Show Notes
DESCRIPTION
Are you working flat out in your dog business but still not paying yourself what you "need" – never mind what you "want"?
In this episode, Jo & Vicky dive into the messy subject of pricing your dog services. They unpack the difference between your "need number" and your "want number", how to sense-check your current prices against your goals, and why simply “charging more” won´t work if the service itself doesn’t deliver a premium experience.
You’ll come away with a straightforward way to assess your current pricing, your offers, and how to attract the right clients - people who want what you offer and are able to pay what you are worth. You´ll be able to build a dog business that actually supports the life you want, without your having to run yourself into the ground.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Copying other people’s prices or inherited packages rarely works– it’s a quick fix that often keeps you undercharging for your time and expertise.
Bear in mind that a “one-hour” service rarely takes only an hour to deliver. Travel, prep, follow-up and admin all eat into your day and must be reflected in your pricing alongside overheads like running your business vehicle and rent.
Your “need number” is what you must earn each month to cover living costs. Your “want number” is the higher income that lets you fund your bigger goals and “dream life” extras.
Your "need number" combined with your "want number" will give you a clear income target and see whether your current offers and fees will realistically support your lifestyle and goals.
Doing the maths on how many clients or class places you sell each month helps you spot whether you have a lead-generation issue, a sales issue, or a pricing issue.
Premium pricing only works when the service delivers – structure, support and outcomes must create a genuine win–win for you and your clients. If it doesn´t you won´t attract and retain the type of clients, you need.
Building a good reputation is critical to being able to charge what you want and keep attracting enough clients.
BEST MOMENTS
“It never put people off - the price. It was the value behind getting your dog walked on its own.”
“Look at your numbers. Know how many inquiries you're bringing in each month. Know how many of the service you have to sell in order to hit your need number.”
“Then you start to look at is it actually feasible to sell that many.”
“Because it's a premium service now, whereas before, it was a scratchy service - it now warranted that higher price tag.”
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]
Quiz: https://quiz.caninebusinessacademy.com/health-check
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