Dog as marketing tool?

Last January, when I adopted my dog, Charlie, I promised myself I wouldn't become one of those dog/business owners that talked all about the dog. But I'm changing my tune because, besides being the cutest, sweetest companion I've ever had, Charlie is also an excellent marketing tool.

Often, at a networking event, I'll casually mention a thought I had while walking my dog that morning, for example, and more often than not, if I'm talking to a dog owner, they instantly ask what kind of dog I have. Before you know it, we're sharing camera-phone photos of our dogs and we've made an instant connection.

It's amazing how enthusiastic people are about their dogs. They (we) want to talk about all the adorable things they do and how lovely they are to have around the home office. (Maybe it's the same with kids. I don't know about that.)

So for now, I'm going to keep showing off Charlie as an excuse to connect with people. I may even follow up by sending some homemade dog treats...

Anyone else connecting over something unusual?

Comments

[Bill Simon]

Brilliant way to work the dog into the business picture, Ilise! I'll try that as an ice-breaker. Thanks for the tip!

[Kelly Parkinson]

I have to say, I actually trust people who have dogs more than people who do not have dogs. Not that I don't trust people who don't have dogs, but someone with a dog will pretty much get an instant free pass into trust central. If they turn out to be a flake, I just tell myself they probably had to walk the dog. I never stopped to examine why this is. I mean, I don't also trust people who play the piano, or who have plants, or who read the New York Times Book Review. In the end I think it boils down to this: It takes a certain kind of person to not mind getting slobber all over their furniture, getting hair all over their nicest clothes, having to go outside three times a day equipped with a plastic bag, having to actually use the plastic bag, inevitably in front of people who make no pretense of finding you anything but hilarious. There are few things in this world I enjoy more than the sight of a large dog running around carrying a slobbery, oversized branch in his mouth. There's something about that spirit that every dog owner identifies with, and I know if someone has a dog, they are in tune with this. It's almost like belonging to the same church or religion. You've had the same spiritual experiences, so you figure the other person must be okay.

[Samia Begum]

Hi! I love your newsletter and have been reading it for over a year. Keep up the good work!

[Jolene Harrington]

Hi,
For my husband's business, we shamelessly use our dogs (and cat and guinea pigs!) in our Holiday Photo cards. It's amazing how many business contacts comment positively as a result. At the very least, it stands out from the crowd! Most common question: How did you get all those animals to sit still for the camera? We'll never tell!

[Lauren]

As a photographer I have shamelessly worked my dog into my business and since getting her have found the common ground of my clients is that they are dog people. Never would have known that until my dog started sitting in on my meetings and the talk about our dogs begins! I think I came off as a dog person before I even had one. Kelly's comment is also right on and ultimately I think it goes deeper than just knowing that someone else tolerates slobber: I think it shows one's ability to empathize deeply, a cross-species empathy. So I know upon meeting a dog person that they are in touch with other beings feelings, both animal and human, and not just their own. At least that's what I like to think and hope my clients see in me.

[Rosa Fierro]

I think Dogs are part of our personal life as well as our "work"life. They contribute to create energy and they increase our creativity when we take a break to play with them. Why not give our furry friends the credit they deserve because they are also partners of "the business"? I also trust people with Dogs and it is a great Ice breaker, I agree!

[Dani Nordin]

I'm not a Dog Person, but I am notoriously quick to trot out pictures of my sexy cat Persephone whenever someone talks about their cat.

I also connect over food, recipes, stories about cooking, etc. on an almost absurd level. It's one of the few common grounds so many of us have... this love of food, or at least a recognition of food as something beyond mere fuel. I've never understood people that don't have a passion for great food - it just doesn't compute to me.

[Jason]

"Hi, my name's Jason."

"Hi, I'm _______."

"Where are you from?"

"I live in _______."

"Have you ever traveled to _________"

[If YES...]
"I just got back from there, what did you like about that place?"

[If NO...]
"I just got back from there, can I tell you a quick story about that place?"

++++++++++++

I have found that in my line of work, this is a fast way to get into a safe conversation that has, more often than not, resulted in me meeting a fellow traveler (or wanna be traveler) while giving them a sense of my interests.

(CAUTION: It's easy to "talk too much" about myself here, I'm working on shortening my stories to get the most important thing: Getting the other person to talk about themselves...]

While talking, I am using every sense of observation I can to ask them the question I’m trying to ask...

"What interests you, and what interests you about that?"

In opening up a little of myself, I find that people are willing to open up a little bit of themselves...

[Mary McNamara]

I live in the Midwest and most of my clients are on the coasts and we only "know" each other over the internet. Last year, I sent gifts to share a little of my part of the country with them. Gift boxes filled with local products that they may not know come from here and could be shared around the office - Jolly Time Popcorn and "Bing" candy bars, etc. (Though one account exec confessed to hoarding the Sioux Bee honey for herself and not telling anyone else about it!) They weren't going to get those things from anyone else and it made the miles seem a little smaller between us.

[Martha Retallick]

I'm not a pet person, so the talk about "my dog this" and "my cat that" doesn't resonate with me. I'm much more interested in conversations about the latest developments in science and technology, how the economy is doing, political trends, and historical comparisons of these times with others.

I much prefer "big" talk to "small" talk, and my clients tend to be the same way.

[Lisa Van Allen]

I'm so glad you brought this up! When I created my first website I had a photo of my dog (an adorable Lhasa Apso named Roscoe) on my profile page. A marketing "expert" advised me to take him off when I had my site redone. They felt the photo lacked professionalism... I feel it adds to my profile, making me more accessible & approachable. I know when I talk about my personal life (my diet woes, sinusitis, spring cleaning) in my ezine, people always respond positively.

Thinking about putting Roscoe back...
Lisa
www.VanAllenCoaching.com