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.
Fill out this form to request a complimentary Game Plan call with our talented Business Strategist. You’ll walk away with some key actionable insights to level up your business this year.
