What Affluent Dog Owners Are Looking for in a Daycare
The 3 things your pet business must deliver to attract premium clients
This week, Beth and I have been bingeing the Netflix show At Home with the Furys.
I've been a Tyson fan for years, although this second season has been a little flat compared to the first. But with seven kids, an engagement for their 16-year-old daughter, and the two-time heavyweight champion of the world struggling with retirement, there has been more than enough to keep us entertained.
And hidden in the show was also an interesting insight into how wealthy people spend their money...
For example: Why would someone who has earned – in Tyson's words – 'More money than I can spend in 50 lifetimes' use a private jet to travel to the South of France and also shop at Asda? (British equivalent of Walmart for my American brethren)
That's a mistake people make when they think about "affluent buyers."
They imagine affluent people who just throw money around like confetti.
People who'll buy anything.
Pay anything.
Upgrade absolutely everything.
But that's not really how it works.
The Truth About Wealthy Buyers
Wealthy people don't spend more on everything. They spend more on what matters to them.
This is true for almost all buyers regardless of where they are on the wealth ladder. We all have at least one special thing that we are prepared to spend a big chunk of change on.
For you it might be trainers, jeans, hand-bags, a certain type of beauty-cream, or a hobby like golf or cycling equipment. Horses. Fishing. Cars. The latest phone or gadgets...
For me it's nice red wine when I'm chilling out with Beth at home, and business class flights when I travel.
Someone else might think why pay 3-5 X more for flights when it doesn't get you from A to B any faster?
Well, because of the keynote speaking engagements I deliver, and the international consulting services and coaching programs I offer, I have to travel long-haul 8-10 times a year.
For me, it's a no-brainer to pay more to travel in comfort, because the consequences of not doing that might mean I lose another 15-20 days a year because of a lack of sleep!
And a tired Dom is not a happy or productive Dom.
How to Position Your Dog Daycare
The good news for dog daycare and pet resort owners is for most dog owners, their dog is the thing, or one of the things, they like to spend a ton of money on. As you well know, if the dog is happy then the dog owner is happy.
If you can promote your services as "essential activities" that dogs need in order to be healthy and happy, and if you can position those services as things that only your facility can provide—like safe socialization alongside dog-centric enrichments that allow a dog to tap into their most primal instincts of sniffing, searching, and exploring—then you'll have positioned your services as indispensable for dog owners, and you'll have repeat customers for a very long time.
Which leads us to affluent dog owners and how you can attract more of them into your business.
Despite having a bigger budget, the affluent are often more selective, more opinionated, and harder to impress than your average customer.
And this is something most dog daycares completely miss the mark when they try to transition to "being premium."
They think it's just about charging more, and offering a great service.
When really, it's about positioning your business as something worth paying more for.
The signals you put out there with your marketing do a lot of the heavy lifting.
What matters to affluent dog owners are things that matter to affluent buyers in general.
First of all, they value time. They've worked incredibly hard to put themselves in a position where they can afford what they want—but they're often cash-rich and time-poor, so don't waste their time. You'll win them over by delivering your service wrapped in efficiency and convenience.
This doesn't mean they don't want help, suggestions and advice. The affluent expect providers to anticipate needs, such as a concierge who reminds them of birthdays or a property manager who prepares their home before they arrive.
Be a proactive service provider. They won't be bothered or upset when you offer additional services or upsells if they see the value.
You can also make yourself indispensable by being a single point of contact for all things dog related.
Can you offer a "canine concierge" approach where one person handles everything, avoiding the need to manage multiple vendors?
Three Keys to Attracting Affluent Clients
According to
Dan Kennedy in 'No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent', affluent buyers do not purchase based on need, but rather on desire, and they do not view price as the primary determining factor. Instead, they are seeking a specialized, high-quality experience that offers status, efficiency, and prestige.
To be that business, you should aim to tick three boxes:
Affluent dog owners want to deal with recognized authorities who can diagnose their situation and provide a clear, unambiguous, and premium solution.
For my Dog Daycare Success Academy members, I created a highly personalised – and premium priced - 'Dog Audit and Induction Program' that replaces the 30 minute 'meet and greet' most daycares are still using. This provides that clear solution they are looking for.
In addition to providing a great service, how else can you prove you are a 'top dog' expert in town? You need to become an authority. The leader. The celebrity pet business owner.
By far, the easiest way claim expert status and the number #1 tag is to write a book, because you can't spell authority without 'author'.
Other ways include winning awards, taking advantage of speaking opportunities, sharing case studies, having your proprietary frameworks like a signature system, and other authority pieces like guides.
Trust me, this works. Back in 2015 I elevated my own status from humble local dog walker to national recognised training and pet business expert with the launch of my first book 'How to Be your Dog's Superhero' which led to a speaking tour of the U.K.
I've since helped dozens of coaching clients to become the respected 'expert' in their niche by also writing a book.
For sure writing a book is a big project.
Something you can do faster would be to...
Affluent people want for their dog the same thing they want for themselves. They want experiences they can tell stories about at cocktail parties. What are you doing to provide 'wow-factor' moments?
They won't talk about a 'play-date' but they will talk about:
- The pirate themed enrichment day their dog took part in
- The 'movie night' their dog enjoyed when he stayed at your facility
- The escape room experience when they had to sniff their way out of a scent space
Storyworthy 'wow-factor' moments travel.
They get shared at dinners, in WhatsApp groups, on Instagram, at the school gates...affluent people are tremendous referral sources IF you give them something storyworthy to talk about.
We make this super-easy with our Enrich University program, which provides a full enrichment curriculum, staff training, and a 'done for you' marketing plan all wrapped in a Disney style themed enrichment story.
Check it out here
3) Treat them like valued members NOT customers
They prefer to be "members" rather than "subscribers" or "customers". This sense of being part of an Inner Circle satisfies a deep desire to belong to an elite, exclusive group.
You can tap into this desire by becoming a "members-only" dog daycare, where clients pay a fee every month just to be able to use the daycare. This draws a velvet rope of exclusivity around your business and gives your clients another brag-worthy moment.
If you want to see what this looks like when it's done properly, then you should consider coming to the next
DDSA immersion event in Maryland in August. I've got Vance Morris joining us; he is an ex-Disney customer service expert who knows more about creating experiences and managing expectations than just about anyone I know.
If you've ever wondered how to go from:
"Yeah, we're a good daycare..."
"WOW, this place is different..."
The immersion event is where you'll get the answers.
As we learned from watching Tyson on the Netflix show, affluent clients don't spend more on everything; they spend more on what matters.
Your job is to make sure your daycare becomes one of those things that matter.
And being a client of yours adds value, prestige, and brag-worthy experiences that justify your premium prices.
Anyway, it's bank holiday weekend, so today Beth and I are chilling out at Town Farm enjoying a barbecue.
Have a great week!
Keep it unreal
Dom
Join the Top Dog Top Dollar Dispatch: My Weekly Sunday Briefing to Help You Command Premium Rates and Dominate Your Local Pet Market.
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.
