Episode 219: Marketing Mistake: Are You Hiding The Best Kept Secret In Your Business?

Why The Market Is Saturated With Privately Owned Pet Care Companies Dying To Be A Top Dog and The Solution Are you making this marketing mistake in your pet business? As an entrepreneur and business owner, everyone has a unique value proposition or what we call the "Secret Sauce". Most of us don't know, but we all have something unique about our businesses. We just need to dig deeper and discover where our business does well and to send that message about our brand. Today we'll be talking about how it all starts with sharing visuals, such as graphics. Graphics allow you to share your unique value with an audience. A picture can speak a thousand words, right? Well, those 1000 words should include your brand's authority, and how you stand out in your community. It doesn't stop there. There's more ways to stand out from the crowd, like emblems. Think of emblems as your shiny trophies that you can share with your audience. It tells your ideal clients to pick you, without you having to say so! It's time for you to stop hiding your best kept secret in your business, which is YOU. Biggest Takeaway You Don’t Want To Miss: Educating through graphics will show why you're valuable as a business.  This is why I appreciate Pet Care Team Training so much. They take the thinking out of creating by providing branded graphics, training emblems, and exposure for your pet care business. Having all of this in one distinct place for you is one way to stand out in an effortless way. Stand out without the burn out! Marketing Mistake Show Highlights What is "Secret Sauce"? -1:40 Foundation of Training: Training people the same way -4:49 Educating through graphics -7:46 Putting Distinctions on your Website -9:55 Why do we need training? -11:25 How to stand out from the pack? -16:03 What is Pet Care Team Training? -17:00 Links: Pet Care Team Training: https://petcareteamtraining.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PetCareTeamTraining Did you enjoy the show? We would love it if you subscribed today and left us a 5-star review! Click this link – Bella In Your Business Click on the ‘Subscribe’ button below the artwork Go to the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ section Click on ‘Write a Review’ Are You New Here? Welcome, I am so glad you are here. If you are a dog walker, dog sitter, cat sitter, doggy daycare or kennel owner, then you found the right place. Jump Consulting is the one place on the internet to get all the resources you need for your pet care business. Can I give you some freebies to generate sales and increase revenues for your business? Grab your freebies below. Are you starting out? Been in business for less than two years? Get your startup resources here. Do you own an established pet care business and you want to take it to the next level.? Get Your builder resources here. Transcript: This is episode 219 of Bella in Your Business. Hi there, I'm Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you've seen me speak on stage or read my book, The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs. In any case, get ready because you're about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin' in this next episode of Bella in Your Business. So what do you say? Let's get ready and jump. Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. This is part of our video training series where Liz Illig, my partner in crime with Pet Care Team Training, has joined us to talk about lots of different subjects to give you inspiration and ideas on how to better your team and further expand your empire. Listen in as we talk about today's topic. Welcome, everybody, to another episode of Pet Care Team Training. Today, we’re talking about marketing mistakes—and wondering if you're making this very big, crucial mistake that so many business owners make. My guest and co-owner of Pet Care Team Training, Liz Illig, is here with me. Liz, how are you today? “I'm good. Thanks for having me on your podcast.” Yeah, and thanks for being here too. So, we were talking about how a lot of people are hiding their best-kept secret in their business and just not talking about it. Honestly, that’s understandable because even we’ve been guilty of it. Sometimes we’re so close to our business that we don’t even realize it. A lot of pet-sitting business owners struggle because the market is saturated. There are so many dog walking and pet sitting companies vying for attention—hobbyists, friends, family, and platforms like Rover. But there’s one marketing thing you can do to help you stand out and be outside of the pack. So Liz, do you have any idea what it is? “Graphics? Social media?” Yeah. You have what’s called a unique value proposition. Or as Liz likes to call it—your secret sauce. Your secret sauce is something unique about your business. Some people say, “There’s nothing unique about what I do,” but there always is. It’s how you opened your business, how you deliver your services, or what makes your client experience different. You need to discover what that is and make it part of your brand messaging because that’s what will make you stand out—no one else can replicate it. Sometimes it’s as simple as talking about what others don’t talk about. Maybe that’s showing what your client updates look like, or sharing your accreditations. Many of you have been taking new certifications, learning dog training techniques, or joining programs like Pet Care Team Training. That’s valuable! You’re gaining knowledge that builds trust and security for your clients. You’re showing them you’ve gone above and beyond. So how do you showcase that? Graphics. The graphics you post on social media can display how awesome you are and what your secret sauce is. That kind of content stops the scroll and draws attention—it’s not just another pet photo. You can put these graphics in your newsletters, on your website, or across your social media. It builds trust and positions you as the expert. With Pet Care Team Training, anyone who signs up gets a custom “We Care About Training and Onboarding” graphic. We celebrate them with their logo and branding to help them promote that accomplishment. If your certification provider doesn’t do this, make your own. That’s a unique selling point you shouldn’t keep secret. It also shows potential clients that you train your team the same way across your entire company. Unlike gig platforms where each worker operates independently, your team is unified. If you’re promoting the idea that any team member can walk a client’s dog, then it’s vital that you actually train everyone consistently. That consistency builds confidence and strengthens your brand’s foundation. As a business owner, you should be proud to say, “Yes, I train my staff. I know they meet my expectations.” That confidence sells your service—whether Sally or Ryan shows up, you know they’ll deliver the same standard of care. Every team member can have their unique personality, but your training creates a consistent client experience. If you’re going to promote that everyone’s trained equally, make sure it’s true. Uphold those standards. That’s how you build a trustworthy brand and strong client relationships. Now let’s talk about how to show it off. Add it to your website. When clients look up your staff, they’ll read bios, check pictures, and—let’s be real—probably stalk them on Facebook. So why not proudly display training badges or certifications next to their names? Put them in the footer or near your awards and recognitions—don’t clutter the top fold, which should focus on your client’s problem. With Pet Care Team Training, your staff can earn two certifications: Pet First Aid & CPR through ProPet Hero, and the Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Training certification. So next to your team’s names, add icons for those. When’s the last time you saw a pet-sitting site do that? It’s rare, but it immediately boosts credibility. If not everyone on your team is trained yet, that’s okay—but let it push you toward completing that process. It builds accountability and strengthens company culture. Longtime team members might resist, saying, “I already know everything.” But ongoing training refreshes knowledge, corrects bad habits, and ensures consistency. You can’t assume everyone will see your post once. Keep the conversation going throughout the year. Talk about training regularly. It shows pride in your team and commitment to professionalism. Clients love knowing that the people entering their homes are experts. This also boosts company culture. When you tell the world about your training, it holds you accountable to maintain your onboarding standards. And remember—it’s not enough for just the business owner to complete training. Everyone should. It’s an investment, not a cost. When you invest in your people, they’ll invest back into your business. So, put out graphics, share it on social media and stories, display it on your website, and stop keeping it a secret. Then, collaborate with others—veterinarians, groomers, trainers, and pet stores. Do interviews or live videos where they ask you how you maintain your high standards. Create blogs or repurpose that video. When you collaborate, their audience sees it too. And if you’re part of Pet Care Team Training, tag us! We love celebrating our clients’ success by sharing your wins—it increases your visibility and engagement. So don’t keep your secret sauce a secret. You don’t even have to do something new—just start talking about what you already do. As we wrap up, remember this: If you want to stand out, focus on what makes you unique. Training, certifications, and consistent branding are marketing gold. They also keep you accountable and aligned with your staff and clients. This episode was sponsored by Pet Care Team Training—a new 13-video series designed to help you streamline your onboarding process.