Do you feel guilty about charging money for your services? Are you tempted to offer massive discounts or provide free training? If so, you're not alone. But remember, you should have confidence in charging a higher price because you're truly helping people. Consider the value of the results you can deliver to your clients, such as the transformation of their unruly dogs into well-mannered family members. That means a lot to people and can be life-changing in many cases!

Now, let's explore why you might feel guilty. Is it because our society often portrays money as something negative, associating it with greed? While some individuals are indeed motivated by greed, ripping people off without any concern for results or client satisfaction, I know that's not you—otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this.

Allow me to share my experience with raising my rates. In the past, I used to charge very low fees, assuming that no one would pay more in my area (a common misconception). However, I frequently encountered clients who would cancel last minute, neglect their assignments, seem uninterested, and ultimately fail to achieve results. Is that the type of client you want to work with?

When you provide services and the client fails to follow through with their responsibilities, guess who gets the blame? Unfair as it may be, it often falls on you.

I recall an incident where I offered a free lesson to an acquaintance. I invested over an hour of my time helping her train her dog to stop pulling on the leash. All she had to do was consistently apply what she had learned and use the recommended training collar instead of a harness.

A few weeks later, I saw her at the beach with some friends. Her dog was back to pulling on the leash, barking at everyone, and completely out of control. She didn't implement a single thing I had taught her.

To my surprise, she introduced me to her friends as "our dog trainer!" They laughed, as it was evident her dog was far from trained.

I corrected her by saying, "No, I'm not your trainer. We had only one session together, and you haven't followed through with anything I taught you."

Unfortunately, you won't always be present to defend your reputation.

Another instance involved giving a free class pass to a friend. Someone else could have paid for that spot, but I gave it to her for her new puppy. She attended just one class and never returned. Without any pressing reason, training fell by the wayside for both individuals. Life got busy, and training became a low priority.

The truth is, while I personally knew these people, they weren't the typical clients who would invest in dog training. They weren't the kind of individuals who would willingly spend money on such services.

Now, imagine a scenario where someone pays you over a thousand dollars for training. Do you think they would be committed to doing their homework? Absolutely! Otherwise, they would have wasted their hard-earned money.

That's why I changed my pricing strategy and started charging for results.

And guess what? People still signed up.

The quality of clients improved.

Each client diligently completed their assignments, leading to better results.

Moreover, working with every client became a joy. After all, it's unlikely that someone would invest in working with a person they don't like, trust, or resonate with.

So, don't hesitate to price your services based on the value you provide and the results you deliver. It's a win-win situation for both you and your clients.