Latest / Small Business Success with Fexingo: Local Companies, Main Street Stories, and Community Commerce / How a Local Dog Groomer Used a Scent-Free Policy to Build Trust
Transcript
- Lucas: You walk into a dog grooming shop and the first thing you hit is that wall of perfume — lavender, baby powder, some kind of 'mountain fresh' situation. It's almost universal. But one shop in Portland decided that was exactly the problem. Luna: I've definitely walked into groomers and thought, wow, that's a lot of scent. But isn't that what customers expect? A clean smell? Lucas: Exactly. And that's what Jenna Reyes, owner of The Snip & Sniff in Portland, believed for years. She used the standard scented shampoos, the plug-in air fresheners, even scented trash bags. But around 2023 she started noticing a pattern: certain dogs would come in calm and leave shaking, panting, or trying to hide. And it was consistent with the products she used that had strong fragrances. Luna: So she made a connection between scent and stress. That's interesting because dogs have something like 300 million olfactory receptors — way more than we do. Lucas: Yeah, it's a whole other sensory world. So Jenna did a test run: she switched to unscented shampoo for a month and removed all synthetic air fresheners. She kept a log of dog behavior. The result was that the anxious dogs — particularly rescues and older dogs — showed noticeably calmer behavior. The shaking dropped by about 70 percent in that group. Luna: That's a big signal. So she decided to make it permanent? Lucas: She went all in. In early 2024, The Snip & Sniff announced it was going completely scent-free: no perfumed shampoos, no scented conditioners, no air fresheners, no scented cleaning products. Even the staff agreed to wear unscented deodorant and skip perfume or cologne. Luna: Wow. That's a big commitment. What about customers who liked the smell? I feel like some people associate that scent with 'clean'. Lucas: She definitely lost some. Jenna told me she had about a dozen regulars leave in the first month. One woman specifically said she loved the way her dog smelled like a vanilla cupcake and that was part of the experience. And you can't argue with that — it's a preference. But what happened next is the interesting part. Luna: I'm guessing word spread. Lucas: Quickly. She started getting calls from owners of dogs with allergies, skin conditions, anxiety, or trauma — especially rescue dogs who'd had a rough start. These were people who had been searching for a groomer who understood that their dog wasn't just being difficult. And there was almost no one offering that. Within six months, her waitlist went from about a week to three weeks. By the end of 2024, it was five weeks. Luna: So she traded a small group of scent-lovers for a much bigger group of scent-sensitive owners. And she became the go-to for that niche. Lucas: Exactly. And here's the thing — she didn't lower prices. In fact, she raised them by 10 percent. Her reasoning was that this policy required more careful product sourcing, more time per groom because she had to be extra gentle, and more staff training. And customers were happy to pay for it. Her revenue per dog went up, and her repeat rate among new clients hit 85 percent. Luna: Eighty-five percent is excellent for a service business. Especially grooming, where people often shop around. Lucas: It is. And by the middle of 2025, The Snip & Sniff had the highest average rating of any groomer in Portland on both Yelp and Google — 4.9 stars across more than 400 reviews. A lot of those reviews specifically mention the scent-free policy and how their dog finally enjoys going to the groomer. Luna: There's a broader lesson here, I think. We usually think about differentiation as adding something — a new service, a shiny feature. But this is about removing something that everyone else considers standard. Lucas: Right. And it's a powerful move if the removal solves a real problem. Jenna didn't just say 'we don't use perfume.' She communicated why — and she educated customers. She put up a sign explaining that dogs have a much stronger sense of smell and that scents can be overwhelming. She posted on social media about how to tell if your dog is stressed by odors. She turned a negative into a value proposition. Luna: It also helped that she had concrete evidence from her own test. That's something any business can do — run a small experiment and track the outcome before making a big change. Lucas: Absolutely. And now she's looking at expanding to a second location, still scent-free. She's also started selling a small line of unscented grooming products for home use — shampoo, wipes, a calming spray made with chamomile but no synthetic fragrance. That's an additional revenue stream that came directly from the policy. Luna: It's a good reminder that sometimes the best way to stand out is to take a stand. Even if it means losing some customers at first. Lucas: Look, this is a business show, and if these conversations have moved your work forward in some small way, we want to keep them coming. Right now, a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many episodes. No ads, no sponsors — just people who find value here and want to keep it going. Luna: Yeah, it's a simple model and it works because of that small group. We're grateful for every single one. Lucas: So back to The Snip & Sniff — one other detail I love: Jenna offers a free 'scent-free trial' for any dog whose owner is skeptical. You bring your dog in for a quick 15-minute meet and greet in the shop, no grooming, just to see how the dog reacts. If the dog seems relaxed, they book. If not, no pressure. That alone converted a lot of hesitant owners. Luna: That's smart because it lowers the risk. The owner doesn't have to commit to a full groom without knowing if their dog will be okay. Lucas: Right. And it builds trust from the first interaction. So if you're running a local business and thinking about how to differentiate, maybe ask: what's something everyone in your industry does that might actually be annoying or stressful for your best customers? Removing it might be your biggest advantage. Luna: Great point. And maybe test it first, like Jenna did. Lucas: Exactly. That's all for this episode. We'll see you next time.