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DOG OWNERS: Love your dog -- hate poop?
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 THE INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY OF DOG WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES

Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board Archives

Messages archived from the Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board, going back to May of 1998. The discussion board board is an online forum about the business of pet-waste removal. Browse the messages, CLICK HERE TO SEARCH by keyword, or click here to participate in current discussions.

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Page Thirty-One

Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 22-Jun-99 13:20:34

What's in the Book?

In the Chicago Tribune there was a storie on the front page of the jobs section about off-beat jobs and dog waste removal was one of them. I am interested in gettine the pooper scooper book. Does it help you with the business management end of this. Like how to get a tax ID # and other items. I would like to get into this and if anyone has any business advice let me know. Or should I worry

I did think of some good name for my business. So I think.

Thanks Mike




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 22-Jun-99 22:20:07

Re: What's in the Book?

Hi Mike,
Location-specific details like where to get a local business license are not covered because they vary from state-to-state and city-to-city. However, the your local S.C.O.R.E office can help you with those kinds of details. SCORE is a free program of the U.S. Small Business Administration and you can find them in your phone book's government section.
To get a Federal Employer ID number, call the IRS at 1-800-TAX-1040 and ask for a "New Business Kit."
The book covers marketing (includes some actual samples of ads, flyers and news releases that you can modify for your own use), tools of the trade, working techniques, business and customer service practices, dealing with dogs, scheduling service, waste disposal, etc.
Many people have found the book to be very valuable and helpful to them as they planned, set up and started their waste removal services. You can read some of their comments further down in this message board and in the archives stored at www.pooper-scooper.com.
You'll find all kinds of helpful information here, so be sure to read it all, and don't forget the archives. :)




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 22-Jun-99 14:22:04

Bicycle / Walking Trails

My public agency owns and maintains over twenty miles of paved trails. Despite pet waste ordinances in the local jurisdictions that the trails cross through, we find that many dog walkers are not picking up after their pets.

Our trails are located in northern Illinois and motorized vehicles are prohibited.

If we decide to prepare a set of maintenance specifications and then put this work out to bid, what should we include?

1. How often should the trail be cleaned?
2. Does anyone specialize in public property and trail maintenance?
3. Should we pay by the mile? the frequency?
4. other?




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 22-Jun-99 22:30:55

Re: Bicycle / Walking Trails

This is a somewhat unique situation to me, but it does have some elements in common with jobs like large apartment complex cleaning. While the particular details of the job may be unique to the situation, in general I would offer the following:
There may be some particular trouble spots on the trail, places where there is a much greater problem with dog waste, compared to the rest of the trail. If this is the case, I would recommend that those areas be cleaned at least once a week. The parts of the trail that are not such big problems then might be kept up with a monthly cleaning. This would save the expense of cleaning the entire trail every week.
I would also recommend paying a flat monthly rate for service specified in the bid. Be sure the bid includes specific information about exactly which areas will be cleaned on what schedule, how far out from the sides of the trail the cleaning will go, whether certain picnic areas are to be included, etc. The more specificity you can write into the bid, the fewer misunderstandings are likely to occur.
I think this is a quite interesting question, and I hope we will read some suggestions from several others on this message board.

Matthew



Message Date/Time:
Friday, 25-Jun-99 17:35:07

Scooper in Austin, TX?

Can anyone tell me who does this in Austin, TX? I saw the listing at pooper-scooper.com, but that is not a working address anymore.

Thanks, and please reply directly by email, as I don't have web access all the time.

Philip




Message Date/Time:
Saturday, 26-Jun-99 18:50:27

Re: Scooper in Austin, TX?

It turns out the phone number listed for Austin Pet Butler contained a typo -- The correct number is (512)301-1664.





Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 22-Sep-99 14:56:15

Re: Scooper in Austin, TX?

hi

well just wanted to inform you that there is another Pet Waste Removal company in Austin Tx.
If you need our service please call, 388-7884.
Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Mandi (owner)
Doggie Doodle Disposal



Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 27-Jun-99 19:19:45

Scoopin' poop

Help! I've just started a new pooper scooper business in Massachusetts. I ran an ad on cable classifieds. I got a list of registered dog owners at town hall. I've sent out 200 flyers. I called 75 dog owners at home as well. I also just put out an ad in the local paper and so far I haven't received one call. How long does it take to get a response. Does anyone have any ideas?




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 28-Jun-99 09:09:42

Re: Scoopin' poop

Congratulations on getting your business opened! Unfortunately, you've opened it during the slowest time of the year for getting new clients. The summer slow-down is normal for many types of businesses, not just poop-scooping.
On the other hand, you will be in a good position by being prepared when new business starts calling again.
In my experience, and from what I've learned from others in the pet-waste removal business, the summer is the time of year when the fewest new customers sign up. In September there should be a definite increase in new clients, then it should stay relatively level or drop a little bit through the winter.
The early spring is the busiest time for new customer sign-ups. Sometimes it's all one can do just to keep up with the new business that starts calling in late February and keeps calling for the next couple of months. I know of at least one service this spring had to put new customers on a two-week waiting list!
I think the cable-tv ad is probably a great idea. I do think it would be a lot more effective in the fall and spring, though. How many times did you run the ad? You will need to run it frequently for maximum results. If you run it just a few times, not many people will notice it, or they may think it's a joke, or they'll be so surprised at the whole idea that they won't get the phone number.
You'll also need to put out a lot more than 200 flyers. Flyers can work, but it's hard to reach a very large number of houses. They work best when you have a lot more time than money, so you can deliver them to at least a thousand houses. I have obtained customers with flyers, but my ratio of customers signed was around 7 customers per thousand flyers.
My most consistent producer of new business, over the years, had to be the classified ad in the neighborhood weekly papers, run under "Pets" or "Pet Services." A few lines, including the company name, short description of what the service does, basic prices and a phone number, is all it takes. Run that kind of ad in especially in the fall and most especially in the spring. Run it every week if you can, or every other week.
It's better to run an ad more frequently and consistently, as opposed to running a larger ad just one or two times.
The single most powerful marketing technique available must be free publicity. A good news release with an interesting, timely, newsworthy angle will often result in newspaper articles and tv-news stories about your business. You can't buy that kind of exposure and credibility, even if you had a lot of money. Come September, a news release about how your business can save time and trouble for dog owners busy with kids going back to school, for instance, might be a real shot-in-the-arm.
So, how long it takes to get that first customer and succeeding customers can vary quite a bit. In my case, I got some customers within a week after opening. But I started in late February and used a news release to get stories about my service in the papers and on TV. I know of other businesses who got more customers that I did, sooner. But there are messages in the archives from this message board, from people who waited several weeks before getting that first customer.
"Nothing can take the place of persistence," as Ray Kroc said. Combine simply hanging in there with the use of as many and varied marketing methods as you can think of or read about (I highly recommend Jay Conrad Levinson's "Guerilla Marketing" books in addition to my own book, "The Professional Pooper-Scooper"). Intensify your marketing during the seasons most likely to bring new business, i.e., spring and fall, and you'll be more likely to have your efforts rewarded.






Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 29-Jun-99 18:46:29

Re: Scoopin' poop

Ditto what Matt said. Also, we often get calls weeks or even months after a mailing goes out. People hang onto the card or flyer, and when they get too busy to keep up, they call.

We just sent out another mailing of 1,000 postcards. Summer is a low time for new business, but we subscribe to the theory that you have to keep your name in front of people. We'll send out another mailing to the same people this fall. Then again in the early Spring.

Our cost is about $250 per 1,000 postcards--for making and mailing them. This spring we averaged 7 to 10 new customers off a mailing, so each mailing paid for itself in the first month. We sent out three batches in February and March. We'll see what happens with our first summer mailing.

Before we started our business, my partner and I read a lot of business books. Most agreed that new business owners have to be as tenacious as terriers when they're getting started. Sink your teeth in and don't let go.




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 02-Jul-99 23:36:18

Little tips

1. Have a smell in your car after placing those little tied up plastic bags in it? Try saving your paper bags from the supermarkets and placing a few of the full plastic bags in them. Ofcourse, close the paper bag. I find this keeps the smell down. Also, from almost any highschool you can get all the sawdust you can carry. In the summer I find sawdust in the bags help some.

2. Have weekly customers quiting? Before you say good-by, ask them if cost is a problem. You could talk them into a once every two week pick-up. I charge 1&1/2 times the weekly.

3. Do you have customers that have little poop to pick up, or yards so small it takes no time at all to pick up? Often you feel like you are over charging? Then again talk them into a once every two week rate. You save time, gas, and you make more per hour that way. Also the customer wins too.

Dr. Doo Litter




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jul-99 14:14:04

Re: Little tips

Thanks for the tips.




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jul-99 11:04:31

Cancellations

How do you charge when a customer calls in advance to cancel a weekly service day. Do you just skip the billing for that week, or do you charge the "every other week pickup" service charge. I guess you could even charge for the missed week since there is twice the doggie diamonds to pick up. Any thoughts?




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jul-99 11:58:56

Re: Cancellations

When a regular weekly customer wants to skip a visit, as long as she let me know in advance I would just not charge for that day. Looking at it from the customer's point of view, who wants to pay for service not performed, after all?
Many times the reason for a skipped day is that the dog will be someplace else for a week, anyway.
I would charge the regular price for yards that we do show up for regular service but can't do because the yard is locked or some other reason we can't get in to clean up -- if the customer doesn't call ahead to cancel. This is clearly explained in the "New Customer Welcome Letter" I sent out when people first signed up for service.
I wonder others handle this?




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jul-99 19:33:49

Re: Cancellations

I charge by visit. My visits are on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Therefore, anyone who tells me to skip a week is no big deal. My log book only the work I have done.... Now, if they forget to tell me that they are on vacation and I show up and walk the rounds only not to find any poop. I note it in my log book as "no poop". Well I will adjust the bill to record my expense. I charge maybe $2.00. I makes me feel good when I cannot find any poop.....it shows that I did a good job the piror week. Anyway, I try to work with my customers as much as I can. I rather lose $5.00 to $7.00 before having a customer think that I was not fair.

Dr. Doo Litter




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 26-Jul-99 22:28:34

Re: Cancellations

re: cancellations,

As Matthew did, I have a packet that goes to every new client that signs on for regular service.

I do not charge biweekly price for a one time cancelation if the client lets me know before hand that periodically the dog will be somewhere else. If I notice that the waste accumulation is not consistant with the dog being gone... well then by all means send a nice note to your client (I usually do a phone call) to see if their is a problem with the service? A reason why they don't want service? It could just be a financial situation, people hate to admit to a momentary hardship, so suggest the biweekly service or a less expensive alternative if possible.
Hope this is helpful to you
best wishes
Kim




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jul-99 18:57:47

pooping at the beach

I do not own a dog. I do own a piece of property which has beach rights and which extends to the water line. We are supposed to allow the general population to walk along the water at will. The problem I am having is with
people walking dogs, they poop, and the people make a little hole with their feet and cover it up! I have a young niece who loves to play in the sand and boys who love to stay on the beach. I think this pooping and covering is disgusting and its like dodging land mines.
Can anyone tell me if the law is any different for walking near a large lake or other body of water as far as scooping is concerned. I live in New York State. Can anyone direct me to where I can find out the law?
Thanks




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 06-Jul-99 23:32:55

Pooper-Scooper Heading In The Yellow Pages

After talking with the representive of the yellow pages, I am asking all of you to call in and request that you would like to have a heading Pooper-Scooper Service, the only heading we have here in st. louis is pet services, i find mst of my customers have trouble finding us because they are looking for pooper-scooper or dog services, please call in, it only takes so many companies in so many states to make a heading happen, please post here on the message board that you have, i told her to check the web page here to show her we are out there, take care and lets get a heading....




Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jul-99 10:20:58

Re: Pooper-Scooper Heading In The Yellow Pages

I'm getting my first listing but under grooming. Its the largest one under pets.

Frank



Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 07-Jul-99 21:10:31

Re: Pooper-Scooper Heading In The Yellow Pages

I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with what other yellow pages are doing. I made several attempts to get my own category like you are talking about but had no luck and then one day up springs another scooper service and without even asking they gave us our own category! Competition does have it's advantages.
Red




Message Date/Time:
Wednesday, 14-Jul-99 00:13:51

Red where are you located

red what state are you located in that you have recieved a heading under pooper-scooper service and is your yellow pages southwestern bell?
thanks




Message Date/Time:
Friday, 09-Jul-99 01:31:38

each district is made of so many states

the yellow pages are divided into district, for example Missouri is connected with texas, and 4 other states please excuse me for i do not remember at this time which are the others, red where you are located there may of been 4 other companies in 4 other states which cause a heading because you had ask and they had ask, and because of each one of you contacting your representative and asking them to condsider a heading is how it happen,
I ask everyone to call your yellow pages to request a heading pooper-scooper service, thanks




Message Date/Time:
Sunday, 11-Jul-99 11:05:46

Mom's garden

My parents have retired and enjoy gardening. A while back a young lady and her family moved in next door along with several large Chow dogs. The neighbor keeps the animals in the house during the day when Animal Control is out and about, but, at night, the animals are free to roam and use my parents yard and garden as a toilet. Naturally the garden had to be discontinued and we now have to watch where we step getting in and out of our vehicles.

Due to the age of my parents and the somewhat questionable character of their neighbor, they have't said anything to her about her dog's "belly ache" on their property.

Does anyone know who to contact in the state of Alabama concerning animal waste control?




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jul-99 18:20:31

Re: Mom's garden

Yes. Contact the city or county health department. They know the regulations...I don't know if they are involved in enforcement, but they may at least inform your neighbors that they are breaking the health code by allowing this.

Lori Hooker
DooAway Yard & Kennel Waste Removal




Message Date/Time:
Thursday, 15-Jul-99 14:53:56

Re: Mom's garden

My friend, unless you are very lucky, I fear you have a problem. I too, am from Alabama and have a next door neighbor who has 2 dogs, closely confined in a tiny pen, adjacent to my back yard.
He never cleans the pens, the stench becomes almost unbearable at times. I have contacted the Health Department only to be told that dog feces and stench, does not pose a problem to human health. Unless you can get the Animal Control officer to talk to them or get the Police to talk to them about their releasing them at night, I cannot help. But Good Luck




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jul-99 11:37:29

A Marketing Idea I've Not Seen Discussed

Greetings,

After going through ALL the archives over the last few days, and gaining so much, I felt it was time to give back.

So in the spirit of this board here is...

A SURE FIRE WAY TO QUICKLY AND EASILY GET MORE CUSTOMERS THAN YOU CAN HANDLE

One thing that everyone who has a business (and I'm not just talking about poo scoopin) will tell you is... referals are like gold.

It's true isn't it?

If you go to a movie and you like it, don't you tell a friend? Sure you do.

It's the same with business. If you like a business you tell a friend about it. Your friend will be more likely to go to a business because of a recommendation than because they saw an ad.

So what you've got to do is have someone recommend your poo-scoopin business to those most likely to be your customers - people with dogs.

Here's my suggestion...

Contact a local business who already has dog owners as customers - vets, dog washers (careful with them they may want to do it themselves), clippers & groomers, and so on and so forth.

Ask them to send a letter (which you write) to their customers, on their letterhead and signed by them, recommending your business.

This referal will generate more business than any other method.

How do you get them to go along with you? Easy... give them half the money from your first job (after marketing costs have been paid for).

E.g. 1000 customers mailed at say $500 cost. A 10% conversion rate is 100 customers. If your first job (the initial clean) was $25 you make it a $20 offer (remember the owner of the list is doing this as a courtesy for their own customers - build goodwill too).

100 customers at $20 a pop is $2000. Minus the intial marketing cost leaves $1500. Split 50/50 means $750 each.

Sure it means you have done the initial clean for $7.50. But it gets you a customer doesn't it?

And seeing as that customer could be worth $25 a month (or $300 for the year), you have just gotten a possible $30,000 from that small investment of $750 which went to the list owner.

And that's smart marketing in anyone's language.

By the way... from my own experiences (in other businesses - haven't tried it with poo scoopin, yet), a 10% response is tiny. Often, with this type of marketing, you can expect a response of near 30% or more - I've heard of responses as high as 64%.

The letter your 'friend' sends could start something like...

Dear Friend,

Just found out about this and had to let you know...

There's a new service in town you can benefit from.

They're called Poo Scoopers and they will remove all the disease-infested dog waste from your yard so you don't have to go anywhere near that awful smelly dog poo.

I contacted the owner and asked him if he could offer you, my customers, a great deal.

After some arm twisting, here's what I got for you...

Fill the rest in yourself.

Anyway, like I said at the start, I've gotten so much from reading all the archives I thought I'd share this with you.

Cheers!

Michael Ross.





Message Date/Time:
Monday, 26-Jul-99 22:16:47

Re: A Marketing Idea I've Not Seen Discussed

Hello, I'm suprised! Word of mouth, referals, this is the cornerstone of my business...
Poop -N- Flingers, Inc. Was launched in April of 1998. I remember giving out my first business card. I speak to everyone about my business, I make them comfortable talking about poop... and they laughed, THEN - they tell their friends. I crack jokes (tastefully), I listen to "my clients" (they are special to me)...and they talk about their four-legged loves, and when the conversation is over their is always a question, specific problem, or some tiny thing they need help with or answered regarding their pets. I am not a vet! Do not give medical advice...why?, because, it may be an educated guess BUT the guess is not educated. Insted, I find them an article, give the local vet a call for them, research the product... what-ever-it-takes...
At present my business is at 97% referal rate!

These people will stick with you because they can see you care. It is a lot of extra work but by picking up a piece of information at a time, as it comes, you'll have a wealth of info before you know it.

What I have discovered over the last 15 months is that a dog is an owners best friend, if you treat your business as the family's best friend, you can't help but receive referals.

It sure has worked for me.
Thanks for the ears
Kim @ Poop -N- Flingers, Inc. Osceola, Indiana




Message Date/Time:
Monday, 12-Jul-99 15:14:43

Not Sure?

I'm seriously thinking about launching a pooper scooper business,but I have a problem. I live in a large metropolitan area. I have 5 other services already in existence. Should this be a problem? Also how could I be different?




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 13-Jul-99 10:49:10

Re: Not Sure?

Hi Bianca,

After reading all the archives it would appear that the more competition you have the better. Each person's ad helps spread the word that poo-scoopin is a legitimate business.

In a local newspaper I once counted 23 lawn mowing service ads - this for a township of less than 100,000 people, and only 38,000 homes.

My friend then started up a lawn mowing business. Within a month he was hiring people to help him because he couldn't cope.

Don't mind the competition. You in effect are your biggest competitor anyway.

Now, how to oversome it...

Do some research!

Find out what their prices are etc. Then go one better - not on price though (never compete on price - compete on preceived value).

Offer more for the same money. Call it a premium service.

Offer discount dog washes, discount dog food delivery, etc. Make deals with those who provide these services and offer them to your customers (see my previous post about deal making).

If your competition doesn't do cat trays, then you should.

If your competition doesn't take credit cards then you should.

Find out what the weakness is in your competition and exploit it. Cover their weakness with your service.

If they only work Mon-Fri then you might want to consider doing weekends.

The only way to be better than your competition is to study them and find their weakness. Once you know what it is you know what you should be doing to be better.

Hope this helps.

Michael Ross.




Message Date/Time:
Tuesday, 13-Jul-99 10:08:46

festival

Hi everyone!

PooP b Gone has signed up for booth space at our city's festival this year.

I was wondering if anyone out there has done this before and if you could share some of your ideas for luring potential customers to our booth.

I know I read some messages from other scoopers about this subject, but they must not be in the archives anymore.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks!