A T.R.E.A.T for Dog Trainers
My almost-two-year-old standard poodle, Milo, is on his third dog trainer.
He’s a handful who barks at everything when he is on a leash and he even managed to get himself banned from the grooming salon.
A poodle. Banned from the grooming salon.
Sigh.
So to say that I have looked at my fair share of dog training websites might be a bit of an understatement.
And when I am in tears in a parking lot typing “dog trainers near me” into Google?
You can bet that I am ready to buy some dog training services.
So it can be frustrating when, as a ready, willing, and able customer l land on your website and you aren’t speaking my language.
Because like every business, dog training is a people business.
Your ideal customers aren’t dogs or other dog trainers.
They are people with overwhelming and even potentially scary problems.
You need to speak their language.
You can do this by making your website a TREAT - a simple framework for creating marketing messages that connect quickly and effectively with prospects.
T is for TELL A STORY
The majority of people who come to your website are there to figure out if you get them and their problems. Can you really tap into how embarrassed they are when Fido humps Grandma at Thanksgiving? You’ve heard it all before. Tell them a tale that lets them know they landed in the right place. And more importantly, that they aren’t alone.
R is for RELATE TO THEIR EMOTIONS
When my dog is misbehaving? It isn’t his well-being that is top of mind for me at that moment. I was near tears and red-faced when I got marched out of the grooming salon. Dog owners want to know you get it. Can you handle my shame? Can you help me handle the not nice looks at the park while we work on my dog’s issues? Most of dog training is really people training (with a healthy dose of therapy).
E is for EDUCATE
Every dog trainer has their method. And your method may not be right for every dog owner. Sum up your philosophy in a sentence or two. Stick to plain language and skip the jargon - there’s a time and place for talking about operant conditioning, but this isn’t it. Also if there are canine behaviors or issues you don’t deal with? It’s a good practice to be upfront about it.
A is for ADD VALUE
Offer a free resource or a training tip. A video of you helping a current or past client through a lesson for overcoming a common problem is a great added value offer. You can even offer this resource to people in exchange for an email address and continue to send valuable content straight to their inbox until they are ready to book a session with you.
T is for TRANSFORMATION
As a desperate owner with a doggy delinquent, I want to know what to expect in terms of results. This is where you want to share testimonials from past clients or case studies related to common training dilemmas. If you want people to click the book now button, you have to show them that the way to success for them and their pooch is through you and your dog training business
Use the simple TREAT framework to make your website content instantly relatable to visitors so you can increase appointments and build your business.