Miscellaneous

Yesterday, I interviewed dog trainer and author, Carol Lea Benjamin discussing her Invisible Disability Service Dog Training – which is going to be on our…..DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

NEW WEBSITE!!

It’s been a long time coming, we’ve put in a lot of hard work to make it happen and we’re totally stoked and excited about it. It’s different than what you’re used to, but it’s the DTC that we’ve evolved into today and we are very excited to continue to give you quality information to help you with your training – and more of it! We definitely want your feedback after it’s launched because we value your opinion.

I was looking through Facebook today and saw that Carol wrote a thought provoking blog post called “A Meeting of Two Minds” where she writes:

Now I see people feeding their dogs. Make a poop, have a treat. Sit at the curb, here’s a cookie. Don’t jump up and try to steal food off the table at an outdoor cafe, here’s some other food instead. But I don’t see trained dogs. I see dogs looking at food pouches or pockets, not at the clues and emotions in their person’s face.

Carol’s talking about “gadget free dog training” and a “meeting of two minds” between dog and human. And that’s how she trains. Different than many trainers today, but I believe we can learn from everyone – even if they have different methods and beliefs than we do.

https://clbenjamin.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/a-meeting-of-two-minds/

DTC You Later and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bonnie

DTC Celebrated the Holidays to the Tune of a Salsa Beat!

While the rain kept some folks away last night – a group of intrepid dog trainers + 2 missing from the picture came out to celebrate the Holidays with DTC!

We had a blast talking dogs and dog training with Café Nunez providing a 60’s disco vibe to the tune of a Latin Salsa beat!  The restaurant owner kept his word and turned the speakers down so we could talk LOL

The 2 missing are Steve Diller (who trained me to become a dog trainer) and musician/songwriter Murray Weinstock.  My PR skills went down the tube as I let them leave before asking our waiter to take the picture!

From right to Left:

David Stagg from Queens, NY – http://www.davidsdogtraining.com/
Peter Lynn from Westchester, NY – http://caninecounselor.com/
Amanda Berk from Bergen County, NJ – http://www.atreat4dogs.net/
Jim Doukas from Queens, NY – http://qvgop.org/james-doukas-productions/
And me Bonnie

Not in picture:

Steve Diller from Westchester, NY – http://www.stevediller.com/
Murray Weinstock from New York City – http://www.dogtunes.com/

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and,

DTC you at our next get-together!

Sidney and Bonnie 2004

Sidney was handicapped in a car accident in 1978 that left her with limited mobility.  She calls herself a “training instructor” and she’s almost never had a problem dog or a problem client.  How does she accomplish this?  By teaching people to handle their own dogs since she rarely touches the dog or the leash herself.  The dog is solely focused on its owner and Sidney is their coach.

Sidney’s clients build positive working relationships with their dogs right from the start so the commands are easily learned and there is overall client satisfaction with the sessions.  In fact, once her clients finish her 10-12 week, Home Pet Course, they are good enough to hold their own in any competition obedience ring.

Sidney studied dog training with the renowned trainer and teacher of dog trainers, Captain Arthur Haggerty.  She went on to have a successful training career for over 40 years in the New York/Connecticut area.

In 1985 when the controversy arose about the treatment of retired Greyhounds, she took up their cause and became a specialist in training retired racing Greyhounds.  She’s the author of numerous articles on Greyhounds such as one entitled, “After the Race is over.”  Her article “A Touch of the Wild: the Temperament and Training of Racing Sled Dogs” was the Off-Lead cover story in January, 1976.

Sidney can be reached at Phoenix Assisted Living Facility, LLC in Cary, NC 27513.  She still has a few dog training clients that come to the nursing home to work with her and she turned 80 years old today!  She’d love to hear from dog trainers. Her phone number is:  919-460-8644

P.S.  She did an awesome workshop for DTC back in 2004 called “No More Behavior Problems! (Well, maybe not “no more” but pretty close)”

Member of:

National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI)
International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP)

Past member of:
Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
Early member and recording secretary – Society of North American Dog Trainers (SNADT)

Malla Haridat
Entrepreneur Coach

Gaining more sales as a Dog Trainer by creating a business development SYSTEM
By Malla Haridat

Did you enjoy the earlier article on identifying your unique selling point and drafting a one year marketing plan?  I hope you took the time to work on some of these areas as you can save time in the long run and build a more regular basis of clients by systemizing your marketing.

Speaking to new clients and marketing your business can seem like a scary concept.  Where do you spend your time?  Why will new clients work with you?  How do you keep your name and company brand out in the market place so that clients think of you first?

Take some time to work on the “Business of your Business”.  It will take time and patience to test out the new ideas – some will work and others will be flops – or make good stories for you! But either way, the time and resources you spend can pay off in the long run if you are willing to continue pursuing this goal.

The final step is one where we get to do a victory shout.

3. Highlight your successes. 

This is often a neglected area for business owners.  Since most of us would rather do what we love – in this case focusing on our dog training clients – we often forget about the importance of sharing the successes.  What good info can you share with your current clients, future prospects and the industry in general?

Spend some time in your business developing a public relations plan based on your past successes and future goals.  It can cover social media strategy to formal press releases and positioning with larger brands.  Here are some tips to get you started:

• Do you have a list of client testimonials and photos?  Make sure they are specific and highlight the value that you offered your clients and include them in your marketing materials.

Add them to your website or other marketing materials

• What social media do you currently use to share info and connect virtually?  Start with one or two platforms and develop a small following.  You don’t need to worry about spending hours on the tool as long as you spend time regularly.  As you become more and more comfortable with it – your followership will increase.

Allot 20 minutes a week to updating your platform of choice

• Take a review of your website.  Does it read like a company brochure or do you tell a story?  Who are clients you’ve worked with that wouldn’t mind being part of your online testimonials?  Do you have videos or photos of you or your dogs in action?  Have you spoken at any events or written any articles?  Make sure you include all of this information and more on your site.

Allot some time in your calendar over the next three months to work on this project.  Gather all feedback and testimonials over one month.  Spend the following two months working on updating the info from the design, layout and promotional aspects.

Don’t worry if it takes longer than you anticipate.  The most important part is to get started and stay the course until you are finished.

Take your time over the next few months and review these articles for ways that you can work on the “Business of Your Business” If you spend the next six months working on, you are sure to reap the rewards and watch how the new clients will start coming your direction!

Malla Haridat is a recognized expert in the specialized field of entrepreneurship education and has trained over 1,000 students. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States working in partnership with companies developing creative solutions for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.  A dynamic strategist and speaker, Malla works with a wide variety of organizations applying her creative talents to the challenges of business transformation. Her company was awarded the New York City Small Business Award of the Year by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a finalist in the Count Me in Urban Rebound program and has been featured in publications like The New York Times, BlackEnterprise.com, Inc.com and Fox Small Business.  http://mallaharidat.com/

Malla Haridat, Entrepreneur Coach

Gaining more sales as a Dog Trainer by creating a business development SYSTEM
by Malla Haridat

Did you enjoy the first article on the “Business of Your Business” for Dog Trainers?  I hope so!  Feel free to share feedback and thoughts about the first exercise where you worked on identifying what makes your dog training business unique.

That was the final deal closer when I hired my dog trainer for my Rottweiler puppy.  The trainer was very familiar with large breeds and taught my family and I how to manage her energy – both in the cute puppy stage and as she would get older and appear more intimidating to others.  It paid off greatly because we were able to bring her into all types of environments and people often complimented us on how well-mannered she was as she got older.

If you haven’t spent some time thinking about what makes you different, I encourage you to go back and review comments you’ve heard from clients.  What made them enjoy working with you and why would they recommend you to a friend?

For our second step, we are going to work on designing your marketing around your Unique Selling Point.

2.    Design your marketing around your Unique Selling Point

Spend time outlining a one year marketing plan for sharing your services.  Rather than always focusing on “getting the customer” think about all of the valuable information and tips you can share with your market and the methods that you can showcase your expertise.

•    Do you want to start a newsletter?

•    Can you offer specific tools online through various websites?

•    How about showcasing your experiences through a workshop – i.e., Dog Trainers’ Connection?

There a host of ways that you can share the value of what you offer.  Brainstorm the methods that interest you the most and devise a plan that includes a budget and regular time dedicated to marketing your business.

Here are some areas to get you started:

1.    Update your business cards and marketing materials to reflect your unique selling point.

2.    Start writing for industry publications or periodicals that your potential customers read.

3.    Revise your website to include tips and other relevant information.  If you already have info, spend time optimizing your search engine rankings so that your customers can find you easier if they are doing a basic Google search

Think about how much time you’ll need to spend each month on the plan.  You need to balance working with clients along with marketing your business –so be realistic and look to hire help where you can.  I’ve often encouraged clients to list all of their ideas first and associate how long they think each step will take.  Once they determine how long they think it will take (and it always is twice that amount of time!), they can then begin to pare down the list to a more realistic marketing strategy.

The goal is to be consistent.  So choose things that you know you will be interested in keeping up with, will best display your unique selling point and you’ll have the time to manage!

Stay tuned for the final step (Part 3) in the “Business of Your Business.”

Malla Haridat is a recognized expert in the specialized field of entrepreneurship education and has trained over 1,000 students. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States working in partnership with companies developing creative solutions for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.  A dynamic strategist and speaker, Malla works with a wide variety of organizations applying her creative talents to the challenges of business transformation. Her company was awarded the New York City Small Business Award of the Year by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a finalist in the Count Me in Urban Rebound program and has been featured in publications like The New York Times, BlackEnterprise.com, Inc.com and Fox Small Business.  http://mallaharidat.com/