I know something you don't know...

You my friend are undercharging for your pet services!

How do I know that?

Well, over the last ten years I've coached over 3000 pet business owners, I've written books about the topic and over 600 episodes of my podcast I've interviewed hundreds of super successful business owners who pretty much all admitted one thing.

When we started out we were undercharging and it cost us BIG STYLE.

Then it's my job to share the uncomfortable news that guess what? You are undercharging now too.

More to the point I know why you are undercharging...

You are letting fear dictate your math. You listen to the complaints of one or two vocal, budget-pinching clients, you look at what people are saying in local Facebook groups, or you have plugged into a gooroo who has only ever charged low prices therefore is unqualified to give you advice about pricing... and you convince yourself that you've hit your pricing ceiling.

But the reality is you are nowhere near that ceiling. In fact, that ceiling is way higher than you think it is, and you could probably double your prices without much kickback at all from your clients.

I know because I have many clients who - at my recommendation - have done this successfully.

Time for a stiff drink while I tell you about a psychological phenomenon where raising the price of a product increases its perceived quality and desirability, even when the product itself remains identical.

Its known as:

In the mid-20th century, a Scotch whisky brand called Chivas Regal was struggling. Their sales were completely flat. They were pricing themselves based on what their competitors were charging, assuming that staying affordable was the safe bet.

Then they made a radical move. With absolutely zero changes to the liquid inside the bottle, the recipe, or the manufacturing, Chivas Regal doubled its price.

Do you know what happened? Sales exploded.

By radically increasing the price, they instantly changed who bought the product. It became a luxury status symbol. Wealthy consumers who used to look past it on the shelf suddenly started buying it.

Why? Because humans are hardwired with a psychological quirk: When we cannot easily measure the objective quality of something, we use the price as a proxy for how good it is.

This is exactly what is happening in your pet business right now.

Think about it from the perspective of a premium client—the kind of dog owner who treats their dog like their first-born child.

Their dog is their life and they are actively looking to spend their money on the absolute best care possible.

When that client looks for a dog walker, a trainer, or a boarding facility, they cannot physically watch you for every second of the day.

They cannot easily see your level of safety, your expertise, or your dedication.

So, what do they use to judge your quality? Your price.

If you are charging bottom-dollar, race-to-the-bottom Facebook group rates, that premium client doesn't look at your business and think, Oh, wow, what a great deal!

Instead, their brain registers a red flag. They think: Why are they so cheap? Are they cutting corners? Are they packing 15 dogs into a van? Are they uninsured?

Your low prices aren't attracting them; your low prices are actively scaring them away.

There is a massive, highly profitable subsection of the market out there waiting to pay a premium—but you will never find them simply by offering a great service and hoping they notice you.

Your prices have to explicitly reflect the type of client you want to have.

Now, if you just listen to generic business coaches online they'll all scream something like:

Know your worth!

Charge more!

Price to reflect your passion!

...which is all well and good, but it's very surface level. They tell you the what, but they have no idea about the how.

They don't understand the actual mechanics of pricing, which is something I have studied, practiced, and taught for the last ten years in my coaching business.

You build assets that demonstrate your premium expert status.

 - A book that positions you as the expert before you've even met.
 - Educational lead magnets that prove you know your stuff.
 - Podcasts, videos and articles that build trust at scale.
 - Proprietary signature systems that make you impossible to compare.
 - A world-class onboarding experience that makes clients feel like they've just checked into the furry Four Seasons.
 - A library of five-star reviews and video testimonials.
 - A distinctive brand with its own language, personality and philosophy.
 - Client events and VIP experiences that create raving fans.
 - Membership programmes that reinforce exclusivity and belonging.
 - And anything else that elevates you above the crowd...

 

So, how many of those do you have?

 

None?

Well, that might explain why you are struggling to attract clients who are happy to pay top dollar for their dog's care...

So, let's recap.

Are you undercharging? Almost certainly.

Can you increase your prices? Almost certainly.

The Chivas Regal Effect proves it. Hundreds of my clients who've successfully put their prices up prove it.

But here's the bit most people miss...

Putting your prices up is easy. Becoming the kind of business that can keep putting them up, year after year, without the market batting an eyelid... that's the real game.

Remember, every day you stay underpriced, you're attracting more of the clients you don't want...

...and repelling more of the clients you do.

It's not the money you're losing today.

It's the bad business you're accidentally building for tomorrow.

One of the first things I do with Dog Daycare Success Academy members is fix their pricing. We increase prices, reposition unprofitable services, introduce profitable upsells, and continually add new higher priced services to stretch the top of the pricing pyramid.

Need help with pricing to save your shrinking pet care margins?

You need the DDSA.

Every Sunday, I deliver the unfiltered marketing and operational blueprints I've used to help 2,500+ frustrated dog daycare owners, to stop running a low-margin facility and start building the most expensive (and most wanted) pet destination in town.