Customer Growth & Community Marketing Intern
The Dog Stop – Kansas City Midtown is set to open in Fall 2026 and is hiring a pre-opening Canine Concierge. This is a unique, community-facing role focused on engagement and experiential marketing, ideal for someone who genuinely loves dogs, connects naturally with people, and is motivated by results. It’s a relationship-first opportunity that blends dog expertise, elevated hospitality, confident sales, and meaningful community involvement.
Throughout the summer, you will serve as the face of The Dog Stop brand in the community—building awareness and growing the customer base ahead of opening. This includes partnering with local apartments, businesses, and community organizations, as well as representing The Dog Stop at events across Midtown, Downtown, Crossroads, and Crown Center.
This role will begin as part-time during Summer 2026, with strong potential to grow into a full-time position in the fall. If you’re someone who thrives on connection, loves dogs, and wants to directly impact business growth while being rewarded for performance, this is an opportunity to be part of something from the ground up.
About The Dog Stop
We were bred from the beginning to be America’s best all-inclusive indoor/outdoor dog care facility offering dog grooming, dog daycare, dog boarding, dog obedience training, in-home services, and a pet retail store. Our facilities exist to promote healthy and happy dogs through socialization, physical exercise, mental stimulation, professional dog grooming, and a holistic retail approach.
What you’ll do
- Support local store marketing efforts by engaging with the community and helping generate new business opportunities.
- Execute local store marketing initiatives to generate new leads and increase brand awareness.
- Build relationships with nearby businesses, apartments, vets, and community partners.
- Represent The Dog Stop® at local events, pop-ups, and community activations.
- Distribute marketing materials and develop grassroots outreach strategies.
- Leverage social media and in-store opportunities to drive engagement and traffic.
- Track and report on local marketing efforts and lead generation performance.
- Respond promptly to all incoming inquiries, phone and digital, ensuring every prospective customer receives timely, thoughtful engagement.
- Guide new customers through the onboarding and evaluation process with confidence, professionalism, and care.
- Present service options clearly and help customers select the best fit for their needs.
- Build strong relationships from the very first interaction, creating a welcoming and supportive experience.
- Maintain consistent follow-up with new and prospective customers to strengthen engagement and trust.
- Manage and nurture an active pipeline of leads, ensuring no opportunities are missed.
- Foster long-term relationships that drive membership retention, repeat visits, referrals, and overall customer satisfaction.
Who you are
• Warm, engaging, and professionally confident - you build trust instantly
• Genuinely dog-obsessed, not just dog-friendly; your passion is obvious
• A natural closer, you confidently ask for the sale because you believe in the service
• Highly accountable, you follow through on every commitment without exception
• Self-motivated and energized by clear goals and performance expectations
• Competitive and driven, you want to grow your numbers month over month.
• Community-minded, you enjoy being out in the local market building relationships and visibility
Requirements
- 1+ year in a customer-facing role with measurable results (retail, hospitality, medical, or sales)
- Genuine passion for dogs - non-negotiable and evident in the interview
- Proven ability to present and close sales confidently and naturally
- Strong phone presence and written communication skills
- Comfortable with CRM and scheduling software (MyTime or similar)
- Commission-driven mindset motivated by results, not just activity
- Willingness to participate in local events and community outreach efforts
Position Details
• Paid position, up to 20 hours per week
• Ideal start date: Mid-June 2026
• End date flexible based on academic schedule - potential to stay on full-time
• In-person role - all work to be performed in the Midtown, Downtown, Crossroads, and Crown Center areas of Kansas City, MO
How to Apply
If you're interested in applying, please email your resume highlighting your experience and accomplishments, and previous work examples, to kansascity-midtown@thedogstop.com. Applications are due by Wednesday, May 20.
Subject line: Canine Concierge Application