Owners are usually in a rush at pickup. Is that a bad moment?

It is the right moment for a short text and a poor one for a long conversation. Say thank you at the counter, then send the message once they are in the car. By dinnertime the dog is asleep on the couch and the owner's relief has faded.

What about dogs that had a hard first visit?

Those become your strongest quotes if the second or third visit goes well. An owner who writes "he used to shake in the lobby" describes exactly what the next nervous owner fears. Wait until the dog has settled before asking.

Should I ask for photos to go along with the words?

Keep the ask to text. Photos of someone's pet are easy to post yourself, with permission, and adding a request for them lowers the number of people who reply. A quote that names the dog and the problem does more than a picture.

Can I show only the good comments?

On your own site you choose what appears, since it is your page and clients know that. What matters is that every quote is real and unedited in meaning. A rambling one can be left off without any awkwardness.

dog groomers

Testimonials for dog groomers

Be the groomer the nervous dogs walk into.

A frightened animal is about to be left with a stranger. Other owners saying their nervous dog was fine with this pet groomer is the only thing that settles it.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

At pickup, while the dog is still bouncing and the owner is holding the leash.

Hi Fiona, it's Tasha at Maple Street Dog Grooming. Biscuit did so well today, he was wagging by the end. Would you mind describing how he used to be about grooming and how he seemed with us? Owners of anxious dogs read those before they book. Link here, and there's nothing to register for: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Dog groomer testimonial examples

The kind of thing dog groomers collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

He has been thrown out of two groomers. She spent the first session just letting him sniff the clippers. Third visit he walked in ahead of me.

Fiona L. · Owner of a nervous collie

Example

Our beagle mix screams at the vet and had bitten a groomer once. Tasha gave him the first fifteen minutes just to walk around the salon, and by his third visit he was pulling me toward the door.

Mira B. · Owner of a beagle mix

Example

My poodle's coat was matted to the skin from winter. Instead of shaving her down without asking, they called me with two options and the reasons for each. She came home looking like herself, only shorter.

Walter D. · Poodle owner

Example

She was ready on time and smelled like nothing at all, which matters because my daughter has allergies.

Yasmin R. · Dog owner

Nervous owners mostly need to hear that someone else's nervous dog was handled well, and the specifics do it, like fifteen minutes of walking around or a call before the clippers came out. The reader can picture their own dog in those sentences, which they cannot do with "our pets love it here."

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

At pickup, when the dog is visibly calm and pleased with itself.

The single biggest reason dog groomers have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

How does your dog usually handle grooming?
How did we do with them this time?
How did they seem when you collected them?

Or an email

For a client with a show dog or a rescue who has been coming for a year or more.

Subject: Pepper's one-year mark

Hi Walter,

Pepper has been coming in every six weeks since last October, and her coat is in better shape than when she arrived. I still remember the first day, when she would not step onto the table.

Could you put down a few lines about that first month and where she is now? People with rescues search for groomers who will not rush an animal that has had a hard start.

You can send it in through this link, without an account: [your link]

Thanks, Tasha

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a dog groomer first

Google Maps
"Dog groomer open Saturday" is the search that ends in a phone call. Owners scan the stars, then the most recent quotes for anything about anxious or older dogs.
Instagram
Before-and-after photos get shared, and the comments under them often carry the real endorsement: an owner tagging a friend and asking if she has tried you.
Local dog groups on Facebook
Breed-specific and neighborhood pages get a groomer question every week. The names that show up repeatedly belong to shops that clients have spoken up for.
The vet clinic front desk
Receptionists get asked who to use, and they name whoever clients have told them about. Nobody can see that conversation, but it moves a lot of bookings.
Your own website
An owner with a shaky dog can read the beagle story there and then pick up the phone. Quotes from those owners belong on a page you control.

Questions dog groomers ask

Owners are usually in a rush at pickup. Is that a bad moment?: It is the right moment for a short text and a poor one for a long conversation. Say thank you at the counter, then send the message once they are in the car. By dinnertime the dog is asleep on the couch and the owner's relief has faded.
What about dogs that had a hard first visit?: Those become your strongest quotes if the second or third visit goes well. An owner who writes "he used to shake in the lobby" describes exactly what the next nervous owner fears. Wait until the dog has settled before asking.
Should I ask for photos to go along with the words?: Keep the ask to text. Photos of someone's pet are easy to post yourself, with permission, and adding a request for them lowers the number of people who reply. A quote that names the dog and the problem does more than a picture.
Can I show only the good comments?: On your own site you choose what appears, since it is your page and clients know that. What matters is that every quote is real and unedited in meaning. A rambling one can be left off without any awkwardness.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free