Price increase letter to dog grooming clients
Copy it, replace the bracketed bits, send it. Below the letter: the text-message version, how much notice to give, and what to say when they push back.
Hi [NAME], A quick note before [DOG NAME]'s next appointment. From [DATE], a full groom goes from [OLD PRICE] to [NEW PRICE]. It is the first increase since [YEAR]. Grooming is time, and [DOG NAME] takes the same [N] minutes on the table now as always — so the only honest way to cover what products, insurance and equipment servicing now cost is the price itself. I would rather tell you straight than quietly shorten the appointment. Your slot, your groomer and the finish stay exactly as they are. If money is tight, say so — I can move [DOG NAME] to an [ALTERNATIVE, e.g. 8-weekly] schedule with a tidy-up in between, which usually works out cheaper over the year. See you on [DATE]. [YOUR NAME] [BUSINESS NAME]
two appointments ahead — tell them at the groom before the one that changes
10–15%
The text-message version
For the customers whose entire relationship with you lives in a phone. Send it before the visit, never on the invoice.
Hi [NAME]! Just so there are no surprises — [DOG NAME]'s full groom goes to [NEW PRICE] from [DATE] (first rise since [YEAR]). Same slot, same finish. Any questions just text back. [YOUR NAME] x
Why it is going up, in words you can use
“Rising costs” persuades nobody because everyone says it. Name the actual driver in dog grooming instead:
- shampoo, blades and dryer servicing have all moved
- a full groom takes the same 90 minutes it always did, so there is no efficiency to find
- most groomers are years behind on price because they hate the conversation
When they push back
You will hear these within a week. Having the answer ready is the difference between holding the price and folding on the phone.
- "That's more than the place down the road."
- "It might be. They may be doing 40-minute grooms or bathing several dogs together — mine is one dog, one groomer, start to finish." Do not badmouth the competitor; describe your own process and let them do the comparison.
- "Can I just get a bath and brush instead?"
- Say yes and price it properly. A cheaper tier keeps the client in the book, and a matted coat six months later costs them more than the groom they skipped.
Is a price rise even the right move for you?
Sometimes it is not. Sometimes the money is in a service plan for customers you already have, or in the job you are quoting below cost without realising. Describe your business in one sentence and you will get three specific moves back — priced per month, with the arithmetic written out so you can put your own numbers in.
Free, no signup, about thirty seconds. If one of them is a price rise, you will get the number to put in the brackets above.
Give me three movesOther trades
A template, not legal advice. If you have a written contract with these grooming clients, check what it says about notice periods and price changes before you send anything — the contract wins over any template, including this one.