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.
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
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