Bob

Working with hundreds of trainers across the country each year affords me the opportunity to notice trends, patterns, and peculiarities in the way we and our industry operate. One phenomenon I’ve been repeatedly struck by is the way we write about ourselves. A strong bio is part of an effective marketing message and, as a whole, the R+ trainer community tends to miss the mark on bio writing by several inches.

Credentials, Not Stories
Most dog trainers have an interesting story to tell about how they found their way into the profession. Many left previous careers after adopting a dog that, politely put, turned out to have a few issues. Or maybe it was the furry friend that got you through a rough divorce by distracting you with agility classes. Perhaps you’re one of the trainers who grew up on a farm or similar idyllic setting surrounded by animals, always knowing one day you’d work with them. In short, a room full of trainers is a room full of wonderful stories that hold great interest… to other trainers.

But the people perusing your website or reading your brochure are not trainers. They’re potential clients, and they’re deciding whether or not to call you. They haven’t come to your site to read your story. They’ve come because they have one of their own that needs a happy ending. They didn’t pick up your brochure to read about your Fido—they want to know if you can help them with theirs. Tempting as it may be to write about your own dogs, your bio should be about you and what makes you the right dog training professional for them.

Think about it this way—would you hire a therapist based solely on the fact that she came from a dysfunctional family? Or a lawyer because he’d been sued and knew what it felt like? Such experiences might add insight, but they’d be secondary considerations. What you really want to know is whether the person is qualified and, most importantly, can he or she get the job done for you.

Stories of life experience can play a role by making you seem approachable and warm, but they shouldn’t be the meat of your bio. Instead, tell potential clients how you’re qualified to help them. This has to be more than growing up with animals—lots of people share that distinction, possibly even the potential client reading your bio. This is a time to talk about certifications, schools and seminars and training, professional associations, a commitment to ongoing professional development and education. It’s not about what got you into dog training—it’s about what you’ve learned and accomplished since then.

(Don’t panic if you’re new to the profession, but don’t apologize for or emphasize it, either. Just follow the same guidelines of highlighting what you have done—and then keep adding to that over time.)

Benefits, Not Passion
There is a pervasive belief among people who work with dogs that passion for canines is their best qualification. But it can’t be. We all love dogs. Your love of dogs, really, is a given. Further, when your website shouts your adoration of four leggeds too often or too loudly you risk appearing as a hobbyist or enthusiast rather than a professional. You wouldn’t hire a tutor for your children because they “loved kids.” Their love of children doesn’t qualify them to tutor or say anything about the results they can get.

Instead of focusing your bio on the way you feel about animals, make it instead about the benefits you have to offer. Avoid the pitfall of talking only about benefits for the dog—it’s the human client you have to convince. What will you do for them? Help them solve a problem? Make living with their dog more enjoyable? Teach the kids and Lassie to coexist peacefully so Mom can enjoy a quiet moment now and then? Your bio should be about the needs of your clients.

A Marketing Message, Not a Novel
A short bio is a good bio. Anything over a paragraph is wasted. As an example of potential clients’ attention spans, consider that the average time spent on a website is 3.2 minutes. That’s 3.2 minutes for the whole site. So get right to the point—your marketing message, what sets you apart, your niche, what you can do for people. Your bio should instill confidence in you and your ability to help clients reach their goals. There really isn’t a lot of time for other material, and we don’t want the message to get lost.

Having said all this, if you feel your story is compelling go ahead and tell it—but separate it from your professional bio. Your ‘About Us’ page might have your bio at the top and then a section below titled ‘Rover’s Story,’ for example, for people who might want to know more about you personally or just enjoy a good dog story.

THIS, NOT THAT: A CASE STUDY
Here’s what I regard as a typical dog trainer bio:

“Lisa’s love of dogs stems from early childhood when she got her first Border Collie growing up on a ranch in Michigan. But it was Chase, a Border Collie/ Aussie mix she adopted in 1997, that introduced her to dog training. Chase had been abused and passed through two shelters before he convinced Lisa to take him home. He didn’t tolerate other dogs and was afraid of all men. Lisa spent several years reading books, going to seminars, and working with trainers to help Chase. He is now a fully functioning member of the family and enjoys the company of his brother Finn, an Australian Cattle Dog, and his sister Lola, a Black Lab/ Aussie mix, all of whom have titles in agility.

Finally, in 2004, Lisa took the plunge and attended the Such-And-So Dog Training School. She left her career in accounting to open Best Friend Dog Training and now enjoys fulfilling her passion for dogs by getting to work with them every day.

Lisa is a member of XYZ and QRS, and has attended seminars by many of the best trainers in the country including Trainer 1, Trainer, 2, Trainer 3, Trainers 4 & 5, and Trainer 6. She reads every dog book she can get her hands on and her favorite evening in is a good dog training video.”

It’s not terrible, and she comes off as a lovely person. But it’s not a professional bio. So let’s retool it:

“Lisa Smith is a graduate of the Such-And-So Dog Training School and a professional member of XYZ and QRS. Committed to providing the most effective, convenient solutions to her clients’ dog training needs, Lisa avidly pursues ongoing continuing education and professional development by attending several seminars per year and keeping current on all industry literature. Best Dog puts clients first and is well respected and referred to by local veterinarians and the Our Town SPCA. When not helping clients to enjoy easier lives with their canine companions, Lisa competes in agility with her own three dogs.”

Notice how the first bio is all about Judy and her interests, whereas the second is about clients and their needs, and Lisa’s qualifications to help them meet those needs. Her marketing message is in there, too. Lisa offers day training, and thus the emphasis on effective and convenient solutions. Her dogs are mentioned only briefly to add a personal touch, and also to ‘show off’ that she competes in agility—another indication she knows how to train dogs. And we use the mention of her own pooches to talk about the benefits of working with Lisa. This is a bio that communicates competence, professionalism, and solutions.

Start Writing
If your bio resembles Lisa’s first effort, it’s time for you to retool. If you’re not a star writer, don’t have time, or just feel squeamish about singing your own praises, bring in an outside perspective. Ask a friend with strong writing skills or a background in communications or marketing to help. Or hire a professional writer or business coach. Present yourself as the professional you are and, in so doing, help raise the public perception of professional dog training as well.

The number one rule of marketing is to do it. You can’t expect word of mouth if you don’t build it. But you needn’t take out a loan or pawn your grandmother’s jewelry to market your business. In fact, you may not need much cash at all. It’s not that money can’t be a great help to a marketing plan. But if you don’t possess great start-up capital a little creativity can stand in nicely.

Prepare
First, sit down with a pen and paper and construct two lists. The first will be a list of your strongest skills. What do you do well and enjoy? Are you a good public speaker? A talented small group or one-on-one teacher? How’s your writing? What about your planning skills?

For your second list, note all the potential networking resources in your area. Consider your environment. What other dog-related businesses are around? Vets, groomers, supply stores and boutiques, shelters and rescue groups? Oh—and don’t forget other trainers, walkers, and sitters, too! They can be a terrific networking resource. What about local activities? Are there dog parks or festivals, adult education or community classes? And what are people reading—any local dailies or weeklies or monthlies? In short, what’s going on in your neighborhood?

Get Creative
As you scan your two lists, you’re looking for good potential match ups between your skill sets on the one side and the resources or potential networking opportunities on the other. If you enjoy writing, perhaps the local neighborhood monthly would like to run a regular “Ask the Trainer” column? Terrific exposure, at no cost! And so much more effective than running an ad, where you’re attempting to sell yourself. A column, on the other hand, establishes your expertise and credibility. You become the sought-after local expert. Or, if you specialize in helping people with puppies and new dogs, wouldn’t it be great if the local shelter recommended you to all of their adopters?

Give, Don’t Ask
Writing a local column and getting shelter referrals are great marketing goals—but how do you make these things happen?

The trick is to give instead of asking. The typical dog training business marketing plan includes drawing up business cards to post around other dog-oriented establishments. Often we ask the owners if we can put our cards on their bulletin boards or in a holder on their counters. If brave enough we might even introduce ourselves, talk a little about what we do, and ask for their referrals.

But why should they refer people to you? They don’t know you or your abilities, they’re busy, and you’ve given them no reason to want to help you. So rather than asking for help, consider what you might have to offer.

If you’d like to write a regular column in the neighborhood paper, first try offering one article, already written, on a dog topic of broad interest. If you would like the shelter to refer their new adopters to you, put together a free adopter’s package of articles or tip handouts the shelter can give to its adopters. (Make sure your name and business information are on all the handouts, and include any of your other marketing material as well!) And maybe they would appreciate some training for their staff—a small series of talks or hands-on seminars. These offerings allow the shelter to get to know you, to come to see you as an expert, and to build loyalty to you. Sure, you can leave your cards on the front counter and hope people pick them up and call, but you’ll no doubt receive many more phone calls if the shelter staff is actively and enthusiastically sending adopters your way.

Be Active, Not Passive
One reason these kinds of approaches are much more powerful marketing tools than simply placing materials around town are that they are examples of active marketing—opportunities for clients to interact with your business rather than just seeing it advertised. Instead of picking up a business card, a shelter staff person hands your materials to potential clients while telling them, “You have to call this trainer. She is amazing and can help you fix this problem.” If you post a flier on a bulletin board, there is no potential for active interaction between your business and your hoped-for clients. If instead you disseminate a quarterly newsletter to the same places, the people who pick it up have a more interactive experience with your business. Rather than a flier that lists “problem behavior solving” as one of your services, an article in each newsletter can highlight an issue and tell the story of one or more dogs and clients whose lives were changed by training. In that narrative they get to “see” an example of the benefits of training and imagine themselves getting similar help, rather than just reading a bullet point.

Get Started Today
Most marketing takes time to be effective—plan to give your efforts a good six months to determine their usefulness—so make your lists right now and see how many great ideas you can create. Start marketing your business today to generate the clients who will help you spread the word tomorrow.

CASE STUDIES

Hilary had been trying for some time to network with her local shelter. The shelter had good standing in the community and was viewed as a source of training and veterinary knowledge, but they did not provide private training services. She knew they were short staffed and thought both she and they could benefit from a referral service. But although the front desk staff had her cards on the counter, it seemed they were rarely given out, and she hardly ever received referrals. Then she offered to help answer the shelter behavior hotline. Together with the behavior manager, she set up a triage system for incoming calls to take pressure off the shelter staff. They determined which calls the staff could easily handle and forwarded the more difficult calls to Hilary. Hilary was careful to limit the time of each call, providing some immediately applicable management advice, then scheduling a consult with anyone interested. The hotline is now Hilary’s number one source of clients.

Debbie couldn’t help notice as she walked her pack of client dogs every day how messy the dog park had gotten—trash, untended piles of feces—it was unsightly and, she felt, gave dogs, dog owners, and dog professionals a bad name. Seeing an opportunity to do something for her community and her dog walking business, she worked with the parks department to co-sponsor, organize, and promote a Dog Park Clean Up Day. The park got cleaned up, her business got lots of free press, including an article in the local paper and a short spot on the local evening news, and Debbie got several new clients.

Suzanne believed that an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to puppies and newly adopted dogs. She wanted to focus her business on getting people and dogs off on the right paw, but how to get the word out? The local shelter did a brisk adoption business, and Suzanne decided to start there. She offered to teach a free adopter’s class at the shelter, at no cost to them. She gave the two-hour talk one evening each week, and the shelter scheduled that weeks’ adopters into the lecture. Suzanne’s talk covered the basics of setting up a home for a new dog, house training, and prevention of common behavior problems, and she always made sure to talk about her private training services as well. Her business grew steadily as she signed up occasional clients at the talks, and found that over time people who had attended her class called as they developed training problems, and often referred her to friends and family as well.