One of the greatest ways to gain new clients are through referrals. It is often underestimated, neglected, or not used to its fullest potential. If used correctly, you will find that referrals are one of the best source of no cost marketing that barely requires any work from yourself…besides becoming referral worthy. Find out what referral marketing is and how you can use it effectively in any business endeavor you have.
What Are Parents Looking For in a Babysitter?
Here’s what parents are looking for when they’re hiring a babysitter:
Someone skilled.
Parents will feel better about leaving their children with you if you’ve taken a babysitting course that includes First Aid and CPR training. A babysitting course is an excellent thing to have on your babysitting resume!
Someone trustworthy.
Of course, a parent isn’t going to leave their baby or child with someone they don’t feel 100 percent comfortable with. If you come across as even a teeny bit irresponsible, they won’t hire you to babysit. Things like being on time, listening to all instructions and coming across as mature and responsible are extremely important if you want to get a babysitting job.
Get organized with a calendar!
With every business, there will be some organization that will need to be in place. Being organized will help you remember things and show that you are a responsible babysitter. Start with a calander! Use a calander to write down all your activities for the month. When a parent calls to see if you are available on a certain day to babysit for them you can easily refer to your calander and give them an immediate response instead of saying “ummm, let me get back to you on that”. Use the calander to also write down any babysitting jobs you have already booked. This prevents any double booking and helps you remember when you need to babysit. The worse thing you can do is not show up for a job because “you forgot”.
To get started, you can print our calander that we have made for you! Just write in the month at the top, fill in days in the little yellow boxes, and fill out your activities and any babysitting jobs you have scheduled!
Babysitter’s Calendar
The Sub List
You’ve just been called to babysit tonight, but you have a soccer game! Rather than letting your employer down, it’s nice to have a substitute list handy. A sub list is a good way to refer other responsible boys and girls who you know that are looking for work as babysitters.
Find out which of your friends babysit (and hopefully have taken a training course) and put everybody’s names (including yours) and telephone numbers on a list. Make copies for each person. When one of you gets a call for a job that you can’t take, you can suggest a few names and numbers as substitutes for the parents to call. What a neat way to impress your employer and help out some responsible friends!
Here is a blank list you can print out. One page creates 3 copies. Give the other copies to your subs and don’t forget to include your name on the list as well.
Finding Babysitting Jobs
The final step to getting started is actually finding work. There are a few ways to do this, always keeping safety in mind (you don’t want to get your personal information to get to the wrong person).
1. Spread the words
Tell people (you or your parents) that you are available to babysit.
2. Word of mouth
Once you have babysat for a few different families, you’ll be surprised at how much your business will start picking up. Word-of-mouth tends to be the most common way that a babysitter finds work.
Safety Tip: If a new family that you do not know calls, ask who recommanded you. Always do your best at each job as it may earn you a new client!
3. Speak to teachers
Later, after you get some experience, you may want to speak to the kindergarten and lower grade teachers at school or church. Students’ parents often let the teachers know if they are looking for a babysitter. You can let them know you are looking for families to babysit for.
4. Be cautious when posting flyers
When posting flyers at a supermarket or on the street please be cautious as you may receive some unwelcomed responses. The same thing goes for classified ads listed in newspapers. Answering them might not be safe.
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