As a dog trainer, setting your dog clients up for success is practically second nature. However, many trainers forget that setting their human clients up for success is equally—if not more—important.
Here are a few ways to ensure you’re keeping the success of your human clients in mind.
Create a Welcome Packet
Every trainer has a different way of prepping clients for their first session, but many forget to take into account that their clients might not remember everything they’re told.
Having a welcome packet with a set of expectations for your client is a stupendous way to overcome that problem.
Welcome packets can include your contact information (and when it’s appropriate to contact you), how to prepare for sessions, recommended supplies, and anything else your client should know about working with you. Be as detailed as possible about how your human clients should prepare and behave before, during, and after lessons.
Don’t have a welcome packet or new client onboarding packet? Check out the one we’ve already created for you!
Limit the Services You Offer
You don’t want to overwhelm clients with choices, mostly because they usually don’t know what they need or want. All they know is that they have a problem, and they’re going to an expert—you!—to help them come up with a solution.
It’s up to you to tell them what they need, but offering too many solutions can muddy up the process. I recommend offering no more than three packages. Stick to what you like doing and what has given you the best results in the past.
Refer Out When Needed
I have some great news for some of you. You don’t have to help everyone who comes to you.
I know that as a business owner, it can be easy to simply say “business is business” and take on every client you can get. However, if a client comes to you with a problem you don’t know how to solve—or if you can tell from the get-go that you and the client are going to be butting heads the whole time—you can refer them out.
Having a training niche is how you generate business, so don’t be afraid to cut services that don’t fit within your training knowledge. Know your ideal customer and serve them better than anyone else!
Offer training that you feel confident in and enjoy doing—it will help build your business instead of bogging it down.
Stop Worrying About Your Competition
Many trainers worry about losing business to their competitors when tailoring their services, which only inhibits the success they have with the services they do offer.
Differentiate yourself—know your value. No two trainers are alike and everyone delivers different results and customer experiences. Clients who need a specific service are willing to pay for it, so don’t be afraid of losing business.
Always Follow Up
Every good trainer knows that training doesn’t end after six weeks of lessons. Make sure your clients know this too, and offer them support after the training package ends.
Bring up other courses you have, and follow up with clients via email or even send them a post-training survey. Set them up to be interested in continuing to work with you, because you never know when they might need or want more training.
Another important part of follow-up is asking for feedback. Improving and growing your business is impossible without knowing what needs to be worked on. In your post-training email or survey you can ask clients if they found your explanations easy to understand and helpful, what they felt could have been better, and similar questions.
Putting these policies into practice can help your human clients get into the right mindset for training. When owners feel confident and comfortable with you, they’re more likely to be involved in their dog’s training, and their dogs are more likely to succeed.
Want to set yourself up for success? Grab a copy of my free eBook, “10 Common Mistakes New Dog Trainers Make with Their Businesses.”
