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Beth Stultz | February 16, 2018
     

The 2018 Winter Olympics is in full swing in PyeongChang, South Korea, and hopefully your busy pet-sitting schedules have still allowed you to catch up on some of the late-night airings of this year’s games. While careening down an ice track at more than 80 miles an hour as a skeleton racer or flying over 300 feet while 15 feet off the ground as a ski jumper are probably not on your to-do list, there’s quite a bit of Olympic wisdom that benefits pet-care businesses.

Here are four lessons pet sitters can learn from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics:

1. Be prepared for extreme situations.

This year’s Winter Olympics are reported to be the coldest since 1994 (when Norway was the host), with recent temperature readings of -8 F in the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. For the opening ceremony, Team USA even wore heated parkas powered by battery packs! Professional pet sitters, too, must be prepared for extreme weather conditions, depending upon where they live. Pets need care regardless of the weather and pet sitters should be aware of best practices when caring for pets in extreme temperatures, including when it’s too hot or too cold for dogs to be walked outside. Pet sitters should also dress appropriately for the weather, ensuring their safety as well. (For more on cold-weather tips, read this previous blog post: 3 things learned while pet sitting in a blizzard.)

But weather is not the only cause of extreme—or unexpected—situations for pet sitters. Disasters—both man-made and natural—can occur, as well as unexpected sickness, family emergencies or even automobile accidents that prevent you from getting to the pets in your care. This is why it is vital for all pet sitters to have a contingency plan, which includes having a backup pet-care provider. Your backup could be a spouse or partner, staff sitter or, in some cases, your client’s emergency contacts.

2. Don’t be afraid to try new things.

Did you know there are new events making their debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics? These events include the Alpine team competition (16 countries will face off in a mixed-gender slalom tournament), big-air snowboarding (snowboarders will ascend to the top of the tower before flying off a 160-ft. ramp), mass-start speedskating (speedskating in a very crowded oval) and mixed doubles curling (featuring two curlers—a man and a woman—instead of the usual four). Also, for the first time ever, singles and pairs skaters are allowed to perform to music with lyrics (not just instrumental versions).

So, is there anything new you can add to your pet-sitting business to generate excitement and, hopefully, boost your bottom line? Pet owners have many different needs. If you are seeing a decrease in your pet-sitting assignment requests (or simply want more), consider other services that may benefit your existing and potential clients, such as offering overnights, daily dog walks or pet-taxi services, to name a few. Also, keep in mind that pet owners use pet sitters for much more than their vacation pet-care needs, so try new approaches to promote the benefits of using your services. Instead of simply advertising that pet owners can use your services when they travel for work or pleasure, highlight that pet sitters are also valuable to assist with puppies (who need more frequent visits); when clients are hospitalized, sick or physically unable to care for their pets; and when clients want their pets to participate in their weddings. (For more ideas, read this blog post: 10 reasons besides vacation pet owners need pet-sitting services.)

Pet sitters should try new things when it comes to their continuing education as well. Sign up for an animal nutrition course or register for a local workshop on using Instagram for your small business. Broadening your horizons is a win-win for your business and your clients (who will benefit from your improved services).

3. Don’t judge your competition—or your colleagues—by their age.

If you’ve been watching the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, you likely quickly noticed that most of the sporting events feature quite a mix of “young and old”—the youngest is China’s 15-year-old freestyle skier Wu Meng and the oldest is Canada’s 51-year-old curler Cheryl Bernard. From German speedskater Claudia Pechstein (45 years old) who has become the first woman to compete in seven Winter Olympics to hockey player  and Team USA’s oldest member Brian Gionta (39 years old), veteran athletes are playing a prominent role in this year’s games. Meanwhile, young Winter Olympians are garnering major headlines—and medals—as well. USA’s Chloe Kim just became the youngest ever female gold medalist at 17 years old. Snowboarding slopestyle gold medalist “Red” Gerard is also only 17.

While 17 is too young for professional pet sitting (you must be at least 18 years old to become insured and bonded), there are varying age demographics represented within our industry—and it’s important that you don’t discount a fellow pet-care professional because of his or her age. You also don’t want to make the mistake of discounting a competitor, simply because you feel you’ve “been around longer.” Experience and an established reputation are certainly both valuable for professional pet-sitting businesses, but don’t simply rest on your laurels. The professional pet-sitting industry is changing. Learning about technological advancements that can benefit your business, understanding the changing forms of advertising options in our digital age and focusing on continuing education to expand your pet-sitting expertise are vital for pet sitters of all ages. And, don’t miss out on opportunities to learn from one another—a Millennial pet sitter who has grown up with Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram can provide valuable marketing tips, just as a Gen X or Baby Boomer pet sitter can provide important insight that only years of in-the-field experience can offer.

4. Do a trial run, or “practice makes perfect.”  

No Olympian arrived in PyeongChang this month without having practiced their designated sport. They’ve practiced for years (and daily) to achieve this level of success and opportunity to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Then, once arriving in PyeongChang, the athletes also have scheduled practice runs or training days to become familiar with the particular courses or ice rinks. These trial runs enable the athletes to become more comfortable and make any necessary adjustments before they take their real chances at an Olympic medal.

While a gold, silver or bronze medal may not be your goal, trial runs benefit professional pet sitters as well. Many new pet sitters find the idea of the initial consultation (or “meet and greet”) a bit daunting. So, why not practice in advance? Have a spouse, partner, friend or family member roleplay with you so you can walk through what you plan to say, the questions you will ask and the information you’d like to provide at your initial consultations. Practice your “elevator speech,” as well. If you had five seconds to explain to someone exactly what it is you do/what you offer, what would you say? Give this thought, write it down, and then practice, practice, practice! This way you’ll be prepared the next time you have a split second to think about how you can best introduce your business to a potential new client or referral partner.

Trial runs (and regular practice) are also very important for pet first aid and responding to emergency pet situations. Stay up-to-date on your pet first aid training and supplement in-person training with online training when you can’t attend live demonstrations. Then, practice the skills you learn on your own pet(s) or even pet mannequins so that the implementation of pet first aid becomes second nature to you. Another way to prepare for pet emergencies that many pet sitters simply don’t think of is to know where your local emergency veterinarians are located. Have the addresses in your phone or vehicle’s GPS system and even drive by the emergency veterinarians to ensure you are comfortable with the directions. The last thing you want to do in an emergency situation is to panic over trying to remember or find the location of your closest emergency veterinarian!

Share your feedback!

Are you watching the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics? Do you have any favorite events or Olympians this year? Let us know in the comments below and also share any lessons you’ve learned from this year’s games that you can apply to your pet-sitting business.