Question
What to say to a borrower when I first contact them?
Answer
We suggest:
- Personalization and politeness: the more civilized and personalized your message is, the higher your chances of getting a response!
- Ask questions: don't hesitate to ask questions that seem important to you: presence of a fenced garden, children or other animals etc.
- Be precise and concise: explain exactly what you expect (precise dates or times of day) so that the borrower can give you a direct response.
- Be patient: borrowers are people like you and don't have their eyes glued to their emails all day. Give them two days and don't hesitate to follow up if you haven't heard back.
- Respond: even if the borrower's proposal doesn't suit you, respond to tell them. Don't blame borrowers for not responding if you don't respond either.
- Have a complete profile: you don't want to entrust your pup to a borrower who hasn't put a photo up? Similarly, they don't want to keep a pup they can't see!
- Don't be shy, make the first move: many members are waiting for someone to send them the first message. Stand out and send a message to borrowers.
We discourage:
- Only looking at a few profiles: don't limit yourself to only profiles that match you perfectly, some borrowers are flexible and you may not know it.
- Not being flexible: borrowers are volunteers and not paid. They can often accommodate you, you should do the same.
- Leaving it to the last minute: all our borrowers are volunteers and love pups but they also need to organize a little if they're going to take care of your furry ball for several days.
- Putting aside negative responses: the borrower wasn't available this time? Ask if you can contact them again later for another stay.
To access your messaging, go to https://app.meetmydoggo.com/message. If you're using the mobile app, go to the "Messages" tab.