Business Lessons From A Beagle? Attract More Customers By

Meet Tom.  He’s a dog trainer.  Obedience, agility, potty training.  He’s your man.

When Tom first came in contact with the notion of Spirit of Business and Pain he honestly believed his best customer was anyone who owned a dog with behavior problems.

“I am a dog trainer.  Your dog has behavior problems.  Call me,” was his motto.

He balked at the secret of the law of attraction and pinpointing the pain.  He stubbornly resisted identifying the “Spirit of his business,” too.

“Cane Beagle” by Ale300885 – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Tom was frustrated and fed up because he knew he had solutions for dog owners but no matter how much he tried, he simply could not rise above the general noise in the dog training scene.  His message did not get heard, his solutions not offered.

It’s likely that you are not in the dog training business, but perhaps you know what Tom is going through?  I know I used to feel like my marketing was futile, too!

Over the past 20 years I’ve encountered many holistic business owners in the same rut as Tom.  The astonishing truth that is so easily overlooked is that any business, your business, solely needs two key ingredients to thrive:

1. You have to get good at something — your offer, service or product
2. You have to develop the skill to tell people about it.

Most business owners I’ve been able to help “get” the first ingredient.  These are talented masters of their trade, be it midwifery, dentistry, reiki, massage therapy, chiropractic services to name a few.

But they dropped the ball when it came to acquiring the skill to tell people about their talents.

They said, “I’m a dentist.  My ideal patient is anyone with teeth!”  And although in essence this may be true, it was hardly a message that stood out in a room full of dentists.

That is when I realized that defining the spirit of your business and identifying the pain are the two most powerful components to getting the message across to your ideal client.

Let’s go back to Tom.

Tom was going through a hell of a time:  bills were piling up, his self esteem was taking a beating and he’d not slept well in ages and it was showing.

To put it bluntly, he was plagued by the nagging fear that he’d have to close his dog school and work for hire dancing to someone else’s rules and punching a clock.

To make matters worse, he felt like a failure and this was keeping him from asking for his girlfriend’s hand in marriage.

Tom’s lack of business growth was taking it’s toll on his quality of life.

Me?

I’ve learned to identify the pain my ideal clients are going through.  I’ve defined the spirit of my business and this would be the message I could give to Tom:

“My name is Dawn. I help professional canine behavior specialists powerfully attract the right dog owners by helping them grow their businesses with Authenticity & Heart. I help them avoid cyclic burn-out and overwhelm as well as open opportunities to build multiple streams of income so that business growth comes with ease, tension and anxiety melt away and their quality of private life increases exponentially.“

Here’s the thing:

You don’t have to be a dog trainer.  Yet you can benefit from the lesson Tom embraced, allowing him to turn his business around, get back to a solid sleeping pattern and marry the woman of his dreams.

Answer these key questions and allow the answers to influence your marketing message:

• What problem, struggle or obstacle is your ideal client urgently seeking a solution to?  (Hint:  What keeps them up at night or searching for a solution to?)
• What language do they use to describe their problem?
• What is the secondary issue or problem they might have which is related to the main problem?

Take the time today to answer these questions in light of your own business, don’t put this off!

Let me know how you are getting on and keep your eyes on this space — I’ll be sharing the HOW to create your message so that you indeed have the skills to tell people about the help you offer.  The world needs you and your message!

P.S.

Tom’s message?  He used to say:  My services are ideal for all dog owners.  But once he narrowed down the pain and then added a concentration on a specific breed, he was able to communicate his service in a meaningful manner:

“My name is Tom. I help beagle puppy owners raise wonderful companions by helping them discipline their puppies with consistency and heart. I help them potty train their pups,  set (and maintain) puppy appropriate boundaries, and navigate new social situations with ease.  My customers can safely leave their beagle home during work hours, know exactly how to read their puppies needs and allow them enough room to experience a joyful puppyhood.  These puppy owners rest assured that they are setting the path for enjoying a friend for life with their beagle.”