A trainer told me one time that good people attract good people. Even if you only had one good client in the beginning, they will eventually attract other good people. And so will you as long as you stay true to your morals! Not so great clients will still show up at your door from time to time, but the good clients tend to weed them out without even trying. But here are some ways to help make sure you keep the best clientele possible.
Always, ALWAYS, be honest with them and yourself. If you get a horse in training and you tell them you are going to work that horse six times a week, well then you better work that horse six times a week. And if you can’t work the horse six times a week, make sure you advertise for how much you can ride the horse! Here is where a lot of starter horse trainers fall short. They advertise that they are doing more so that they can charge more, but with no management or accountability on a day to day basis, it’s easy to say, ‘Nah, I’m not working that horse today.’
If you’re an instructor, be honest with your clients on what your goals are for them, or what their goals are for themselves. Make sure they understand that they probably won’t be jumping over fences after only three months of riding. They need to have realistic goals, and you need to help give them realistic goals, otherwise they will be disappointed in YOU if you haven’t gotten them further in a certain amount of time. Also be honest with them on how many lessons they do need to take before showing in a certain class. Make sure you aren’t charging them more than you need to, and also make sure they are doing enough lessons in order to reach their showing goal. Speak your mind and have an honest heart.
One big thing that trainers have a hard time with is finding the perfect horse for a client when they are ready to purchase their own. I’ve had a lot of people come to me from other trainers with a horse that wasn’t right for them. This business is too expensive, just caring for any horse is around $500 a month if you don’t own your own property, so it doesn’t take long for a client to get frustrated when paying for a horse they are too afraid to ride. Take your time when searching for a new horse for your client, and again, BE HONEST. Get to know the rider as much as possible before you begin your search and then based on their riding level, make sure they understand how much they need to pay in order to afford a horse that will be perfect for them. I always take the level of the rider and then find a horse that will tolerate the next level lower of that rider. Every once in a while, a horse will fail to be everything you thought it would be, but it’s rare if you take your time and you’re honest with everyone on board.
Sometimes you have clients approach you about working together on a horse project. Since you’re a broke horse trainer, that usually means that they pay the bills and you do the work. I have had this work in a small profitable way with the absolute right people. Whether you’re sure the person you’re working with is 100% trustworthy or not, you should get everything in writing. Make sure there are always contracts with everyone’s signature that is involved. Make sure everything is covered in that contract. Who is exactly responsible for what portion of care for the horse, and who exactly gets what portion of profit once the horse is sold. Any kind of deal between people can be messy. I do happen to have some extremely trustworthy in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’ve come across just as many crazy people as well.
My final piece of advice is to ALWAYS be professional. From everything you do in person with your clients to your online presence. I do have clients that I’ve had for a very long time that I would consider friends now, but when we are at the barn, they are always a client first. This means standard procedure for everything I’ve already mentioned. You also can’t get upset if a client of yours decides a different barn is better for them. Even if you considered yourself friendly with that client, professionalism always comes first. And we all have to do what is right for ourselves; so as the trainer I need to understand when a different situation will work better for someone else. We all have strengths and weaknesses, no one can do everything, and no one can be in more than one place at a time. So unless you’re Super-Woman (or Superman), don’t be offended if someone decides a different barn is better for them!
The online presence is extremely important. You can reach billions of people all over the world in a positive light, or a very negative light. I personally try to never post anything negative on my Twitter or Facebook accounts. There’s no reason for any negativity in your business. If you want to complain about something, call someone on the phone or meet them in person. Be very careful about how you state things and what you comment on other people’s post. It’s amazing what can be taken negatively. A client asked me one time why I text her so many smiley faces. I told her that at one time, I had a client who thought everything I text was negative unless I put it in the most positive way possible, which meant a lot of smiley faces. So ever since then I’ve tried to do my absolute best to make all of my text messages irrefutably positive!
If you’re a hard worker, you’re honest with yourself and others, and you’re smart with your money then you can certainly be successful in this business. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. There are a lot of great people in this business, people who do want others to succeed. Good luck!