Don’t you just love working with those clients that are motivated to make positive changes with their dog and look to you as a professional that they respect and admire? Those clients that hang on every word you say, are happy to pay your fees and pre-book and don’t overstep when needing more direction?

They exist! You’ve probably had some of them come your way. The question is, how do we draw more of them our way?

It’s not complicated, but it may mean changing what you’ve been doing.

How is your messaging?
Information that you provide your audience will result in clients either choosing to book with you or not.

You cannot service every client. That is a recipe for disaster!  What often sets us up to fail as force-free professionals is the thought that we can “convert” everyone that books with us. There are many people who are dead set in their belief systems when it comes to how they work and live with their dogs and no amount of scientific evidence and persuasion will enable them to change… unless they are open to it.

Those that are NOT open to making changes and taking your professional advice are clients better served elsewhere, so you can focus on those that DO and ARE open to making changes with your recommendations.

• Be transparent on your website and social media about the training methods and tools you use and those you DO NOT use.
• Ensure your policies are clear and apparent on your website.
• Intake forms and waivers should include expectations for both your client as well as yourself as a service provider.
• Don’t be afraid to repeat information in various places.

You get what you pay for.
Making training accessible for those that cannot afford to hire you does not mean underpricing or undervaluing your work.  Take into consideration the following when pricing your services:

• How much experience do you have?
• How much have you invested financially in education and continuing education?
• What areas have you specialized in?
• How much emotional and physical labour does it require to service your clientele?

.Not everyone will be able to afford to work with a trainer. That is something we must accept. You will need to think whether that is your responsibility or not. Find a price structure that enables you to achieve your personal and professional goals. Do not underprice your services and overwork; that is a direct path to burn-out. You also may be drawing the wrong clients to you; those that are looking for a deal and that is their only priority vs the quality of training and your expertise. THOSE are unicorn clients; the ones that value you before you have even started working together.

Are you giving away too much for free?
Many of us are providing a lot of free content online. Be mindful of how much you are providing and the audience you may be building that is expecting that of you.

If you are providing free content, consider “teasing” your audience with snippets of information and leading them to you to book services. Do not feel bad or “salesy” for doing so.

Unicorn clients value your time and value your expertise. They will hire you if you lead them to do so.

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Good luck! I know those Unicorn Clients are the ones you value working with the most and I want to see more of them come your way.