The Dog Groomer

There once was a dog groomer who owned a fairly successful dog grooming business. Even when times got tough. Her dog grooming business did well because she was good at what she did; grooming dogs.

However, she wasn’t so good at keeping her mouth shut.

One day, a regular customer came into her shop to have his little dog groomed. This particular customer loved his little dog. He often fed her table scraps and other kinds of people food that weren't good for her. But that was because he loved her.

Needless to say, his little dog was on the plump side because she ate all the goodies he gave her. But that was okay with her because she liked all that stuff that wasn't good for her. And she liked being spoiled. And she knew she was loved.

The little dog was happy and so was her owner. Life was good for them. Until that day when he took her to the dog groomer with the big mouth.

The dog groomer didn't think he should feed his little dog all those table scraps because they weren't good for the little dog. And she said so. She told Mr. Dog owner, "You're going to kill that dog by making her too fat. You shouldn't do that." Mr. Dog owner told the dog groomer lady how he wanted his little dog groomed and didn't say anything about her comment.

Later that day, when he came back to pick up his precious little dog, he found that the dog groomer lady had not done a good job grooming her. She had cut all the hair off the little dogs legs and made it so her little fat belly stuck out. She looked like a fat, overfed pig.

And to add insult to injury, the dog groomer once again commented about how overfed the dog was and how he was going to kill it if he didn't quit feeding it table scraps. Now, Mr. Dog owner had had it with this lady, so he told her to mind her own business (in a rather gruff voice). He then paid her and left, dog in his arms.

Not too much later, the dog groomer lady called Mr. Dog owner's house and told his wife that she didn't think Mr. Dog Owner liked her very much.

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This story is based on a true incident that someone told me about. It brings up an interesting point for any small business owner, including those of us in real estate. There is a time and a way to approach people with the truth and there are sometimes when you need to keep your mouth shut.

The dog groomer lady was obviously concerned about the health of the little dog, but the way she went about conveying her concern wasn't the right approach, especially when she gave the dog a bad haircut in order to highlight her feelings. The end result was that she lost a customer. And she lost more than that too. She lost potential future business. This unhappy previous customer is now sharing with his friends what happened to him. And word will spread around their community. And people will retell the story. And they'll talk about what happened. And you know what will happen. Many won't go to the Dog Groomer Lady anymore, lest they and their pet receive the same kind of treatment.

Lucky for the Dog Groomer that this particular customer is not Internet savvy nor vengeful. If he was, can you imagine the reviews that might pop up online about her business? (You have checked your online profile lately haven't you?)

The lesson here is to know when to mind your own business and when to know how to approach people and to know what needs to be discussed and what doesn't. I could go into what conversations one must have (child neglect, abuse, etc), but that's another blog for another time.

For today, let us just remember this. In business, personal opinions about other people's lives, habits and choices must always be measured against whether or not what you believe has to be said and whether or not you're willing to risk future business if you open your mouth.

Is it illegal? Of course, open your mouth.

Is it anything else? Open your mouth? Don't say anything? Talk to others? You'll have to decide.

One thing not to do for sure is not to take your anger out by giving the little dog a bad haircut!