Vendor Research
The mental countdown has begun for my vacation in early July. This vacation will mark the first full week off with my husband since our honeymoon just about three years ago. Although this year has been and continues to be fraught with struggles, we made a pact to make this vacation happen regardless. In doing so, my husband and I are faced with finding accomodations for our two dogs. We made a list of kennels to contact for information. The list includes one we’ve used before, several others known around the area, and one noted by a friend.
Although this year, price is a big concern, the well-being of our dogs is paramount. Through our calls, we’re learning that since we last used a kennel some years back there are more options than ever. The option noted by a friend is cheap, but not licensed, so an automatic “no”. Then, there was one that promotes themselves as being a cageless daycare focused organization, which means that our dogs would be grouped with other dogs (and likely separated because the groups are divided by activity level) from 6:00 am to 9:30 pm. Although this sounds like a great idea for socialization, it just doesn’t work for our two (they love to be with each other and ChaCha would go crazy if she had to deal with other dogs for that length of time). So on to the next, which was a bit extravagant, including a grooming spa, pool, exercise yard, soft music playing in the background, dessert-like treats, and email notifications and webcams for worried parents all at fees on top of the already high standard price. There are a few more calls left to make, but I’m thinking our best option is to use the place we’ve used before. They are not the cheapest, nor the most expensive, but I know they treated are dog well, making sure she ate on schedule and had plenty of play time.
The process we’re going through to determine which kennel to use for our pups is similar to what companies large and small go through in determining what advertising and marketing agency to use. You may have heard of someone that can do website design or search engine optimization for a low cost, but come to find out they aren’t creative and do not have the skills and experience necessary to do the job right. You may find someone that claims to produce eLearning tools, but come to find out that unless your needs fit within the structure of a predetermined template, it’s not going to work for you. You may know of a video production company that seems to have all the bells and whistles from live webcasting to web commercials to promotional corporate and medical videos, but the cost is astronomical. Then you find Dynamic Digital Advertising, where the value is in superior quality, technical know-how, innovation, creativity, customization, professionalism, and so on, and all other options pale in comparison. Do your research and then call DDA; we’re sure you’ll be glad you did.
Entry by: laura