How To Charge More For Dog Training - The 2022 Conversation For Dog Trainers
New Year, who dis Dog Trainer peeps? Oh, just back on the bullshit of not charging enough for your dog training services. You know how you swore in 2021 (and in 2020, 2019, etc...) that you'd finally raise your prices for your dog training services substantially—meaning going beyond that 20, 50, 100 dollar increase. Like, putting on your big dog business panties and increasing your prices to where it freaks you the fuck out as a biz owner and your brain starts an endless train of inner dialogue like:
From, “OMG, will people actually pay $3500 for a dog training program?” To, “fuck, I got this... I'm a badass bitch. I deserve this; it's a long time coming. I worked my ass off as an excellent freaking dog trainer and sacrificed so much.” To “shit, what if no one signs up and everything goes to hell in a dog treat pouch..."
We hear you, dog trainer and dog business owner friends. We hear you loud and clear. This is one of the business areas that SO MANY dog professionals get stuck in, including trainers, pack hikers, walkers, and groomers. Not going to lie; it also hits on all professionals in the training industry, no matter what side of the training fence you're on. Even our students and clients feel apprehensive to initiate price increases.
So, today, you amazing dog industry professionals, we're going to do a deep dive into raising your rates and raising your prices as a dog trainer.
Now, you might've heard others say, "Dammit, just raise your rates - stop overthinking it." And while "overthinking it" can block you (hello, my fellow neurodivergent dog pros!), there's more to it, But don't worry, we're going to cover that here for you.
First, let’s cover a few common reasons that keep dog trainers and other pet professionals stuck from substantially increasing their prices. Note, these are not an exhaustive list from what we see as dog business coaches, but these are some of the reasons we see most frequently.
What Keeps Most Dog Trainers From Raises Their Prices Substantially:
They Painted Themselves Into A Corner With Current Dog Biz Model
This is the most common roadblock with seasoned dog trainers already rocking it with their dog training business. You’ve got your skills down, you get excellent results with dogs, your dog owner clients love you and sing your praises, you're respected as a professional. Sign-ups to your dog training programs are easy, and so much so that you have a waitlist. You might even also have a few employees, and growth is on your mind. Starting to sound familiar?
That all sounds great, but there is a catch. It's a house of cards. In the back of that brilliant dog biz entrepreneur brain, you know that if one piece falls, the whole thing can crumble. Why would you want to change what's working and risk all of that for a few more dollars? If you raise your rates, you feel like you or your employees will have to work more, provide more, and take on more to justify the value. And after 2020 and 2021, you simply can not take on more. Shit, you barely have a weekend to yourself at this point. So, you continue about. This, our dog trainer friends, is painted in a corner or glass ceiling effect.
Fear
Fear is a four-lettered f-word. It's a fucking beast and has kept so many dog pros stuck. Fear is ingrained in us as humans to survive, so it's not as easy as telling yourself, "It's all good, ignore that primal urge to survive - you got this!"
To understand the fear of raising your rates as a dog trainer, you have to be ready to uncover why, deep down, you're afraid in the first place. Is it a fear of rejection? Meaning, you're so used to everyone always signing up with you, and to hear a “no” is like breaking your success streak? Maybe you've been told “no” so many times, just the thought of it triggers something in you.
Is it a fear of rejection from your peers, colleagues, friends, the other trainer down the road? You and I both know this truth: the dog training industry can be judgemental as fuck - which is complete BULLSHIT and why we foster our Dog Biz School Community as a place to be unapologetic about goals and results.
Mindset
This one is going to piss a few people off.. But the mindset of "I'm not in it for the money. I’m only in it for the dogs!". Yeah...that overly idealized mindset we all hear so often...I'll tread lightly here...but only slightly because did I mention that mindset that we all genuinely empathize with is idealized???
That idealized mindset is cool enough if you're a part-time dog trainer or do volunteer services. But, for someone full-time, your income depends on you training dogs; it's a business killer. If you're in business for yourself as an entrepreneur, you need to pay the bills, keep a roof over you/your family's head, feed your dogs, provide for yourself...all the same things that everyone else is allowed to do without apology. Ultimately empathy only takes you so far. Don't twist our words; empathy, a big heart, kindness, compassion, a kind nature is a must, and all dog trainers and dog professionals must have these qualities. But don't let it override your need to be profitable as a dog trainer who is also a business owner.
Does this mean you have to go all bruh out, becoming a hard-core capitalist that drives a Lambo and reserves a ride on the next space shuttle expedition?
No.
But it's not a badge of honor to be broke, overworked, and eventually burned out of the pet industry.
Another bad thing about that mindset is that it leads all too easily to judging others who are doing well and operating more profitably than you without burning out. And that inevitably leads to you questioning why you can't seem to do the same. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and that's why the mindset is so damn dangerous..
If you want a 7-figure Dog Training Business, that's also really fucking cool. You can be wealthy, have empathy, help dogs and make a more significant impact overall.
I want to check in with you…How are you doing so far? Did anything strike a nerve yet? Look at you, all badass still reading on. You're a freaking rockstar.
Let's shift gears on WHY you must raise your rates as a dog trainer in 2022.
Why Raise Your Prices As A Dog Trainer:
Higher Prices as A Dog trainer = Radical Self-care
A higher-price point is the ultimate form of self-care as a dog trainer. Listen, you've worked your ass off for the last two years. You survived as a dog trainer in a pandemic as the world is going through a collective trauma. That old saying, "money can't buy happiness," is a lie to keep people trapped. What happens when you have more money by raising your rates?
You can afford to delegate your life tasks - cleaning, meal prep, a private nanny, a personal trainer (also, your money goes back into small businesses!). You can afford to relax and recharge on the weekends and holidays fully. Raising your rates allows you to finally hop off the constant rollercoaster of financially motivated emotions It also allows you to narrow down even more from the dog owners you to the dog owners you genuinely want to work with.
Imagine what your evenings and weekends would be like if your only goal is to chill the fuck out. How much more productive would you feel? How much more confidence would you have to keep increasing your prices when you are not focused on survival and burnout?
Self-care yo.
Wealth-Creation & Future Planning
You might be thinking you'll be training dogs forever or maybe that training the future dog trainers will be your legacy… Perhaps you have fantasies of retiring at 50 to a tropical location or traveling the world. You might also have that nagging voice this has been awesome being a successful dog trainer, but what's next?" Often this comes hand in hand with the creeping feeling that steady success when it doesn't require constant work and attention can actually be kind of boring. That's where wealth creation comes into play. The world and the pet industry both need more wealthy women.
Wealth creation is a by-product of raising your rates. With increasing your rates as a dog trainer, you're able to start a reinvestment fund, high-interest savings account for accumulating future assets (aka other things that will make you more money), a maxed-out retirement fund, etc. Increasing your rates as a dog professional can create generational wealth. Passing down the businesses, the assets, the properties you've acquired and leaving a true legacy.
It all starts with that first 30% increase, my loves.
Inflation & COL
Inflation is here in 2022, and it will keep up throughout the year. It's outpacing itself at a record since the US hasn't seen it since 1982 (shout out to the millennial babies turning 40 this year). The cost of living has dramatically increased, including housing, food, energy, along with supply shortages, etc., in the United States.
Price increases in your dog training services offset inflation's impact on your business. Your dog business and personal income should go up to match the inflation rate. I know it's not the friendliest news to deliver, but it's the truth. You must adjust your dog training service prices AND programs to match inflation at a bare minimum, or else you are literally charging less today for the same service that you charged the same for last year. Combine that with the fact that the businesses that charge you for your expenses are raising their prices because of inflationary pressures, making your business more expensive to operate today than it was last year. So by maintaining the price point that you feel safe and secure charging, you are actually earning significantly less than when you began at that price point. Eventually, you're going to feel those pressures build and weigh you down until struggling to keep the business afloat simply is no longer a viable option
Now, because you're a big-hearted, empathic person, you're probably thinking, "If I'm feeling impacted by inflation, my dog owner clients will be too...". With an increase in prices, your client base will need to be shifted - more on that to come, but first, let's get you to raise your rates.
Let’s put some numbers to these concepts so it’s a little easier to understand at a glance:
Take the scenario where someone sells 5 programs each month and has been charging $2,500 for each program since 2019 and their rates have not changed during that time. Additionally, expenses to run their business in 2019 cost $5,000 each month.
By adjusting for inflation, that same $2,500 in 2019 has the same purchasing power as only $2,299.51 today (source). And the expenses that used to cost $5,000 each month are likely to have increased to approximately $5,435.94 during that same time period. This increase is normal and implemented to account for inflationary pressures.
Without getting too involved in the details of the matter, we can use those numbers to gain some perspective on just how much money is being lost because they did not implement price increases along the way.
In 2019, that business was generating $12,500 each month, at an operating cost of $5,000. This translates to $7,500 in profit each month. And a yearly profit of $90,000 to take home for the owner…not all that bad, right?
In 2022, that business is generating only $11,497.55 worth of value when compared via the purchasing power of a dollar in 2019. On top of that, monthly expenses have gotten more expensive and the same expenses now cost approximately $435.94 more than they did in 2019. Using these numbers to calculate the monthly profit in terms that can be directly compared to the 2019 values takes the issue of inflation out of the equation. The monthly profit today, when put in terms of 2019 dollars, is only $6,061.61. Compare the yearly profit that the owner used to take home to the purchasing power of their current take-home of only $72,739.32…Now, you’ve heard of the cost of living raises before, but have you heard of the cost of living income cuts before? Because that is essentially what this business owner has given themselves by ignoring inflation when pricing their service.
So by maintaining the price point for their service and keeping the exact same amount of clients each month from 2019 to today, we can see that the business is actually generating $1,438.39 less profit each and every month than the same business generated in 2019. Yearly, we’re looking at $17,260.69 less than what profit was created just 3 years ago.
Now I want you to take that in for a moment and ask yourself this: Can you afford to decrease your effective buying power like this business just to maintain your price while prices for everything around you continue to increase???
If you are answering “no”, you need to take this message to heart. If you are answering “yes”, I am so jealous of your business acumen and have a bridge to sell you.
Now that you've learned more about what may blocking you and many other dog professionals from raising rates and the core reasons you need to increase your prices as a dog trainer, let's dig into the strategy a bit. It's simple AF once you crush the noise between your ears.
How To Raise Your Prices As A Dog Trainer:
Increase by 20-30% - Readjust As Needed
We said what we said. Increasing your rates must come in percentages, not $25, $50, or even $100 increases.
Increase Value - Decrease Delivery
The temptation will be strong to do more, be more present, add more value….but this will all only come at the expense of your time and efforts. If you add more to "justify" the price increase, you'll be back in the same situation in 45 days, just with less time and making the same amount of money (if not less).
Sell Programs - Not Add Ons
The way to financial success is not nickeling and diming or adding in services, more offers, more classes, more stuff, and things.
Conclusion:
If you've been dragging your feet on increasing your prices on your dog training services or, if you're a pet professional that has been "meaning" to raise your rates, this is the year to do it finally. Listen, you're a fucking amazing dog trainer. So many of you all give it 10000% every day. It is time to claim your authority, compensation, and confidence.
Bitches need to make bank to change the world. When you raise your dog training program rates, cut back on the overdelivering, you're able to start to focus on the future. Not only is money the highest and most fluid means of self-care, but it will allow you to have a greater impact on the dogs and the industry.
