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Pointers for Productive, Profitable Training Packages
You want to make the biggest possible difference in the lives of clients and their dogs. You want to see the bond between them grow, see their relationship develop into joyful, mutually-rewarding companionship. 
Want to know the best way to ensure that happens? Here’s the simple secret: It’s more time with YOU. The more you’re in their lives, the more likely dogs and their people are to succeed. And the more they succeed, the more you do, too.
That means moving away from one-off consults or a few follow ups to training packages designed to promote the best possible success for you and your clients.
Here are our top package tips…
Package with purpose
Whether you create pre-set packages for clients to choose from or fashion packages customized to each client’s goals and needs, do it with purpose. Leave behind randomly-sized packages (4-packs, 6-packs, etc.) in favor of packages designed to address a specific need, such as puppy raising, basic manners, leash reactivity, etc. Clients are more likely to purchase a package that speaks directly to their issue, making them easier to sell.
Here’s an extra pro tip: If at all possible, create separate pages on your website for each type of case or issue you work with, or at least those you specialize in. This allows clients to fast track straight to the information most relevant to them and see that you offer a ready-made solution (or are standing by to create a tailor-made one for them).
Bigger is better
Set down your concern about what people will or will not pay for. Your job isn’t to save people money, it’s to provide training solutions. Every time you let fear dictate selling less training than is actually needed, you set yourself, your client, and their dog up for potential failure.
All cases, clients, and dogs are different and we can’t guarantee specific outcomes. But what we absolutely can and must do is insist on enough training to make a difference. Your packages need to be of a size to give clients a solid chance of reaching their goals. Clients must have at least enough time to attain significant progress and momentum, and to learn the skills they need to keep that progress rolling if they haven’t yet gotten where they mean to go.
When you feel queasy about creating and selling professional packages, repeat this dogbiz mantra: Underselling is underserving.
Keep choices limited
Our inner customer service reps can be tempted to offer clients lots of options. Beware: too many package choices can lead to potential clients making no choice at all. The goal is to make decision making easy. A good rule of thumb is to keep choices limited to two to three packages for any given issue. (And just one is perfectly fine!)
Your choices should have purpose—for example, you might be offering the choice between working in-person or online. Or between day training (you training the dog) or coaching (them learning to train their dog), or even board & train.
In most cases (puppies being a notable exception) avoid package options based purely on size or length of package, unless your smallest package is plenty sizeable to get the job done and you’re simply using the larger option(s) to make that one look more attractive. Bottom line: never offer options you don’t want dog lovers to take! There’s nothing more frustrating and disappointing for all involved than a client choosing a 4-session package for a 10-session problem.
Let your creativity fly
In this new era of training, with all we’ve learned from adapting to the pandemic, there are so many new ideas to play with. Step outside the box to reimagine your training services. What kinds of package features can you incorporate to better support clients toward their goals (and toward your trainer goals for them)?
Consider online options and all the flexibility they provide to play with session length and frequency, for example. Or all the ways you can combine elements. Are there ways you might combine in-person and online pieces in your packages? Individual and group sessions? Could you add extra support options like Facebook groups, online homework, pre-recorded videos, video review sessions, office hours, and the like?
The possibilities are endless for differentiating your services, providing stronger support and better training outcomes than ever before, and crafting a way of working that plays to your individual strengths and preferences—all while increasing your income, too.
Excited about all the possibilities but feel like you could use some support to figure out what it means for you? Schedule one-on-one time with a friendly dogbiz consultant or become part of our THRIVE! group coaching community of R+ trainers.
Taming Social Media: An Easier Approach to Great Content
Oh, the time vortex that is social media! The black hole! The hamster wheel! The endless worry and fretting over what to post, the constant search for ideas, the daily back-of-the-mind nagging to find time to sit down and post something brilliant…
It’s easy to spend a lot of time on social media getting very little done. But when you run a small business, efficiency is key to sustainability. Here are our top tips for creating great content with less impact on your busy schedule. (We’ve included some content ideas for you, too.)
Create your content framework
Giving yourself a content framework makes generating your posts much easier, because you’ll know how many you need, as well as what kind.
One way to construct a framework is dedicating days of the week to particular types of posts. You might have one day for answering training questions, a day for sharing your favorite training or walking tips or mental enrichment toys, a day that you always post a client success story, etc.
It will also help to decide on the number of posts you’ll share each week. For example, your weekly content framework might include 2-3 dog-related meme shares, a client testimonial, 3 training tips, daily captioned walk or daycare floor or class photos, etc. The idea is to have a set “routine” of posts to avoid the pressure to make it up as you go.
Make things easy on yourself
Once you’ve decided on your weekly framework, carve time out of your schedule to get your content planned and created in batches. This is far more efficient than scrambling for time each day to put your posts together. Batch at least a week at a time, creating your posts for the week ahead. Or, if you really want to get off the social media hamster wheel, set aside a larger block of time once a month to get all your content planned and created for the month ahead.
Once you’ve decided on your posts and their timing, schedule them to go out automatically via apps like Hootsuite or software like Trello. This leaves your daily social media time for responding to questions or comments, rather than searching for post ideas.
What makes good content good
People are busy. Your followers have unlimited choices for how to spend their time and attention. Your posts must engage and provide value by educating, inspiring, or entertaining your audience. When crafting a piece of content, ask yourself: How might this post make my audience feel? How does or could it encourage them to engage? How will they benefit from this?
Good content is also varied content. Mix it up—some fun posts, some tip or other educational posts, photos, graphics, short videos, etc.
And good content is easy to consume. Keep things short—share one idea, concept, or point at a time, use as few words as possible, edit videos to hold them under one minute. The better you get at brevity, the more success you’ll have.
Never miss a CTA
Social media is supposed to be social! The most successful pages are generally those with high engagement. Actively encourage your audience to engage with you by adding a call-to-action (CTA) to all of your posts. Depending on the nature of the post, invite people to click a link, answer a question, share their input, leave a comment, post a picture of their dog, message you for more info, email you now, sign up for your mailing list, etc.
Some content ideas for you
To make building your content framework a little easier, here’s a list of content ideas to get your brainstorming off to a quick start:
Re-share. Watch for funny dog memes or gifs, or graphics or tips from other dog pros you admire, to re-share with your audience. Every re-share is a post you don’t have to create! (Be sure to give credit where it’s due!)
Share links. Collect links to articles, products, info-graphics, etc. to dole out. Add a short caption to provide context or explain what you like about what you’re sharing.
Post client testimonials and reviews. Turn your clients’ glowing words into graphic posts using an app like Canva or Adobe Spark. If your clients have a lot to say about how awesome you are, be sure to edit down first!
Tell client success stories. Use captioned photos, short videos, or Instagram stories to show potential clients what working with you can do for them.
Invite your followers to ask you questions. Make it open-ended or give them a topic. Then answer each question in a separate post. (Remember that brevity is your friend—keep your answer posts short. You can always include a link to a blog post or other resource for a more in-depth version.)
Invite your followers to share. Ask your audience to share a favorite themed photo (their dog taking a nap, their dog with his or her favorite toy, their funniest photo of their dog, their dog’s Halloween costume, etc.) or video (best trick, most embarrassing moment, cutest thing ever, etc.). Invite them to tell a story or share a milestone (their best training achievement, most frustrating dog moment, biggest training breakthrough, favorite puppy story, etc.).
Share your go-tos. For example, your go-to training tools, online resources, treats, etc. (Remember to dole these out one at a time!)
Share your favorites. Your favorite dog tricks, dog sites, puzzle toys, hiking trails, books, etc. (Again, one at a time!)
Recycle content you’ve created for other purposes. For example, break points in a blog post or article you’ve written into multiple social media posts. Mine any presentations you have for post inspiration, too.
These are just a few ideas—we hope they get your creativity whirring!
Get off the content hamster wheel
If you’re ready to make managing your social media channels easier while also increasing their success, we urge you to grab or pull up your calendar right now and commit to two blocks of time: 1. Choose a 2-3 hour block of time to sit down and create your content framework. 2. Choose a regular weekly or monthly block of time to batch and schedule your content.
Getting out in front of your content creation and posting gets you off the social media hamster wheel, results in better content, and leaves more time for engaging with your audience. It also means more time for other aspects of running your dog business—and perhaps more downtime outside of it, too!
The Ultimate Gift Exchange
“I’ve been thinking about working with you since I saw you speak at the PPG Summit,” she told me.
“Oh, wonderful!” I replied. “How did you enjoy Portland?”
“Unfortunately I didn’t get to the Portland summit—I saw you back in 2016. I turned in a card for a free webinar at your booth and I’ve been reading your Monthly Minute ever since.”
This conversation isn’t unusual. At its core marketing is about relationships, and good ones take time to build and nurture. While marketing your dog business doesn’t require the same lead time as ours might, it’s still best played as a long game. Building loyalty, trust, and connection means dog lovers who instinctively reach out to you when it’s time to hire a dog pro.
One of the best ways to build potential client relationships is through an email list. Growing your list is key, because the more relationships you’re nurturing, the bigger your pool of potential clients.
Lead magnets are an effective, fast, and fun way to build that email list. Here’s how lead magnets work, and how to put one to work for you…
What a lead magnet is, and how it works
Think of a lead magnet as a gift exchange. You offer something of value in return for a potential client’s email address. It could be a dog-related e-book or a PDF article or a video or a webinar, for example. Visitors to your website are asked to input their email to gain free access to your offering.
In addition to featuring your magnet on your website, you can (and should) do additional marketing to drive people to it there—social media posts, postcards in local pet supply stores, a call out for it in your print newsletter, etc. This also helps drive more traffic to your site.
An extra benefit
We R+ dog pros love to educate dog guardians in our quest to improve the lives of dogs. Lead magnets are not only a powerful marketing tool—they’re also an opportunity to use your knowledge and expertise to serve dogs and their people.
Choosing the right lead magnet
Start by thinking about the service you’d most like to drive people toward.
Looking to get more students into your puppy class or more clients into your puppy day school? You might produce an e-book or video on house training for your lead magnet.
Need to generate interest in your trail hikes? Perhaps a nicely designed PDF article or infographic to share your favorite local trails and top tips for safe, enjoyable weekend trail adventures.
Specializing in serious behavior issues? You might create a webinar or e-book on living with an aggressive dog, in which you provide insights and management tips while sharing client success stories to illustrate the value of working with a professional trainer.
Don’t forget the CTA
Your lead magnet has two end-goals. One is to educate. The other is to sell your services—so don’t forget to include a clear CTA or call-to-action. What do you want people to do when they’ve finished reading your e-book or watching your webinar? Be sure they understand you’re there to help, a bit about how your services work, how they can find out more, and how to reach you.
But don’t be discouraged if you don’t see a flood of inquiries right away. Remember we’re playing a long game. Some people will be ready to reach out right away. But most will require a longer period to get to know you—that’s why the next step is so important.
Take care of those relationships
Think of your lead magnet exchange—someone giving you their email and downloading your offering—as an initial introduction. It’s the moment you say hello, shake hands (well, maybe not these days), and tell each other how nice it is to meet. It’s just the beginning. If you want the relationship to progress, you have to keep in touch.
That’s where your email newsletter comes in. As part of your side of the gift exchange, let people signing up for your lead magnet know they’ll also be receiving your newsletter—or you can give them the choice of opting in.
Continuing to be helpful, share your expertise, and entertain through your newsletter not only keeps you in potential clients’ center field of vision, it deepens their interest, trust, and loyalty to your brand over time. When the time comes to hire a dog trainer or dog walker or choose a dog daycare, you’ll be their default choice. (And they’re more likely to think to refer you to others in the meantime as well.)
You can also use email to offer your followers additional perks from time to time, like special offers or new lead magnets you’ve put together—because once you start using magnets you’re likely to get hooked!