Trainers - How do you narrow your clientele?

[Gucci_Cowgirl]

I have had conflicting advice from some close friends. One says if you are getting more clients/horses/students than you can manage, to choose the highest quality horses and riders, and those with the most ambition to show. The other person says to remain loyal to those who have been with you the longest, no matter what quality of horse/rider/aspirations.

I hve to admit I want to always lean towards the loyal, long-term clients, and to not accept any new ones. I can’t stomach dropping anyone I already have on schedule, but I also feel bad about not accepting anyone new, even though it would mean consolidating lessons into semi-privates instead of privates…

what is your policy?

[slc2]

You’ve got some real helpful friends there, :no:

If they drop loyal customers to bag the latest rich person with the pretty horse, word tends to get around pretty quickly, and resentment tends to run very, very high, especially among the ‘bread and butter’ amateurs that in the long run, support a trainer. I spent many years watching trainers ***-kiss the latest new rich person in town…boy does that irritate students.

Those are usually the trainers who wind up with no business when they most need it. Word gets around. Playing Musical Students stinks.

There is usually enough people quitting, moving on or having a schedule change, that there is always room enough for a new student the trainer would like to pick up. If there are a lot of students that want time, adding more hours is always an option. Make hay while the sun shines…there will be enough rainy days.

I feel a trainer should make a commitment to their students. If they pay and they show up on time, and they are in any way shape or form making an effort, I don’t think they should be dropped because they aren’t rich or have a cheap horse. That really, really stinks.

[Gucci_Cowgirl]

well there I agree with you, I dont want to drop anyone, but I am getting advice from people who are telling me to run things liek a real business - whoever is best for the business gets the time slots…

but I don’t agree with that…so how to keep things going forward with no bumps in the road?

adding hours isn’t possible. 18 hrs at university plus 20 hrs working, then 22 + lessons per week? there is no more time to give!!

[mbm]

while i am not a trainer, i do have clients… and my policy is that i want to enjoy working and to work with those i like and those that make me feel good about working for them, (ie no unethical people , no slum lords, no working for satan, etc)

this means that over time i have had to let clients go -life is too short…

however, i dont agree with booting out those with less for those with more… but i do agree with only working for folks i like working for.

[TobySocks]

I would never recommend dropping loyal students, word of mouth is much more valuable than having fancy students. There will be a natural exchange of students (someone moves away, sells their horse, whatever), so just pick and choose wisely when you decide which new students to take in when there’s an opening. Then you can gradually shift toward more advanced/ambitious students without alienating your loyal students and damaging your reputation.

[Sulta]

go with your gut

Not a trainer, but have run a service business for 15 years. Your loyal clients are your bread and butter - they’ll be there for you when times are tough. There will always be someone with more $$ and higher aspirations, but they are not the ones that will stick with you, they’ll drop you as soon as they get a better offer. If you lose your loyal clients, you’ll have no where to turn.

However, another thought is that if you are truly swamped and can’t handle more clients, perhaps you are not charging enough $$, you may consider increasing your rates a small amount. This could backfire, so you need to consider it carefully. Perhaps you are a really good deal, so people are taking advantage of that. See what happens if you increase your rates when you talk with a new prospective client…

Bottom line as well - work with who you LIKE. If they are difficult or a problem, let them go! It’s not worth it in the long term!

[merrygoround]

Keep your original faithful clients. As has been suggested raise your rates, unless you’re already very high. Try consolidating your schedule if you can, to cut “between rider” stand around time–altho some of us value this especially in winter.

[Hazelnut]

Not a trainer, but you say have all the business you can handle and clients are knocking on your door.

What are your professional goals? Are you meeting them? If so leave well enough alone and who cares what your friends say.

Do you need to take steps to meet your professional goals? If so, outtline the necessary steps.

Can you have your cake and eat it to? Keep your regular clients as scheduled and clinic somewhere once a month or every six weeks at a premium rate to allow other riders to ride with you?

What a good position to be in!

[CapitolDesign]

[QUOTE=Hazelnut;3055659]
Not a trainer, but you say have all the business you can handle and clients are knocking on your door.

What are your professional goals? Are you meeting them? If so leave well enough alone and who cares what your friends say.

Do you need to take steps to meet your professional goals? If so, outtline the necessary steps.

Can you have your cake and eat it to? Keep your regular clients as scheduled and clinic somewhere once a month or every six weeks at a premium rate to allow other riders to ride with you?

What a good position to be in![/QUOTE]

Well said!

[Gucci_Cowgirl]

Very good advise everyone…I would say that I charge a reasonable amount, less than the better known trainers in the state, but only by a very small amount…The only reason for that is because I don’t have an extensive show record - that’s what happens when you have been riding for 11 years and never owned your own horse

But, my education was the best, and it was long term (7 yrs full time with active int’l BNT), so I guess it is a bargain.

That being said, I don’t have any professional goals. I teach and train because I love helping people learn, and I love the training process. So for me, I am not trying to expand or get a “known” name or anything of the sort. I am just trying to share the knowledge!

It’s really my clients who keep coming up to me with new people they have told to start with me, but I just can’t say yes to everyone.

I really want to be a doctor, so my main focus is keeping my GPA up and doing volunteer work and research to help my MD applications.

I have a problem with saying “no” to people. Funny because I don’t have a problem saying “no” to horses or dogs…

[Lambie_Boat]

I say raise your price so high that the unwashed masses with the grade horses just can’t afford you

aren’t you the gal that wanted to ride in a BNT clinic that was populated by the icky low level amateurs with 5K critters?

[Mozart]

@mbm;3055339

while i am not a trainer, i do have clients… and my policy is that i want to enjoy working and to work with those i like and those that make me feel good about working for them, (ie no unethical people , no slum lords, no working for satan, etc)

this means that over time i have had to let clients go -life is too short…

however, i dont agree with booting out those with less for those with more… but i do agree with only working for folks i like working for.

Very pleased to hear that you don’t work for satan! (you must be an attorney,right :lol:)

Anyway, to OP, I would say combo of smart business and what you enjoy. So it would be fair to have certain “standards” for new clients i.e. must be prepared to lesson x number of times per week, go to x number of shows etc but grandfather in the old faithfuls that are good to work with(assuming they don’t meet the “standard”).

[slc2]

Gucci Cowgirl, I see no reason why you even need to make any choices between clients given your stated goals and mission.

[Brady_smom]

Unless you’re struggling to make ends meet, why is there any question?

However if the issue is that you need more money, you may very well either have to raise prices, or take on a few new better-feathered clients. But if you aren’t looking for more money and you like the students you have, why switch?

Unless you are looking for the publicity that can come with training wealthier clients/more expensive horses?? That is not a bad thing, but if you ain’t got room for the ones you got, maybe you don’t need adverstising?

Finally if you don’t want to turn down people genuinely seeking your training, it may mean adding another hour to your day as suggested above, or consolidating some privates into semi-privates for students who are advancing in skill/don’t need such focused attention as a private provides.

[Dixon]

Would teaching all the folks who want to be on your schedule make you enough money to drop your 20-hour per week job? Since both your teaching and your other job are both paying gigs, you should make a choice. If you need that other job for professional reasons – e.g., if it’s related to the medical field and thus to your aspiration of becoming a doctor – then put more hours into that job. Juggling school and real job and teaching riding lessons may be too much and you’ll end up not doing any of them as well as you should. It’s all very nice to hang out at the barn and help people learn, but it may be more hobby time than you really have any more, given your aspiration to become a professional in a whole different field.

[olympicprincess]

I work F/T, so my time is limited after work.

My only suggestion-- If it is a financial thing-- is not allowing those who cancel frequently to keep their same time slot all the time and let the newbies fill that slot.

Give preference to those that are on time, rarely cancel and want it. That usually whittles down the list easily.

I have no problem working with complete beginners, but those (of any level & of any financial background) that own or lease their own horse and NEVER practice (but have every excuse in the book :rolleyes:) are easily bumped by me… well, more like, they don’t get to reschedule last minute, they don’t get to keep the same spot and they don’t get to schedule an extra lesson in on my personal days with my horse.
I simply don’t enjoy working with people that don’t TRY.

With the current economy, I’d keep your regular job as well so you don’t suffer financially if people cut back on lessons.

[BKDressage]

[QUOTE=mbm;3055339]
while i am not a trainer, i do have clients…[/QUOTE]

What does this mean then…you have clients, but do you not charge or … how many do you have? Do you show pros or ams? I also have clients(about 10) I was planning on showing pros this summer, but if I dont have too…please fill me in!

[atr]

I think she means she has clients in another field, rather than in the horse world.

And yes, that’s the way I do it here in my non-horse world. If I’m overwhelmed, I gently drop the PITA clients without burning bridges (you never know what’s going to happen in the future), nurture my loyal and regular people who pay their bills, and still keep the potential new business pot boiling along.

[Dressage_Art]

Plan your exit and do it graciously.

You are the boss and can do whatever feels right to you, but if you will decide to drop your loyal (low end clients, or clients who do not show, or clients who have horses with floating lameness, or clients who do not pay for your clinics with Big Names FEI clinicians, or clients who don’t have a fancy horse for you to ride, or clients with problem horses, or clients who are just a mediocre riders) for whatever reason, please do that with an utmost professionalism and tact.

It is disappointing to get a bitter taste of betrayal from a trainer with whom you’ve stuck during the rough times (even when you as a student had other, more suitable training opportunities) and then this trainer doesn’t have time for you, your lessons dwindle, but yet trainer finds plenty of time for her brand new wealthier clients with better horses. Or worse yet, picks up a stupid fight one day and suddenly explodes in your face. Plan your exit and do it graciously.

Choosing better horses and clients who can support you better - can be a very good business decision. It can bite you back as well, when people ask around and the overwhelming feedback from many, many former students is the same feedback that doesn’t compliment you… Not many people like a trainer with a “disposable clientele”. Former students don’t disappear to nowhere, they move to the local barns and stay in the area for many years to come with the same bitter story about a former trainer.

There are always good times when you will have too many students and there will be again bad times when you will not have enough students. With this economy, I personally would be more careful.

Not a trainer, but have run a service business for 15 years. Your loyal clients are your bread and butter - they’ll be there for you when times are tough. There will always be someone with more $$ and higher aspirations, but they are not the ones that will stick with you, they’ll drop you as soon as they get a better offer.

[QUOTE=TobySocks;3055544]
I would never recommend dropping loyal students, word of mouth is much more valuable than having fancy students. There will be a natural exchange of students (someone moves away, sells their horse, whatever), so just pick and choose wisely when you decide which new students to take in when there’s an opening. Then you can gradually shift toward more advanced/ambitious students without alienating your loyal students and damaging your reputation.[/QUOTE]
ditto

[mbm]

[QUOTE=atr;3056858]
I think she means she has clients in another field, rather than in the horse world.

And yes, that’s the way I do it here in my non-horse world. If I’m overwhelmed, I gently drop the PITA clients without burning bridges (you never know what’s going to happen in the future), nurture my loyal and regular people who pay their bills, and still keep the potential new business pot boiling along.[/QUOTE]

yup and yup