When 300 Groomers Walk Into a Comment Section
- Marilou Lekanne
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
Last week I asked you one question on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok:
“What’s the funniest or weirdest thing a client has ever begged you to do during a groom?”
I expected maybe 20 replies. I got over 300! I read every single one, laughed out loud in a parking lot, and had to stop reading at one point because I had tears rolling down my cheeks (the good kind 😂).
So today’s issue is just for us. Grab your coffee, or a cocktail, no judgement.
Here’s a taste of what came in:
K. Said: “My shop is kind of close to a highway. She asked me to please groom him on the opposite side of the building so if anyone were to veer off the highway and hit my building, it would not kill her dog.”
L. Said: “I had a client ask me to curl the dog’s eyelashes.”
C. Said: “Please speak Spanish to my dog. He doesn’t speak English.”
M. Said: “Had a new client ask me to take some of the length of hair off the top of the head and attach it to the ears to make his ears longer.”
K said: “Bathe them, but don’t get their undercoat wet!”
R. Said: “Shave the legs completely down to a 7f, head and ears short, but don’t shave the rest of the body at all. The dog ended up looking like a sheep.”
If you sent one of these in, thank you. Hundreds of groomers around the globe just got a well needed, good laugh, thanks to you! You’ve also officially proven that no marketing course, business book, or client-intake form could ever fully prepare us for this job.
Here is what I noticed reading all 300+ stories back to back: almost every single one of them started with a client who trusted us with something a little out-of-the-ordinary, a little vulnerable, or a little eccentric… and we said “yes” anyway. Or we said “let’s talk about what we can do here” and we worked our magic.
That’s the job. We’re not just handling dogs. We’re handling people’s love for their dogs, which sometimes shows up heartfelt and creative and other times shows up as a little dorky or not-quite-standard. Either way, it’s trust. And trust, weird requests and all, is the whole business.
The groomers who last 25+ years in this industry (hi! 👋 that’s me!) aren’t the ones that never got a strange request. We’re the ones that learned how to laugh, hold a boundary, and still make the client feel their weird is absolutely welcome!
Next time a client asks for something that’s a bit “out there”, try this instead of an outright “no, no way!”:
“I love your vision! Here is what I can do to get us close to that, safely and within his usual grooming time...”
Remember, wording is everything! This statement keeps the “yes-can-do” energy alive and turns the moment into a story they’ll tell their friends about you, not about the groomer who made it awkward. Your reaction to strange requests and how you deal with them, matters.
Tell me this:
What’s the request that STILL lives in your head? Hit reply! I’m collecting round 2 for the next issue, and yes, I will absolutely feature you (first name only, unless you want full groomer-legend status).
Have a wonderful week grooming y’all!
With respect, admiration, and a firm belief in your worth,
Your Fellow Business Thinker & Pet Groomer:
Marilou Lekanne
Marilou’s Method & Successful Grooming
Text COACH to 310-922-0282 for your FREE 20 min introductory coaching session
Featured Resource
📚 Want more tips like these?
Take your business to the next level with the groomer's go-to guide:
"Grooming Gold — Secrets to a Lucrative Pet Grooming Career"
Your business bible as a pet groomer.
Order here: Grooming Gold - for less than $20!
Comments