Principles For The Community Relations Team

Here are a handful of principles to remember as you’re out in the field networking with local businesses…

Shooters Shoot

Always shoot your shot. It pays off most of the time to just go after it. Best case, you make a connection that helps the business and gets you paid $$. Worst case, you get told no and it didn’t pay off. But regardless, shoot your shot and see where it goes. Because Shooters Shoot!

Example: In Memphis there is a string of about 10 hospitals. Historically they always said no to us and partnered with a +R trainer. But over the years, we just kept going in and meeting them and talking to them. Leaving them with materials when we could. After a while of us doing this, we had a few of the staff members of the start to refer us clients. One vet referred us a ton of business over the years. We stopped in to meet her and she let us pitch her whole staff. Then she offered to connect us with anyone in the organization. And it was a happy ever after story after that.

The Organization Doesn’t Count, The People Do

There will be times when you go and network with local businesses and the organization may say no, but the people say yes. If you can win over the people, you can slowly win over the organization.

Example: There is a few companies here in Memphis that are all under the same brand. Typically this company has partnered with a direct competitor to us. After the competitor shut down, they hired their own trainer for the organizations locations. The brand is two boarding places/daycares and one vet. The trainer worked at the boarding facilities BUT the vets office referred us anyways. We brought in Chic-Fil-A for the team at the vets office and the WHOLE team at the vet started referring us and knew about us.

Leverage Connections When Appropriate

Use the connections with other businesses to get plugged in with other businesses. If you’re partnered with a brand in one part of A and they have one in another part of B, leverage the connection with the one in A to get through to the one in B.

If you know of a client using a particular business for whatever reason, use that when talking to them.

If you or a fellow team member use a business in the town for your/their dog, then leverage that when you’re networking with them.

Example One: We’re partnered with a company named PetVax in Cordova and they have locations all over Memphis. The Cordova one literally puts our brochures in their puppy packets when they get new puppies. A trainee and I went into the one in East Memphis and they were a bit more skeptical of us. So we told them as we were working through the script that we are partnered with their colleagues in Cordova and they had sent us a lead earlier in the day (which was true). That lightened things up a bit and overall we made a good connection.

Example Two: We have a client who uses a place in town called Barks and Rec and so when a Trainee and I went in, we leveraged that to get in there. We said that we have a lot of clients who go there when we were in there.

Example Three: A Trainee and I went into the vet I use for Mia and of course I started talking to them about that when we were networking with them.

What’s In It For Them??

The first rule of all sales is tell them how it benefits them.

Why should they give out our brochures over the other trainers?

Because we’ll come in and feed the team for each referral they send! Also, they can have more than one trainer to give out info for. Some of their clients may not want to do board and trains.

Why should the vet recommend us? How does it benefit them?

Because when a dog is trained, it makes the vets job and the techs job much easier. It’s much easier on them if the dog isn’t pulling. If the dog can be still for their shots. If the dog will place on the scale. If the dog will actually sit and stay on the scale. AND because we’ll come in and feed the team for each referral they send!

Why should the daycare/boarding facility recommend us? How does it benefit them?

It’ll make the whole teams job easier when the dog parents are gone. If the dog walks easier, can leave it on command, listen to the word “No”, etc. it’ll make the team at the daycare/boarding facility jobs easier.

Why should the groomer recommend us? How does it benefit them?

Because when a dog is trained, it makes the groomers job job much easier. It’s much easier on them if the dog isn’t pulling. If the dog can be still for their trimmings, clippings, etc. If the dog will place on the table and actually sit and stay and not fight the groomer then that will make his/her life MUCH easier! AND because we’ll come in and feed the team for each referral they send!

Why/when should a pet food store give our info our?

Sure, it’ll make their job easier if all the dogs that come in are trained up on commands and listen well. But when should they refer us? Of course when someone inquires about training. But for pet stores it’s crucial to plant the seed in their heads that they should give a card/brochure out every time someone buys a training collar. Collars like a “prong collar” or a “shock collar” as most of them call it. In our world that is the remote collar and the walking dog collar.

When their customers purchase those, they are actively trying to solve a problem they are having with their dogs and seeking a solution. Without training, it may not be so great for the dog. So it is in the human and dogs best interest that they get a card/brochure every time someone buys a training collar from us!

Write It All Down…

Take notes on everything! When you’re talking to the people at the front desk, take notes on who you meet, who the managers are, who the big players are (biz owners, vets, etc.) take notes on all of it. Descriptions of hair color, age, etc. can be very helpful as well. These notes will be incredibly helpful when you go back to these businesses and you know the people by name and don’t have to ask who is who each time. It’ll also be really helpful for your second or third visit when you can go in and ask for the Manager by name.

Get The Number!

When you go into a business and you’re talking to the front desk, there will be times when people in the business hear you and want info on the training and how it works. Give them a brochure, but also ask if you can have their name and number and you can have the Call Team reach out. The reason this is helpful is because now we’re not waiting on them to call us, we can be proactive and call them. This is much better than just giving them a brochure.

THE 5 SALES for CRM- MADE IN EXACTLY THIS ORDER

When you go to someone’s home, there are a handful of micro-sales that need to be made along the way to win the big sale. Here they are…

1) The Personal Sale - This sale is made by getting them to like and trust you. This needs to be done first and foremost. If they don’t like you or they don’t trust you of course they won’t be buying from you (or referring you!). So get them to like and trust you. Smile. Shake their hand. Look them in the eye! Compliment the facility or something of the like!

2) The Company Sale - This sale is made by getting them to know that we are legit and credible. That is why at the beginning of the greet we give them the quick run down of how we are as a company. We let them know we are in-home trainers and #1 in the city and what we do.

3) The Concept Sale - People don’t buy things they don’t think will work. This sale is made when we convince them that the methods and concepts we use work. We do this by explaining what we do and how we do it. Ex: Add the good, take away the bad and train/socialize around other dogs, people and distractions.

4) The Solution Sale - Next, you have to sell them the solution to their problems. This is done by presenting them with something they want to refer their clients. Like brochures and letting them know if they refer us, they get LUNCH!

5) The Referral Sale - Lastly, this sale is when they actually start handing our stuff out and referring us clients.

More Relation, Less Transaction

When we go into businesses and connect with them, we do have a goal and we have a script (generally speaking) with talk tracts. Our goal is to get them to like and trust us and to refer us to their client, patients, customers, etc. We also want to stay within the script, talk tract framework, etc. BUT we don’t want to come off so goal oriented or be so into the script and talk tracts that we come off as transactional.

What we mean by this is that it is important to get through the talking points, but we also want to be relational. We want to make a friend so we can later make some sales. So with that being said, we want to talk to them about them, ask about them, we want to learn about their business, etc.

So while you do have a goal and talk tracts on the script, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask them about them or go off the script a bit too learn about them.

Less transaction, more relation. Make a friend. Make a sale.

Other

1. Don't go into businesses with marketing materials, go in empty handed. We don't want to assume that they are going to want our stuff we have to offer. If you want to have some cards in your pocket, that’s fine.

2. Make sure you are smiling a lot. Everyone loves a smiling face.

4. Talk clearly and speak boldly. If you are in a vets office or pet store you may get a number just standing in line.

5. With big fliers (posters), I normally say "I don't know if you have somewhere we can lay this or hang this, but I wanted to give you this as well." (Normally they will hang it somewhere or set it somewhere.)

6. Practice with a team member and get your scripts down.

7. Never put any other trainers down during this time. Just talk about how we are different and let that speak for itself.

8. Go in during non-prime times. 10-12 and 1-4.