Day 20…
I would highly recommend that anyone in this business get started using one of the major CRM (customer relationship management) programs as early on in their business as possible. I wish I would have done this!
I used to do things with pen and paper. Then I “upgraded” and started using excel. I should have just jumped into using software right off the bat but I didn’t. That ended up costing me way more in both time and money than it should have.
There are many software programs out there specifically for our type of business. My personal business has tried every one of them that I thought looked even halfway useful. Here is my summary of what we liked and what we didn’t (keep in mind I’m not recommending any one particular software system and I don’t get any compensation for mentioning these; this is just what my experience has been and I’m sure there are others not on this list that you may use that you like and are sufficient):
Bottom Line: Pet Sitter Plus is what we chose. We’ve been using it for about 6 months now and it’s awesome!!!! It does everything that I want it to do and it does it all very well. The only slight downside to this program is that the user interface is a little weird in how it works. But you’ll get used to that after a week or two and then it’s not a big deal any longer.
Power Pet Sitter is what we used to use (we used it for about 7 years). It’s a solid system and works very well. In the end, we dropped it because their scheduling and GPS didn’t do all that we need.
Time To Pet was in third place. It’s very modern but we found the scheduling to be cumbersome for the way we did things. If you’re starting from scratch, this may not be an issue for you.
I would do a free demo with all three of these systems (and any others that you find and personally seem to like). Then see which ones you like. Personally, Pet Sitter Plus was far and away the best for us. If you have plans to grow to even just 5+ staff people, PSP will do wonders for your sanity But all these systems are good.
Don’t choose one based on price. This is the most important item in your business over the long run. A good one will be worth whatever they are charging. And you don’t want to get a cheap one now and then switch down the road. That will be a nightmare.
Previous Lessons:
Day 1 – Start With Why
Day 2- Goal Identification
Day 3 – Goal Actions
Day 4 – Vision Board
Day 5 – One Word
Day 6 – Affirmations
Day 7 – Gratitudes
Day 8 – Day Off
Day 9 – Webinar Day
Day 10 – Just Say No
Day 11 – Get Up Early
Day 12 – Start With You
Day 13 – Filter Communication
Day 14 – Time Tracking
Day 15 – Day Off
Day 16 – Webinar Day
Day 17 – The 10-Step Blueprint for building a business
Day 18 – What Services To Offer
Day 19 – How Much To Charge