Show Notes
DESCRIPTION
Most dog trainers struggle with selling high-ticket services - and that’s completely normal.
But the real issue usually isn’t your offer or your clients. It’s your relationship with money.
In this episode, we dig into where that reluctance really comes from: childhood conditioning like “money doesn’t grow on trees,” family and friends projecting their fears onto you, and why you feel the urge to justify, discount, or dodge the money conversation altogether.
We unpack how your discomfort around money can quietly put clients off - and how to start building a healthier, more confident money mindset so you can finally charge what you’re worth.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Reluctance to sell high-ticket service is normal - most dog trainers struggle to do it.
Usually, your reluctance is not about your not having confidence in the product you are offering and its value.
For most people it is their money mindset coupled with imposter syndrome and what people will think if you charge a high-ticket price that stops them from selling at a price point that makes them truly profitable.
Most of your money mindset comes from your upbringing – parents turning lights off, “money doesn’t grow on trees,” and being “careful with money” all shape what your perception of what people will think is a “reasonable” price.
You project your own money beliefs onto clients - you think “no one will pay that,” while the same people are happily spending £40 on a light lunch, £200 on a private ski lesson and enjoying other expensive treats.
Avoiding or apologising for the price keeps you stuck – hiding prices in emails, discounting when someone hesitates, or trying to “convince” people leaves you resentful and underpaid.
Doing the uncomfortable inner work changes everything – when you unpick your layers around money, self-worth, and rejection, you stop taking “no” personally and finally feel okay charging for the real value you deliver.
BEST MOMENTS
“The hard part is actually breaking through the barriers in your brain to think that someone's actually going to part with the cash.”
“It’s 's not an industry problem. It's not a what you're offering problem; it's a money mindset problem .”
“Somebody will always question a price point, and it's how you respond to that that matters.”
“We're human, and we come with baggage, and we come with thoughts and feelings that are different and are blockers.”
“It's understanding the market.”
SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS
https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness
https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness
Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com
Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity
Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705
Email: [email protected]
ABOUT THE HOSTS
We’re Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies. Force-free dog trainers, business strategists and co-founders of Canine Business Academy. Collectively, we’ve been dog training for nearly three decades, built a six-figure dog training business, and grown CBA into a multi–six-figure global brand, all while raising kids, a university degree and life life'ing. Featured on BBC, FOX and NBC, and authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy. Giving a shit is the strategy. Getting shit done is the method.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
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In this episode we get honest about one of the biggest struggles facing dog trainers and behaviourists: knowing what to charge for your services and feeling confident enough to believe you deserve to earn a decent living. We look at why trainers can end up undercharging, separating training from behaviour work, and believing they need more qualifications or a more impressive title before they can charge more.We discuss why the value of your work isn’t determined by how “simple” a dog’s problem looks, and why the real thing you are being paid for is the impact you can have on someone’s life. Then, we explore how to stop comparing yourself to other people, recognise what you are actually good at, and build a business around the work you genuinely want to do.KEY TAKEAWAYSYou Are Solving Much Bigger Problems Than You Think: Clients aren’t simply paying you to show them how to train their dog. They are paying you to help them solve a problem that is negatively affecting their life, one that is maybe even making them think about giving up their dog. Understanding that changes how you see your value, your service and what you can reasonably charge.Stop Thinking of Yourself As Just a Dog Trainer: Most of the time dog trainers do far more than simply show a client a technique. They use their experience to identify the root cause of an issue and actively coach and support owners until their problem is solved.You Don’t Need a Bigger Title to Be Worth More: The pressure to become a behaviourist or collect more qualifications can come from a belief that you need external validation before you are good enough to charge properly. In reality, all dog owners are really interested in is whether you can solve their problem.Stop Trying to Be Someone Else: Just because you can work with certain types of dogs or behaviour cases doesn’t mean you should. Understanding what you genuinely enjoy, what you are good at and where your strengths lie will help you to build a business that actually suits you.BEST MOMENTS“I was making like £15, £20 grand a month in some months.”“You can be the reason they keep the dog, and you can be the reason they love their dog again, and you can just make that difference.”“That's what you're being paid for. That's why you should be earning a decent wage. That's why you do deserve it.”“To warrant that fee, I need to become a behaviourist. I need to have level five, level six, all the stuff masters. No, you f**king don't. No, you don't.”“Someone is not reaching out to you for you to show them what to do. They're reaching out to you for you to help them work through it.”IMPORTANT LINKS https://www.caninebusinessacademy.com/gsd-buisness-accelerator https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness