When your passion is your business, you have the raw ingredients for a very fulfilling life. But… and this is big… I know from speaking with so many trainers that very few are comfortable thinking about training as a business. This year at ClickerExpo you will find an expanded set of fabulous courses for people who want a little training about the business of training!
The ClickerExpo Stamford location has the greatest concentration of business courses of our two locations. Here are five of the many courses that I recommend.
1. That is NOT Your Soul You Are Selling
Let’s speak plainly. To train dogs, all you need are friends with dogs. But to train dogs for a living, you need clients. To get clients, you'll need to sell. Don’t panic!
Gina Phairas and Veronica Boutelle will share their straightforward, comfortable, and effective approaches designed specifically for dog trainers. Learn to turn an inquiry into an initial consult, and an initial consult into a full, pre-paid training package without turning your stomach! Think of this not as The Art of the Deal but the practice of “Keeping it Real.”
Feel Good Selling: How to Make the Sale & Keep Your Soul
Veronica Boutelle, Gina Phairas
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
Also check out these related courses on marketing:
- Scratch Your Niche: Get The Clients You Want
- Marketing 101 for Dog Trainers
- Your Target Market: How to Have Better Clients, More Success & Way More Fun
2. Crisis Management 101
Crisis! Your client experiences a crisis and their crisis becomes your crisis. A crisis is no fun for anyone. It can set up a trouble-filled conversation between you and your client when you are expected to bring immediate relief, but you tell the client “The problem didn't develop overnight, and we can't solve it in one session.”
There is truth in a trainer’s denial of the “quick fix,” yet that answer is not very satisfying to the client. The crisis is causing stress, and costing money or maybe even the client’s sanity. It can also create potential liability for damage or injury. There is a better way to handle a client’s crisis. A method that gains client commitment quickly makes a trainer’s job easier and produces a better outcome.
It’s not sexy but it works and it’s repeatable; it’s called having a management plan. Management is often overlooked by trainers who want to “fix” the problem and who don't understand the level of “pain” the client is experiencing. Learn how to describe and integrate management into your comprehensive training plan. Find out why sometimes management is all the client was really after (and why that's 100% ok!).
Help Me Now! Effective Management for Desperate Clients
Laurie Luck
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
3. You Oughta Be in Pictures
With media so prevalent, the media world can be a powerful ally and partner for the training community. But, like any relationship, professionalism and the manner in which you convey important information are critical to personal success and to the success of positive animal training and care.
Laura Monaco Torelli has appeared many times on TV, radio and social media; she has experienced both success and moments she wished for a do-over. Let her help you tip the scales of success in your favor and make new friends in the media community, friends who are as enthusiastic and passionate about animals as you are.
Camera-Ready: TV, Radio & the Trainer
Laura Monaco Torelli
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
4. She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Trainer
More exciting than being hired is actually making a difference in the lives of clients and their pets. A trainer needs to be that rare person who doesn’t just sell and implement, but who inspires others to implement! Even though clients hire trainers, all the well-crafted training plans and advice won’t make much of a difference if they don’t translate to action. Laurie Luck is a skilled client facilitator, someone who approaches the problem like a good behavior analyst looking to create behavior change. Learn to help your clients walk your talk with:
Get (Buy-) In or Get Out! How to Convince Clients to Adopt Your Training Plan
Laurie Luck
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
5. www. isyourwebsiteawesome?.com
Your website is your most important public-facing asset. It probably sees more people than you do! An awesome website makes an amazing difference. Even more amazing is that the road from mediocre to awesome is not 300 miles of pot-holed concrete.
Gina and Veronica will share examples of website “dos and don’ts,” best and worst practices, and before and after case studies to show you what makes a training website really work. Create an action plan for improving your own most important marketing asset in:
Websites That Work: Keys to a Successful Trainer Website
Veronica Boutelle, Gina Phairas
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
Bonus Recommendation!
Check out this critical course for building and strengthening your veterinary relationships:
Crossing Chasms: Understanding Trainer & Veterinary Perspectives on Animal Care
Ken Ramirez, Debbie Martin
Available ClickerExpo Portland
Available ClickerExpo Stamford
To see all of the ClickerExpo courses about training as a business, refer to the Business Track label on the conference schedules.
See you at ClickerExpo 2017!
Register now for Portland, January 27-29, 2017
Register now for Stamford, March 31 -April 2, 2017
P.S. Look for my recommended courses all about teaching later on this fall!
Aaron Clayton is President of Karen Pryor Clicker Training and TAGteach International, and a member of the ClickerExpo Faculty.
