Adoption fees; how much is too much?

February 10, 2008Comments are closed.shelter procedure

I hear constantly from rescue groups that adopters complain about price and that they’d lose adoptions if they increased their adoption fees. So I’m so pleased to see the RSPCA in WA has put their prices up, charging up to $500 for a pet.

From my favourite marketing blog Seth Godin.

Maybe the reason it seems that price is all your customers care about is…
… that you haven’t given them anything else to care about.

Price is only one part of an adopters decision – there are many much greater influences over their decisions that cost you nothing to improve, but can can make a giant different to how much people will pay for your adoption service.

How they’re treated

From the first email they send, to when they walk in your door, potential adopters are making assessments about whether they want to do business with you.

Are the people your adopters dealing with friendly? Does someone answer your phones and return messages? Are your premises welcoming and easy to find?

Make adopting easy for your adopters.

How knowledgeable they think you are

New adopters are a bit scared – they need to feel like you’re the right person to help them make a good decision about their pet adoption. They have to like you!

If you don’t like the public then don’t have contact with them. Hand the responsibility to someone who does.

Produce a small kit of resources for your adopters – print information off the net and approach dog food companies for brochures on pet care. Offer a phone-help service for the new adopters and be happy to help them with any pet problems they have.

Recommend local dog schools and trainers. Have an agreement with your local pet supply store to offer your adopters a discount in return for recommending them.

Having the opportunity to connect with the pet

Whether it be meeting them at a adoption day or a well written description on PetRescue, giving the adopters a chance to connect with the pet gives the adopter a chance to think of the pet as ‘already theirs’.

People who have a bond to something will go to great lengths to keep it – almost irrational lengths as seen on ebay. If you’ve let someone meet and interact with a pet it won’t matter what the cost is – they’re in love.

The feel good factor

Rescue pets are a bargain compared to other sources of pets, nevertheless adopters are buying much more than an ‘product’ – they’re buying happiness.

Giving a homeless pet a new chance of life is an amazing feel-good experience for an adopter – if you can harness these feelings, develop them, then the owner won’t consider price for more than a moment.

Give your adopters more!