Spring 2009 - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

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NAPPS 2009 Board of Directors President Monica Leighton Professional Pet Sitting E-mail: monicaleighton@comcast.net Past President Candance Labane-Godfrey Precious Pets In Home Services E-mail: leilanigodfrey@yahoo.com President-Elect John D’Ariano A Pet Sitter Plus E-mail: APetsitterPlus@aol.com Secretary-Treasurer Susan Reid Reid's Pet Sitting Service E-mail: sue@reidspetsitting.com Director Joette White Park Cities Pet Sitter, Inc E-mail: joette@pcpsi.com Director Jennifer Haralson A Pause for Paws, Inc. Email: pharalson@neb.rr.com Director Nancy Stevens Ark Angels Pet Care Email: arkangels@bellsouth.net Director Anna Sias Four Paws Pet Sitting Service E-mail: anna@fourpawstn.com NAPPS Network Staff Coordinating Editor Jeanette Driscoll Contributing Writer/Staff Writer Erik Caplan Art Director/Designer/Illustrator Justin Fennelly NAPPS Network is published quarterly by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), a nonprofit organization, and is available through membership subscription. No portion of the magazine may be reprinted without the written consent of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters. The letters and advertisements contained in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the association. NAPPS is not liable for validity or correctness of any claim, express or implied, made in advertisements or writings of this magazine. PLEASE SEND ALL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Jeanette Driscoll 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 E-mail: jdriscoll@ahint.com Letters should include your name, address, and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. Submissions may be mailed or emailed as a word document. Membership Services NAPPS Headquarters 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Phone: (856) 439-0324 Fax: (856) 439-0525 E-mail: napps@ahint.com www.petsitters.org Felicia Lembesis Executive Director Cathe Delaney Director of Operations Hillary Mix Meeting and Exhibits Manager Business Insurers of the Carolinas PO Box 2536 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2536 Phone: (800) 962-4611 ext. 224 www.petsitterinsurance.com For Dishonesty Bond and/or General Liability Insurance The National Group Insurance Exchange 3210 Doolittle Dr. Northbrook, IL 60062 Phone: (800) 955-0418 Fax: (847) 559-9499 Email: tngie@aol.com www.wwins.com Contact: Alan Leafman For Dental and Health Insurance For pet sitting questions contact: • Any board member • NAPPS’ Web site: www.petsitters.org Certification Advisory Board Mary Cotter House Rabbit Society Jeffrey Lauterbach Critters Sitters Atlanta Arden Moore Pet Life Radio Host Dr. Holly Nash Drs. Fosters & Smith David Pearsall Business Insurers of the Carolinas The NAPPS Network • 2
Membership Every NAPPS member in good standing is a member of the 2009 Membership Committee. Membership is the cornerstone to any organization. It is the life blood and will pave the future successes we will all share. And it is the individual, not the group or the committee, that makes a difference. Every Member Get A Member! That’s the 2009 Membership Committee theme and we are strongly encouraging each NAPPS member to take an active role and promote the only national nonprofit pet sitting organization. Since NAPPS is a nonprofit organization, each member’s dues go directly into supporting the organization. This equates to more member benefits for you. If each NAPPS member would conduct just one event in their local area that promotes NAPPS and its mission what would happen? • New members would join NAPPS • The individual would gain valuable networking resources • There will be increased public awareness of who we are and what we do • Potential new clients for your business The NAPPS Campaign Contact is an established program that should be utilized by every member. This program affords the individual the opportunity to promote NAPPS at the local level and often in a small-group setting. You can find the official event request application, event review and reimbursement voucher, and event attendance information on our Web site. Simply go to the Member Center section, click on “Networking” and then “Hold an Event.” Plan ahead because you will need to allow time for approval. How many local or regional pet sitting organizations or networks do you belong to? Offer to be the guest speaker during one of the meetings and promote NAPPS by telling your own success story and explaining the benefits of becoming a member. If you attended the conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, now is the time to reach out to local groups and let them know what they missed. The Membership Committee is charged with the responsibility of: • attracting new members • retaining existing members • welcoming and contacting new members For a small committee of seven these responsibilities seem overwhelming. But, for a group of individuals these responsibilities are well in hand. Every Member Get A Member! For more info contact Sherry L. Suhosky at skispeak@gmail.com ■ Tips of the Trade How Using Your Business Telephone Will Help You Get the Most Out of Your Advertising Efforts By John D’Ariano Whenever possible have a live person answer your business phone. When someone is searching the Internet or the phone book and they get an answering machine they will, more often than not, move on to the next listing, and the next, until they get a live person. Always answer your business phone in a professional manner, i.e. ABC Pet Sitting Company! In many cases the initial phone contact is what forms the first impression of your business—use this opportunity wisely. If possible, have a phone number dedicated solely to your business. This can be as simple as paying a small fee for a distinctive ring added to your current home phone. That way you can be consistent in how your business phone is answered and during what hours. If you have no choice but to use a voicemail system, do check your messages often and return calls to perspective clients as soon as possible. The first company that connects a human being to a prospective client will have the best chance at getting the meet and greet and booking the job. Have you ever heard, “Thanks for calling back but I have already contacted another provider?” That is a direct result of not picking up or returning a call fast enough. Ever wonder for each client that tells you this, how many there actually are that went to your competitor and just didn’t let you know? If you or your staff can’t be in the office to pick up the phone every time it rings, then forward your calls to a cell phone where a human can answer the call. If you must use a voicemail message, never say something like, “Thank you for calling the Smith residence.” Use a business format. For example: “Thank you for calling ABC Pet Sitting Company.” Also incorporate a short message that will point out why your service is better than the competition. Give the caller a reason to wait for you to return their call. Think of receiving telephone calls as having someone say “I want to buy what you have to sell, now go ahead and give me your best sales pitch while you have my full attention!” Have an outline of the points you want to make to prospective clients handy and stick as close to the script as possible. Take control of the conversation. Do you have some favorite things you do in the field that could make pet sitting easier and safer for your colleagues? Send tips to jdriscoll@ahint.com ■ The NAPPS Network • 3
Page 3: Table of Contents ASSOCIATION NEWS
Page 7 and 8: Get to Know Your Board John F. D’
Page 9 and 10: Some state statutes address the IC
Page 11 and 12: Monica Leighton, 2009 NAPPS Preside
Page 13 and 14: The NAPPS Network • 11
Page 15 and 16: An Open Love Letter Some say it's t
Page 17 and 18: • Make sure someone knows where y
Page 19 and 20: Participation in, and education rec
Page 21 and 22: New NAPPS Members NAPPS Would Like
Page 23: NAPPS COMMITTEES As a member of NAP

Spring 2009 - National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

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