The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is a must-have tool for any professional dog trainer looking to streamline their business and maximize their efficiency. This software platform provides a comprehensive suite of features designed specifically for dog trainers, from client management and scheduling to billing and payment processing.
As a dog trainer, you know how challenging it can be to manage your schedule, clients, and payments while also providing high-quality training services. The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is designed to simplify these tasks and help you focus on what you do best – training dogs.
Why not just use Venmo?
A huge percentage of people in our profession use Venmo or other single payment apps that are designed for splitting meals with friends, not for business. While they seem convenient at first, they cost Pros a ton of money in late payments and non-payments, plus time you don’t have tracking who hasn’t yet paid you. What we recommend instead is enabling credit card payments on PocketSuite and then pass on the small fee using the surcharge feature to your clients. Not only does it track your income, it makes payments happen automatically so you always get paid upfront or
immediately after for your work.
Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite
One of the key features of this software platform is its client management tools. With The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite, you can easily organize your clients’ information, track their progress, and communicate with them through an integrated messaging system. This feature allows you to stay on top of your clients’ needs and preferences, which is crucial for building strong, long-term relationships with them.
The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite also offers a robust scheduling system. With this feature, you can create and manage your schedule, book appointments, and set reminders for yourself and your clients. This helps you stay organized and ensures that you don’t miss any important appointments or training sessions.
A key benefit of The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is its billing and payment processing capabilities. With this software platform, you can easily create invoices, process payments, and track your revenue. This feature is especially useful for dog trainers who need to manage multiple clients and projects simultaneously.
The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite also includes several marketing and branding tools to help you promote your business and attract new clients. With features like custom branding and online booking, you can create a professional image for your business and make it easier for potential clients to find and book your services.
Overall, the Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is a powerful and versatile tool that can help you streamline your business operations and grow your client base. Whether you’re a seasoned dog trainer or just starting out in the industry, this software platform has everything you need to succeed.
One of the key benefits of using the Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is its ease of use. This software platform is designed with the user in mind, and its intuitive interface makes it easy to navigate and use. Whether you’re creating an invoice or booking an appointment, the process is simple and straightforward.
Unique to The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite
With our signature edition, we’ve set up some baseline settings you can use immediately so you aren’t building out the app from scratch. These settings follow our best practices and recommendations we give to our own students.
Best Practices-Based Default Settings
Settings that start you out with the best practices we believe dog trainers should be going by in their businesses.
Grab-N-Go Dog Training Programs
Skyrocket your profitability with our designed-for-you dog training programs that will practically sell themselves.
Professional Client Questionnaires
Know exactly what you’re walking in to with our done-for-you dog training questionnaires. Never be caught off guard by a client’s situation again!
Take & Tweak Cancellation Policy
Use our cancellation policy as a starting point to set yourself up for success with client compliance.
If you’re looking for a way to streamline your dog training business and improve your overall efficiency, the Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is the perfect solution. With its comprehensive suite of features and easy-to-use interface, this software platform is the ultimate tool for any dog trainer looking to succeed in today’s competitive market.
In conclusion, the Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is a game-changer for dog trainers who want to take their business to the next level. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, the Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is the ultimate tool for success.
When you’re hitting 4K-6K months, you are feeling productive and accomplished. But you may soon start to experience cracks that show it just isn’t enough…
Does this sound familiar?
You are working with a few clients a week.
Dog training is your full-time gig now. There’s no other job to fall back on.
You are making anywhere from 4K-6K per month.
You’ve been training for a long time and you are a wonderful trainer, but the business is putting pressure on your passion.
Here’s our Facebook Live Replay from the Facebook Group.
Right now, as things stand, you might not want get to 10K months…
If you are priced hourly, that means you are logically thinking you’d have to work twice as hard.
You would have even less time to be with your own dogs and family.
You’d be driving all over the place.
You’d be burnt out and exhausted.
Using the traditional dog training business structure of hourly pricing – yes, that would absolutely cause burnout.
Why get to 10K months?
Getting to 10K months requires a shift in perspective. An evolution away from thinking of your value being priced by the hour.
A leveling up of how you position yourself, your services, and your business.
At first, it made sense to aim for 5K months. Maybe that’s what your parents earned. It’s a comfortable number.
It felt attainable and reasonable.
But now, with inflation, healthcare, and if you ever want to retire, you are going to need more breathing room.
You also enjoy good food and restaurants. 5K a month you still have to watch your spending very closely, but at 10K, you can give yourself a splurge budget so you can eat well and take the trip you’ve been dreaming of.
Not to mention, at 10K you are able to put more things in place to save yourself time.
You’re not worried about every little penny – you can pay for the assistant or the top-tier software to reduce your workload.
And then maybe you need a new car. A new home. A new building for a board and train program.
You now have the resources to make those things happen without straining.
Sporadic new client inquiries happen for a couple of reasons.
Reason #1: Fear of being seen and being visible.
Reason #2: The vicious cycle.
When you get an influx of new clients, you stop marketing. You’re busy!
Then things slow down because marketing hasn’t been consistent.
The cycle continues!
This creates seasonality to your business. You must have a plan to be consistently visible to your potential clients – even when you are booked up. Or you WILL experience a lull.
When you aren’t able to keep the momentum going, your inquiries and income will drop off.
Lastly, you are trying to be everything to everyone.
Puppy clients. Reactivity. Resource guarding. New dog. Old dog new kid. Etc
This means you are constantly creating new things – materials – adding work to your schedule.
If you’re creative like me, it feels productive! It feels good in the moment.
But this comes as a time trade-off for other work or time with family.
This is not a sustainable path to growth.
You have to streamline to reduce your workload and be able to get to 10k months.
Not to mention, your marketing will be sporadic as well.
You will be trying to create a message that applied to everyone – and no one is going to resonate with it because it wont be speaking directly to them specifically.
When you run the risk of being compared to TV dog trainers or that police officer turned pet dog trainer, it’s important to position your company and brand intentionally.
To balance professionalism with personality.
What does “professional” mean?
Demonstrating courtesy, clear communication, and streamlined organization and processes.
This allows your clients to feel taken care of and secure.
They aren’t left guessing what’s going to happen next.
Let’s take a quick dive into what this might look like for a dog trainer.
3 Main Ways to Be More Professional as a Dog Trainer
1) You have established a code of conduct for yourself (and your future team).
✅ Documented way of serving your clients. You have committed to showing up consistently in a certain way. Maybe it’s just the normal way you show up for people, but you’ve taken a minute to identify what those qualities and characteristics are so that you can continue to maintain the same level of professionalism when your workload increases.
✅ Keep an updated and well-managed calendar. You show up when you say you are going to show up. You manage your life and schedule effectively so that YOU are never the one that no-shows a client by accident.
2) You are clear and precise in your communication.
Let’s face it, your clients are dealing with a stressful situation. They don’t have the energy or time to play guessing games about what’s supposed to happen when – you’re the professional, you need to take the lead.
✅ Proactive welcome sequence of events for new clients. Your clients receive information upon signing up that gives them effective guidance on what it’s like to work with you. You’ve thought about setting the HUMAN client up for success as much as the dog. They feel seen and cared for. THIS alone will set you apart from 90% of trainers, this is one of the many pieces of the business puzzle I teach all my students to set up in The Modern Dog Trainer Academy.
✅ Communication styles are accommodated. You accompany your instructions with consideration to the different styles of communication each of your clients might have. Some may prefer video while others prefer written. Some are visual and some are verbal. Some might need a short checklist while others don’t mind an essay. Try to accommodate more than one communication style in your materials and instructions.
3) You have clear processes in place even if not everything is automated, yet.
✅ A documented client lifecycle mapped out. From the initial inquiry to the last training session, you have every piece of the process penciled in (because it’s always subject to change but you’re starting with something.) You’ve thought through when you need to do and say to help the client along their journey. (If you don’t yet, check out our complete Dog Training Client Lifecycle Roadmap Bundle).
✅ Clear marketing strategy. Professionalism begins before working with clients. How you position your company online and out in the community sets the tone for how you work with your paying clients. Does your marketing speak to the kind of clients you want to be working with?
Professionalism is about a lot more than just showing up on someone’s doorstep looking nice. Even if you’re solo, you’re still running a company and you can (and should) step up into that CEO seat and claim how your company will be showing up for your clients.
Are you attracting clients that care about your professionalism? Do your offerings reflect the level of service you plan on delivering?
It might be time for an analysis of your current structure to see if there is room for improvement. Sometimes all it takes is a small pivot to skyrocket your growth toward a business that really gives back to you as much as you put into it.
I hear it all the time: “I want to raise my prices, but I don’t want to lose customers.” The idea is that if you increase your prices, nobody will buy what you’re selling. And sure enough, most businesses have seen sales slow down when they increase their prices. But here’s the thing: raising prices isn’t just something that happens once—it’s an ongoing process! If you start charging more today and then stop tomorrow, then next week your customers will be used to paying more for your product or service. And so on…
Raising The Prices of Your Dog Training Services
If you’re not raising your prices, then you’re losing money. You may have been taught to believe that the only way to grow your business is by increasing your value and adding more services or products. While this is true, it’s also important to realize that as time goes on, the value of a dollar adjusts. You should always strive for continual growth in all areas of your business—not just with how much value you provide but also with how much money people are willing to pay for it! But it’s not as simple as some might have you believe. It’s not always beneficial to just “raise your price” because of the multitude of factors that are at play.
Why You Can’t Just “Raise Your Prices”
You can’t just raise your prices. As a dog trainer, you have a very unique skill set. No other trainer can precisely replicate the way you go about training dogs and interacting with clients. But most trainers forget to articulate the uniqueness they bring to a dog owners dog training journey. They assume they need to base their prices on what other trainers around them are pricing at, but to me, that’s like pricing apples and oranges the same price because they are both fruit.
To effectively raise your prices, you’ll need to address a few other aspects of your business too. You’ll need to intentionally create you marketing message, level up your client experience, and/or build out your systems to streamline sales—and that’s not easy! You’re going to have to put in some serious time and effort into figuring out how this will work for your business. You need a plan for what exactly you want to offer clients that they can’t get anywhere else; then make sure it’s something people actually want (i.e., not just what YOU think would be cool).
There’s a better way to raise prices.
There’s a better way to raise prices. Instead of just raising your prices, you can increase the value you’re offering at the same time. Here are some ideas for doing that:
Evolve your dog training package into a dog training program with specific goals in mind. When you productize your services, it makes them more tangible to the potential client. They aren’t buying “time with you” and instead buying a solution to their problem.
Offer a discount for a limited time. This can be as simple as offering 20% off for the first week or month after your new price goes into effect. It gives clients an incentive to buy right away rather than waiting until later on when they might forget about it (or find another option).
Put a sales system in place. I know we don’t like to think about sales, but it is a crucial piece to being able to help more families and their dogs. There is a science to sales and if it means you get to help more people and their dogs by implementing a proven sales process, then its a win-win. Look at sales as simply a conversation with someone that needs help and you two are deciding whether what you have to offer would be beneficial to them and their situation.
Know how you’re going to generate leads that need your services. All too often trainers are reliant on referrals for their business. Should they want to move or if the referrals stop, then business stops. We should be putting in place a strategy to generate leads for your services and if you don’t know what to do each day to generate potential clients, then you shouldn’t be raising prices yet. You need to be able to generate your own demand instead of relying on referrals or word of mouth which come from the kindness of others – something that’s totally out of your control.
The bottom line is that raising prices is not as simple as it sounds. There are many factors to consider and you must do more than just raise your prices if you want to build for sustainable growth.
Suggestions for You
Want to take a deep dive into where your business stands with my team? Our business strategist is currently accepting applications for Game Plan calls. A complimentary call where, together, we take a look at what’s preventing you from hitting your goals.You can apply for this call here.
Grab our $7 book, “The Modern Dog Trainer’s Guide to 10K Months” to get a comprehensive picture of what it takes to get to six figures within integrity to who you are as a person and trainer.
You’re now not just a dog trainer. You’re a CEO. And if you want to have a 6-figure dog training business in the near future, you have to believe that you ALREADY own one.
If you already have one, you have to be conscious of this! I’ve worked with clients that didn’t even realize they have a six-figure business until I asked them about their goals.
If you aren’t disciplined with yourself, your family, and your schedule, it is easy to be a bit too flexible and overwhelm yourself. Be proactive and determine your hours of operation. Having hours I know I’ll be working allows me to communicate them to clients and family. If you’re too wishy washy about your hours, you’ll end up working all the hours you don’t actually want to be working.
If you want to have a 6-figure dog training business in the near future, you have to believe that you ALREADY own one.
Delegate Personal Tasks
My students are often surprised to learn that I have a yard scooper service come TWICE a week (its a small yard and my corgi always goes in the same spots…) While I LOVE my dogs, I do not want to spend my valuable time scooping their poo. I’d much rather be talking to clients, playing with my daughter, or playing with my dogs.
Everything that takes time and energy away from the things you truly love and want to do are contributing to burnout.
Think about what you’re doing regularly that you don’t absolutely love. Grocery shopping? Laundry? Mowing? These things should be delegated to someone else. A family member. Or someone that is paid to do this work for you. Your time is more valuable than money. If tasks are taking your time and energy away from your business and they aren’t lighting you up with joy, then its time to delegate ASAP.
Another thing I don’t do is go grocery shopping. Every Friday morning my husband goes to get us groceries. He takes his earbuds and listens to a podcast or his favorite music. He actually finds it enjoyable! In the meantime, I spend some quality time with my toddler. We read, we play, or we go on a short walk just her and I. When I get into work, I feel really good about how I spent my morning and am energized to get some things done.
This didn’t come about without some trial and error. I had to really tune into how certain activities made me feel. If I felt annoyed and frustrated after them, I asked my husband to take care of them. We are quite opposite in our preferences – I enjoy mowing, taking our daughter to the playground, and feeding the dogs. He enjoys grocery shopping and doing the dishes. The hardest part about delegating? It’s usually realizing what you need to delegate and how to ask for the help you need – but it is so worth it!
I had to really tune into how certain activities made me feel.
Say No
Or at least “maybe.” I’m the first one to say “yes” to invitations. I love getting out of the house. BUT if you’re not careful, this can take time away from the time you need to be spending with your thinking cap (CEO cap) on. Additionally, if you say yes to other’s invitations – you’re saying yes to their plans, not yours. This is why I’m a huge fan of planning out your free time in your calendar so that if an invitation comes your way, you know what you’re saying no to.
I’m also more of an introvert so I need my space. If I end up doing too many activities with others, I feel drained, anxious, and irritable. As much as I want to be super social, I need to be considerate of my own boundaries and limitations. And I have to preserve some energy for clients!
Be conscious of how much energy you’re letting others take from you that may leave you irritable around your family or clients.
Make Your Life Easier
Take the time to set yourself up for success. Stop getting frustrated at situations in your home by taking care of them once and for all. I read Denise Duffield-Thomas‘s book, Chillpreneur, and one of my favorite takeaways from her work is to make life easier on yourself.
A few examples…
Get extra laptop charging cables so you never run out of battery no matter where you are. I have one cable for my desk and one for my bag.
Same for phone chargers. Get a few extra chargers so you don’t have to get up every time your phone has a low battery.
Limited cabinet or storage space? Clear out containers or utensils you don’t use very often and put them in a box for safekeeping, but stop letting them take up precious day-to-day access cabinet space!
Ultimately, quit putting up with minor inconveniences, because they REALLY do add up. What constantly bugs you about your home? Take 30 minutes this weekend to take care of it once and for all.
Focus on Money-Making Activities
Nothing has taught me how to be efficient quite like becoming a mom. No one is more efficient with their time than moms. We don’t have hours upon hours to mess around online. We have to make sure every move we make is worth time away from our kids.
For me, that means that everything I do should have an emotional and/or financial payout afterward. I should feel better AND earn revenue from my work. This means I need to spend my time getting to know my ideal clients, talking to them about what I can do to help them, and then deliver on it. That’s it – I now leave tasks such as tweaking my website, producing my podcast, and responding to non-client inquiries to my assistant(s).
You have to become more and more comfortable with imperfection. You have to accept that mistakes are going to happen, but that’s the only way to get better. It’s not that the other things aren’t important, but they are not tasks that will directly grow my business and anyone else can be trained up on how to do them – so you should!
That means that everything I do should have an emotional and/or financial payout afterward. I should feel better AND earn revenue from my work.
Persist in Finding the Right Team Members
This leads me to my last tip – try, try again. Admittedly, it has taken me months to find the right team members. People that had the right attitude, tenacity, skillset, and responsiveness to run more things behind the scenes for me. I’ve made all the mistakes – hiring based on being recommended to me, assuming someone knew what they were doing, hiring purely based on skillset and not attitude, etc.
I had to get tough on myself and really sit down and define who I needed – not just what tasks needed to be handled. I had to make the tough decisions to let others go and say no to nice, but not-right potential team members. This is part of being the CEO. You shoulder the responsibility to choosing the people that support you.
I also help my Chief Executive Trainer students do this with the help of The Modern Dog Trainer Leadership Coach, Cherylann, as a part of that program.
In the Chief Executive Trainer program, I help six-figure dog training business owners grasping at straws due to burnout or overwhelm transform their business into a fulfilling, industry-leading multi-six-figure business that is better able to run on its own and better serve its clients.
We help 6-figure dog business owners move to multi-six figures, take back your time, and make more money without adding more to your workload through my three-step Revive. Refresh. Recalibrate. process.
We address three parts of your business that are holding you back from massive success.
Systems – We immediately take back your time by identifying and optimizing systems that aren’t working in your favor.
Services – We standardize your services into packages and programs that skyrocket your profitability within weeks, not months.
Team Members – We work together to help you be a better leader to your team so that they are enthusiastic about your company’s vision and their part in it.
Today we are officially announcing our group initiative to bring attention to the care and consideration we should be putting towards the pet parents we work with each and every day.
This month, The Modern Dog Trainer, the IAABC Foundation, the CCPDT, and the APDT are highlighting just how much our TWO-legged clients matter as a tribute to National Pet Parents Day (April 25).
When our pet parents succeed, we all succeed in delivering great results and we become the go-to experts in our communities.
When we are intentional about serving our pet parents as much as the pets themselves…
→ we can serve more clients with joy and enthusiasm.
→ we create happier clients that refer more friends and family.
→ we get to help more animals in the process.
When we take the #PetParentPledge, we are committing to these three best practices:
We’re Responsive – We receive all clients and potential clients with compassion and kindness. We guide human clients through the training process, understand and meet their unique needs whenever possible, provide a great experience, and deliver excellent results.
We’re Visible – We’re present and active online to demonstrate what science-based training can achieve so we can show clients what they might expect, encourage pet parents to seek help, and demonstrate the value of working with qualified, educated professionals.
We’re Professional – We assess and provide the services that our clients need to realize the best results with their pets. By doing so, I support my clients, my business, and the training community as a whole.
So… Will you join us?
→ Record a 20 second video sharing what you do in your training business to improve the learning process for the human end of the work you do and share it with the hashtag #petparentpledge ←
We’ll be watching and reposting so promote your efforts to consider and care for the human end of the training experience!
Good work shouldn’t go unrewarded so EACH full week in April we’ll be randomly picking one participant (using the hashtag) to receive…
Three IAABC Foundation courses
AND
The Modern Dog Trainers’ Dog Training Client Lifecycle Roadmap Bundle ($400 Value)!
We can’t wait to see how YOU are helping the human end of the leash through your work, business, and expertise. Post those video submissions!
What are you assuming is different about these mysterious 6-figure dog training business owners? Here are some observations I’ve made and experienced myself as I’ve grown my business!
They Don’t Do It All Themselves
Whether professional or personal, they quickly learn to delegate work that someone else can do. For me, this looks like delegating the laundry, cooking, and groceries to my husband. I also have my mom helping with personal assistant work such as creating, ordering, and sending Holiday cards. I want to be the person that sends those out – but it doesn’t mean I need to do it myself when I have a 1.5 yr old I’d rather be spending time with.
I also have a pooper-scooper service (2x/week) and a house cleaner (2x/month). I want to have dogs, obviously, but I don’t have to be the one that picks up after them all the time. A pooper-scooper service is by far my favorite investment
Professionally, I have a team that supports me in different ways. I have a virtual assistant that manages emails and maximizes my social media strategy. My 6-figure dog training clients have administrative help, too. Their energy, skills, and expertise is best spent training pups or being the CEO of their business.
They Have BIG Dreams & A Vision
Their dream guides every decision they make. When you have a clear dream and vision, you can see where you’re headed and each big business decision you can ask yourself “Which choice will get me closer to my dream?” This makes decision making easy and keeps you focused on the projects that will make the most sense for your dream.
They Persist
Its not that they don’t face the same obstacles you do. They do. And probably some that you don’t even realize. But they persist anyways. They take calculated risks – again with that vision in mind. They persist despite set backs. They persist despite plans falling through. They keep going no matter what. You may perceive it as an overnight success, but they have been at it for years putting in the work and learning every step of the way. They have been investing in their dream for a long time.
They Figure It Out
They trust in their ability to figure it out. Nothing is too difficult to figure out. They have a growth mindset.
They know they can find the right person, tool, article, or book to teach them what they need to know, when they need to know it. But they take action. They don’t spend years researching before moving forward. They step forward and then figure it out.
One way to accelerate the “figuring is out” phase is to learn directly from trainers who have already built 6-figure businesses.The Modern Dog Trainer Academycoaches are all successful business owners and dog trainers. Learn online and get personal one-on-one coaching to get to 6-figures fast.
They Are Not Fear-Free
You might be able to train in a fear-free manner, but you can’t build a 6-figure dog training business fear-free. If it didn’t cause fears to come up, more people would have a 6-figure business. You cannot experience growth without some discomfort. By definition, you are changing. You are becoming a different (hopefully better) version of yourself. Its someone / somewhere you’ve never been – its going to be uncomfortable.
They may not be fear-free, but they are fear-less. They may have fewer fears than you. This may be because they have a deeper understanding of the consequences of NOT taking action. In fact, they may fear those consequences MORE than the consequences of taking imperfect actions. They have different fears. They have stronger motivations that mean NOT taking action would be scarier than taking action.
What are you willing to lose as a result of not stepping up? Are you willing to lose income, a beautiful home, world-wide travel, and hundreds of amazing adventures with your pup as a result of NOT taking action and building your dream business? Journal on it! What are the consequences of NOT taking action?
They Are Crystal Clear On Who They Can & Cannot Help
They’re seeing this level of success because they’ve gotten really clear on who they have help a LOT and who they can’t serve well / with joy. This allows them to work with people they enjoy while showcasing their best skills. When ideal clients hear or see them, they know that’s the trainer they want / need to work with. No one else comes close.
They go deep. They don’t do a surface level info session on a bunch of different topics, they dive deep into the challenges their ideal clients experience. They become the go-to expert for people and pups struggling with [insert challenge].
They Know Their Worth
And they charge accordingly. They’ve taken the time to understand their impact in people’s lives so they can communicate what comes from an investment into a dog training program. Beyond – sit /stay – they know how it impacts family dynamics, relationships, finances, and quality of life. And then they can turn around and communicate that impact to sell their services effectively.
They Are Comfortable With Delayed Gratification
They do the work, consistently, expecting the pay off later. They don’t resort to a quick fix to see the growth they are seeking. They are strategic. They don’t revamp their website or run ads in an effort to generate interest fast. They have a legitimate strategy to attract clients consistently.
They Have Processes & Systems
They aren’t constantly reinventing the wheel. They have a process for things like new client onboarding or how they expect clients to communicate. They track their finances. Their systems can be communicated to team members so that they can replicate the work consistently.
The Modern Dog Trainer Academy includes proven processes, systems, scripts and strategies to get you making more money and working fewer hours. Start the conversation HERE.
Most Importantly – They Are Just Like You
They are humans! They have challenges. They aren’t perfect. They have fears. They have imposter syndrome.
They’ve simply taken action despite their fears. Despite their challenges. And they keep investing in their growth.
After speaking to several hundred clients over these last few years – a few trends have emerged and today, I’m going to share my observations with you.
Which dog trainers become super successful? How can you adopt their characteristics to see similar growth? Here are some things I’ve learned as I’ve worked with a variety of dog trainers.
https://youtu.be/2GxFTR_xqKg
1) They take action despite fear.
Its not that it isn’t scary to grow a business – of course it is! But they don’t let their fears stand in their way of pursuing their dream. Everyone has some level of fear. It is normal – but it should not paralyze you!
Learn to do the work despite the fear. Learn to set yourself up for success with tools or a schedule that will enable you to be your best self every day so you can continue to grow. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Being a self-employed dog trainer also means being an entrepreneur.
2) They research like crazy.
They google. They ask questions in Facebook groups. They read a ton. They believe in their ability to figure it out. Even if they don’t know, they do what it takes, speak to people, google, to learn and make it happen. They never throw their hands up and give up if they’re facing a new obstacle.
3) They treat their dog training business like a business.
I ask every potential client that wants to work with me – what is your current revenue? Most trainers are unable to answer this question. Its makes them face the hard fact that they are not treating their services like a business. But it is critical to treat your dog training business like a business if you want to take it fulltime or
4) They give themselves permission to make a living.
Even if they aren’t making a huge amount of money – they still see bringing an income seriously. They don’t see themselves as volunteers or as someone that is just doing good in the community. Of course they are doing GREAT things for their community – but they are also earning an income to make it all worth it.
5) They aren’t scared to pay someone else to do some work.
Don’t like the technology side of things? Charge enough to pay someone else to set you up for success. There’s no need for you to start from scratch and learn every tool out there from the ground up. You should absolutely be charging enough – not just to invest in continuing education – but also to hire contractors to help you improve your systems.
6) Most importantly – they have BIG audacious goals.
They have a vision. They want to have a successful facility – or three. They want to be recognized around the WORLD for their expertise. They want to be a leader in the industry. They want to be SEEN. The services they offer are only a subset of their mission and vision for their business.
Your goals will either keep you at the status quo or propel your to take massive and consistent action towards your growth. You’re either aiming to “make ends meet” which isn’t that inspiring when you’re facing scary, put-yourself-out-there type work. OR you are going to make a BANG in this industry or in your community and build yourself a wonderful life along the way too.
Which one are you choosing?
Why you are stuck at your current income level in your dog training business…
Right now, you’re working with 3 or more clients a month, maybe even more.
But you’re starting to notice, it’s going to take a ton more work in order to get a decent income.
You might be thinking:
Will there be enough clients next month?
Will I ever get out of this feast or famine cycle?
How do I get more consistent income without completely burning out?
You started out as a dog trainer to save lives. To help people see the best in their dogs.
You looked around to see what others were pricing themselves at.
You saw that they were selling lessons, packages, and classes – so you started doing that too. It must be the norm.
It must be the expectation that clients will have.
You also used this approach to set your pricing – and maybe even your availability.
Ultimately, you set your whole dog training business to mimic what others were already doing.
I’m here to tell you I did TOO. And it’s OK if that’s how you start out.
Just know that it’s not the best strategy FOREVER and you can change it.
Deep down, you’re scared your business won’t last. You might be burning out. You might be feeling pressure to find a real job.
This just isn’t how you imagined it would be! These things might be happening…
You are not taking yourself seriously. You’re not seeing yourself as a CEO of a potentially super successful business.
You’re not seeing and explaining your own value to clients. You’re getting resistance to your prices as they already are because you’re not articulating how you’ll actually impact their lives. (Hint – Your value isn’t about how many hours of time they’ll get to spend with you…)
Your clients might be not-ideal because you want to help everyone that comes your way.
The 30 Days to 3K is exactly for the dog trainer that want to go from working with 3+ clients a month earning $200-$350 per client to working with 3+ clients a month earning $1000 or more per client. You’ll accomplish this by
1) Understanding what a premium dog training program looks like and includes.
2) Using a proven organic marketing strategy to generate new clients every day (no ads or referrals needed)
3) Discover the value and impact of your own services so you are confident while marketing and selling your services.
It is jam packed with the information, tools, systems, and templates to give you a mega jumpstart to earning $3,000 or more in your dog training business. When you put on your own oxygen mask and get your own head above water – you will be infinitely better off and able to help those in need (for free) if you want to. But you have to have take care of yourself first.
I used to also be nervous about it. I felt like I was trying to convince people to sign up and give me their money.
When you’re worried about having a sales call, you tend to procrastinate or avoid the work that matters most to generate new clients. If you’re not comfortable with sales, you’re not going to be motivated to put yourself in a situation to do sales.
It wasn’t until I changed my perspective that I became really comfortable with the sales process.
Sometimes asking questions is one of the best ways to do that.
Why is this sale important? (Other than money)
How will you impact someone’s life when they sign up with you? What do they stand to experience? In what ways are you going to improve their quality of life?
What will happen if they sign up?
How will you impact the dog’s quality of life? How will you show up for your client and go above and beyond for them in a way others won’t or can’t?
What will happen if they don’t sign up?
What might happen to the dog(s) that don’t get your help? Will they be put down? Given up? What will happen to the people? Will they be forced to DIY ineffectively? Will they have to turn to another type of trainer? There are, unfortunately, very real consequences for your potential clients if you don’t show up fully for them through your marketing and sales process.
What can I do to attract clients that are ready to commit? What can I do to attract clients that are already convinced that they want to work with me rather than just anyone off of Google?
What kind of content can you put out there that will differentiate yourself? That will resonate with your ideal clients? What can you do to find your ideal clients so that they become aware that you exist and can consider working with you?
Shift Your Perspective
One of the things that really changed my approach to sales with thinking of it more as a conversation than an time to convince someone to work with me. I’m not there to convince you – by the time we get on the phone, you should already know whether or not you trust what I have to say and recommend because you’ve read my marketing materials or watched my videos. (This is why marketing is so important!)
That sales call is about a conversation. About whether or not YOU are a right fit for MY program. I know I can help you – the question is – are you ready for the help I want to give you? Are you guiding your clients in the same way? Are your sales calls about explaining yourself or about understanding your potential clients?
If you’re not already there, join my FREE Facebook group! Each week I share loads of free tips and resources for your dog training business.
Its no question that there is a LOT to be concerned about these days. However, as a business owner, you have to stay focused.
You have to stay focused on your business’ growth and revenue. You don’t have the luxury of getting caught up in online arguments or polarizing new articles.
The following recommendations should help you refocus and reduce your overwhelm as we transition into a new world in 2021.
Intentional Social Media Use
Be very careful when you use social media and how much you use it. It is extremely easy to get caught up in news and posts – these platforms are designed to get you addicted.
Pro-Tip: Let yourself use social media but only after you’ve knocked out 3 important tasks for the day or only after 1pm in the afternoon.
Get Your Thoughts Out
Whether you want to journal regularly or go out on a solo walk to talk things through outloud with yourself – get your thoughts out. Journaling is a great way to couch yourself through the questions you have and might as others. See what your intuition has to say first!
You can journal about:
Your concerns
Your frustrations
Your regrets
Your fears
Your emotions
Engage Your Senses
Experiencing tunnel vision? Step out of your own thoughts by lighting a candle, playing your favorite playlist, or tapping a gong. Whatever you can do to stimulate a different sense can be a great way to refresh!
Workout
Find a way you enjoy to get your blood pumping! We all know at this point that working out released endorphins that make you feel good. Give yourself permission to take this time for yourself so that you can tackle the rest of the day with ease and a pep in your step. Dance, jog, do pushups – whatever helps you generate energy for the day.
Be Aware of Your Circle of Friends/ Family
You are the sum of the people you surround yourself with. Be careful who you are around in person or online as they will unconsciously influence your mood and your thoughts. Times change and people change, is it time to find someone else to being into your circle to give yourself the best chance for a great mood and less stress?
Express Your Gratitude
Make time to intentionally identify the things you’re grateful for every day. Nothing can put you in a great mood as fast as identifying 10 things you usually take for granted but that you are super grateful for. Can you count 10? Here are a few:
Electricity
A safe and warm house
Beautiful autumn leaves
The internet
Running water
Friends and family
Fun house plants
Halloween candy
Find Yourself a Pattern Interrupter
Create a slogan or motto you can repeat to yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed. something that can snap you our of the downward spiral of emotions. Use a phrase like “I’m okay” or “I’m safe right now” so remind your brain that you ARE okay right now and take a deep breath. Repeat this phrase to yourself when things feel exhausting or overwhelming.
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As a dog trainer, you know how challenging it can be to manage your schedule, clients, and payments while also providing high-quality training services. The Modern Dog Trainer Signature Edition of Pocketsuite is designed to simplify these tasks and help you focus on what you do best – training dogs.
I hear it all the time: “I want to raise my prices, but I don’t want to lose customers.” The idea is that if you increase your prices, nobody will buy what you’re selling. And sure enough, most businesses have seen sales slow down when they increase their prices. But here’s the thing: raising prices isn’t just something that happens once—it’s an ongoing process! If you start charging more today and then stop tomorrow, then next week your customers will be used to paying more for your product or service. And so on…
