Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
DO PRO DOG TRAINERS NEED CONTRACTS?CONTRACTS
Dot the i’s and cross the t’s
Do Pro Dog Trainers need contracts?CONTRACTS
let’s start as we mean to go on! …organised and
professional.
2
DO PRO DOG TRAINERS NEED CONTRACTS?Hey, Pro Dog Trainer, you’ve decided to start to share your knowledge with the world and make a difference for other dogs and their owners. Good on you!
Before you jump in and sign up your first client (or while you’re revisiting your current practices), take a moment to read through this guide so you can decide if you really need to develop a contract between you and your client. Spoiler alert – you probably don’t need one, but you can make that decision for yourself. You also have to be realistic; this is dog training. The amount of money changing hands will often make creating a contract not worth your while.
Just to let you know that Absolute Dogs does not intend that this document contains any legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Before making any commitment of a legal nature, you may wish to seek advice from a qualified and registered legal practitioner or your local small business council adviser in your country.
3
The truth is many Pro Dog Trainers do not use contracts when providing dog training services for their clients. You are a solution seeker and gamechanger. A contract is unnecessary and over-complicates your service. Many owners may also think twice about using you if you present them with a contract. After all, you don’t sign a contract when visiting a veterinarian if your dog is sick.
You are a one-person business that wants to help others train their dog. A client has sought out your services and is willing to pay you for your time and advice. When you provide a good service, your customer will pay your agreed rate. Pro Dog Trainers, in general, offer a different training experience for their clients. It’s not a rule and procedure-based service; it’s a tailor-made experience that considers the dog and the owner. A contract isn’t necessary or appropriate for these types of business interactions.
DO YOU EVEN NEED A CLIENT CONTRACT?
Good communication and customer rapport are more valuable than a piece of paper. If you establish a good business relationship with your clients, then contracts become unnecessary. When you are upfront with your clients about your training methodology, billing and expectations, you can avoid surprises or misunderstandings.
This guide will help you understand the benefits of good communication practices for your business. The information provided is generic, but you may need to refer to your own country’s, regional or state’s department of consumer affairs website for any particular laws that may be relevant when providing a dog training service.
4
Establishing excellent trainer/client communication benefits your dog training business in the following ways, including:
• ensuring you and your client are on the same page: Before you start working with a
client, you want to ensure you both have the
same expectations around the relationship
• clearly stating the key details of your working relationship: Explain the nitty-
gritty details of your service to your client
–what you will deliver and when payment
is due. Be upfront and clear in all your
communications.
• they protect your business: Your client
will feel comfortable dealing with you when you
provide clear communications, instructions, and
payment details. You will develop a relationship
built on trust, and you will be a trainer that your
client will happily recommend to others.
Put simply, good communications between you and the dog owner ensure both of you understand the expectations of the job, how and when it will be delivered and what it will cost. Give your client clear expectations and make them part of the decision-making process when developing transformation plans to ensure owner commitment. Also, set yourself up for success by assessing the client and the dog’s struggle. Know when to refer clients to other professionals if you feel the training task may be beyond your experience at this stage of your career.
If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail! — Benjamin Franklin
What are the benefits of TRAINER/CLIENT COMMUNICATION?
5
What should you consider
WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH CLIENTS?Successful communication strategies between you and your clients are essential for many reasons, including record-keeping, billing and general accountability.You need to consider ten things to make them simple and effective.
The language you use in your correspondence with clients should be easy to read and understand. Use both your and your client’s names throughout and leave out terms such as “client,” “third-party”, or “service provider” in emails and documents to sound more personal and put clients at ease. Be friendly and mindful of the dog’s and their situation.
When developing training transformation plans, empower your clients by allowing them to invest in the creation process. Having the client involved also helps with owner follow through and leads to fewer issues. Successful training outcomes come about when an owner understands why they are playing the games you have assigned and how they benefit their dog.
6
Tip 1: Always use the correct contact information of both partiesWhenever you contact a client or potential client, ensure that you have their correct contact details. This small but essential attention to detail can often make or break a successful business relationship. How would you feel if someone addressed you with the wrong name or didn’t even bother to remember your dog’s name?
When you first speak to a client, record their details accurately to ensure correct names and address details. Don’t forget to collect emails and telephone numbers. You may already have captured this information via an online booking form, client questionnaire or other electronic correspondence you have had with your client.
All correspondence should include your legal business name, primary contact, physical address, billing address, and contact details. For example, if you are incorporated or formed a limited liability company (LLC), be sure to use your registered business name.
Don’t forget to transfer your client’s information into your database so you can contact your clients through email campaigns or other correspondence with their permission. Keeping in contact with clients is a great way to build rapport and confidence between you and your customers!
Tip 2: Specify the dog training terms and scopeWhen you discuss how you will help the owner train their dog, outline the nitty-gritty details of how you’re going to do it and the expectations on both sides.
You should also include the correct details of the dog when outlining any training plans or responsibilities. Ask if you are helping one dog or multiple dogs? Are you helping to solve one struggle or numerous struggles? Record it all to avoid confusion later.
For example, let’s say you’re developing a transformation plan to help an owner with a dog that pulls while on lead. What is the scope of dog training? Are you responsible for the complete training and transformation of the dog, or is it a shared responsibility? What do you expect the dog owner to do between visits? How will the progress of the dog training be measured? What will you do if changes are required during the training period? What should the final training outcome look like?
You can never be too specific in your correspondence when outlining the details of your dog training plan. The goal is to set expectations and guide the working relationship with clear and predefined parameters. Getting into these specific details can be important for you and your client’s success.
The aim is to ensure that you work within the expected training scope and give your client what they’re paying for.
You’re a gamechanger! You’ve got this!
7
Tip 3: Be explicit and upfront about your payment termsPro Dog Trainers love what they do, but you have chosen this path as a new career, or perhaps it is to supplement your income. You are a generous person, and you deserve to be paid for your dog training work, so don’t leave out the most critical element of your service – payment terms.
Many people find this a challenging discussion – do not be embarrassed – the client has asked for your help and wants a solution to their dog’s struggles. You are providing a valuable and life-changing service for this dog and its owner, and you deserve to be rewarded for your hard work.
There are several areas to consider when communicating payment details with a client, including:
• how you’ll be paid: Are you going to be
paid by the hour or the complete dog
training program?
• minimum/maximum hours: If you’re
going to be paid an hourly rate, you’ll
want to include your minimum and
maximum number of hours. That way,
you’ll get paid for the time you set aside
for the dog training, even if your client
minimises the sessions. It will also
prevent scope creep and ensure fair
compensation if your client decides to
put more work on your plate.
• dog training deliverables: If you’re
getting paid by the dog training program,
it’s important to outline the deliverables
you’ll be responsible for and what that
dog training rate actually covers—again,
to prevent scope creep.
• billing schedule: In addition to your
hourly or program rate, clearly outline
the billing schedule. For example, if you’re
getting paid by the hour, will you bill on
a defined schedule (e.g., every week or
month)? If you’re billing by the program,
will you invoice after hitting certain
milestones—and, if so, what are they?
• payment schedule: The billing schedule
outlines when you’ll be billing the client—but
you also need to include a payment schedule.
The payment schedule outlines how long the
client has to pay you after receiving your invoice
(e.g., 15 or 30 days). You’ll also need to outline
any penalties the client will face if they don’t
honour the payment schedule, like late fees. In
many cases, a trainer will often request payment
upfront to ensure commitment from the client.
• acceptable payment methods: If you
only accept specific payment methods (e.g.,
Cash, Direct deposit, Credit card, PayPal, etc.),
you’ll also want to include those details in
your contract.
8
• refund policy: It’s important to be clear about
your refund policy right from the start. Are there
no refunds once training services have begun?
Are you willing to refund a partial amount if
they cannot complete all parts of the initially
purchased service? (i.e. They bought 4 sessions
and completed 2) Suppose you have not delivered
services to the client and they expect a refund
beforehand. In that case, it’s often better to
avoid poor reviews to go ahead and submit the
repayment, even if it doesn’t necessarily agree
with your policy.
Talk to your client about payment and allow them to make choices wherever possible. This again empowers them to have some control and will further invest them in your services. You may wish to include this information for clients or potential clients on your website or in any information you provide a client after an enquiry.
Tip 4: Set a training scheduleIn addition to billing and payment schedules, you’ll also want to clearly outline any deadlines associated with the dog training, including dog training milestones and final deliverables. If the client needs to provide anything for the dog training, make sure to specify what you need from them and when you’ll need it delivered.
For example: “[Your business] will deliver three dog training sessions to [your client] make measurable progress toward the goal of a loose-lead walking dog dependent on the client playing the concept games listed in the transformation plan for at least 3–5 minutes daily.”
Note, this is not a guarantee. There are no guarantees in dog training! You are working with living, breathing and amazing animals attached to incredible humans trying their best. A guarantee would be misleading because of the variables.
Make the goals achievable for both your client and yourself. Sit down and discuss what the client will be able to do each day. Are other people involved in the training and ensure that your client can meet the schedule you set? Have a clear vision of the goal you’re working toward with your clients, and be sure that their vision and your vision match.
This will be highly personalised for every client and Dog you will see. It may even change throughout the training process. Be flexible and discuss the schedule with your client regularly.
You will be working with a dog and its owner, and sometimes the unexpected happens. Setting high goals is commendable, but setting realistic goals is achievable.
A goal properly set is halfway reached. — Zig Ziglar
9
Tip 5: Explain who owns the final dog training plan (copyright)As a Pro Dog Trainer, you will be using many of the games and training skills you have learned from Absolute Dogs. You will also be developing transformation plans and other learning and teaching aids as you progress through your career.
While copyright may not apply to every dog training business, if you create original training materials for a client (i.e., dog training programs, videos or documents), you may want to define the copyright for these documents. At the very least, you should ensure that your client does not distribute these materials to other people without your permission.
Generally, you own the rights to any produced work until final payment. After payment, copyright is transferred to the client, and they may do what they please with the training materials. However, with a specific and personalised dog training program, you may want to establish a different copyright arrangement for any training material provided. Make sure to highlight these documents and the conditions of use in your correspondence with your client before you start.
Tip 6: Things to consider if another organisation wants to hire youAs an independent contractor, you may be approached and employed by an organisation to provide dog training services. You will need to provide your employer with a statement that says you take full responsibility for paying your taxes.
Why is this important? Companies can get into trouble with tax agencies for incorrectly categorising employees as contractors. Providing a statement that says you’re an independent contractor and will be paying your taxes will help them avoid any potential issues come tax time.
While you can identify yourself as an independent contractor using whatever language you’d like, feel free to use this statement template:
It is understood by the parties that Contractor X [you] is an independent contractor with respect to Company Y [your employer] and not an employee of Company Y. Company Y will not provide fringe benefits, including health insurance benefits, paid vacation or any other employee benefit, for the benefit of Contractor X.
10
Tip 7: Have your client acknowledge your correspondenceHooray, you and your client have shared your contact details, agreed upon the scope of your services and planned a timeline. The payment details have been discussed, and you have decided who owns the training materials after completing the job.
At this stage, all your discussions and agreements have been either verbal or electronic correspondence. To ensure that your client understands exactly how the dog training will proceed, ask them to acknowledge your summary email correspondence by a return email. This email is a record for both of you that you have seen and agreed to work. Emails are great because they are automatically time-stamped and provide a direct link between you and your client.
Tip 8: Be a meticulous record keeperFinally, keep all of your correspondence together in separate client folders. Should a client lose an email or query your methodology, you can refer to your previous messages.
As your business grows, you may wish to investigate a customer relationship management (CRM) service. Many of these services are available as cloud-based services and will allow you to send out marketing campaigns and targeted strategies and quickly contact clients you haven’t seen in some time. This is why gathering correct contact details are so important.
11
Tip 9: Consider a release of liability waiverYou might like to consider asking your clients to sign a document that removes the possibility of legal action should an incident occur. Such a document is called a Release of Liability, Liability Waiver or simply a Waiver. This is a contract where the dog owner waives their right to make a legal or financial claim against the dog trainer in the event of a dispute.
People often sign waivers in exchange for participating in an activity. This compensation makes a contract such as a waiver legally binding and enforceable.
For example, if your dog sustains an injury at a dog training facility, you agree not to sue the organisation responsible for the incident. Or, perhaps you sign a waiver before participating in dog training, acknowledging that you understand the risks involved and are willing to participate anyway.
Liability waivers differ depending on the situation but generally contain information about:
• The person that waives their right to take legal action
• The person/organisation that has the potential to cause the other harm
• The activity that both individuals will engage in
• An agreed-upon settlement such as participation in the activity.
Although most courts will generally respect a waiver agreement between two individuals, there are some situations in which they may be unwilling to enforce the contract.
For example, a waiver cannot override the law. If the agreement conflicts with public policy, courts are unlikely to enforce it. Similarly, you cannot use a Release of Liability to waive your obligations to provide reasonable care. Failure to use the appropriate degree of care often results in gross negligence, which courts consider a civil wrong.
12
Tip 10: What if I need a client contract?There are times when you may consider using a contract—for larger long-term projects or where you are responsible for training a dog away from its home. Creating a client contract in these instances will protect you and your business. It doesn’t need to be a complicated document, but it is something that you will need to consider.
Client contracts do not have to be intimidating, create traps with confusing jargon or contain lots of legal fine print. At their core, a client contract outlines the essential details like the scope of the dog training deliverables, payment, timeline and other contingencies—and it helps to protect your business if one of those details goes awry.
For larger or more expensive projects, a contract may assist in:
• payment and customer satisfaction
• ensuring you and your client are on the same page
• violations of the agreement
• enforcing the contract terms
• protecting your business
• preventing legal action against you if things go wrong.
As consumer law varies worldwide, Absolute Dogs recommends that you contact your local small business organisation to discuss your individual needs.
13
These relationships are more valuable than contracts that can often make new clients feel ill at ease. Legal paperwork is not necessary to be a successful dog trainer.
Build those communications skills and pay attention to the little details that build strong bonds between you and your clients. Explain your payment terms and training schedules and make sure everyone understands their responsibilities in this professional relationship.
YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Go out and become a great Pro Dog Trainer, a gamechanger and help owners get the best from their dogs.
Pro Dog Trainers build relationships with clients and their dogs.
14
16
Copyright © 2021 AbsoluteDogs Ltd. All rights reserved.
absolute-dogs.com
instagram.com/absolutedogsofficial/facebook.com/absolutedogs/
