Five ways to get more bookings for your dog training business
‘Aaargh… I’ve got no client bookings in my diary after next week!’
Ooof… it hits hard when you think your business is about to crumble, doesn’t it? You’re not alone - we’ve all been there at one time or another.
But, before you panic yourself into a spiral of doom and resort to hibernating under your duvet for the rest of the day (just me?!), I want you to remember two things:
It’s normal to experience peaks and troughs of client bookings and there are business-savvy ways to make the most of any quiet times (see my blog post about 5 things to do when you don’t have many clients).
You can take proactive steps to encourage more bookings right now… and, as luck would have it, that’s exactly what I’m going to explore in this blog post ;)
So, here are five simple ways that you can help fill those looming gaps in your diary, without spending any money 💸, slashing your prices ✂️ or waiting ages ⌛for a long term strategy (such as Search Engine Optimisation) to bear fruit!
STRATEGY #01
Follow up with recent enquiries
Let me guess… you replied to their email or phone call and never heard back? What if I told you that that’s totally normal and not necessarily a sign that they’ve chosen not to work with you? In fact, some sources suggest that you might need to follow-up with a prospective client multiple times before they make a decision 😱.
I know, I know but hear me out… of course you don’t want to spam people by filling up their inbox or harass them with multiple phone calls but there’s a happy medium between that approach and simply assuming that they’ve gone elsewhere when you don’t get hear back straight away.
The thing is, when you follow-up on an enquiry from a place of trying to be helpful – rather than aiming to secure a ‘sale’ – you can actually support potential clients and your business at the same time. Let’s face it, everyone leads busy lives, and often a timely reminder can be very much appreciated.
So, to apply this strategy, just take a look at your most recent potential client enquiries and note those that haven’t yet either booked in or responded.
Follow-up with each one, to check that they got your reply and to see if they have any questions.
You can do this either by picking up the phone or sending an email (if you contacted them by email originally, I’d suggest that you simply forward your original response again but add your follow-up message above the original content and update the subject line). If you’re emailing (rather than calling), it might also be worth sending a quick text message alongside this, to let them know to look out for your email in their inbox, spam and promo folders… because we all know that emails sometimes like to go astray!
Strategy #02
Check in with past clients
It’s well known in sales and marketing circles that it’s generally much harder to sell to a brand new contact than to an existing/ past client… which makes sense when you think of the trust you’ve already built up with them.
Therefore, a surprisingly simple way to secure new bookings in your diary is to reach out to your past clients to see if there are any other ways in which you could support them.
If you use an email marketing platform, such as Flodesk [affiliate link], you could send out an email to your whole list or specific segments of it (eg. inviting those that have been to puppy classes to now try a teens class). You might even want to consider offering a new service that you think will have widespread appeal eg. a recall masterclass.
But what if you don’t really offer services where many clients would want/ need to continue working with you in some capacity?
Well, why not ask your past clients if they can think of anyone else (friends/ family/ colleagues) who might benefit from your support instead and request that they pass on your details if anyone comes to mind? Of course, you could incentive referrals but, generally, previous clients will just be happy to do what they can to help 😊.
STRATEGY #03
Connect with local contacts
This is an easy one but is so often missed. Most likely, you already have lots of really valuable professional relationships… and if you don’t then now’s the perfect time to start developing them!
Make a list of all your local contacts (eg. vets, dog walkers, groomers, day cares) who also come into contact with your ideal clients.
Then, think of the best way to reach out to them. For example, you could pop into the local vets’ practice with some flyers (with bonus points for biscuits 🍪!) or send a quick text message to local dog walker friends.
Tell them that you have capacity to take on new clients and that you’d love them to send people your way, where appropriate.
Don’t forget to ask how you can help them too - remember, this should be a mutually beneficial relationship.
Often, people just need to have their memory refreshed so, by finding an opportunity to remind them that you exist, you might well find that you’re rewarded by a few extra enquiries pinging into your inbox.
STRATEGY #04
Get busy on social media
Whilst I definitely wouldn’t recommend relying on social media for your business marketing, a social media blitz can work well for a short-term business boost.
There are two options here – you can do either one or both.
[Note: I’m assuming for the purposes of this blog post that you’re not up for spending money on ads, which would be a third option.]
Firstly, you could work on boosting your own social media presence. For example, you could share information about your services and create some engaging posts (eg. client success stories, training tips and client testimonials) or host a live Q+A (be sure to have a few questions ready to get you started in case not many people turn up live).
Remember to use relevant (local?) hashtags and tag local pet-related businesses, as appropriate, to increase visibility and organic reach.
Secondly, you can take a more active role in any relevant social media groups that you’re a member of (eg. local dog owners’ groups). By offering valuable advice and professional insights, you can establish yourself as an authority and encourage people to click through to your profile – make sure that your website is linked there so that they can find out how to work with you!
Of course, if you’re allowed to actively promote your business at certain times in those groups, take the opportunity to do that too!
STRATEGY #05
Attend a networking session
Ok, I have to admit that I don’t make a habit of this myself – as an introvert, the thought of it always used to fill me with dread but I have found one great group of local business owners , where it doesn’t actually feel awkward!
Enough about me…
I know of plenty of dog trainers and animal behaviourists who have picked up new clients simply by chatting to other business owners and sharing a few business cards or flyers.
So, if your diary is looking a bit sorry for itself, why not find out where there’s a local business networking event near you in the next couple of weeks? Facebook, LinkedIn, Eventbrite and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) are all good places to find free networking opportunities.
You never know, like me, you might even find a group where these kinds of events can actually be surprisingly enjoyable… I mean, who knew?!
There you have it… 5 simple strategies that you can put in place TODAY, to get some more bookings in your diary.
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