e all have our favorite clients that come in on a regular basis; the ones that want the haircuts you want to give; the ones that show up like clockwork. But what if your book was full of clients just like these? The key is figuring out what types of dogs you absolutely love grooming and invest in becoming the best at it. In turn, you’ll gain clients that will seek out and respect your work. Read on for three tips to help you confidently book and keep clients you love.

A day full of dogs is great, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re in the business of building an ideal clientele, you need to be strategic. One of the biggest red flags I see is when you accept new clients, or continue to book clients, for something that isn’t your specialty. First you have to really decide what your specialty is. What do you want to groom? Once you decide, only share that on your social media and website. Now that you’ve narrowed down your specialty, clients will request it and it will be obvious your work is sought after.

To avoid clients that aren’t going to work with your specialty plan, keep an eye out for new or recurring bookings that stray away from what you want the majority of your ideal clientele to ask for. Want to specialize in small dogs? Don’t take a new large dog client. Are doodles your thing? Don’t take on a family of yorkies. Once-a-year dogs not your cup of tea? Don’t accept shave-downs. Want to do more breed standards or Asian Fusion? Start showcasing that. Hone in on what you want to groom and you’ll attract more of it.

If it still sparks joy to service a client out of your specialty, step back and make sure that client isn’t blocking you from working with your dream client. Clients that don’t like your style take extra time to complete the service because you are using your energy in a way that negotiates your goals. You will start to feel drained faster if you keep servicing clients that don’t fit your style. The more you pay attention to what you want, the more you will naturally become a magnet to clients you enjoy grooming and you’ll groom less and less clients that you don’t enjoy.

No-shows and late cancellations are a big symptom of the wrong-fit clients. Pre-payments and no-show protection are the only ways to avoid these costly catastrophes. To make sure you don’t get left out to dry, require clients to provide a percentage of your services when booking. All clients. Yes, even your favorites.

Policies can be a great tool to refer to when you’re dreaming of your ideal client. Your ideal clients will still need a little structure simply because pet grooming can be so complex, but they are typically easy to communicate with and will appreciate healthy boundaries and professionalism.

Once you find your ideal clients, how do you keep them coming back? Communication. Automated personalized texts and emails from booking software or special letters, calls, thank-you notes—anything that makes your clients feel connected to you—are huge relationship builders that you need for good client retention. Personalize your social media and business profiles. Clients want to see a piece of you, and that piece becomes a part of their beloved pet. You’ll attract people that genuinely enjoy the real you!

Ultimately the key is personalizing what grooming style makes you most satisfied and, in turn, making your dream clients satisfied. Stellar service, communication and honesty will create raving fans that keep coming back. Our industry is booming and there’s no reason to not do what you love!