Tips on Communicating for Pet Grooming Franchise Owners
As the owner of a pet grooming franchise, communication is key. You will be communicating products, services, and brand value to consumers. You will be communicating inventory needs and deficits to suppliers, and policy, procedure, instructions, and even animal-communication with your employees. It’s important to speak with others on the proper channels to insure that no hiccups happen and that everyone is on the same page. As you manage your team and your pet grooming franchise, keep these helpful things in mind.
Everyone Does Not Communicate The Same
Effective communication for not just a pet grooming franchise, but for any business, comes from understanding that no one speaks or understands language the same way. There is no one size fits all for words. Depending on the background, upbringing, psychology and original location (even within the same country) can cause language to be disrupted going from point A to point B. Understand that slang can effect understanding. Understand people learn differently. Some are physical, some are verbal, and some are visual. Find out what works best for the individual you’re talking to and try to speak their language.
Many People Avoid Reading
It’s a strange thing, but somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many people find it harder to read and actually avoid reading, especially longer paragraphs and walls of text. In order to communicate more effectively, think about keeping lists short and to the point or even illustrating with photos or drawings. In fact, for promotional setups or shelves, it’s far better to have a picture of what it should look like for reference versus an itemized list. For even more effectiveness, try illustration mixed with quick text.
Assume Everyone Knows Nothing
One of the most dangerous parts of communicating is assuming another person has exactly the same or all the information you do. As you run your pet grooming franchise, approach each person as if they’ve never done what you’re about to ask before. Give them a chance to learn if they have no, but also give those more experienced people the chance to tell you if they are on the same page. Break instructions down to be as basic as possible. This is a way to guarantee even beginners can succeed.
Don’t Treat Everyone the Same
After you establish the knowledge an individual has, treat them appropriately. In a pet grooming franchise, in a business of any kind, there’s no better way to irritate an employee than to assume a professional is a beginner or to confuse a beginner by assuming they’re a professional. Meet them on their level to gain their respect and improve communication.