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Tips for traveling with pets during the holiday season
Judy Connors Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementWe have all seen the adorable pictures. Energetic Fido is sleeping beneath the Christmas tree amid a flurry of beautiful unwrapped gifts he has just destroyed. Or sweet Tabby is wrapped in Christmas tree lights, still blinking, from her adventure up that same Christmas tree.
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The keys to hiring and managing a fishroom manager
Kevin Plazak Pet CareIt is often challenging to hire any sort of livestock managers. Trusting someone to know more than you may ever know about a pet you sell is often intimidating. Knowing that you have hired the right person is doubly difficult when it is hiring an "expert."
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Recognizing and managing the symptoms of compassion fatigue
Enid Traisman Pet CareLike most caregivers, veterinary professionals tend to be naturally compassionate people, but sometimes caring too much can hurt. It's hard to remain emotionally unaffected by the trauma your patients (and their owners) are experiencing.
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Purina at the forefront of pet food marketing trends
Jackie Bay Pet CareThe recent launch of Just Right dog food by Purina is a bold step in pet food marketing. This launch of a customizable or build-to-order product, is a crossover from an important consumer trend. According to a report by DataMonitor, Consumer and Innovation Trends in Pet Care 2014, the "Made For Me" consumer trend is one of eight that are shaping innovation within the pet industry.
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Thoughtful merchandising equals easy sales
Kevin Plazak Pet CareWhen you put your store together, do you ever consider how your customer sees the merchandise? Do you consider what you put between the front door and the various kinds of food you sell? If you haven't, take a moment and walk through your store. You might be surprised how little of the cool stuff you offer that isn't easily seen by customers who are in a hurry.
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Small pet businesses: Standing out as professionals
Clarice Brough Pet CareThere has never been a more important time for those in the pet industry to stand up and stand out. The minute you hang up your shingle, you are telling the world that you're one of the best. Your expertise and knowledge about the types of pets you work with is the primary reason people will come to you. You are the pet professional.
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School of thought: Fish sales by the numbers
Kevin Plazak Pet CareSelling fish in a pet store generally follows a distinct pattern that takes time. Your cost in the employee/customer interaction is in the price of the fish and your employee's time. Since the amount of time spent with a customer is somewhat at the mercy of the customer's wishes, all you can do is maximize the number of fish you sell to each customer.
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Read the fine print: Working with a pet industry pro pays off
B.C. Henschen Pet Care10 years. Our pet business has basically been uninsured for 10 years. Now don't take that to mean that we weren't paying insurance, because we have been paying lots of it — liability, workers' compensation, automobile and even umbrella insurance to fill in any gaps.
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Going vertical: Merchandising at half the price
Kevin Plazak RetailHumans are predators. Our eyes are in front like a lion or a wolf, and we search from side to side. We also form a search image of our "prey" like predators do. Customers who are searching for a product in your store have an image in their mind of what they are "hunting." They walk through your store scanning from side to side searching for their "prey."
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Canine parvovirus prevention, management and care
Megan Brashear and Ladan Mohammad-Zadeh Pet CareCanine parvovirus (CPV) is a serious viral disease that presents a special management challenge for veterinary professionals. Infected animals require intense nursing care and close observation, they must be strictly isolated from other animals, and the virus is highly communicable and long-lived. And CPV has experienced a recent increase along the eastern seaboard.
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