BigPawServices.com

[pink_eeyore]

I need help deciding. Before I call my site complete I linked two options for my site's look. Please tell me which of the two links you prefer and any input as to colors and template design I would love to hear about it and make adjustments!

Option 1

http://www.bigpawservices.com

option2

http://www.bigpawservices.com/0-newlook.php

I still have much content to add and have someone proof read all the grammar and spelling nor did I focus on that much so I'm sure there are plenty of errors but if you find anything that I missed do tell me all about it!

[Faeini]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

i like option 2 :D

[Adrian29630]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Hi Adir
If you are asking soley from the point of visual effect I'm sure you will probably get a some liking one and others the other. If you are thinking more along the lines of which is likely to achieve the best results, i.e. responses and business, you should make use of Google's option to run the two pages and monitor which achieves the best results. No matter what people think of a site from a visual perspective it's the business it generates that counts at the end of the day.

Just an idea as you have the needed two pages aready set up and ready to go.

[ahimsa]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Hi Adir,
All I could notice is that the text was different? Oh, and the doggie picture!
I like the general layout. One little error on the first site as follows:

browsing!

With more time I could check through the other pages....I already spotted a couple of things on the About Us page:
so you could gain a bit more peace of mind. -I would say:" for your peace of mind."
was privileged to join the Elite K-9 unit.
thus offering more to the dog loving community.
She is currently teaching in Boulder
He is the key to our success and differentiates us from our competition.
welcomes any opportunity
such as bringing in large pieces

...but, nice site,
david

[pink_eeyore]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Thanks David for taking the time. I haven't really troubled myself with checking for grammar or spelling - not my forte (and I can't see my own error especially after staring at the same pages for hundred of hours lol). When I'm done with the content for the site, my girlfriend will proof it and pretty much change everything I wrote. She's an English PhD finishing up another book. This way when I post my site for a final review, you guys shouldn't be bothered by grammar or spelling;) let's at least aim for that, we all err.

[ahimsa]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Phew! Happy to hear that LOL
david

[pink_eeyore]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

I can't begin to tell you how excited I was when she offered! Now to hold her accountable... I should have her put that promise in writing lol

[SChajin]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

I like them both...LOL

[newbie]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Hi,

Your second site showed up as undergoing changes, so I didn't get a real chance to look at it.

What I really did like was the sense of humour, which would persuade me!

good luck with the site

Newbie

www.startgettingpregnant.com

[pink_eeyore]

Re: Help me decide which look to use

Thank you Newbie! I thought if Henry was the guide it would speak to animal lovers more than the dry cut norm. I ended up going with the second option because 100% liked it more. I asked friends and family as well. So the old index page was recently replaced with the new version index page. Here are the options again.

Old - http://www.bigpawservices.com/0-option1.php

New -http://www.bigpawservices.com

So what do you think now?!

Take in mind that also the animal pictures in the banner were different before. Apparently the layout and the images I had were not as friendly appealing. Sorry but I deleted those images so you can't see how bad (or good) it was ;)

I like your site. Makes we want to give it a try right now LOL! Alas, my partner is pet-sitting now :( Pink is a good color, I was trying it out for my site's headers but decided blue has a larger audience. One your site, using firefox, I noticed on the home page that some of the words with a light gray background while the rest, excluding the yellow text highlight/background, has a white background. Is that intentional?

Ebook Guide onhow to overcome infertility/ subfertilityandhow to get pregnantwith your minimum possible effort, in your minimum possible time

[pink_eeyore]

revised site, beta phase, please review

Hi all,

I'm currently working on revising my site, giving it a "face-lift". The link below is a test page. All links within this page will take you to the old site that is currently running live.

I'm interested in your thoughts regarding the layout, colors, navigation ease, and your overall feel when you enter it. Is it warm and inviting or too "cold" for my business industry?

Thanks

http://www.bigpawservices.com/testing/beta.php

[DarrenC]

Re: revised site, beta phase, please review

I really like this site. The first thing I'm unsure with is your availability calander. I think something more interactive would be fab. A customer could click on a slot, perhaps pay a deposit, and reserve it and perhaps less hassle for you to keep updating this page. I get what you've done but I think web users by nature are a bit lazy and might not refer to the colour key explanation.

I've just realised are we reviewing just the 'beta' page? In which case the only thing that maybe of concern is the footer links. I feel they are a bit difficult to read, but then again that might be just down to my PC.

This site really draws you in, hence why I commented on the calendar.

[pink_eeyore]

Re: revised site, beta phase, please review

Thanks DarrenC,

I made changes to the footer links. It's should be clear now.

Also, I appreciate the comment about the calendar and would love to one day to get to that level of complexity but for now the financing of such script is not in the budget (unless you know of a cheap program or a way of doing it).

I have gotten many compliments for the calendar. Clients say they like that they don't have to waste time to call or leave messages to a few different services because they can see our availability and our prices... We are an open book, no secrets or different prices for different clients or hidden charges, it all up front sometime most other companies in this industries do not offer or do. But with 4-12 employees depending on the time of year, I find it easier for me to just update the colors myself then to program them in as there are too many variables for me to know how many employees I will actually have. the part-timers are on an on-call bases so when we get down to one opening left, I start making some phone calls for standbys.

We pride ourselves for not being corporate like, or a :I can do this kind of business because I'm unemployed" or a "scam" so we take no deposits and for added accountability, clients' payments are due after the services have been provided. Just like you wouldn't give money up front or a deposit to a good legit roofing company... that's our philosophy.

However, I can defenately make each month a link to the reservations page or popup form so they can reserve the dates in less steps!

Thanks again for your advise and brainstorming idea!!!

[Vasili]

Re: BigPawServices.com

I am glad I am not the only one who understands this, Tony!
Business is business, unless you just want to play store. Unfortunately, these days there are far too many pressures and influences to contend with that were inconceivable only ten years ago with regard to the customer being more wrong than right, and how business has more complaince issues to meet.

It makes the once considered luxury of having a Business Plan an essential element for success compelling for even a one-man-operation!
It's important also to have a realistic assessment of business reality in order to formulate a definitive Business Plan.

[pink_eeyore]

Re: BigPawServices.com

If I was running a different type of business it would be different. Nowadays, you gotta give if you wanna get. For any meet and greet it's free of charge. There is no in-home pet service company, no matter how big or small that charges for a meet and greet. If I charge for that, I won't be getting calls and my business wouldn't be as big as it is now. I have 4 full-times and 8 more part-timers. This was accomplished in two year mostly word of mouth and google pay per click. I haven't even started any sort of aggressive marketing companions. There is the standard 50% cancellation fee if it's less than 24-hours ahead of time but that is so rare and if poo hits the fan to a client, we won't screw them out of their money; it's a hard economy even for the healthier classes. As far as personal training, that is not free. My military experience and government contracts and knowledge in the field bring in high profile clients that pay over $150 an hour and up to $20K for a 6 month attack dog training - minimum 6 dogs. I consult gov agencies K9 units. I'm known in the field. For the community where I live I provide basic and behavior modification training and charge much less but still $50-65 an hour is not your average "I'm going to pet smart to train my dog kind of person" client... For my pet sitters to go spend 30-60 minutes for free (I pay them $10 per meet regardless how long it takes), brings in a lot of money. It's a game of economies of scale, something small businesses are afraid of. We never say no to a client, we just hire more people. You gotta take the risk and spend or give some stuff for free once in a while (write it off as marketing expense), it pays off if you do it right. Unlike big companies like Coke, I don't need to spend nearly 50% of profits for marketing alone to maintain brand recognition. My business is word of mouth mostly and recommendations for gov agencies or consult for them. If I put in 5% into marketing (including write-offs) this coming tax year, that would be on the high end.

Again, I operate a different business than what most people operate. We go to the people's homes, we have their house keys, garage door codes, and their referals. If my clients screw me, it gets back to their friend that recommended us. They feel bad and at year end around the holidays we get a bigger bonus because they felt bad their friend screwed us. Of course this only happened twice so far so who cares. Not a lot of money lost. One person drops, that gives us an opening... I run the business for fun, because I enjoy it. People mostly seek me out, not the other way around. The money will come when it comes, that is my philosophy and is has arrived. I am currently in talks with an interested investor wanting to put a few 7 digit figs into my business and expand it into the daycare and all type of training facility because someone in his social circle, the CEO of Camp Bowow (largest pet daycare franchise business in the US) has stated to him that she's worried about my business growth in her home town (many of her clients choose to come to me, I don't seek out and steal clients, we don't even provide the same services) and is now, after 10 years, trying to get into the in-home pet care business in Boulder CO...He sees a business opportunity with me but I'm not really interested in over working myself and being stuck with new partner and an investor trying to tell me how to run my business... I used to be an Auditor, hated having an idoit telling me how to do things the wrong way because he was the "boss". Anyways, why is she, the owner and CEO of the largest daycare facility in the US freaking out? I'm growing too fast for her. I'm running this business like a business but on my terms unlike other that do it because they are unemployed or can't find a real job. I make more sitting on my ass and having my independent contractors (for tax purposes that's what they are considered) take care of dog walks, cat visits, and overnight pet sitting while I do a few private training sessions per day when I choose to schedule them between gov consultation projects and the rare attack, defense, or protection dog gigs so I can hangout at key West for a few weeks in the late spring, hit the islands after for some spear fishing and free-diving off the boat all day long and when winter comes I snowboard every resort in CO at least once (ritual) and heli ski Alaska for a week. I think my business plan worked don't you think?! And I haven't really felt any stress yet until this new venture that I'm really not sure if i want to take that route... I have a feeling it will lock me back behind the office walls, long hours, and all the paperwork I escaped a few years back... I trust my gut feelings - it saved my life countless times fighting the terrorist in Lebanon back in my SF days at the IDF. I'm pretty content with what I have accomplished so far in a few years... And my partner has share she earns as an English professors at well known research university. Why should I make even more just so I can give almost most of it to Obama? I enjoy telling people that I pick up dog poo and clean litter boxes for a living as I get into my Porsche.