Veronica

Get More Clients By Keeping the Ones You’ve Got

Veronica · Jul 1, 2019 ·

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

Veronica · Jun 3, 2019 ·

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

Veronica · May 20, 2019 ·

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.

We hope you got some useful tips from this article! For more free biz & walking tips for dog walkers, get Two Feet Forward delivered free to your inbox for bimonthly business and dog behavior tips, plus special offers.

How To Get Great Online Reviews: 4 Tips

Veronica · May 5, 2019 ·

Checking online reviews has become a regular part of most shoppers’ decision-making process. That includes dog lovers, whether searching for the right dog treats or choosing the best dog trainer, walker, pet sitter, or other dog pro for their best friend. Good online reviews can boost new client inquiries significantly—enough so that it’s worth taking an active approach to collecting them.

If you’re like most dog pros we know and work with, though, fishing for compliments is not a comfortable activity. So here are some tips, and some language, to make asking your clients to say nice things about you online a little easier.

1. Seize the moment
Asking for a nice review out of the blue can feel pretty awkward. Instead, use the moments your clients provide. If you’re doing your job well, you’re probably the recipient of some pretty nice comments from your clients, in person or over the phone, and via email and text. There’s no better time to ask for a review. Thank them, take a deep breath, and just ask. You know they’re happy with you, so the risk of being told no is minimal. All you need is a smooth way to make your request. Try something like this:

“Thank you so much! That means so much to me to hear. We really strive to [whatever the client complimented you on—make our clients’ lives easier by always being there/create real training results that make a difference in everyday life, etc.], so it always feels great to know we’re hitting the mark. I appreciate you telling me that! [If you’re talking to the client, rather than texting or emailing, pause for breath. Your client may have more to say more here, too, like, “You’re super welcome. I really mean it.” Then continue:] I wonder if I might ask you a favor? We’re working to build up our online reviews so we can help as many dogs and their people as possible. If you review online and feel like it’s appropriate, I’d be so grateful if you’d be up for sharing your experience with us on any platforms you use. No worries at all if you don’t do online reviews, but if you do, that would be great.”

Who could say no to that?

2. Survey your clients
In addition to providing invaluable information about how you’re doing, and anywhere you can improve, putting out a short survey helps reveal exactly which clients to target with a review request.

Keep your survey short and easy to use. Use a simple rating system (1-5 scale, for example), and focus your questions on your clients’ experience of your service. For example, depending on your services, you might ask clients to rate your reliability, professionalism, support, their enjoyment of the training process, positive changes they’ve seen in their dog, improvements in the ease of living with their dog, etc.

Also include space for clients to share open-ended comments, but in the spirit of building a quick-and-easy survey, leave this part optional for your survey-takers.

3. Ask happy clients for reviews
Look through your survey results to identify your happiest clients, and reach out to them to ask for reviews. Send a personal email along lines like these:

Dear/Hello, [Client Name]—

First, thank you for taking what I know is precious time to fill out our survey. We really appreciate it.

Second, wow. Thank you so much for your positive input and kind words! It means a great deal to know that we’re hitting the marks we work so hard toward. It’s such a pleasure to work with you and Fido, and to [make your days easier by getting Fido out for a good romp/ helping Fido learn that other dogs really aren’t so scary and worth barking at/ etc.]!

I wonder if I might be so bold as to ask one more favor? We’re working to build up our online reviews so we can help other wonderful people and dogs like you and Fido. If you do online reviews and feel it’s appropriate, I’d be so grateful if you could share your experience with us. If so, here are links to the platforms we’re currently on:

[Insert links]

Again, thank you! [Insert something related to your service and the client, like: “It was such a pleasure training with you and Fido!” or “I’m so lucky to spend time with Fido every day. It means the world to be trusted with his care!”]

Your name

4. Don’t forget the R+

Reinforced behavior increases, so when you ask clients to engage with you, be sure to reinforce liberally when they do. Thank all your clients for taking your survey, regardless of their answers. And, of course, thank clients when they post online reviews. Sending a simple email is easiest, but consider going bigger if you can. Hand-written cards mean a lot these days, and a small gift (a gift card to the local pet supply store, for example, a bag of high-end dog treats, a hand-picked dog toy, etc.) can make a big impression.

Bonus Tip: Use what you learn
You’ll likely get lots of great positive reinforcement from your survey. Be sure to bask in the glow of that. If you also get some constructive input, don’t let it get you down. Do set aside some time to reflect on and use it to make your services even better. In the long run, used well, it’s the criticism, more than the positive input, that will help your business grow.

That said, some glowing online reviews certainly don’t hurt! So schedule some time to put together your client survey, and start practicing your review request pitch for the next time a client tells you just how awesome you are.

Ready For Full Time?

Veronica · Apr 1, 2019 ·

Are you dreaming about making your full-time living as a dog trainer, dog walker, or similar? Maybe you have a part-time hobby business you don’t know how to take further. Or you’ve never been sure how to take the first step to start your dog business.

Either way, there’s the big transition challenge: How do you actually leave behind a regular paycheck to run a dog business full time? How do you get to the point where you can quit your job, put your current career in your rearview mirror, and say good-bye forever to your boss? How do you make the transition from dog pro hobbyist to dog pro for a living?

Over the years of helping dog lovers make this leap we’ve found there are three key ingredients to a successful transition. Master these and you’re much more likely to find yourself in the enviable position of making your living working with dogs.

1. Transition Mindset
We put this one first because without it, no amount of planning or strategy will get you to full-time dog pro. Pursuing a big dream is both exciting and scary. Making the decision to leave a steady job or quit a career you’ve invested time, energy, and money into takes some guts. Choosing to strike out on your own as a small business owner is a bold choice. No matter who you are, there will be moments of doubt, pangs of fear, and days where you feel dispirited. Without a strong transition mindset, it can be easy to quit or to tell yourself that now isn’t the right time.

We’ve found the dog pros who make it through their transitions are those with fierce determination and desire. They don’t necessarily have more dog talent or business skill than others. They go through all the same feelings of doubt and fear. They get tired. It’s just that they want to be full-time dog trainers or dog walkers so badly that they keep pushing. They push through the doubt. They push through the fear. They dust themselves off after setbacks. They allow themselves to believe that it really is possible to get where they mean to go—that’s their key difference.

And it really is possible. There are dog pros all over the globe working full-time in their walking and training and daycare businesses. They all started from scratch. They all began with excitement and anxiety. They all cultivated a transition mindset to put their excitement to work and their anxiety to bed (or at least to keep it from getting in their way).

Cultivation is an important word. You don’t have to be born with a naturally bold or confident mindset. You can create it by stoking your desire, visualizing your life as a dog pro, developing personal mantras to battle tough moments, and taking small step after small step to build momentum and belief that carries you forward.

2. A Transition Plan
Armed with a transition mindset, you also need a transition plan to apply it to. No amount of mindset is likely to get you to full-time dog pro on its own, particularly if part of your challenge is replacing your current paycheck income. Here are some of the most critical pieces of a strong transition plan:

Budgeting and feasibility. You have to know what you need your business to make, and assess whether the business you have in mind can safely be expected to do that.

Prep work. This includes personal prep, which for some may involve tightening the budget. It almost always includes prioritization. You’re probably already plenty busy. Implementing a transition plan will add a lot to your plate, including starting and/or growing your business. A successful transition requires streamlining in order to protect the things that matter most to you (for example, time with friends, family, and your own dogs), and time to take good care of yourself to maintain your energy. Without this step it’s easy to burnout before reaching your goal.

You’ll also have prep work for your business. Decisions like how you package and provide your services, what you charge for them, and the policies you set all have a tremendous impact on the revenue your business is capable of, and how effective you are for your clients. Getting these things right significantly increases your chances of a successful transition.

Milestones. How do you know when to reduce your cubicle time or quit your job altogether? How can you tell when your business can be safely relied upon to pay your bills? Your milestones will tell you. These are carefully crafted “When… then…” statements that indicate when it’s safe to take a step in your action plan. Every transition plan’s milestones will be different, as they depend on the parameters of your personal situation. But one thing is the same for everyone: Without them, it’s all too easy to either jump too soon, putting yourself at financial risk, or move more slowly than needed, risking burnout before achieving your goal.

Marketing. How do you reach your milestones? How do you get your business generating enough revenue to allow you to reduce your hours or give your boss notice? That’s the role of a strong marketing plan. To move through your transition plan you must grow your business. To do that, you need clients. To get clients, you must learn to market your dog business.

3. Transition Support
Transitions are equal parts exciting, scary, and exhausting. You’re essentially working two jobs—your regular one and building your business. Plus all the other things you do—running your household, caring for family, exercising your dog… Let’s just say it’s a lot. We find that dog pros who build a support system before jumping into a transition are far more likely to find themselves working with dogs full time at the end. If you tend to adopt a stoic, “I can manage” attitude, this is one time to fight that inclination.

Support plans are as personalized as transition plans. Yours might include personal support (via paid professionals or the helping hands of friends, family, and neighbors) with household responsibilities, child or dog care, errands, mealtimes, etc. You might choose to hire help for your part-time business to free yourself up to serve more clients or work on your marketing. If you’re not entrepreneurial by nature or lack business experience, you might benefit from professional support through classes, or the guidance of a personal business coach. Whatever elements you choose for your support plan, putting one in place will greatly increase your chances of a successful transition.

What do you think? Tired of daydreaming from the sidelines? Ready to make your living working full-time in your own dog training business? If so, start cultivating your transition mindset, working on your transition plan, and lining up your support. There is no better way to make a living than working with dogs, as any dog pro will tell you. They’re all out there doing it, and you can, too.

For more tips, continue reading Part 2, How to Become a Full-Time Dog Pro.

Ready to take the next step? Find out more about Starting Your R+ Dog Training Business and how we can help you launch your dream job with confidence.

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