5 Low-Key Networking Strategies for the Networking-Averse
Networking. Ugh, we know. But please don’t stop reading. I want to share a fresh way of thinking about networking, and a whole different approach to it, too. If you’re thinking about the kind of networking that requires being loud, bold, and brash, the kind that requires confidently selling yourself, introducing yourself to strangers, and generally making an obnoxious nuisance of yourself, go ahead and put that down. Because ick. Also, I don’t know a lot of dog walkers who have that kind of personality.
The thing is, networking can be truly useful to building and maintaining your dog walking business. One of the great things about this industry is that clients stick with you for a long time—usually many years—so dog walkers don’t generally need a huge influx of clients. A modest steady stream of the right clients can sustain and even grow a business. Good networking is a great way to maintain that stream.
And no matter how shy or even truly introverted you are, there’s a networking strategy that can work for you. Here are 5 low-key networking approaches to try on:
1. Be friendly
I’m not talking gregarious here. Just basic professional friendliness. If you walk in an area where you encounter other dog walkers, make it a practice to smile and raise a hand. Even if the other walkers don’t reciprocate. Keep at it long enough and you’ll see classical conditioning do its work. Everyone likes being liked, everyone likes being treated well. Make someone feel acknowledged and you’ll eventually build a positive conditioned emotional response (CER) to yourself. Think of it as a little scientific field experiment. It can actually be kind of fun.
If you have the opportunity, always go out of your way to be courteous to others. Share a trailhead parking lot with fellow walkers? Keep your dogs leashed up and under control so they aren’t impacting others’ walks. That’s not only friendly, it’s professional (and in most places, the law, too). Pass other walkers on the trail or sidewalk? Give fellow walkers whatever berth you can, keep your dogs focused on you, and make passes brisk. (Don’t forget to smile and say hello or raise a hand as you pass.)
Why expend all this effort? Besides being kind, decent, and professional, this sort of behavior eventually leads to referrals. When a fellow walker receives inquiries she can’t accommodate, you want to be the beneficiary.
2. Rock your walks
Speaking of referrals from other dog walkers, another way to increase their likelihood is to rock your walks. In other words, be really good at what you do. Controlling your dogs, maintaining their focus, walking with confidence, avoiding impact on other walkers and park/trail/sidewalk users—these things can make an impression, which can lead to referrals. Many of our Dog Walking Academy grads and business consulting clients have reported seemingly random referrals from dog walkers and even trainers they’ve never met, but who were aware of and impressed by their work.
An extra tip here: To make it easier for colleagues to send work your way, invest in clearly visible logo clothing, and wear it proudly.
3. Create referral karma
When you have occasion to pass someone on to a colleague, take it. Never turn down a client without giving them an alternate recommendation if you possibly can. Is a client moving out of your service area? Try to find them a walker to check out in their new location. Have to fire a dog because she isn’t the right fit for your services? Tell your client about a walker or daycare you think would be a better match.
And here’s the most important part of this networking strategy: Tell the person you recommended that you recommended them. You can’t be sure the client will pass on your name, and you can’t even be sure the client will call the business you suggested. The only way a colleague will know you referred someone to them is if you email to let them know yourself.
4. Show up
Be present where you can be, to give fellow dog pros in your area the chance to become aware of you and your business. How you do this will depend on the opportunities in your area, and your own comfort zone. It could be attending local pro meet ups. It could be joining and participating in online forums like dog walking-related social media groups or neighborhood networks like Next Door. It could be attending dog behavior-related events that come to your area, to further your professional development. The point is to be seen on some level—whatever level works for you. (If you attend anything in person, don’t forget to wear your cool logo clothing!)
5. Be useful
Here’s another way to raise awareness of yourself and build others’ positive CER: Make yourself useful. There are so many low-key ways to do this. Answer questions posted to online forums you belong to, or post an interesting dog-related article or local piece of news, share a local event listing (like a speaker coming to town for a dog behavior talk or seminar, or a dog-friendly festival), share a local resource (a holistic vet, a mobile groomer, a talented pet photographer or portrait painter), etc. You can share such things in person if you have the option of attending a local meeting, too.
If you’re a bit more bold, reach out to local colleagues—trainers, daycare operators, pet supply shop owners, pet sitters, fellow walkers—via email to suggest a carpool to a local event (or even sharing lunch there), or to make an introduction you think might benefit others, such as introducing a trainer to a pet supply shop owner for the talk series they offer, or to the volunteer manager at the shelter where you walk dogs on weekends.
Train yourself to keep an eye out for opportunities like these to do something helpful and, in so doing, to raise awareness of yourself and your business among potential referral sources.
Networking doesn’t have to be about cocktail parties (so common in our industry!), business cards, and self-aggrandizement. Instead, just be really good at what you do, and be friendly, present, and useful to others while you do it. Practice this kind of professionalism consistently, and eventually you’ll see your networking pay off.
Looking for easy ways to get new clients? Finish Marketing Made Easy, our online course, with a simple marketing plan and calendar customized to your needs, skill sets, and comfort zone. After all, the only marketing worth doing is the marketing you’ll actually do!
Get More Clients By Keeping the Ones You’ve Got
Here’s a happy statistic for you: In the typical business, a 5% increase in client retention can result in anywhere from a 25-125% increase in profits. In other words, keep more clients, make significantly more money. Wow. Combine these cool numbers with the hard work it takes to get a new client, and it just makes good sense to put effort into keeping clients happy and in your fold.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s another happy stat: On average, satisfied clients spread the word to 4-5 others. So active client retention also increases the influx of new clients. That’s a nice assist!
If you need an additional reason to focus on client retention, here’s our favorite: it’s good for dogs. The more a dog sees you for training, comes back for additional classes, goes out with you for walks or spends the day at your daycare, the better that dog’s life. And if mom or dad have to go out of town, better the dog stays with you than somewhere she’ll be stressed.
Convinced to increase your retention efforts? Here are 3 ways to get more clients by keeping the ones you already have:
1. Step up retention marketing
Retention marketing is marketing directed toward dog lovers who are already part of your business, either as current or former clients or students. It’s about staying in touch and nurturing relationships. Taking the time to do this work maintains connections and brand loyalty, making people more likely to continue with current services, more likely to come back for additional or new ones, and more likely to tell others about you.
All dog pro businesses can make great use of social media and email newsletters for retention marketing. Trainers, also get in the habit of periodic email check-ins after training ends, if you don’t already. You’ll be amazed at how many clients come back for additional training if you reach out from time to time to see how they’re doing. Class instructors, provide personalized next-class recommendation cards that include a small discount to help encourage the next enrollment. Ongoing service providers like dog walkers and daycares benefit from keeping in more regular touch via email, text, weekly reports, and the like. And extra touches, like an unexpected thank-you card or gift for being a loyal client, can go a long way toward cementing long-term loyalty.
2. Ask for referrals
No matter how much your clients love you, it’s never a bad idea to increase the chances they tell others how awesome you are by simply asking them to. A client sharing a written or verbal compliment provides the perfect opportunity to ask for direct referrals, a website testimonial, or an online review.
Anticipate and help offset seasonal slow periods by putting out a call for referrals a month or so ahead via direct email or your email newsletter. (“We’ve got some rare openings coming up this Summer. Have friends, family, or co-workers whose dogs might benefit? We appreciate you sharing the word!”)
You can do the same when you’re rolling out an exciting new service—let current and past clients know, and encourage them to spread the word. You might consider creating a referral incentive program, or simply reinforce the truly desirable behavior afterward to keep referrals coming.
3. Encourage clients to come back
Repeat business is even better than new business. You get to work with clients and dogs you already know, it’s less expensive, doesn’t require selling yourself to someone new, and it means lighter admin work, too. Here are three ways to encourage current and past clients to come back for more:
Tighten up your service model & policies. Dog walkers and daycares, this is a big one for you. Set your policies to encourage predictable, consistent use of your services. This allows you to make a steadier income with fewer clients, and it’s safer for the dogs, too. Class instructors, tightening up missed class and make-up policies will help students see better results, making them more likely to sign up for your next class. Private trainers, selling training packages and enforcing a strong cancellation policy makes clients more likely to reach their training goals—and more likely to tell others about the difference you’ve made in their lives.
Send reminders and notices. Pet sitters and boarding facilities, send early reminder notices to your favorite and most loyal clients to help them secure spots during your busy seasons.
Trainers, tell current and past group class students about any upcoming or new classes. All dog pros, make sure your clientele know when you launch a new service, too. Put the word out more than once, utilizing multiple marketing channels, such as social media and email newsletters or blasts.
Add new services. Speaking of adding new services, doing is a great way to create opportunity for clients to do more with you, and for past clients to come back. If you’re ready for growth, or need to create some, think about what your clients need that you aren’t already providing. Are there topics classes that would offer the perfect post-basic manners experience for your busy students? Would you be able to capture more clients by offering premium solo walks for dogs who aren’t appropriate for your group walks? Or are you walking social dogs who would benefit from walking together in small groups? If you’re running a puppy daycare & train program, it might benefit clients to team up with a dog walker for when the pups age out, or expand your services to include adult dog daycare for puppy grads only. And adding day training for clients too busy to get their training homework done or attend classes can significantly increase their training progress.
One easy, effective, and satisfying way to get new clients for your dog business is simply to keep the ones you’ve got. Stepping up retention efforts decreases your sales load, increases your income, and is great for dogs and clients. Oh, and it leads to new clients, too. Happy statistics. Happy clients. Happy dog pros!
Want to learn all the best ways to get more clients? Join us for Marketing Made Easy, an online dogbiz University course.
An Easier (& More Effective) Approach to Marketing Your Dog Business
Marketing. Probably not your favorite subject, we know. Most dog pros engage in spot marketing—doing a bit here and there “when there’s time,” or making a panicked push when things slow down, and feeling vaguely guilty and stressed the rest of the time.
Spot marketing is understandable. After all, working with dogs is much more fun. Even we’ll admit that, and we’re a bit geeky about marketing. But here’s the thing: Spot marketing actually creates more marketing pressure, ultimately takes more time, and returns disappointing results.
A steady, strategic marketing plan means not worrying about where your next client will come from, and when she’ll appear. It means a steadier income with fewer (and shallower) dips and seasonal valleys. It means an end to the stress and guilt that comes with marketing “when I have time.” And it actually makes your marketing easier.
So what goes into a building a steady approach to marketing? These 4 steps:
1. Build your message
Most dog pros operate without a clear, compelling marketing message. We tend instead to focus on stating or describing the service we provide, or the methodology we use, or how much the dog will love or benefit from what we do, or what our clients need to learn to be better dog handlers or owners. Whereas an effective marketing message is all about solving problems, providing solutions, communicating the benefits of our service to the human client—the one who’s making the decisions and opening their wallet. (Oh, if only that were the dog!)
To build this message, you have to know who it’s for. You have to understand what potential clients need, why they’ve decided to go looking for a dog trainer or a dog walker on both a practical and an emotional level. You have to be able to demonstrate empathy for what they’re currently experiencing (frustration, stress, embarrassment, overwhelm, guilt, etc.) and what they want from you (relief, results, an easier dog to come home to, etc.). In short, you have to get out of your dog pro head and into the heads of your clients.
2. Build your most important sales tool
All marketing roads lead to your website. And if it does it’s job properly, you won’t have to do as much of the part of your job you probably like least—selling. Your website is your primary message delivery mechanism. Everything about it—your logo, the writing, and the design—have to be built to appeal to and deliver your marketing message to your target clients.
Your site must also answer all the basic questions clients have about your service, like what does it cost and how does it work and (in the case of training) how long will it take. Fail to answer these and other essential questions and you risk potential clients leaving to go find another site that does. Answer them and deliver a powerful message and you’re more likely to get emails and calls from potential clients ready to become real ones.
3. Pick the right projects
As a dog pro your marketing time will always be limited. You’ve got client dogs to train, walk, and care for. You’ve got your own dogs to train, walk, and care for, too. Plus family, errands, self care, and a million other things to do to keep your business running. Also, no marketing department. So it’s critical that the marketing time you do have be spent well.
Pick your projects based on factors like your business’ needs (for example, active growth, sustainability, steadying out peaks and valleys); which audience(s) you most need to reach (referral sources, the general community, your current and past clients); your community’s needs; your own skill sets; which kinds of tasks you’re personally comfortable doing; what will be most sustainable for you; and what will most help you stand out.
Look to replace more traditional approaches like ads, brochures, business cards, and awkward drop-ins to vet clinics and pet supply stores with much more effective community-based content projects. This kind of marketing educates and serves your community while promoting your services, takes the discomfort out of marketing, turns it from something that has to be done into something that feels worth doing, and just plain works better. (BTW, this includes social media—but only if you use it right!)
4. Execute at the right time
Consistency is key to good dog training results, a consistent walk schedule is key to seeing the positive effects of exercise at home, and consistent marketing is key to steady business success. The antidote to spot marketing is building a marketing calendar—and then setting aside a regular block of time to execute the tasks on that calendar.
When you do your marketing is almost as important as what marketing you do. Build your marketing calendar to anticipate and insulate against slow times. Take into account your clients’ seasonal rhythms, and those of your referral sources, too. As just one example, delivering puppy packets to vet clinics in early January and at the start of summer puts materials into the hands of vets when they’re most likely to be appreciated.
Also make sure your marketing tasks are spread out to minimize impact on your time while also keeping you in front of all your audiences—that kind of consistency is key to your marketing success, too.
An easier approach to marketing
If you’ve been avoiding marketing because it feels hard, seems stressful (or even icky), or you just can’t find the time, the reality is that you may be making marketing harder on yourself. A little work upfront to replace spot marketing with a more steady approach helps take the stress out of doing your marketing, the guilt out of not doing it, and provides far better results. And if you’re like most learning-based organisms, you’ll probably find that pretty reinforcing. Who knows? You may even come to enjoy it!
Want some help or guidance building a steady marketing plan for your dog training or dog walking business? Join us for Marketing Made Easy—an online dogbiz University course.
5 Tips for Better Dog Walking Meet & Greets
Client meet & greets can be challenging. You need to learn everything there is to know about a dog you’re considering walking, both to make a good choice and to keep her (and everyone else) safe if you take her on. But it can be hard to get solid, reliable information during an intake interview. Potential clients are motivated to get you to say yes to their dog, likely to have gaps in their understanding of dog behavior, and may also feel anxious about being judged based on their dog’s poor recall or occasional reactive outbursts.
Your ability to listen to a potential client—to hear what they say, what they don’t say, and what they’re actually communicating with both—is critical.
And good listening is all about asking the right questions in just the right way. Here are 5 tips for getting better information from your meet & greets:
Tip 1: Put the client at ease before you start firing
Start the interview by explaining why you’re going to be asking so many questions:
“Thank you for making the time to meet with me. As I explained on the phone, I have a lot of questions to ask you about Charley. Because it’s my job to keep Charley safe and make sure he has a great time with me, I want to know everything about him—the good, the bad, the quirky, what he loves, and what he hates, what makes him tick.” If you’re a group walker, you also want to know all about Charley so you can choose the best group mates for him.
This explanation takes a bit of the anxiety out of the equation for the client—you’re asking questions not to judge them or Charley, but so you can take good care of him. You’re also telegraphing that you don’t expect the dog to be perfect, and that it’s okay to share the less charming bits.
Tip 2: Use lay language
You need to know if the dog is a resource guarder. But the client may not know that term, and it sounds serious and negative. If you ask, “Does Charley resource guard from other dogs?” most clients will feel there’s a right answer (“No”) and a wrong one (“Yes”). This increases the chances of a less forthcoming answer. Instead, you might ask “What does Charley do when other dogs try to share one of his favorite toys?” Everyone understands what sharing means, and the language carries less potential judgment.
Tip 3: Avoid yes or no questions
As shown in the last example, yes/no questions too often imply a “right” answer, creating discomfort and encouraging hedging. Most behavior is not black or white, either, and yes/no questions don’t leave room for the maybe situations in between. You just don’t get nearly as much information from a simple yes or no answer as from a narrative one.
Tip 4: Ask description questions
The best narrative answers tell you what a dog does in specific situations. When you ask, “Does your dog like meeting other dogs?” not only do you stand to get less information, you get the client’s interpretation. The client’s interpretation of their dog’s behavior is interesting, but not reliable, as they may not have a professional’s understanding of dog behavior.
What you need to know is what the dog is likely to do when you encounter an unknown dog. So rather than asking questions such as, “Does your dog like meeting other dogs?” try “When you’re out walking on leash, what does your dog do when he meets a new dog?”
The “what does your dog do when…” construction encourages potential clients to describe what they’ve seen rather than to tell you their belief about what the dog’s behavior means. If a client gives you an interpretive answer, such as “He gets really happy,” follow up with a question that forces description: “What does he do that shows you he’s happy?” or “Describe what he does to show he’s happy about meeting the new dog.”
This approach to asking questions—one that allows you to really listen through your clients’ eyes—can make a huge difference in the quality and reliability of the information you gather during your intake interviews.
Tip 5: Ask exception questions
A dog may be happy to meet dogs in general, or he may love people, but if there’s an exception, you should know about it. Clients often fail to mention the exception, either out of embarrassment, worry, or sheer forgetfulness. So always follow up your “What does he do when…” questions with an exception question. For example, “Are there any dogs or types of dogs that Charley doesn’t feel as comfortable with or isn’t as happy to say hello to?” Or “Does he respond the same way to children, or does he prefer adults?”
Your exception questions will ferret out the situations you’ll need to be watchful for if you choose to take the dog.
Listening through asking
Getting detailed, accurate behavior information from potential clients is all about careful listening. But first you must have good information to listen to—and that requires skillful interviewing. Take time to craft your meet & greet questions to put clients at ease, encourage description, and draw out important exceptions. You’ll get much better information for your screening decisions. And you’ll learn what you need to know to keep everyone—yourself and your business, the dogs in your care, and everyone you encounter on your walks—safe and happy.
Looking for a shortcut for your client intake interviews? Get our fully scripted intake forms, plus client contracts and all your other business paperwork on the Business Toolkit for Walkers & Sitters.
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