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Maximizing Client Referrals

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A referral is worth a thousand words—and thousands of dollars, too. So it pays to have a strategic referral plan to help keep your dog walking schedule—and your bank account—full.

If you don’t like marketing, that’s all the more reason to cultivate client referrals: Encouraging and rewarding referrals is one of the easiest, least stressful ways to market your business, and it’s a great ego and confidence booster, too. No marketing budget to speak of? Client referrals cost little, and you spend money only when you’re making it.

There’s another advantage, too. If you like your clients, there’s a good chance you’ll also like their friends. As any successful business owner knows, enjoying who you work for is one key to longevity.

If we’ve convinced you, here are some easy tips for putting your client referral plan into action.

Creating Your Referral Plan

Just ask. If you’re like most dog pros, asking for referrals can feel uncomfortable. But it doesn’t have to be. There are lots of simple, unobtrusive ways to let clients know you have open spots. You can include a small message at the bottom on your monthly invoices or in your daily or weekly written communications, telling clients why you’re asking them in particular. For example, “I’ve got a couple spots open in my walking schedule. If you know any clients and dogs as wonderful as you and Fido, I’d be grateful for referrals. Thank you, and thank you for trusting Fido to my care!” A note like this softens the discomfort of asking for referrals by focusing on the client rather than just your request. You can also include similar messaging in your email newsletter, holiday cards, and any other written communications.

Use positive reinforcement. Human clients enjoy treats just as much as canine clients, and positive reinforcement increases behavior no matter what the species. So don’t miss an opportunity to reward referral behavior. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. For example, a hand-written note with a gift card to a local coffee shop is a great, simple way to say thank you.

Keep your costs and admin time down. The cost of such gifts is generally lower than discounting your services or offering free walks, and they carry a larger emotional impact for the client. It does require more work on your part, though, so it’s best to organize ahead. Start by pre-purchasing thank you cards (branded ones lend a nice touch!) and ten gift cards. Set a goal to use all ten within a year.

Celebrate Return On Investment. You’ll spend a small amount on gift cards and a bit of energy finding simple ways to request referrals. Chances are, these efforts will generate at least one new regular client during the course of the year, potentially adding thousands of dollars of revenue. Not a bad return on investment!

Maintaining Your Referral Plan

Keep it timely. As soon as you’ve received a referral, jot the name of the client and the source of the referral on your follow-up list for this week to be sure you get a note and a treat out right away.

Keep it relative. For those clients who send referrals frequently, be sure to change up your reinforcement so your thank-you efforts don’t begin to feel forced and stale. Change up the gift card source and, for clients who refer often, up the ante with a larger gift like a dinner certificate, massage voucher, or basket full of dog treats and toys. Work to match the gift to the client, remembering that positive reinforcement only works if the recipient finds it rewarding.

Return all calls. It only takes one person telling their friend that she never heard back from you to dry that well up. Be sure to follow through on every referral sent your way, even if it’s only to offer an alternate referral of your own.

Share results by staying in contact. Place each new client and the client who referred her on your calendar again for a month down the road. Leave a note or send an email to let the referring client know how much you’re enjoying the dog and client she sent your way. It’s a nice touch and may help encourage her to send another friend or colleague your way. Chances are the compliment will be passed on to the new client, too.

Get Started!
Client referral marketing makes building and sustaining your business easier by cutting down on the time needed to search out new clients. So set aside some time now to set up your referral plan, then enjoy the benefits of a growing business over the coming year.

Are you Missing Out on Allowable Tax Deductions for Your Dog Walking Biz?

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By guest author Marie Poliseno, CPA and managing partner of Dollars & Scents Accounting Services

Jack Russell terrier dog wearing glasses, holding books, and with a pencil in his mouth.Too often, self-employed professional dog walkers find themselves owing taxes at the end of the year, in part because they weren’t aware of things they could or should have done during the year to avoid a tax bill. This includes understanding tax deductions that are appropriate for a dog walking business.

First and foremost, planning is key: Don’t just get handed a tax bill at the end of the year. Learn advantageous ways to manage it. Make sure you are tracking your income and expenses accurately, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Too often clients fail to engage in a dialogue with their tax preparer. A good CPA who understands your industry will take initiative, but it never hurts to ask about tax strategies that could lower your tax bill, including allowable deductions you may be leaving on the table.

Where to Start
The first step is setting up a separate business bank account from your personal one. Once you’ve committed to a discipline of depositing all of your business income and paying business expenses from your business account, you’ve gone a long way toward helping yourself understand your financial picture and the taxes you’ll owe.

The second step is learning to properly categorize your revenue and expenses to determine their tax deductibility. There are various ways to get help with this step, including engaging a CPA knowledgeable about your industry, attending tax related webinars, or doing some research on your own.

Next, engage in a dialogue with a tax professional to answer some essential questions, such as:

  • Are there any tax advantages to purchasing certain assets for my business, like a car or an SUV? Does one type of vehicle have a tax advantage over another?
  • I am planning to invest in my business this year, including purchasing a new computer and software to manage my scheduling of dog walking and invoicing. How will this affect my tax bill?
  • I am planning to attend a conference this year or enroll in an education or certification program away from home. What expenses can I deduct while traveling to and from these events?
  • Are there any tax strategies I should be employing to lower my bill?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You know your business better than anyone, so if something is on your mind, speak up! Your tax preparation should not just consist of handing over some files or receipts to an accountant once a year. Having a consistent dialogue with your CPA throughout the year helps lay out a plan for managing your taxes and provides an opportunity to do something about them proactively. This will often save you money and unpleasant surprises, like owing more than you’ve budgeted for.

Often-Overlooked Tax Deductions
I see too many clients paying more taxes than necessary simply because they didn’t know they could take certain kinds of deductions. Here are some of the most commonly missed ones:

The Home Office Deduction. Did you know that a portion of your home or apartment used exclusively for your business is tax deductible? Your home office space is the most obvious candidate. And if you provide boarding or daycare in your home, which is often the case—because as your clients’ dog walker, you are probably the first person they will approach to provide this service—the space you use for crating the dogs in your care could also be considered when calculating the square footage of your home used for business. Think about not only the additional revenue source but the tax advantages of deductions associated with it, like the laundry, pet food costs, and other supplies. Translation: tax savings!

Business Use of Your Vehicle. Especially for dog walkers who spend a lot of their time traveling to, picking up, and dropping off clients’ dogs, getting the best possible deduction for the use of your vehicle can save tax dollars big time. Many people believe the mileage deduction is always the most advantageous way to deduct the business use of their vehicle, but this isn’t always true. Often times, especially with new vehicles, the depreciation deduction far outweighs the mileage calculation. It’s worth asking your accountant which strategy is best given your vehicle and how it’s used.

Meals While Away From Home. This is often a topic of conversation because most dog walkers work in close proximity to their homes. In those cases, meals while out and about during the work day are NOT tax deductible. However, if your dog walking takes you more than 20 miles from home, the cost of your meals could be tax deductible.

Conference and Workshop Expenses. While most people realize the cost of enrollment in a conference or class is a business expense, many dog walkers overlook costs while attending such events. For example, you can deduct meals, the cost of travel to/from the workshop including car expenses (mileage or gas), parking, tolls, and lodging (even if it’s an RV park!), and any other expenses directly related to the activity.

Communication is the Key
The rules around deductions change often—another reason to keep that dialogue going with your accountant. Knowing about tax law changes can help you make good decisions about a range of things, including when to purchase something, what to buy, and how to purchase it. Should you buy a new or used car? This year or next? How much should you spend on it? Should you own it or should the business? Your tax professional can also guide you in decisions about the use of your space, or even which expenses to keep track of.

In short, maintaining an active relationship with a CPA and keeping up on tax laws can keep more money in your pocket at tax time. Who doesn’t like that?

 

Marie Poliseno is the managing partner of Dollars & Scents Accounting Services. She is a certified public accountant (CPA) as well as a professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and honors graduate of the SFSPCA Academy for Dog Trainers (CC). To work with Marie on your financial and tax matters, email [email protected], or visit www.dog-pro-cpa.com to learn more about her services.

Australia APDT

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Dog Walkers, Meet Dog Trainers—It Could Be a Match Made in Heaven

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By Nan Arthur, San Diego and Ventura, CA Dog Walking Academy instructor and owner of Whole Dog Training

As a dog trainer, I can attest that many trainers and behavior experts wish there were some sort of dating-like service to help them find the perfect match. Not for dating, of course, but to help connect with experienced dog walkers and pet sitters for the invaluable service you can provide when dealing with specific training and behavior issues. Dog walkers would benefit from such a service, too, to help find qualified trainers to assist when you’ve let a client know some extra help is needed. And everyone wins from the referrals such networking brings.

Unfortunately, finding competent professionals can be challenging in an unregulated industry. Here are some tips for successful industry “dating.”

Finding the Match
Long before online dating services were abundant, people had to meet, get to know each other, test the waters with dinner, maybe a movie, and then decide over time if the relationship should move forward. Finding trainers and behavior experts who fit the needs of pet care professionals, and vice versa, is a similar undertaking.

Start by constructing a list of open-ended questions you need answers to (think of this as setting up your dating profile), interviewing prospective trainers (the dating stage), and finally getting and contacting references to find the behavior professional who’s the right fit for you. It’s a bit of work, no doubt, but your business, your clients, and their dogs will be affected in the long run, and that makes it time well spent.

Fortunately, there are a few organizations that help to simplify the process so you can begin the without quite as much stress—whichever side of the profession you’re on:

For the dog training/behavior community looking for pet care pros, dogbiz is the first on the list. dogbiz developed the Dog Walking Academy, an international program which educates and certifies dog walkers and pet sitters with a three-day, hands-on program that includes safety, business practices, first aid certification, and positive reinforcement training practices for leash walking and more. Graduates are held to an agreement that includes humane training equipment and handling practices, helping force-free dog trainers find pros to support their positive training practices. Pet Sitters International is another organization that offers membership and insurance, but they don’t vet their members, so careful interviewing is important.

For pet care professionals looking for support and referrals by connecting with dog trainers and behavior experts, there are several organizations to get you started. The Karen Pryor Academy has a list of certified dog trainers in the U.S. and around the world, and the program’s certified training partners also sign an agreement to use and endorse only positive methods. Other resources include the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, an organization that certifies animal behavior consultants who adhere to humane practices. The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers certifies both professional dog trainers and behavior consultants, using the same sort of humane guidelines.

Each of these organizations will point you toward qualified people you can refer to when the dogs in your care require training or behavior modification.

Benefits For All
Dog trainers and behavior experts often deal with dogs who need more than just the typical hourly training appointment. As part of our training plans, we often recommend more exercise, or ongoing visits due to separation anxiety, house training, medication visits, and more. If the pet parents can’t provide what the dog needs to help them past their behavioral challenges, a qualified dog walker is a necessity to the success of the training program.

Having reliable pet care professionals to refer clients to for help maintaining training plans is a great asset to trainers. If you are that go-to professional for a trainer, it can be a boon to your business. Trainers are routinely asked about other services the dog owner needs, and if yours is the first name on that trainer’s list, you will reap the benefits even when you aren’t needed as part of a behavior plan. Trainers often share the names of trusted referral partners with each other, too, bringing the potential of even more business.

The First Date
An interview with a potential pet behavior professional should include a list of open-ended questions. These types of questions lead to “the story,” rather than simple yes or no answers.

A good example of an open-ended question would be, “What are your favorite tools in your equipment toolbox?” Contrast that with, “Do you ever use pinch collars?” The former gives you more information about the person’s preferred equipment, and you can start a dialogue about the reasons you don’t prefer pinch collars. By contrast, the latter results in a yes or no answer that might place the person on the defensive. It might even lead the person to hide important information from you.

If you’re hoping to team up with someone to handle the behavior needs of a specific dog, ask questions about the needs of that dog and his owner. Does this professional have experience dealing with the specific behavior issue the client is hoping to address? What will her approach be? Get the details you need by asking the right kinds of questions. If your goal as a walker is to improve the dog’s manners on leash, will the trainer invite you along to the session so that you are able to learn her strategies and reinforce the work she is doing during your walks with the dog? On the business end of things, ask about their liability insurance and what it covers. Do they carry bonding insurance for employees? What type of business entity are they—an LLC or sole proprietor? Do they have a current business license on file? People who run legitimate businesses should be able to answer these questions with clarity and confidence.

In addition, the Internet is your friend. Doing a name and business name search for the person you are considering is important. Check sites like Yelp, look at the quality of the website—no website? Move on! —and then ask for references from current clients and at least one peer, and call them to ask the same kinds of open-ended questions you would ask the potential partner.

Finally, if all looks good, schedule a meet-and-greet between the trainer and your client. This is critical. You are recommending a professional to handle issues that lie beyond the scope of your role as a pet care professional. Your client needs to feel comfortable with not only the person but also the person’s credentials, so be sure to provide their experience and any certifications to your client.

This dating process does require a lot of work, but if you are truly looking for that perfect match (and sometimes several for different clients and situations), taking the time to get the relationship right will benefit both your clients and your business.

Learn more about the dogbiz Dog Walking Academy.

What Every Dog Walker Should Know About Growth Plates

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By Kimberly Burgan, former Dog Walking Academy director

Who doesn’t love the sweet smell of puppy breath? Most of us jump at any chance to work with puppies and teenagers, and their owners are all too glad to have us wear out their whirling dervishes. But there’s a downside to too much exercise for dogs who haven’t yet reached sexual maturity: high-impact play and exercise can damage a growing dog’s growth plates, causing ongoing damage.

Here’s what you should know about growth plates and how to balance their protection with much-needed exercise for young dogs.

What You Should Know About Growth Plates
Growth plates are regions of cartilage that sit at the ends of the long bones of the legs. They are ultimately responsible for healthy bone growth. As a puppy grows and develops, moving and working their muscles, hormonal changes trigger this cartilage to calcify and develop into a denser matter. This calcification ultimately fuses and becomes a stable part of the bone. Until fusing completes at sexual maturity, these soft areas are much more prone to injury from hard impacts, repetitive impacts, and even too much exercise. And a fracture during this time can present problems for proper healing, prevent the growth plate from fully forming, and create uneven pressure on the other legs that produces secondary physical health challenges over a dog’s a lifetime.

Walking Puppies
A good rule of thumb to keep you on the safe side of preventing injury is to assume sexual maturity and growth plate fusing by 9 months for small dogs, 12 months for mid-sized pooches, 18 months for big dogs, and 24 months for the giants. A fully mature canine client may now safely enjoy things like jogging or running on hard surfaces, doing stairs regularly, jumping, and high-impact activities like catching a Frisbee in the air that might also involve any leg twisting.

Spay/Neuter Timing & Growth Plates
Recent studies and findings indicate that altering a dog prior to reaching sexual maturity removes the sex hormones needed for physical maturity to fully occur.

With nationwide early spay/neuter campaigns still on the rise (for all of the right reasons including overcrowded shelters), veterinarians are seeing a greater number of adult dogs experiencing problems such as early-onset of arthritis, shortened leg length, functional gate abnormalities, twisted limb or paw, and non-healing fracture sites—all of which mean unnecessary and possibly avoidable pain and discomfort for the aging dog (as well as secondary health problems often attached). Veterinarians are now choosing to wait for sexual maturity or are now choosing alternate options. Responsible breeders will regularly promote delaying alteration until sexual maturity and inhibit early spay and neuter options within their contract.

The increase in these practices among vets and breeders means an increase in unaltered young dogs needing your services.

How does this impact my work as a professional dog walker?
Carefully planning increasing exercise for puppies and adolescents is a must. Doing so provides a potential niche for dog walkers who can factor in screening parameters such as: Are you in a position to lift the puppy or teenager in and out of your vehicle to avoid injury? Are you comfortable including an unaltered dog on your route and is it safe to do so? If you’re walking off leash, can you control the environment to keep the puppy from jumping over logs, for example, or running too hard with her group mates? It’s also best to keep very young puppy walks a bit shorter to avoid stressing growth plates, and, where possible, choose routes with soft substrates like grass and dirt rather than concrete.

For intact dogs, can you keep un-neutered males safe from targeting by other males, and intact females safe from unwanted attention and impregnation? Do you walk on leash so you can avoid an intact male running off to investigate a female scent? Many professional walkers choose not to include the menagerie of additional responsibilities that come with walking intact dogs. Given that more prospective clients will be holding out for longer durations of time before altering, it might be a good place to put some thought into your screening policies: What works for you? If you decide the risks involved in walking intact dogs remain too high for you, stick to your policies.

If the additional challenges that come with walking puppies and teenagers aren’t for you, consider networking to find walkers willing to work with puppies or adolescents that don’t fit your walking model so you can provide quality referrals when your answer is no. Pet parents will appreciate your professional knowledge, ethical integrity, and insight even if you ultimately have to decline their business. Healthy walking is happy walking, after all.