Matt Wilson has taken over ownership of Mile High Dog Doors in the Denver, Colorado area. Mile High Dog Doors is an authorized installer/dealer for Hale Pet Door and can also install other brands of pet doors as needed.
Matt serves the southern end of the Denver metro area including Aurora, Greenwood Village, Parker, Lone Tree and Castle Rock.
You can read more about Matt and the services he offers at his website, http://www.milehighdogdoors.com/ or give him a call at 720-670-0913.
We’re happy to announce that we have a new dealer in the Dallas, TX market.
Lone Star Dog Doors installs Hale Pet Doors
Bill Palmer of Lone Star Dog Doors is part of the Hale Pet Door Installer/Dealer program. His home base is Ennis, TX, and he’s servicing a 70 mile radius.
As a professional in kitchen and bath remodeling, Bill has years of experience helping people to achieve their dream home. In his capacity as a home baby-proofer, he has helped make homes safe for their youngest occupants. Now, he’s installing pet doors to make the furry family members happy.
Because Hale Pet Door makes the highest quality dog doors, we’re seeking qualified installers around the country. Here’s an opportunity for self-starters with basic home remodeling skills to work for themselves and make a difference in their lives.
People are talking online--what are they saying about your business?
It’s great to get reviews—especially positive comments. But what if the rare disgruntled customer leaves a not-so-positive review online?
There are three options for dealing with negative feedback:
1. Ignore it
2. Tell the customer that he’s wrong
3. Encourage a dialogue and take the discussion offline
It’s pretty obvious that the first two options are not going to ‘win friends and influence people’. The third option is the best way to put out smoldering resentments before they turn into a wildfire of negative criticism.
Depending on the platform, you may be able to address the problem online. If you can’t respond online, it’s mandatory that you try to discover the identity of the unhappy customer and contact her to make the situation right.
When responding to a negative review online—for example: Angie’s List offers the opportunity to respond to all reviews—be sure to ask the customer to contact you so that you can make the situation right. As far as your response to the customer in the public arena it’s paramount to be respectful to the customer’s opinion. No matter how wrong you know the customer is about the situation, remember that other prospects are reading the review and if you come out swinging, your harsh words are bound to come back and hit you in the face. Once anything is put on the Internet, it’s like it’s carved in stone—it’s there forever in some form or another, so be impeccable with your words.
After you have corrected the situation, be sure to ask the customer to revamp the review to include the way you addressed their concerns.
That’s probably the easy part—correcting mistakes. The hardest part is finding those less than positive comments about your business. One way to see what people are writing about your business is by setting up Google Alerts for your company name, products and keywords. There’s a Facebook app that will do the same for Facebook posts and comments here HyperAlerts.
There are companies that work to push those noxious comments down in the search engine results, but taking care of your own Online Reputation Management (ORM) is undoubtedly the best way to find out what your customers are saying about your company while giving you the opportunity to put a positive spin on your customer service that the whole world can see.
How have you dealt with reviews or online comments about your business?
When our primary metal supplier suddenly went bankrupt last month, it left us without enough material to manufacture pet doors on our regular schedule. There was a truck on its way to us with an ample supply of metal when the bankruptcy occurred, and the truck was recalled.
The Hale Pet Door for doors is constructed with 3 different metal shapes
Because our pet doors are made with several different metal shapes, our new suppliers had to first construct the dies and test run material to make sure that the material would meet our high standards. We were fortunate that these companies were willing to work with us, and we started getting material on a sporadic schedule—creating the variable deliveries that you may have experienced.
We understand the difficulty this situation may have created for you with your customers and appreciate your patience. We have several new metal suppliers now in place. There’s a rumor that our original primary supplier has been purchased, so we’re hoping that we’ll soon be contacted about receiving the metal that was on its way to us before too long.
As our production schedules get back to normal, we want to thank you for your business and hope our manufacturing slowdown didn’t inconvenience you too much.
You work hard to craft the perfect messages to market your business. However, potential customers will believe their second cousin’s ex-brother-in-law’s opinion over your ad every time.
The Internet gives customers a platform to share their opinions with the whole world. This can be very scary or the opportunity of a lifetime. So, how can you use the myriad of review sites to build business?
Firstly, be sure to have your guarantee and quality control in place, so that if you do end up with a less than satisfied customer, you can rectify the situation quickly and completely. In order to be sure every customer is a satisfied customer, you might ask them to fill out a short survey of your product and service once the project is complete.
The next step is to get those deliriously happy customers to leave a review on the Internet. Because Google believes that its sites carry the highest authority, the first place you want to see reviews is on Google Places. So make sure that your business has a completed listing on Google Places. It’s free and that’s always the best price.
Angie’s List is another great place to get a review, but it’s open only to the paid membership, so the number of potential readers is smaller. There is no cost for businesses to be listed as the consumers pay for the privilege of membership.
Other places to make sure you have listing so your customers can leave a review are:
Merchant Circle (merchantcircle.com)
Yahoo! Local (local.yahoo.com)
Yelp (yelp.com)
City Search (yourcity.citysearch.com)
Local.com (local.com)
Yellow Book (yellowbook.com)
Yellow Bot (yellowbot.com)
You can check your listings on several of these sites by going to Yext.Com and entering your business information. They have a service that will do it for you, or you can use the information to improve your own listings for free.
Sometimes dog door placement is obvious. There’s a space in the wall where the pet door will lead onto a deck or porch. In other instances the interior walls are filled with cabinets or furniture in the area that would be most convenient for the dog to use the dog door. The only clear space leads to a several foot drop off from the floor to the ground outside.
A dog door ramp lets you place the dog door in unconventional locations
Hale Pet Door has a solution for that. Our custom pet ramps are designed to fit every situation to help pets access their pet doors. Every situation is different, so we make our pet ramps to solve the specific access problem your customer’s pet faces.
Constructed of strong yet light high density black polyethylene HDPE, our pet ramps are made to withstand all weather conditions. HDPE is environmentally stabilized for harsh sun (UV stable) and will not rot, swell, splinter or delaminate when exposed to humidity or water. This material was developed for the marine industry. Its durable matte-textured surface on both sides is easy to clean, is scratch resistant and never needs refinishing.
Hale Pet Door Pet Ramps come complete with outdoor carpet for a pleasant appearance and a non-slip surface for your pet. The carpet also keeps the black ramp surface from getting too hot for the pet’s paws during the sunny months.
Because every ramp application may require different heights, Hale Pet Door will make the ramp the right size for your customer’s needs. Take a look at our standard sizes to get ideas how ramps can be customized here.
Hale Pet Door Pet Ramps can help your bottom line while helping your customers help their pets.
The screen stabilizer bar was created to support screen pet doors. Because the top edge of the screen pet door is not supported, some screen dog doors need extra stabilization to support the weight of the screen pet door.
Screen Dog Door Spreader Bar Kit Components
The screen pet door stabilizer bar kit consists of a 5/8” by 5/16” spreader bar, two aluminum clips and two metal retainers. The spreader bar will be cut to fit the inside frame of the screen door. The aluminum clips attach to the frame of the screen door; the metal retainers hold the spreader bar to the top of the screen pet door.
When a Hale Pet Door screen pet door is size Large or larger, the stabilizer bar should be used. If the dogs that will be using the screen dog door are very active, even if they’re using a smaller than Large screen pet door, the stabilizer bar will hold the screen pet door in place and prevent damage to the screen.
The Stabilizer Bar Kit adds rigidity and strength to the screen door, so your customers can enjoy their Hale Pet Door Screen Dog Door for years to come. There’s more information here.
The Hale Pet Door screen dog door is the easiest pet door to install. In a few simple steps you can give your customers’ pet the freedom to romp in the yard while their owners enjoy their bug free outdoor space.
Enjoy the breeze while your pets enjoy the yard
Get the Right Size Pet Door
Like all pet doors, sizing is important. It’s always better to get a larger dog door than to force a large dog to duck through a too short pet door. Short-legged dogs can also pose special problems, so make sure the dog will be able to clear the bottom of the screen door without jumping. For more details on sizing pet doors click here.
Remove the Screen Door
Take the screen door down by removing at the hinges or lifting up and out if it’s a slider. You may have to pry the wheels at the bottom up with a flat blade.
Remove the Screen where the Pet Door will be Installed
Carefully pull the screen spline with a needle nose pliers or pry it with a flat screwdriver (taking care not to damage the door or spline) to release the screen. Remove only enough spline so the screen can be removed from the screen pet door area plus a half inch.
Pull the screen out of the screen door frame.
Slide the Screen Pet Door onto the Screen Door Frame
The screen pet door should be flush against the bottom and side frames of the screen door. Make sure the pet door is adjusted properly and operates smoothly while in position.
Fasten the Screen Pet Door to the Screen Door
Drill through the sides and bottom of the inner pet door frame and screen frame with the 7/64” drill bit. Insert the #6 screws with a Phillips screwdriver. Be sure the screws will not interfere with the operation of the screen door.
Attach the Screen to the Pet Door
Lay the screen material over the pet door. Pull the screen material taut. To hold the screen fabric around the pet door, insert the screen spline with a flat headed screwdriver or screen spline roller.
Remove Excess Screen Material
Cut away any excess screen spline with a razor blade or scissors. Cut away the excess screen material with a razor blade being careful not to cut into the screen spline or the finish of the pet door.
Reinstall the Screen Door or Screen Window into its Original Position
Just install the screen door by reattaching the hinges or fitting it into the opening.
Adjust the Screen Pet Door Magnets
After reinstalling the screen door or window, adjust the magnets in the pet door upward or downward if needed. The magnets are pressure fitted and can be adjusted downward by tapping lightly with the handle of your screwdriver. They can be adjusted upward by twisting a flat headed screwdriver below the magnet between the magnet and frame. Be sure to adjust the magnets upward from the inside edge of the pet door so as not to mar the door frame finish.
Because we value our dealers’ business and know that you are busy and have different needs from our retail customers, we created a special portal on our website. There are two sides to the Hale Pet Door website: what the retail customer sees and the Dealer Portal.
When a dealer signs into the Dealer Portal of the Hale Pet Door website, you see different products than if you’re a retail customer. Some of the additional things you can do are:
Order Wholesale parts
Order Security Barriers
Order Sample Doors
Order In-Glass Pet Doors
Order Kennel Dog Doors
Order Storm Window Replacement Window Pet Doors
The ordering process is also different through the Dealer Portal, and you have options to help your business by:
Automatically receiving your dealer discount to improve your bottom line
Use internal P.O. numbers to track your orders
Use the “Ordered for” field to add your customer’s name
Add comments to orders for custom sizes or other special notes
The Hale Pet Door website is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can order at your convenience—not just during corporate office hours. You can develop quotes for your customers at any time of the day or night. You’ll see your customer’s price and your wholesale cost, so you can determine your profit and create an estimate for your customer.
If you don’t yet have your log-on, call 888-293-6411 and ask for the IT Website Department, and we’ll get you set up to order through the Hale Pet Door Dealer Portal.
Unique Components Set Hale Pet Door’s Wall Model Apart
While I, naturally, believe that Hale Pet Doors are the best pet doors on the market today, there are two parts that set our wall pet doors apart from the others: the flashing and the raincap.
Flashing under the tunnel keeps water out of the wall
It seems that flashing to keep water out of the wall would be a standard part of every pet door, but it ain’t necessarily so. Proper installation means good caulking around the exterior pet door frame and the house, but the flashing gives another layer of protection to keep water getting into the wall. Check out Step 15 of our online installation instructions for more detailed information.
The Hale Pet Door rain cap keeps water out of the dog door
While a good caulk seal at the top of the exterior pet door frame keeps rain and moisture from getting behind the exterior pet door frame, there are times when a little extra can help when the rain runs down the side of the house where the pet door is installed. The raincap comes standard with all wall pet doors. Generally, if the pet door is installed under a porch roof or other protected place, it’s usually not necessary to install the raincap. But if the dog door is on a wall under a roof and the homeowner regularly hoses down the house walls, it’s a good idea to install the raincap to keep the water out of the pet door. It’s a very simple installation on the exterior pet door frame as it hooks right on top of the frame.
These two simple pieces of bent sheet metal can make a big difference in keeping moisture out of the pet door and the wall where it’s installed.
What’s your experience with these “extras” provided with Hale Pet Door wall models?
The next step is to get those deliriously happy customers to leave a review on the Internet. Because Google believes that its sites carry the highest authority, the first place you want to see reviews is on Google Places. So make sure that your business has a completed listing on Google Places. It’s free and that’s always the best price.
Angie’s List is another great place to get a review, but it’s open only to the paid membership, so the number of potential readers is smaller. There is no cost for businesses to be listed as the consumers pay for the privilege of membership.
Hale Pet Door Dealer News 