Dog training business coaching
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Expert dog training business coaching
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THRIVE! Membership

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We’re so excited you’re joining us! 

Choose your monthly membership for $65/month, or get a month of THRIVE! free with an annual membership of $715.

 

Monthly Option:

   $65/Monthly Membership

THRIVE! Terms of Service & Cancellation Policy

THRIVE! as a monthly membership program… By clicking the add to cart button you agree to a recurring membership fee of $65 per month to be automatically charged to your credit card.

You may cancel your membership at any time by contacting our office at [email protected].

Please note that cancelations must be received before your card is charged; we cannot refund membership fees once processed.

 

Yearly Option:

Get a month free when you sign up for the Yearly Subscription Plan

   $715/Yearly Membership (saves $65)

THRIVE! Terms of Service & Cancellation Policy

THRIVE! as a yearly membership program… By clicking the add to cart button you agree to a recurring membership fee of $715 per year to be automatically charged to your credit card.

You may cancel your membership at any time by contacting our office at [email protected].

Please note that cancelations must be received before your card is charged; we cannot refund membership fees once processed.

 

 

Consulting Services from dog*biz with Alexis Davison

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If you know which package you’d like, you may choose from the options below. If you’re not sure, we generally recommend starting with a single appointment to get a feel for the process and you and your consultant can explore what might be best for your goals. If you decide on a package, at the end of your one hour consult, we’ll roll that first appointment into the package you choose.

Please choose your 0ption:

   $245 USD – one hour

 

   $675 USD – 3 hour Package

 

   $1050 USD – 5 hour Package

 

   $1850 USD – 10 hour Package

Open Enrollment Basic Manners Curriculum

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OE Basic Manners Curriculum Options:

   $600 – OE Basic Manners Curriculum

 

Need to add in Puppy Classes too? Choose from either option to receive additional savings.

   $1150 – OE Basic Manners Curriculum + Puppy Class Curriculum

   $1650 – OE Basic Manners Curriculum + Puppy Class Curriculum + Topics Classes

Is it time to automate your business?

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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.

Searching for your ideal clients? You need an avatar!

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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.