To be concerned I can't even get one customer?

[corgiology]

I have been advertising through various channels for my new dog walking and dog training business for several weeks now. Yet I haven't had a single enquiry.

I have tried:
Car Magnets
Facebook advertising
Blogging
Social Media (posting in groups in my hometown, updating my pages regularly, trying to increase SEO)
Streetlife.

Next thing I will try is wearing a uniform but it's really disheartening that I am getting nowhere. I don't want to harass people in the park or on walks where possible but that might be my next plan.

I really thought facebook advertising would work.

When I worked full time, I often employed dog walkers for my special snowflake dog. The very first thing I looked at was the price and I'd generally discount anyone too expensive or too cheap. The second thing was references and insurance and DBS check. I wasn't too fussed about someone having keys to my house but someone taking my little baby princess out was a different issue.

The best dog walker/sitter I ever found was from meeting her in my local park and seeing first hand how good she was with dogs and how nice she was to my dog.

If you can't get customers, the most obvious reason is that you are offering a product for which there is no demand.

You need to sort out your website so it ranks highly on search engines. Most people will google 'dog walker X-TOWN'. I set up a free website for my dog sitter on wordpress a few years ago (to get her more clients so she didn't go back to her office job instead!). She does doggy daycare at her home rather than just walking. The website has 5 pages (Home, Contact Us, Services, Prices, Testimonials) and as I said, was free to set up and I haven't done a thing on it for 2+ years. If you Google 'Doggy Day Care XTOWN' it comes up in 4th position (5th for 'Dog Day Care XTOWN', 5th for 'Dog Sitter XTOWN' and 9th for 'Dog Walker XTOWN') and generates lots of leads.

Yeah...I don't think many people are looking for someone to train their dog for them while they're at work.

I would also invest in your website design and SEO, a professional can get you ranked very quickly and improve the appearance and help you to sell your services.

Also you need your contact details -number, and email address right up at the top title which should also state WHO you are "Brain Training for Dogs", what you do - "Dog Walking" (keep it basic at this point) and where you do it - "Chester", next thing as a priority- TELEPHONE NUMBER in large!

I cannot see one immediately on yours and I wouldn't bother searching, most people glance at a website and don't read the content they just want a solution to their problem and want to see how to make contact immediately once they identify you as a possible.

And to add...is having someone else train your dog even a good thing? I would have thought training a dog to be a journey in which both owner and dog are equal participants and learn together. It's about forming a bond of trust and mutual understanding, as well as a practical necessity. Not something anyone else can do for you, surely?

I think many new businesses can take a LONG time to really get started, especially if you dont have anything to kick things off, e.g. exisiting/ready made 'customers' (maybe a friend or former colleague you could offer your services to for free/discount to get some word of mouth out there and a testimony for your website.

I suspect I would fit your target demographic...30-somethings, 2 labs (inherited), me and DH work full time, no kids yet so disposable income can be used for dogs etc. Just to give you our view...we do use a dog walking/training service...they offer normal walks, full day outings, dog agility, formal training (we've done bronze & silver with them), drop in training/agility sessions on a saturday morning, dog sitting etc etc. They are a multi-staffed but still small & personal company we feel we can trust (they have a key & they are fully insured) and because they are >1 person they are uber-reliable (never any concerns around staff sickness/hoidays etc). And the dogs adore them all!

My 2p worth on your activities so far:
Car Magnets - what are these?
Facebook advertising - I am a heavey fb user, but for friends, not business and I have never clicked on any advert/link via fb. most people i know find it annoying the fb adverts exist
Blogging - a good website with a blog included could be interesting, but the core website must say enough about your business to be useful. I haven't been able to find you yet
Social Media (posting in groups in my hometown, updating my pages regularly, trying to increase SEO) - sounds reasonable
Streetlife - dont know what this is

I think your best bet is to absorb the advice many have offered here, and make a plan. For me this might include: website overhaul, leafletting, patience, attending a dog show/event and handing out leaflets & researching your competition.

good luck x

I'm really not an expert but I think you need to change your marketing / potentially your business name to be more clear as to what it is you do. Something like, 'Active Learning for Dogs' - Then a tagline explaining that you train them as you walk them.

You look exclusively like a dog training service rather than one that walks the dog WHILE giving it some training iyswim.

OP definitely do what ThePug et al have said - make sure your website comes up high on google searches for dog walkers/training, and put prices up. When I was looking for a dog trainer I used google searches.

I'm going to be honest now, but I'm not keen on your business name. It sounds too niche, and whilst it could be a part of your business - I think you push the dog walking service more. You could even just use your own name - and list your services. That's what all the dog walkers/trainers seem to do in our area.

Print out some business cards that you can keep in your coat pocket, and just hand to anyone you get chatting to while dog walking. You need to network, get your website high on a google search - forget uniforms and don't harass people (!)

Good luck btw - don't let a slow start demoralise you

I don't have a dog and I have never had one so can't comment on the whole training side of things. If I was considering getting a dog it would appeal to me to have a service for dog training where I also joined in at least once a week for my own training and "how to avoid the traps" for the next steps. Presumably [though I could be talking crap] the key to training is repetition, in which case frequent one on one walking with someone who knows what they are doing would be worth the cash.

With behavioural issues I would completely appreciate that it's important for the dog and the owner to be present from the start.

It might be worth getting a CRB check [the basic level for crime] underway. I wouldn't hand out my house keys without reference checking you and seeing up to date certs for insurance and CRB.

Sadly for my young daughter, neither I nor Santa Clause have any intention of getting a dog just to have it walked by someone else 5 days a week.

Re the leaflets - a mobile and a landline [proof that you have an address for older customers] are key
The website should advertise your rates and any discounts available.
The leaflet should state that your rates are available on the website or please call to discuss. Discounts available for OAP's, group dog walking and frequent use. for example.

I haven't looked at the website but one option is to also take a kellymom.com approach and to look at common behavioural issues or puppy training stages, common pitfalls and describe a typical training programme that you would run.

I think OP has been given really good advice here. Hope she comes back