Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Spend a day working on your business with fellow THRIVE! members & the dogbiz coaches.
Searching for your ideal clients? You need an avatar!
Who is your dream client? It could be one you’ve longed for, or one you’ve been fortunate to work with. What made them so great to work with? Was it their unwavering commitment to the training plan, or enthusiasm for positive reinforcement based methods? Perhaps their dog was a breed or age you love working with, or maybe their busy household looked a lot like your own, and was easy to relate to. If you wish more of your clients ticked the ‘dream’ box, it’s time to develop an ideal client avatar.
Why develop a client avatar?
Here’s why figuring out your ideal client is key to the success of your business.
Identifying and defining your client avatar – an imaginary representation of your perfect client – allows you to tailor your services, marketing efforts, and communication to attract and connect with the people you want to work with. Spending valuable time and energy working with people you don’t click with, who aren’t interested in your training approach, or who drain your energy is a fast road to frustration and burn out.
Understanding exactly who you are speaking to when designing your business helps with:
Targeted marketing
By defining your client avatar, you gain a deeper understanding of your target audience’s demographics, characteristics, and needs. This knowledge enables you to create marketing messages and materials that resonate with your ideal clients, resulting in more leads from the people and training topics that interest you most.
Thoughtful and tailored services
Understanding your ideal clients allows you to customize your services to meet their specific preferences. Rather than offering a generic training service, you can design programs, packages, and classes which really speak to your ideal clients’ needs. This can also be a lot of fun! Let your creativity fly as you design services which stand out from the crowd and address specific problems. If you know you love working with busy city dwellers with adolescent dogs, for example, you might focus on enriching day training adventures for scatty teenagers as well as workshops on how to enjoy a successful cafe visit with your dog.
Not wasting your most precious resource – your time
Defining your client avatar helps you optimize your time, energy, and resources. Rather than trying to appeal to everyone who ever uttered the word ‘dog’, you can focus on reaching the people who are most likely to benefit from and invest in your services for the long term. These ongoing relationships tend to be where the biggest change happens, so you’re also likely to help more dogs in the process.
Your happiness!
R+ dog trainers tend to be highly compassionate people who care deeply about the wellbeing of dogs. This can make it tough to say no to helping people, even when the fit isn’t right or the outcome isn’t favorable. The reality is you can’t help everyone, and spending your time saying yes to the wrong clients and cases isn’t a good long-term strategy. If you’re not enjoying your work or seeing results, your ability to remain enthusiastic and effective may suffer. You may even want to give up altogether. Defining, targeting, and working with your ideal clients is vital to your own wellbeing and happiness.
How do you create a client avatar?
There are a few steps and considerations to pinning down the profile of your ideal client. So grab your favored detective gear – pen and paper, laptop, whiteboard, back of a napkin – and start daydreaming!
Identify who they are
The first step is determining the demographics of your client avatar. Think about your favorite or ideal clients – who are they? What do they have in common? Consider factors such as age, gender, location, lifestyle, family status, and occupation. Examine their psychographics too – their values, beliefs, interests, and behaviors. Identify their motivations for seeking dog training, their attitudes toward training methods, and their level of commitment to putting the work in. This information helps you connect with clients who share similar values and goals.
Identify the problems they are trying to solve
Perhaps you have a sense of who they are, but what do your ideal clients want? What are the common challenges they tend to face? Are they dealing with specific behavior issues, a lack of time for training, or struggling in certain contexts such as when people come over? Consider their potential goals. Is there a type of relationship they really want with their dog? Are there certain activities or outings they would love to do?
Create a persona
Once you’ve done your research and answered the identifying questions, create a persona that represents your ideal client. It can help to give them a name (“What kind of services would Jenny really love this year?”). List their age, occupation, and a detailed description that includes their demographics, psychographics, challenges, and goals. This persona becomes the foundation for your marketing and service design efforts.
Use your avatar to guide decisions
Whenever you develop new services, content, or marketing materials, refer back to your client avatar. Ask yourself, “Will this appeal to and resonate with my ideal client?” Use your avatar as a guide to ensure consistency and alignment in your work. And don’t forget – just like a real human, your client avatar is likely to evolve as your business grows. Carve out time to regularly assess and refine your avatar. This helps to keep your business on track, and ensures you’re doing work you love with clients who are a great match.
Do you have a client avatar? Or is time for a refresh? We’d love to hear about it and how it has impacted your business.
Searching for content ideas? Here’s how to get unstuck
Want to know a secret? This article spent several hours as a blank page, cursor blinking forlornly, before coming into existence. Despite the epic amount of dog-related content you probably consume, it’s common to draw a blank when creating your own. Whether you’re seeking ideas for an impactful social media post, a client handout, or an article for your newsletter, fresh ideas help you engage and educate your audience.
Here are some ways to get your creativity flowing when writer’s block strikes.
Plan and ponder
Often the best way to come up with new ideas is to consume some first. Signing up to dog related newsletters and events, subscribing to podcasts, and attending conferences can help you tune into what’s happening in the dog world. There are also ways to automate some of your dog news consumption, such as setting up Google news alerts with specific key words or joining a news aggregator application like Feedly.
Once this information is hurtling into your brain/inbox, stay organized! Maintain a bookmarked bank of inspiring articles or fascinating research papers you have stumbled upon, and regularly remove those no longer relevant. Take notes during events and podcast episodes, and save all those email newsletters into a specific ‘read later’ folder rather than deleting them or letting them drown your inbox.
And don’t forget that all-important resource close to home – your clients. The best way to create content your readers will engage with is to understand the problems they are trying to solve. Send out surveys and ask clients directly about topics that interest them and knowledge gaps they struggle with. Are there particular breeds that are popular in your area? Has there been a recent spike in new puppies locally? Is there a recurring community concern, such as dogs escaping or persistent barking?
Now the hardest part…carve out time to meaningfully consume this hard-won content. Rather than skim everything on the fly, set aside time each week in your master schedule to turn off distractions and read, listen, or watch. By providing your full attention, you will be able to retain information in a lasting way, and more fully-formed ideas will start to flow.
Play and generate
Now’s the fun part! It’s time to let all those ideas swirl around as you begin turning concepts into content. If you’re always on the go, keeping a small notebook or note section on your phone is a great way to jot down thoughts as they arrive, as well as document your personal experiences. The phrase ‘write what you know’ suggests that an ideal starting point for creation is sharing your lived experiences and areas of expertise. It can also make your writing more relatable. If you’ve been addressing reactivity in your own dog, for example, sharing your learning and approach can help bring this topic to life.
If you love trying out new technology, experiment with AI tools like ChatGPT to ask for article ideas, headlines and answers to questions you’re pondering. This technology is in its infancy and the world is still figuring out how best to use it, as well as what its risks and limitations are. At this stage of the game, we suggest having a play and paying close attention to fact-checking and proof-reading. These tools provide exciting opportunities for content creators, but it’s important not to lose your unique voice and expertise in the process.
If you’re still pondering the direction of your writing, try some freewriting. Throw grammar, structure, and spelling concerns out the window, and just write whatever comes to your mind for a set period of time (use a timer – we suggest starting with just 5 minutes a day). Even if it makes no sense, or you end up on a tangent about that time you came in third in your high school swimming competition, keep going. The aim of this exercise is to loosen your creative muscles and get into the habit of writing regularly.
If you need a bit more structure, give yourself a prompt. For example, you could pick a ‘hot topic’ word or phrase in the dog industry right now (“positive”, “collaboration”, “it’s not all how you raise them”), and use that as the basis of your writing exercise. You could also try listing all the words that come to mind related to that topic and see where it leads. Are there connections between these words that you haven’t considered before?
Anything that evokes emotion or a mindset shift is likely to be easier to write and more enjoyable to consume. Tapping into your senses can be another great way to get your writing flowing. Viewing images and art, both dog related and not, can prompt ideas in a way words sometimes can’t. The same goes for sounds and smells, including music, being out in nature and listening to conversations as you sip coffee in your local cafe.
Pause when you need it
You’ve done your research, you’ve managed to get some ideas out onto the page, you know the direction you want to head in…but you’re still stuck. Creating content is not always a smooth process, whether you’re writing a 280 character tweet or crafting your latest feature article in your monthly newsletter.
If the frustration is rising and you feel like flinging your keyboard across the room, take a break. Switch tasks and try something easier for a while that doesn’t require a lot of your creativity. Or try a different environment, such as a cafe or library. A change of scenery can often help spark new ideas and inspiration.
The best reset of all? If possible, take a walk. There’s research to suggest that the simple act of walking leads to divergent thinking and an increase in creativity. If you were looking for another excuse to spend quality time with your dog outside, this is it!
Content creation is a key component of running a dog training business, helping to market your business, communicate with clients and share R+ methods more widely. Newsletters can help with all three of these, and are the perfect opportunity to put your creative strategies to the test. For more tips on creating an awesome newsletter brimming with great content, download our free guide.
Is it time to automate your business?
Sharp communication and efficient systems are key to running a successful dog training business. Luckily, dog trainers now have a host of options when it comes to automating their work, allowing for slicker scheduling, onboarding, marketing, and client support. While it can feel easier and more comfortable to stick to old systems, the pay off for automating parts of your business can be huge (yep, even for those who don’t consider themselves tech savvy).
Here are some reasons you may want to add ‘set and forget’ systems to your dog training business, and how to approach it.
Your time is your most valuable resource
The old adage ‘time is money’ rings particularly true when it comes to running your own business. Your time is one of the most important resources you have. It’s also finite – once it’s gone, it can’t be replaced. The more effectively you use your time, the more profitable your business and the more dogs and people you are able to help. Plus the more you have for yourself and your own dogs, too!
Running a dog training business, especially on your own, can be intense. You’d probably prefer to be out sharing your dog training and behavior expertise, rather than dealing with marketing, bookkeeping, and endless back-and-forth emails with prospective clients and sending homework reminders to existing ones.
In an industry with high rates of burnout, protecting your time is key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It allows you to get the down time you need to do your best work.
Automation makes for happy clients!
A common concern around automation is that it may feel a bit impersonal, especially when it comes to communicating with clients. It can also feel daunting to trust new systems and technologies with parts of your business you have lots of control over, such as scheduling and training plans. It can be helpful to step back and consider the overall client journey, including the ways automation may benefit them.
Automation often means clients can more easily access your business, such as booking appointments at any time of day rather than during your business hours (which also relieves you of the ‘24/7 availability’ pressure that can emerge when running a dog training business). It also tends to result in faster response times, meaning clients are more likely to book in with you rather than wait to hear from other trainers they have approached.
Once clients are on board, automation can help you become a better coach and cheerleader. So often we don’t check in, guide, and motivate clients the way we’d like because there just isn’t time. By automating homework reminders, training tips, and behavior plans, we’re able to offer a much better service without spending extra time at our desks.
Another big benefit of automation is lowering the risk of mistakes. When you’re rushing around between clients and tackling emails on the go, it’s so easy to accidentally confirm the wrong appointment time, or forget to send that follow up email. Automation can relieve you of some of that mental load, and keep your business looking professional.
I’m ready to automate! Now what?
Once you’ve decided you want to streamline areas of your business, what’s the best way to approach it? With so many systems and tools out there, how do you choose the right one for you?
Step one to adding automation into your business is identifying your pain points. What gives you the biggest headache? What do you tend to put off and avoid? What do you wish you had more time for? Spend a week jotting down how long tasks are actually taking you (we tend to underestimate this!) and use it to reflect on the areas that would really benefit from some streamlining.
Nowadays, there are automation software options for almost all areas of business. A big one for many dog trainers is scheduling and onboarding. A good scheduling system will allow you to easily outline your availability and create bespoke appointment types for your clients, including packages and online payment options. Many also provide automated reminder emails and texts, as well as contracts which can be signed online. They often include templates and areas which can be personalized, so it still feels like ‘you’. Training plans and client homework can also be automated, whether through scheduled email delivery, interactive documents or access to video libraries and resources.
Love manually reconciling your finances and doing your taxes? If not, you may want to consider automating some of these tasks! An online system which allows you to easily input your income and expenses, and provides great tracking data, is hugely valuable for small businesses. If you generally outsource some of this work (also a great idea if you can), it can also make sharing information with your accountant a lot simpler.
Another valuable area of automation is marketing. From email campaigns, social media scheduling, design, and newsletters, there are lots of ‘all in one’ options that remove the hassle of maintaining a marketing plan. Not only this, but they also provide valuable reporting so you can see what really works. There’s nothing worse than pouring all your time and energy into marketing efforts if they aren’t attracting new clients or keeping current ones coming back for more.
Ask for help
If you’re still unsure about which systems are perfect for you, ask your colleagues! Our THRIVE! members often request and recommend different options for automation, and many of these have free trials so you can check them out before you commit. Automation is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and while previously dog trainers had to bend general automation software to fit their needs, there are now systems designed specifically for those in the industry. At dogbiz we love Clicks!* for its ease of use, dog training specific automations, and comprehensive customer support.
*We love and believe in Clicks! so much that we are now an affiliate partner. And because you actually made it to the end of this article, here’s a little reward: a special discount, just for you.
Your business doesn’t have to be a solo venture
If you’re stepping into another phase of your business, it’s normal to experience mixed emotions – excitement, fear, overwhelm, determination. Whether you’re on the cusp of launching your dog training career or adding a new service to your work, it can also feel a little lonely. Many dog trainers work alone, and if you’re used to having the support and guidance of colleagues, it can be a tough adjustment. Not to mention figuring out how to navigate the complexities of the dog world and all the viewpoints within it.
Connecting with other dog professionals has a whole host of benefits, and it’s worth it right from the start. Here are some ways a professional network can help you and your business.
Everyone needs a sounding board
Running a business can feel all-consuming, especially during the early stages. If you find yourself pondering ideas, processes, and challenges late into the night – talk it out. Seeking insight and perspective from colleagues brings these things ‘into the open,’ allowing you to workshop and troubleshoot knotty problems. If you know a trainer who has been in the business for a long time, or specializes in an area you find challenging, reach out. While it may feel daunting, many trainers are happy to share their learning with others. And if not? There’s no harm in trying, and you’ll be a few steps closer to finding your fellow ‘dog people.’
A pathway to referrals
Connecting with colleagues in your network can result in referrals and new business opportunities. The dog training industry is growing, and many trainers are at capacity. Getting on their radar may mean they refer clients to you if they’re unable to fit them in. Focusing on collaboration with other dog trainers can also lead to joint projects and partnerships, such as running classes together or creating online content. There’s no reason trainers in the same area can’t work together – in fact, if one of you becomes unwell or wants to go on an extended vacation, you may be extra grateful for this connection!
Mutual cheer squads
After a long day of dealing with tricky cases, wrangling your social media output, and figuring out your tax return – it’s easy to feel despondent. You may have some exciting projects and ideas simmering in the back of your mind, but getting to them can be tough. When you run your own business, accountability and motivation become tricky foes. The good news (again!) is that you don’t have to go it alone. Your dog training colleagues can be a great source of external accountability. Set up regular check-ins and ask for feedback on things you’re working on. A lot of trainers will be equally grateful for this opportunity. Eyeing up that workshop but also dreading the information overload that goes with it? Attending professional development events with colleagues, or meeting afterwards for a debrief, is an awesome way to cement learning.
Sense of belonging
When you run a business of one, your sense of belonging has to exist in other spaces. A lot of people end up in dog training because they are driven by passion and a desire to make the world better for dogs. It can be an emotive space, and trying to seek community connection via social media may leave you feeling even more isolated. The real value of colleagues and networks comes from a sense of shared purpose and camaraderie. So consider which spaces make you feel you really belong. It might be a group with shared values around dog training methods, or aligned business practices. It could be a specialty area or topic. Or maybe it’s that trainer down the road you love having a coffee with, who nerds out as much as you do after listening to a podcast. Seeking people and groups that give you energy (rather than take it) will help protect you against those tougher days.
We love helping people turn their dog training dreams into reality, and have seen how much easier this is with the right support. We’d love to hear what connecting with colleagues means to you, and the impact it’s had on your business. And if this is something you crave, our community of R+ dog trainers in THRIVE! consistently work together and celebrate each other’s success.