After seeing these common trends in my clients, I thought it would be a good time to share these dos and don’ts so you don’t find yourself wasting time or energy in these ways.
DON’T Rely on Referrals for Business
You always want to have a lead (new client) generation strategy that is fully within your control. Many of my clients see success with referrals, but fail to have a back up plan in case referrals stop.
DO Have a Referral Program
You definitely should have an incentive to encourage clients to talk about you and promote you. You should also consistently network with other local service providers that serve the same clients so that you can have a powerful network and become a well-known local expert.
DON’T Rely on Getting New Clients All The Time
New clients are important, but don’t think that that is the only way to generate more revenue for your dog training business.
DO Stay in Touch With Existing Clients
Don’t underestimate the impact of staying in touch with your existing clients. They may need more help or simply keep you in mind next time a friend says they need help with their dog. Make sure you have a system to stay in touch with clients – trust me – they want to hear from you!
DON’T Waste Time on Social Media
Time and again, I see my clients constantly commenting on psts on socia media that are not moving their business forward. It’s easy to get sucked in! It gets me, too. Social media is important, but make sure you’re intentional about it.
DO Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Have a strategy in place to use social media to generate new clients for your dog training business. I have clients that generate new client inquiries EVERY DAY using the social media strategy I teach in my Clicks to Clients course. Stop scrolling and start creating to get more clients using this strategy:
DON’T Waste Time on Your Website
Trust me… It will NEVER be perfect. Hit publish and let it be. Focus on money generating tasks instead. Your website is your virtual storefront, it shows you exist, but make sure it doesn’t’ become an archive of long-winded explanations for everything you do. Keep it brief – and tell people to contact you. Use it to generate LEADS.
DO Build It and Let It Be (Or Hire It Out)
Your website could literally be one page and be enough for now. Tweaking it gives you the illusion of productivity – it keeps you from doing those scary, money-making activities you know you need to do.
You get into dog training to help pups. If you’re like me, you grew up always wanting to be around them.
I’d walk and petsit my neighbors dogs.
I spent most of my teenage years volunteering at my local no-kill shelter and helping local rescue groups evaluate, transport, and promote their dogs.
Becoming a dog trainer was always on my path as I’m sure you’ve experienced as well.
When I was first starting out on my own as a dog trainer, my love of dogs got in the way of making a living.
I wanted to help EVERYONE that came my way.
I even remember when I gave advice to a guy that called me trying to sell me an ad in the local magazine.
You know how they go, right? “Hey, you know, I have a dog that…. What do you think I should do?”
I was constantly giving away my expertise to people that didn’t know how long it took me to acquire it and didn’t even bother to implement it.
If you’re doing this too, ITS OKAY. But also… I want more for you!
Want dog training to be your main source of income? Want to open up a facility?
Well, its time to get serious and look at the money side of the equation.
Its scary. Maybe it even brings up feelings of shame when you talk about money.
Almost EVERY potential client I talk to on the phone shares their hesitation and even embarrassment when it comes to their money and revenue.
I’m not here to judge. I could care less! I’ve been there!
I just want you to know you can make more (MUCH more) and work with people that love you and do the work you ask of them.
But first, you have to decide you want that for yourself.
So let’s take a look at how you can generate more money with your dog training business…
Increase Your Prices
Do you know when it is time to increase your prices? Here are few red flags that your prices are too low…
You haven’t raise prices in 12 months. Its time. Every year you don’t raise prices, you’re LOSING money purely based on inflation. The value of a dollar is reduced each year – Remember how people could fill up their gas tank for less than $5? At the very LEAST you should be raising your prices to account for inflation. But I think you should raise your prices due to the increased experience you’ve gained, software you’ve upgraded to, continuing education you’ve invested in, etc… Your clients are getting a hell of a deal!
You’re booked solid but income has stagnated. Over the years I’ve spoken to hundreds of dog trainers (and even cat and horse trainers!) about the frustration and struggles of being booked out for WEEKS. They feel like they are letting their clients down by making them wait. I agree, you are letting them down – but you’re also letting yourself down. If you could work with FEWER clients and make MORE money, how would that impact your life? What would you do for fun? How would you be able to give back? Even create free resources for people that can’t afford you yet? Burning yourself out because your prices are too low is not helping anyone out in the long run.
Your clients are not compliant with your training protocol. Simply stated – they just don’t have enough skin in the game to care! When you make training TOO affordable, it becomes too easy to blow off the homework. There’s not much to lose. Your clients might quickly find that there are other things they’d rather be doing that training their pup.
You’re getting no-shows or cancellations. Again, people haven’t made a big enough investment to CARE about getting anything out of it or following through to the very end.
Be More Proactive About Handling Your Money
Did you know there are strategies available to help you know how to manage and budget your business’ revenue? I didn’t either which is why I’m sharing this resource with you.
As the business owner, you are taking the most risk and doing the most work (at least at first) so it makes sense that you should be PAYING yourself well for it!
So many trainers I speak to habitually reinvest the money from their dog training business into continuing education, tools for their dogs or facility, or find some other way to spend it instead of giving themselves a paycheck. This HAS to stop.
It is partly due to a lack of awareness of how money mindset can sabotage your success. And it is partly due to not having a proactive strategy when it comes to managing your business’ revenue.
Bundle Services Together for More Revenue Per Client
Can I just say it is HARD to find someone that will care for my dog as well as I could. Think about what a relief it would be if you did find someone that you could trust with your dog…
Well, your clients might just be willing and THRILLED about trusting you with the care of their pups so why not expand what you’re offering so that they have the opportunity to pay you and get your help even more?
Bundle Multiple Types of Services Together – Lateral Expansion
One of the ways you can do this is by expanding beyond training. Maybe you used to be a groomer? Maybe you used to walk dogs? Well, why not create a premium program that allows you to fully serve their pup? You can easily increase revenue by serving your existing clients even better.
Bundle Dog Training Services Together – Vertical Expansion
Another way to increase revenue per client is to develop a premium program that focuses on proving a specific transformation. This allows you to stop charging hourly and start charging based on the actual value you’re giving them by working with their dog. Get specific about where your client’s will end up after working with you and combine a variety of services to get them there fast and effectively. Convenience is SO valuable to busy people that want and need your help!
In this post, I feature 5 dog training related channels that I find extremely valuable. These channels feature genius training techniques that facilitate the dog’s learning, sets up the dog to be successful, and truly showcase how to reinforce behaviors that are deemed appropriate according to humans.
This channel is operated by Michael Shikashio CDBC, speaker, behavior consultant, and advocate for education about aggression in dogs. His focus is on helping people and professional dog trainers better manage aggression in dogs. In this channel, he demonstrates how to use a variety of tools and safety protocols to protect yourself when working with an aggressive dog.
Smart Bitch Modern Dog Training is run by a fabulous duo – Taylor Barconey & Jiovany Alcaide . They gracefully mesh skilled dog training techniques with an entertaining way of delivering that information. They are also a great example of what powerful branding and messaging can have for a dog training business.
From basic obedience to tricks, this channel features some easy to implement training techniques any dog owner could do. As trainers, we can often take our mechanical skills for granted so this channel offers up some methods your clients might appreciate.
After browsing a thread on up and coming professional dog trainers, I found this channel by Kamal Fernandez. He is a world renown dog training and world championships level dog sports coach and has a variety of videos on dog sports as well as reactivity.
This channel hosts a ton of videos from Chirag Patel, internationally leading figure in the animal behavior profession. He has a video that revolutionized the way I teach “drop.” Because of his technique, my dogs drop anything they have, without question, every time, without hesitation, on the first request. It is absolutely genius so check it out!
This week I answered some great questions that I hear all the time so I wanted to address them!
Giving Away Too My Free Advice?
You’re showing up regularly online to develop a reputation and connecting with potential clients, but where do you draw the line with giving away free information?
Won’t they just take your tips and never hire you?
Think about this:
Why does an expert baker give away their secret recipe in a cookbook?
1) People still prefer the convenience of you doing it for them 2) To reach people outside of their local area 3) Develop notoriety 4) People still prefer to have their hands held
Stop worrying about giving away your “secret sauce.” You ARE the secret sauce and no one can take that away. When people are ready to experience the magic of working with you, they will.
There will come a time when they are tired of doing a DIY approach.
There will come a time when they’ll be ready to see change and finally get the answers for their specific situation. When they’ll want their hands held through the process by someone the like and trust – YOU!
But in order to become known, liked, and trusted – they have to get to know you first and that means showing up consistently with confidence.
That being said – do NOT forget to tell people how they can hire you. I see this all the time. You’re giving away great info and then forget to add where they can go to sign up for more and officially become a client. Remember that showing up online is part of a marketing strategy to generate new business, not just to be a nice person.
Are Packages Necessary as a Dog Trainer?
Are you selling one-off dog training lessons? I’ll ask you – is that really what’s best in order to get the best results for the dog, for the client, and for your reputation? The answer is definitely not. Very rarely is a single lesson enough for a client to resole all of their dog training challenges.
If you’re finding yourself selling the next lesson at the end of each lesson, this is exhausting for you and NOT the best expierence for the client. They just want what’s best adn want to reach their goals as fast a possible. Asking them at each lesson if they want to continue is exhausting for them too!
The might think… When will the lessons end? Is this just a ploy to get more money each time? How long will this last? Am I making enough progress to justify yet another lesson?
Your clients are busy – as we all are – and they likely suffer from decision fatigue, too. Do them a favor and sell them a package that will make them most likely to be successful. Stop asking them if they want to keep going at the end of each lesson. It is not a good client experience if you think of it from their perspective.
Another issue with one-off lessons is that it gives the impression that they can have all their questions resolved in one lesson. In dog training, we know this is very unlikely. There are far too many variables to consider and account for and address to see massive, long-lasting impact.
New eBook! “5 Steps to Scale Your Business & Eliminate the Hustle”
In this new eBook, I’ve pulled together some of the most common recommendations I share with my coaching students. I often see trends in what I suggest to common issues so I wanted to put that together into an eBook to share with the rest of you.
In this eBook, you’ll discover
How To Be Resolute About Your Time
How To Develop a Clear Vision
How to Effectively Implement Elimination & Delegation
Important Aspects to Consider When Restructuring for Profitability
How To Be Intentional About Your Mindset To Enjoy Your Business More
Who’s your ideal client? “I want clients that will do the work!” Charging more isn’t about just making more money.
I’ve seen it time and again. Clients come to me and tell me they want clients that will do the work. Of course you do! Who wants clients that don’t follow through with the work? The reality is that your pricing often plays a role in that though.
Without even knowing it. Because you want to be nice. To make training accessible to everyone. You price your private lessons and group classes low. You price yourself at what you think is “reasonable.” You price yourself compared to the competition. You don’t want to exclude anyone.
You want everyone to be able to get the training help they need. And I agree! They should get the training help they need at a price point that makes sense for them. BUT.
When you price your in-person services too low, you’re subconsciously telling people that its not that important. They don’t have enough skin in the game to fully commit to the amount of work that will be required for them to see the best results.
Consider this – are you actually doing them a disservice by offering services at a low price point? If they don’t have much (financially) invested into the services, what makes you think they’ll follow through?
Sure, there are people that will do the work, but you’ll have many more people that will try once and give up. Or procrastinate because other priorities come up like family engagements.
I often compare this to when I did a weight loss program. I’ve only ever done ONE. I’m not a weight loss type person… But this time (post-pregnancy) I wanted to shed the weight fast.
I wanted to make the commitment to myself. But I knew I needed some skin in the game to follow through and not cheat. I KNEW how to lose weight! I’d done it before on my own. BUT this time, I knew I wasn’t going to do it on my own with all the new stressors in my life.
So I bought in to a not-so-inexpensive program that would get me there faster than I could on my own. This program was valuable! BUT the price itself made me not slack.
??? The price I paid for it ALONE kept me committed to the whole journey. The price ALONE ensured I was successful. Long term. Consistently. Day in and day out. With a 3 month old baby. ? YUP.
I wasn’t about to let that money go to waste! I wanted to see the result I signed up for. ? So – your low prices – are they actually holding your clients back? Are your low prices doing a disservice to the dogs you want to help?
Sure – offer low price solutions at scale. But make sure that when you are personally and emotionally invested in the people and dogs you work with directly, that you have the same level of commitment from your clients. This month I’m opening up enrollment for a LIVE group coaching program.
It’s my new The Modern Dog Trainer Academy Program where I’m going to walk 25 amazing women business owners through my BEST material to help you launch, restructure, and design a business that empowers you to deliver amazing results and discover how to build a 6-figure business.
Consider this your invitation! Let me know if you’re interested by sending me an email at themoderndogtrainer at gmail dot com. I canNOT wait! Now’s the time.
Facebook Live Webinar by Ines McNeil and Megan Wallace (Dogs Deciphered), Transcribed by Gem Sheps
However, some trainers find themselves struggling with adapting their communication to the new status quo. Effective online communication is an important skill for everyone to learn nowadays, and Megan Wallace B.S., CPDT-KA, CNWI, owner of Dogs Deciphered, joined me again this week to discuss how communication online is different than in person.
Be Direct
You have to be able to clearly describe what you need your client to do when training online. In person you have the opportunity to demonstrate physically, but that can actually become a crutch. Online, you have to be able to give step-by-step, detailed instructions about the mechanics of dog training.
“One of the reasons dog trainers struggle with online communication is because they think it’s going to be wildly different than training in person,” Wallace said. “There are differences, but we have to remember that we know a lot of this stuff already. Clearly explaining training methods takes practice, but it’s a skill we can all improve on over time.”
Find New Ways to Explain Training Mechanics
One of the biggest challenges in general for dog training clients is learning the mechanics. Communicating online can feel like a major barrier between your client and successful training. You have to be specific and explain step by step what you need your client to do in online lessons.
“When I started teaching nosework I didn’t have descriptive terms ready to explain things like a search area to clients,” Wallace said. “I was able to physically point out the boundaries. But since transitioning to online training, I’ve had to practice describing things to clients without being able to point things out in person. If you find that people are confused by what you’re saying, take the time to think about what you could say differently.”
Finding the right descriptive terms takes time as well, so don’t be afraid to reach out to other trainers and watch their webinars. You may hear an explanation that would work better for your clients or even makes more sense to you!
Find Substitutes for Body Language
We know as people who work with dogs that body language is a huge part of communication. In person we use body language to make ourselves more approachable, and you can do the same thing online.
Communicating online can feel alienating at first, so you need to use other ‘body language’ tools to make clients feel more comfortable. For example — emojis! Adding facial expressions to the sentence you’re trying to explain can help clients interpret your writing and make it more relatable. Where it’s appropriate, add emojis to your content; this includes social media, texts, and even email.
“It is important to be aware of what does and doesn’t work in text,” Wallace said. “I’m someone who likes to use humor to lighten the mood, but in an email it may not come off the way I intended. Especially if you’re approaching a serious topic, consider writing out what you need to say and then sit on it; leave it in your drafts for a few hours, then come back and read it again — preferably out loud. You might come to find that something you think is funny written down may not translate well out loud, and your client can pick up on those nuances. Written humor can come off as flippant or sarcastic, which is risky.”
Over-Communication is Key
You need to be more thorough in explaining things online, especially in written conversation. In order to feel confident in training, clients may need direct links to products they should purchase, or for you to explain how to set up their training space.
“Your client may not have any of the skills in their arsenal that you expect them to have,” Wallace said. “Over-communicate online. Never assume that your client understands even the most basic concepts without talking to them first, even if it feels repetitive.”
Of course, use your best judgement with each client. Some people can get agitated by being over-communicated to if they feel they understand the concept. However, those who need the extra reminders and suggestions will be grateful.
“It’s easy to get distracted from training when the trainer isn’t in the room, and staying focused on technology can be hard,” Wallace said. “Rather than explaining a concept once and risking your client missing a bit, bring the concept up throughout lessons and make sure they have a higher chance of succeeding.”
Improve Your Dog Training Business
Master communication so that clients literally love you, never ask for refunds, and can’t stop talking about you to their friends. Learn from this month’s guest, Megan Wallace B.S., CPDT-KA, CNWI, about how to communicate confidently for better results in your dog training business.
As all dog trainers eventually discover, dog training is more about training their humans; and good communication is critical to ensuring your human clients are set up for success.
Facebook Live Webinar by Ines McNeil and Megan Wallace (Dogs Deciphered), Transcribed by Gem Sheps
I’m joined again this week by Megan Wallace B.S., CPDT-KA, CNWI, owner of Dogs Deciphered to discuss one of her personal specialties — communication!
1. Human Training Requires Stellar Communication
“If your goal is to help a lot of dogs,” Wallace said, “then you have to help their people. When you hit a wall with a client and you start to feel frustrated, you need to keep in mind that someone else’s behavior is not in your control. You can, however, control your response, which is often more important.”
Manage Your Expectations to Remove Roadblocks to Client Success
Communicating your expectations and the value of the work you’re assigning are all crucial to success in training. Your human clients need to understand what you’re teaching even more than your dog clients in order for the dog to progress in training.
“One of my early mentors told me that if you give clients exercises that they can’t accomplish, you haven’t helped their dog at all,” Wallace said. “You’ve spent both parties’ time and nothing has happened because, for whatever reason, the client feels like they can’t follow your instructions. And that comes back to how you communicate and manage your expectations. Try to remember that there’s a reason they aren’t professional dog trainers; if you manage your expectations for clients, then you won’t feel as disappointed if their progress looks different than expected. Are they happily living with their dog, do they feel less frustrated on a daily basis? Those should be your real goals.”
The way you communicate and the space that you set up for your client to reciprocate that communication is important in order for the dog to excel.
“If your client says that they just haven’t been able to practice, try to get to the root of the problem,” Wallace said. “Sometimes I just ask clients directly, ‘what do you think is getting in the way of you practicing?’ If they say they’re busy, find a way to fit short one to three minute lessons into their schedule; if they say they’re afraid they won’t do it right, find a new way to explain the exercise to them to increase their confidence. Instead of getting frustrated, help them adapt!”
Create successes for your clients; if you have to back a concept up ten steps because the client can’t succeed at it yet, think about how you’d do the same thing for a dog that struggles with understanding. Make them feel great about accomplishing tasks that may feel tiny to you. A lot of this is second nature to us; don’t make clients feel self-conscious because they haven’t handled hundreds of dogs over the years.
2. Unclear Communication Leads to a Training Standstill
“It’s important to recognize that even what we consider to be the most basic management tasks can be too much for your client to handle up front,” Wallace said. “If you want them to use a crate and they’ve never touched one before, you have to take a few steps backward for them to succeed. Otherwise, you’ve potentially given them too much to think about and the overwhelming feeling can lead to them simply not doing the training.”
Being able to explain your methodology can also help clients to overcome personal barriers to success like conflicting beliefs. What kind of assumptions or fears does the client have about your management technique? Do they understand what the result could be if they decide not to follow your instructions?
“Communicating consequences in a professional way is also incredibly important,” Wallace said. “You don’t want to use scare tactics or hyperbole — just be honest and clear. These are the things that could happen if your dog continues to escape out the front door, or jump on guests; they need to be able to hear and understand what is potentially at stake. That way, they learn that what you’re requesting of them isn’t arbitrary or simply a personal belief — it’s a crucial part of altering their dog’s behavior.”
Additionally, giving your clients an alternative if they feel they aren’t making progress can be incredibly helpful. Often, we make the assumption that clients will reach out to us if they’re struggling, but that’s not true.
They may be falling back on old habits or taking advice from less-experienced friends — give them a path to follow if things aren’t working! If you don’t give them specific expectations and guidelines for how and when to contact you, they may assume they aren’t allowed to, or that they’d be pushy or intrusive for reaching out.
“I often give my clients a specific amount of time to practice,” Wallace said. “Try this for X amount of time and if you’re not seeing progress, let’s re-evaluate. One of the reasons people stop trying is because they think the training method isn’t working. Let them know by when they should start seeing change — not that the problem will be fixed in that amount of time, but that they should notice specific (if small) behavior changes by that time. And, if they don’t, then it’s time to re-evaluate, not give up.”
How Do You Make Sure Training is Progressing?
“One of the only great things to come from this time of social distancing is that now, almost everyone knows how to communicate digitally,” Wallace said. “Video calls are an excellent platform for check-in sessions that only have to last 15 minutes. It gives me an opportunity to make sure that things are progressing, and if not, provide the client an alternative in a timely manner. I definitely intend to keep doing video check-ins once this is over.”
Of course, properly communicating the purpose for the check-ins is equally important — you don’t want clients to feel like you’re doing it because you don’t trust them, you want them to know you’re checking in because you want them to succeed. Let them know during lessons that you’ll be doing regular check-ins.
How Often Should You Check In?
There’s no specific interval you should set for every client. Instead, ask your clients how often they’d like you to check in.
“I’ll see what they prefer — are they the kind of person that wants accountability?” Wallace said. “I’ll check in with them every few days. Are they a self-starter and more independent? I’ll give them the space they need to be successful. As you get to know your clients and get more comfortable talking with them, talk to them about what they prefer in terms of an instructor.”
3. Being Up-Front With Expectations Reduces Confusion
Good communication of your expectations is critical for your client’s experience with you as a customer. You want clients to know what to expect from you logistically during training, and how to encourage them to give word-of-mouth referrals, leave reviews, and buy another package once lessons are over.
“If you’re not clear on what you want,” Wallace said, “how can you possibly expect someone to know what information they’re supposed to be giving you? It’s important to do that self-reflection and know what you expect of your clients and yourself, and then you can set up expectations in the beginning of the client relationship.”
Consider Your Client’s Expectations
“The client’s experience is crucial to take into account,” Wallace said. “We as trainers need to remember that oftentimes when a client comes to us, they’re going through something troubling. They had a different image in their mind of what living with a dog would be like and this isn’t it. Jean Donaldson nailed it when she said that people have this ‘Disney Dog’ in mind when imagining life with a dog. And sometimes dogs really subvert that expectation. We have to take this into account when we communicate with clients.”
Acknowledge Outside Factors That Affect Progress
Navigating family relationships is also something dog trainers need to learn to do. Unless the client you’re working with is a single dog owner, you’re going to communicate with more than one person. A lot of people are stressed out when they decide to sign up for dog training. Understanding what additional factors your client is navigating in their home life can be a major piece of the puzzle that is their dog’s behavior.
“Keep in mind, however, that changing the home dynamic is not your job,” Wallace warns. “ It’s okay to discuss with them that everyone will need to be on the same page, but sometimes we get too much in our minds about what success has to look like. I’ve seen trainers who say they’ll only work with a family if everyone can be at every session, but that can be so hard for people to schedule at times. It makes training inaccessible. Whereas if you’re flexible, usually one person is usually willing to step up and take on the majority of the training responsibility and teach it to their family and you may be able to train everyone together every few lessons instead of every lesson.”
People’s lives are complicated — be flexible!
Looking for a way to strengthen or freshen up your digital communication skills? Join Ines McNeil and Megan Wallace on May 27th at 7 P.M. EDT for their upcoming FREE webinar: Communicate With Confidence Online! Register today to receive a copy of the recording (even if you can’t attend live)!Unsure of how to apply your communication skills to your digital marketing technique? Sign up for The Modern Dog Trainer Academy’s “Clicks to Clients” social media marketing course!
Virtual dog training lessons, consults, and classes are slowly becoming the norm right now and there are a few questions that keep popping up that I want to address.
“How much should I charge for virtual dog training lessons?”
The first is “How much should I charge?” and “Should I charge a percentage of my private lesson rate?”
I’m not here to tell you what to do in your business. I am here to tell you that if you are still charging hourly then you’re creating our own earning ceiling. You only have so many hours in the day. Those hours are sooooo precious.
I spend hours with my kiddo. I spend hours outside when the weather is nice. Those are hours that I’ll never get back – and you won’t either.
So if you want to dedicate all of your hours to clients for a base rate, be my guest. But make sure it’s an intentional choice – not one you’re making without even realizing it because it’s an assumption you have about how you’re “supposed” to price yourself as a dog trainer.
As a dog trainer, you’re more than a service provider – you’re a teacher, a friend, a mentor, and a confidant.
You’re sharing years of experience and education with the dog owners you work with. Oh – and they get a well-trained dog because of it, too.
This information and education is valuable. And you could be charging based on the value you’re providing rather than the hours of the day you give your clients if you thought about the bigger picture and designed something totally unique to you and your business.
When you start charging for the value and experience you’re providing, you immediately eliminate the earning potential ceiling and create a scalable business model. You’re no longer limited by the number of hours you (and I) have in the day.
Your clients will even see better results because they’ll understand the value you’re providing beyond hours of your time. They’ll be more committed because they’ll have more skin in the game. And you’ll support them in more ways than one-hour at a time.
So carefully consider how you’ll price yourself. You’re not a cookie and shouldn’t be taking a cookie cutter approach.
“What dog training issues can you help people with in virtual dog training lessons?”
Another question I’ve seen pop up frequently is, “What issues can you help people with remotely?“
To that I say – any issue that doesn’t require you to wrangle a dog in-person.
I doubt any of you reading this are the type to physically wrangle a dog to the ground or physically manipulate their bodies. For this reason, you are likely limiting yourself from helping more dogs and people because of your lack of confidence.
Strong communication skills are critical for solving all kinds of dog behavior challenges remotely. That’s why Megan Wallace and I are putting together a FREE webinar next week on this topic. Learn more and sign up here: “Communicate with Confidence Online with Megan Wallace.“
Listen – it’s your business! Do what you like! Have a class as small or as large as you like. It doesn’t matter as long as your clietns are happy and seeing great results.
That said, I offer lots of tips in my Basics of Virtual Dog Training Lessons 2 hour Workshop. In this workshop, I went over all the technology and tools you need (Skype? Zoom?), how to price your services online, and so much more.
The reality is that you don’t want your classes too big so that people aren’t speaking over each other which can make it hard to hear. You can establish general rules and strategies like:
Have participants stay muted until you prompt for questions.
Have participants submit questions or requests to ask a question in the chat.
Use the breakout room Zoom feature to make classes smaller or pair people up.
However you choose to format it is up to you, your preferences, and how your clients experience it.
Sign up using the form below to get the latest tips and event notifications from us!
Learning to prioritize as a dog trainer isn’t always an easy feat. Dog trainers get into business because we love what we do. Our clients are bouncy little furballs of fun — and sometimes their owners are equally as special. Because our work can become so personal to us, there’s a widespread assumption that every project you take on and commitment you make are equally important.
Facebook Live Webinar by Ines McNeil and Megan Wallace (Dogs Deciphered), Transcribed by Gem Sheps
Luckily for you, Dogs Deciphered owner Megan Wallace B.S., CPDT-KA, CNWI joined me this week to talk about prioritizing tasks that bring revenue to and add value to your business in the long run.
Respect the Hierarchy
There is an identifiable hierarchy when it comes to the importance of tasks you take on as a business owner. Money-making tasks that bring in revenue and help you pay the bills should be your top priority. And while writing your curriculum and planning lessons are important parts of a dog training business, you need to be focusing on how you’re going to bring clients in and make money.
Continue Your BUSINESS Education
Continuing education is important — and I’m not going to tell you to stop attending dog training seminars — but gaining dog training knowledge isn’t necessarily going to better your business. Will it make you a better dog trainer? Certainly. But following LIMA protocols won’t help you increase your reach on social media and bring in clients.
You need to consider the return on your investment; even if you start teaching more as a result of your continued dog training education, it’s not immediately going to drive more income to you.
Consider Your Mental Workload
As you continue to grow as a trainer and gain a positive reputation, you’ll also find people coming to you with projects. Awesome — being great at what you do means more people will want to work with you! But the workload that comes along with taking on extra clients and volunteering to jump on projects can grow exponentially.
Juggling clients, projects, and business tasks takes up a lot of mental real estate. Ruthless prioritization is your best friend. The tasks that take you away from the most important things in your life — like your family and friends — should be worth your time.
“Being able to say no to things that aren’t forwarding your specific mission is crucial,” Wallace said. “People look at you as the dog expert that they know — which is a great place to be — but at the same time, it doesn’t mean you have time to dedicate to every project that’s suggested to you. You’ll end up spreading yourself too thin. Even on the subject of continuing education, if you come back from a seminar having decided you’re going to offer five new classes, you’re probably going to be pushing yourself and won’t end up providing the service you actually want to provide. Just because you’re excited about that kind of training doesn’t mean it’s going to be valuable to your clientele.”
This, of course, doesn’t mean that you can’t get continuing education that you enjoy even if it isn’t directly related to the services you offer. You can derive value from all different kinds of education, you just have to be smart about how you apply it. Learn to distinguish between seminars that you’re attending for fun from education you’re getting to improve your business. You can’t teach everything to everyone ever.
Networking is Worth Your Time!
Professional development is a good thing to prioritize. Networking is invaluable! Get to know the other trainers in your area; that’s absolutely worth spending time on. That way, you have a reliable network that you can refer clients to when they need services that you can’t provide.
Social media allows you to create groups for networking. Take the time to put together a Facebook group of all the trainers in your area that you’ve connected with. Not only will you have people to refer clients to, you’ll have other trainers to learn from and you might even make some friends.
“It’s great to get together with other trainers and talk shop,” Wallace said. “You know, most of us don’t work in an office setting where we can chat about our individual cases and gush over the dogs together. Get together with other trainers and share your experiences; banter, talk about your work life, and get advice on tough clients.”
And, aside from being fun, networking can actually further your business in an immediate way. Once other trainers get to know you and your services, they’ll start returning the favor of client referrals.
Learn to Ruthlessly Prioritize
Marketing and sales tasks are high on the list of things you should be prioritizing. Everything else can be done later; this is learning to productively procrastinate. Don’t do things because you feel you should, or because they make you feel productive but don’t drive income your way.
“Evaluate the value of what you’re doing,” Wallace said. “Ask yourself ‘how will this bring me income?’ whenever you perform a task. If you can’t answer that question, it probably shouldn’t be at the top of your priority list.”
Always ask that question; it can be answered in many different ways! It can bring clarity to your prioritization and help you decide whether or not you have a strategy behind what you’re doing.
Don’t Forget to Prioritize Communication
Once you’ve decided to say no, you need to communicate it effectively. You don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, and the easiest way to do that is simply to be authentic. Be honest with people; communicate why you’re saying no — you don’t have to make excuses. You can say something as simple as “right now, this doesn’t fit with my personal mission,” and if you know someone you can refer them to, do it.
Getting focused on what your goals will propel you forward. When someone does eventually come to you with a project that aligns with your mission, you’ll be able to strategize how to work it into your schedule.
“Be true to yourself,” Wallace said. “Don’t be afraid to tell the truth behind the reason you have to pass up an opportunity.”
Improve Your Dog Training Business
Check out our programs and downloads to spend this time on money-making or business-growing activities. We offer a variety of content to help you grow your business with better marketing and operational systems that save you time!
I don’t believe that business owners have “free time.”
No, that doesn’t mean that business owners can never rest. You don’t have to be productive 24/7. What I mean is that you need to have a solid understanding of what you’re doing throughout the day; otherwise, something unplanned could pop up and steal your perceived free time.
Facebook Live Webinar by Ines McNeil, Transcribed by Gem Sheps
Business Owners Need to Schedule Their “Free Time”
For example, if you want to have a Saturday off — you have to plan it! And if you’re bad about sticking to your own schedule, you need to write down that day off and what you’re going to be doing with it.
“Watch Netflix one hour,” and “walk the dogs,” are what you’re planning on doing anyway, so write them down! This isn’t actually free time; it’s a time full of planned self care activities.
Schedule the things you want to do — you deserve those activities, and having that time solidly blocked off will discourage you from giving that “free time” to whoever shows up needing your help. You are busy; you’re taking care of yourself and your priorities.
Tell your clients you’re booked when you have “free time” scheduled for yourself. Put that free time on your calendar so it’s indisputable — you have written it into existence. If you don’t, you will burn out; you’ll have difficult client interactions, you won’t enjoy your job anymore, and it could result in you losing your business entirely. If you aren’t motivated to market, bring revenue, and increase your audience reach, then your business will come to a standstill.
DON’T Work During Your “Free Time!”
Don’t guilt yourself into doing things just because you don’t know what to do with time off. You’re allowed to block off 45 minutes for yourself to sit in silence and do nothing else.
As long as you take these breaks for yourself with purpose, that’s all that matters. Otherwise, you give that time away to others and end up with none for yourself.
Your time is worth at least as much as what a client would pay for it. If you as a business owner are focused on those money-making tasks that generate income and clients, then your time is worth a lot more than you believe it is. When you look at the potential income from each client, the possible referrals, those numbers add up quickly.
You have to be cognizant of how you’re spending time and how you’re giving it away. You need to allow yourself to rest and get refreshed, or you won’t be happy heading back to work in the morning. Ultimately, that leads to burnout. You get tired, annoyed, you have worse client experiences, and it goes downhill from there.
Positive Procrastination is Your Best Friend
The reality is there are only so many hours in the day, and even more scarce than time is energy. Now, hear me out…
On many occasions, procrastination is actually good.
Positive procrastination allows you to prioritize things that are more urgent and demanding of your attention. Focus on tasks that are going to generate revenue; anything that doesn’t immediately drive those results can be procrastinated on until the time feels right. Don’t feel obligated to do things just because others are doing them — if those tasks don’t affect your income in the short term, write them down and plan them for later.
You Are Worthy of Rest and Leisure
Give yourself permission to have time to yourself. Juggling your business, family, friends, pets, and other obligations doesn’t leave you a lot of time to rest and recharge. Sometimes, it leaves you feeling like you aren’t allowed to take time to yourself because there are so many people depending on your presence and time.
But feeling guilty in the moments where you allow yourself to nap, take a walk, or watch a funny show on Netflix is pointless, because you already have minimal time to use for your own personal benefit. If you need to, consider this me giving you permission to take that time for yourself, even if it’s just 15 minutes to get some fresh air.
However, you need to learn to give yourself permission to rest as well. You’re the business owner, and you’re the only one who can really give yourself those orders. You need to learn to prioritize your health and happiness and do something for yourself. The Do Not Disturb feature on your phone exists to benefit you!
Try This Exercise to Start Prioritizing Your Time
Get out a piece of paper and on the top write down “NEVER AGAIN.” Underneath it, start jotting down anything you don’t want to ever do again.
Whether that’s volunteering somewhere, hosting Thanksgiving, offering a specific service, or something else entirely — write down anything you never want to do again because the outcome wasn’t worth your time or energy.
Consider keeping this list around and adding to it every year. It might help you keep track of things that are and aren’t working for your business, your social life, and more. No one wants to keep repeating the same mistakes; this could help improve your life overall!
As a business owner, a lot of people depend on your being your happiest, best self. Don’t forget that being that person means taking the time you need to rest, recharge, and care for yourself and your family.
What other ways do you ensure you have time for yourself throughout the week? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to sign up for our latest blog posts by subscribing below.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
