Dog Trainers: Should You List Your Prices On Your Website?

Recently, I released a free PDF download on how to price your services, which received great feedback from the community. A member of the Facebook group named Sarah asked a great question - Should I list my prices on my website? So in this article, I'll discuss the pros and cons of listing your prices on your website.

The answer is: It depends.

Do you ever feel like hiding when you hear this question? Figure you can just direct everyone to your website to find out? You could! But is it right for you and your business?

If you're looking to save time and streamline the booking process, listing your prices on your website may seem like a no-brainer. It can help filter out clients who aren't able to afford your services, and it saves you the hassle of having to explain your prices over and over again.

I know to a lot of trainers that sounds so appealing - especially the part about avoiding time on the phone, talking to people.

Many trainers also figure that because they personally feel annoyed when they can't find a listed price when they're shopping for something, that automatically means that listing prices is always the best thing to do.

Dog training has so many variables that pricing can be a bit more complex than if you were shopping for a vacuum cleaner or a pool service.

Here's the factors that contribute to how I decide whether or not to list prices on my website and what I run through with students who are pondering the same...

While listing your prices may seem like a good idea to cut down on enquiries and price shoppers, it can also cost you customers for the same reason. The primary goal of your website is to persuade prospective clients to contact you and eventually book your services. If the prospect can see the price right away, they are likely to make a decision based on price alone.

But if they have the opportunity to have a conversation with you first, they'll soon realise that price isn't the only factor that goes into choosing the best dog trainer.

By the time you've had a chat, you could have hit it off, made the person fall in love with you and be ready to book no matter what the price is. What a shame if they didn't get that opportunity because they didn't know any better, and just made a snap judgement on price.

And sure, you might figure that price shoppers aren't your target clients - but sometimes they just don't know what else to look for and need some education first, then make wonderful clients.

When it comes to dog ownership and training, you already know how important that education is.

If someone chooses the cheap dog trainer because they don't know any better, are they getting the best trainer? Would they be better off coming to you and paying a bit more? Hopefully, the answer is yes, and in that case, the client is better off having had the opportunity to speak to you and realise the best option.

So it benefits the client to have this conversation, but what about you? Well it increases the chance of them booking in with you for one thing, but there's something else: intel.

Talking to your target audience gives you valuable insights on who your potential customers are, what they're struggling with, and how they describe it in their words. You can use this information to create super effective content and ads that speak directly to your ideal client, gaining you even more enquiries.

Ultimately, by not listing your prices, you can have a conversation with the prospect, which allows you to explain the benefits and why it's worth the price. During the conversation, you can clarify how you work, what the benefits are, and why you would be a good fit for them. This approach makes them understand why they want to hire you before making a decision based solely on price.

Even though there's a strong case for not listing prices, there are also cases where you might want to go ahead and list your prices on your website.

For example, if you're incredibly busy and have more enquiries than you can keep up with, you may actually want to cut down on the number of people contacting you. Booked-out dog trainers have more luxury to be selective with whom they work with. It likely also means that they're well known with strong word-of-mouth doing a lot of the legwork for them when it comes to warming up leads.

By the time they look you up, they're more likely to already be pre-sold on the idea of booking you.

Listing your prices can help filter out those who can't afford your services and save you the trouble of explaining your prices repeatedly when you have no need for more leads.

If something changes and things go quiet, you can always change your approach temporarily.

In conclusion, while there are valid reasons for listing prices on your website, it's generally not advisable for those who are trying to get more leads.

Instead, focus on building relationships with prospective clients by having conversations with them to demonstrate your value and worth. By doing so, you'll not only increase your chances of getting hired but also gain loyal customers who trust and appreciate your services, while learning valuable information about your target audience in the process.

What do you think? List prices publicly, or no? Did this article bring up anything for you? Let me know in the comments.