Most trainers try to sell by posting "So many spaces left to class on XXX", "Want help with your dog, get in touch", essentially “buy my thing"… then wonder why it doesn’t work and convince ourselves that selling is icky.
This Selling Season episode shows you how to sell every day without being salesy: build trust, show your face and name, mix value with clear asks, and stop keeping your offers a secret.
The CBA jab–jab–jab, right hook (how to balance value with the ask)
Why faceless pages kill trust (name, photo, voice — or no sale)
Lives with 3 viewers, crickets on posts — and why you keep going
Events/shows: how to start real conversations (and stop being a wallflower)
The long game: lurkers who read for 6–12 months… then buy
Awareness → Authority → Offer: make it easy to choose you
Our motto still stands: Giving a shit is the strategy. Getting shit done is the method.
For reward-based, force-free trainers who care deeply and want that care to pay off this is how you sell without the ick.
Most people feel uncomfortable or “icky” about selling. They don´t want to be salesy, braggy or pushy.
Allowing yourself to carry on fearing selling leads to missed opportunities.
Bombarding your audience with constant buy now posts erodes trust. Relentless self-promotion turns people off.
Consistently show up, share your story, and let your audience see the real person behind the brand.
Focus first on providing value - educate, offer insights, tips and simple solutions.
When trust is established, sales follow naturally – often, after months of “silent” observation by your future clients.
Consistent, authentic effort, despite not hearing anything back, eventually pays off. It enables people to trust you.
Be realistic. Don´t be disappointed when only a few people actually buy. Not everyone is going to need what you offer. Be patient, and you will sell to those who do need your service.
“Selling should not be seen as dirty, as icky.”
“If you're selling a service that you wholeheartedly believe in and you know it's going to get a result for somebody, why the hell should you not sell it? .”
“There are lots of times where your clients are lurking... you don’t feel like anybody’s watching, but they’ve been watching everything you do.”
“If you’re not talking about it, nobody knows anything about it. For me, selling should be something you do every single day.”
“Selling should not be, in our opinion, that icky, horrible thing where you’re just ramming something down somebody's neck.”
Previous sales episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/you-cant-help-dogs-if-youre-broke/id1727170978?i=1000731878365
SOCIALS AND IMPORTANT LINKS
https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkdogbusiness
https://www.youtube.com/@LetsTalkDogBusiness
Website www.caninebusinessacademy.com
Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/caninebusinessacademycommunity/
Let´s Talk Dog Business Strategy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Talk-Dog-Business-Strategy/dp/1068791705
We’re Jo Moorcroft and Vicky Davies. Force-free dog trainers, business strategists and co-founders of Canine Business Academy. Collectively, we’ve been dog training for nearly three decades, built a six-figure dog training business, and grown CBA into a multi–six-figure global brand, all while raising kids, a university degree and life life'ing. Featured on BBC, FOX and NBC, and authors of Let’s Talk Dog Business Strategy. Giving a shit is the strategy. Getting shit done is the method.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/