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Money Matters

Dog with money

Money Matters

Writing Policies Clients Respect

We’ve often written about the need for good policies—and what makes them good. Our advice has included tips on putting solid policies into place, delivering your policies in writing and verbally, and sticking to them—including thinking ahead about what constitutes a reasonable exception and, perhaps more importantly, what does not. We’ve talked about understanding the purpose of policies, too. For example, a cancellation policy that doesn’t keep you from losing money isn’t doing what it’s supposed to. What we haven’t written as much about is how to communicate your policies effectively. …

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The Power of Choice in Your Dog Business

We strive to give the animals in our care the power to make choices. We know choice can be reinforcing and can help to build trust. The same holds true for us. Choices are empowering, providing a sense of control. But when it comes to business we sometimes operate as if we’re powerless, stuck in our current situation. It’s not true, and you aren’t. Your business is yours to control. The trick is to take a step back and imagine what’s possible, to realize all the choices actually at your disposal. Our clients often find that choosing to make even small changes to things like their daily …

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Set Your Rates Right

Most of us are dog lovers first, trainers second, and business men and women dead last. A number of challenges arise from this reality, including a pervasive sense of guilt about charging money for what we do. This guilt is then alleviated with chronic undercharging, the result of which is an income level that keeps many trainers in perpetual hobby or part-time status, drives others back to “real jobs,” or creates long-term financial strain for those managing to train full time. It doesn’t have to be this way. Charging what you’re worth—and you are worth it—is a win for you and for the …

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Are You Losing Money? Smart Rates & Policies

You’ve heard of “death by a thousand cuts”? The phrase can be traced to lingchi, an ancient Chinese form of torture in which the victim was…well, we’ll leave it to your imagination. Suffice to say it wasn’t a quick way to go. We know you’d never subject yourself to such a thing. But what about your business? Sometimes it’s not the biggest mistakes that do the most damage. Too often we see dog pro businesses suffer from a thousand tiny wounds, decisions about policies and services that lose you money every single day. Add those days up, and we’re not talking small change. We know you could …

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Dog Pros & The New Tax Code

  A dogbiz Conversation With Dog Pro CPA Marie Poliseno Our clients have questions and concerns about how the new tax bill will affect them and their businesses, and we’ve been watching the conversation and debate about the topic on dog pro social media sites, including our Dog Walking Academy grad FB page. We thought it was time to bring CPA Marie Poliseno of Dollars & Scents into the conversation. Given her background in the high-powered financial world (including working on Wall Street for 30 years) and her current focus on working exclusively with dog pro businesses, we …

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Good Policies Save Money

Running a business without effective policies is like driving a car without oil. The car—or your business—runs less and less effectively until, finally, it breaks down. To avoid spending time on the side of the road, here are some tips to tune up your policies. Scheduling Policy Set your schedule up for success. “What time is good for you?” is a question to avoid at all costs. Though your intent may be to be accommodating and customer-centric, inviting clients to dictate your schedule leads to an inefficient, unpredictable calendar. Appointments often end up scattered throughout the day, …

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How To Talk Turkey (Money, That Is) With Your Dog Training Clients

We all know to avoid topics like sex, politics, and religion when talking to potential clients. Most dog trainers would like to include money in that list, too. Unfortunately it’s an unavoidable subject, but talking about the price of your services doesn’t have to be uncomfortable for you or your clients. Setting the right tone and context for the conversation can remove the dread from this dreaded subject. Here are some tips: Don’t hide your prices Think about how much more comfortable it would be to talk about your rates and arrange services knowing clients already know what you charge. …

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Why You Should List Your Rates on Your Website

Very few dog pros I know are comfortable talking about their rates with potential clients. Let’s face it: We’re dog lovers, not salespeople. But you shouldn’t let that discomfort extend to your website. In fact, handling the numbers right on your site can make the over-the-phone or in-person sales process much easier on yourself—and on your potential clients, too. Tell People What They Want To Know We are often asked whether rates should be included on websites. The answer is a resounding YES. We see a lot of dog pro sites—particularly training sites—with no pricing information. This is …

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Raising Your Rates–Why, When, & How

In our consulting work we’ve noticed dog pros share a nearly universal fear of raising rates. If you’ve put a rate increase off, worried your clients will leave you in a mass exodus, this article is for you. Why Raise Your Rates? To make a living. Our job at dogbiz is to help people make a living doing what they love. Too often we see new clients whose rates will never provide that living. Many factors go into setting rates. One critical factor that’s generally overlooked is what the dog pro actually needs to live on. If you don’t set your business up to make what you need, you’re not …

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Smart Discounts for Dog Pros: Don’t Give the Store Away

Everybody loves a deal, and everyone loves to spend less if they can, no matter their socio-economic standing. Have you been hearing “Do you have a discount for (fill in the blank)?” a lot lately and wondering how to respond? Are you tempted to offer discounts when business is slow? Here are some discount do’s and don’ts to protect you from giving your store away. Have a policy in place. Never put yourself in a situation where you have to decide on the spot. Know ahead of time what, if any, discounts you offer, have a firm policy, and stick to it. Avoid across-the-board discounts. For …

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Making the Sale

In "Set Your Rates Right" I talked about charging what you’re worth. I attempted to convince you to give up the guilt and understand that being paid well for your work is good for you, your business, your clients, and the dogs. But knowing you’re worth a decent rate is only half the battle and I promised we’d talk this time about making the sale. It’s Not a Job Interview The first step toward comfortable and effective sales is a perspective change. Many trainers approach both the phone conversation and the initial consult as though they are interviewing for a position. This triggers all …

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Don’t Give It Away

We’ve all been there—at a party, or in line at the grocery store, or at a child’s soccer game. Wherever it happens, you know how it goes. Someone asks you what you do. You tell them. Next thing you know you’re listening to their dog problems and being pumped for free advice. And it’s a funny thing—we often feel compelled to give it. Sometimes because we don’t know how to get out of doing so, sometimes because we love what we do and enjoy talking about it, and often because we care about dogs and want to see them get the help they need. But it’s a losing proposition for all involved to give …

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Expand Your Revenue & Your Impact

The usual challenge for dog training businesses is to get up to full speed, to run a full class schedule at maximum capacity, or fill all the appointment spots in your private training calendar. But once you reach these goals, there’s often a new problem to solve—how to create room for additional growth. Not every trainer wishes to push capacity. But if you find yourself maxed out yet not feeling satisfied with either your income or the number of dogs and dog lovers you’re reaching, here are various ways to expand your offerings. Hire Additional Trainers Think long and hard about …

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