. Just go to jumpconsulting.net/software. Next week is our 300th episode! It’s launching on my daughter’s 8th birthday—July 21st—and my birthday is just a few days before that. For my birthday week,