EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Take the time to assess how your business is integrating technology and social media
How is your business doing ?
Seems like a reasonable and anticipated question you probably get frequently from family , clients , vendors , and others . But really , how is your business doing ? Is it at a point that you expected it to be ? Have you exceeded your expectations or are you just not there yet ? Business owners can get bogged down in the day-to-day of running a small business that they don ’ t often see big picture .
I hear from a lot of trainers that their businesses took off during the pandemic , or at some point during the pandemic primarily due to individuals changing to work from home and adding pets to the family . In general , there was a large increase in dog training services in many areas of the world . While this created new clients and an influx of revenue , it also likely caused a lot of trainers and business owners to burn-out at some point . Add to that the labor shortage that affected the dog training industry , not just the restaurants , bus drivers , health care and others you hear about in the news . It ’ s OK to say no to potential clients if you are already overextended , or even seeing if they can schedule training later in the year .
How are you using technology to run your business ? If these technologies didn ’ t exist , how would your business be different today ? I remember doing accounting entries for an organization on paper ledgers with a No . 2 pencil and providing those ledgers in a banker ’ s box to our auditors . I cannot fathom not having the software that ’ s available today to do financial reporting , taxes , payroll , etc . I ’ m sure there are software programs and other technologies that you are using in your business to be more efficient with your time and resources . Are there areas of your business that you ’ re not using available technologies to help streamline your business ?
Yes , the same Yellow Pages that doubled as a riser for children sitting at the dinner table . It no longer exists as it didn ’ t evolve with changing technologies , including the internet , apps , and the new ways consumers communicate . Having a website and social media presence are no longer fads , they are essential for many businesses to stay relevant . Talk to me in five years and let ’ s see if Instagram , YouTube , Facebook , Twitter , TikTok , Pinterest and Snapchat are still the top seven social media sites . They weren ’ t five years ago ! My point is that business owners need to stay on top of social media networks and evolve with new platforms as your customers are doing the same .
In talking to trainers , I ask them how their customers perceive them as a person and not just a trainer or business owner . It ’ s no secret there are trainers who are fantastic with dogs , but not so much with their humans . This industry is big on customer service and simple gestures to the human clients go a long way in producing referrals and overall happy customers .
It ’ s a bit cliché , but running a business is a marathon , not a sprint . Take the time to make more time by being more efficient with the business side of the business . Talk to those who understand the ever-changing social media platforms and identify where you need to be . Make efforts to please your clients , not just those on four legs . So , how is your business doing ?
David Feldner david . feldner @ apdt . com
It wasn ’ t all that long ago where I would have a visit from our area Yellow Pages salesman on renewing our listing in the next book .
8 Building Better Trainers Through Education