Gaining More Sales (Part 3) – Highlight your Success!

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/