Bad Market or Bad Marketing ?
by Denise Conroy (written in 2002)
For years, I have caught waves of grumbling and gripes about the poor horse market and the inability for breeders to sell their curlies. I do believe that the horse market is slow lately but unlike other breeds, curlies have not yet saturated the market. There is talk of more promotions for the breed in general but I don't believe that is the problem. Curlies are becoming well known and there are more buyers than ever before. If you have been breeding for more than 10 years, you know that selling Curlies came a bit easier then , than it does now yet even fewer people knew about the breed in those days. But why?
Could it be that there are more breeders now and the competition requires that you put more effort into selling your animals? Could it also be the change in what buyers want? Used to be buyers would settle for anything with curls, any age, any breeding and now they expect more? Like, better conformation, athletic ability, proven pedigree, and trained horses, maybe? Could it be that buyers expect more out of the sellers as well? Maybe they expect more timely responses to their inquiry, better photos and better service? Maybe breeders that provide those things ARE selling their horses with no problem & getting good prices for them too, while others sit back and wonder when the market will pick up.
My opinion is that Breeders need to get their heads out of the sand and take a look around them. They need to keep a pulse on the market! Maybe there's a need to be more aggressive about marketing and advertising? I also think a responsible breeder needs to start thinking " less is more." Put quality, foresight and time into their program and breed only what they know they can sell. Know the animals, their potential and for goodness sake, know their pedigrees! There has to be more responsible breeding practices among the Curly Breed. Maybe there is a problem with too many beginner/novice horse people getting involved in breeding when they have no education on conformation, ability, history or trainability of their animals - let alone marketing. Anyone can put a stud & mare together to produce a foal. I challenge all of you who have chosen to be ABCR Breeders of Quality Curlies to do some quality control and start tweaking your programs, your goals and your marketing skills. In order to help you with this challenge, I wrote down a few tips that worked for me over the years. I hope they can be helpful to some of you.
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These tips are helpful to both Breeders and Owners:
1. Be Professional and be certain you want to sell this horse! First and foremost is if you list a horse, be certain you really want to sell.
2. Leave your emotions out of the pricing : Once you have decided that you definitely want to sell, leave your emotions out of the pricing scale. What I mean is try to see your horse for his/her true value, not sentimental value. Get unbiased opinions if you have trouble with this tip and set a FAIR market price.
3. Fair market price? Do your homework, but also realize that just because one breeder can get $5,000 for a weanling doesn't mean you can too. Reputation, proven bloodlines conformation and purpose & ability of that horse is what drives prices. Also determine if you or the buyer is going to pay for the coggins, health certificate and/or transfer papers. Maybe you want to figure your price to include hauling within 200 miles. Consider everything when setting your price. Don't have the attitude that you will throw any ole price out there and just see what happens - that is very poor business. Over the years, I have seen more ads that start out with grossly overpriced animals, only to see over the course of a few months, that price get reduced, reduced and then reduced some more. This is a huge red flag to me that this was a poor business person or didn't have enough knowledge about the quality of their own animal. By the time the price is at rock bottom, most buyers have little trust in that seller. I don't see anything wrong with setting a price with a bit of wiggle room. Especially if the buyer is paying extra to haul or if it is an exceptional home.
4. Photos & Video: Okay, so you have a horse you definitely want to sell, you have set your price, now it's time to advertise. But wait! If you think you will sell your horse by using the free text ads, you are wrong. You will need to buck up and spend a bit of money. I always plan to spend $50 or more per horse in photo ads. It's worth every penny! It is vital that you get a good conformation photo of any horse you sell. Without a photo like this, you are wasting your time in selling long distance. One great picture is better than 20 bad ones. Online Video clips are wonderful and a very inexpensive way to promote your horse. If you are selling a riding horse, you better be prepared to send a video to potential buyers as well. Make sure this is a thorough video! Start with capturing the horse in the herd so they can see how he/she relates to other horses, show how you catch, lead, groom and tack up your horse. Pick up feet, lunge and ride. If he bathes, clips and trailers, video that too. I always have my video camera ready when I am doing things so that when it comes time to sell that horse, I have a whole bunch of clips that I just need to splice together. It is not that hard, just takes some forethought. You can't expect buyers to buy without it and advertising via the internet means you are reaching many long distance shoppers that can not make a personal visit. Another great benefit of video is that it can be a reference for the buyer after they purchase the horse. If they have trouble in certain areas, they can see that this wasn't an issue before because the video proves he stand well to be mounted, or is easy to catch etc. Don't wait til you have listed your horse to prepare a video, have it ready to mail asap! Spend a bit more money and send it Priority. It's worth every penny!
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This grouping of pictures are excellent examples of wonderful Ad photos.
Starting from the top left: If your horse is advertised as a "sporthorse" it is vital that you prove it. This mare has excellent form and her seller is bound to sell her quickly. The next photo is a beautiful head shot; ears perked with sweet expression. Next a powerful moving shot. The ideal is to capture 2 upside down "v" with the leg position. Do you see it? The bottom left photo is my favorite for a top notch conformation photo. ears perked, straight ahead to see neck length, throat latch, size of head, shoulder angle, hip angle, back length and so much more. If you work towards capturing photos like this, sales will come easy! |
5. Details & information about your horse: List as much about your horse as you can possibly can - make it easy for the buyer to know your horse well without having to go thru the effort of having to email you. Believe it or not, some buyers hesitate to take that step. Help buyers to feel comfortable with you and your horse before they even hit your email button. I have found when I do this, it not only eliminates alot of back and forth emails, but it also means when a buyer does contact me, they are pretty serious about my horse. BE SURE TO LIST YOUR PRICE! If you have followed the above steps, there should be no reason why you don't list your horse's price. Buyers tend to move on quickly if a price is not listed. Be sure in your listing to give details about your horse's temperament, curly traits, training, size, color, breeding potential, pecking order, history of parents or siblings. Be sure to list ACCURATE size of your horse. Buy yourself a stick measure to do this. Size is very important to fitting horse to rider, DON'T GUESS. And finally, ask a professional to help you list disciplines that your horse 'may' excel in (if there is no proven record on either parent's side). There are many buyers nowadays wishing to do more than trail with their curlies and you need to give them an accurate evaluation. If you state in your ad that your horse is a "sporthorse" but it's obvious he/she has a western build, buyers are going to question your education & knowledge. So do your homework and give accurate, true and informative details. There is no such thing as too much information.
6. Where to advertise? OK - So you have the horse you want to sell, the fair market price, great photos, video and a big write up on everything about your horse. Now, where will you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to advertising? My favorites are:
http://dreamhorse.com
http://curlyhorsecountry.com (of course! ;-)
http://horsetopia.com
With a photo ad for each, it will run you about $50 per horse. This is the minimum you should plan to spend.
7. Servicing the buyer: This is an area where many sellers fall short, big time. They list an ad and fail to check their email daily or follow thru with an inquiry. Let me ask you this, if you were going to list your car for sale in the classified ads of your local newspaper, I don't think you would take that week to head out of town, would you? It is even more vital when you list an internet ad to be available to respond to buyers in a timely manner.
Check your email daily and return phone calls promptly. A buyer shopping long distance needs assurance from you that they can trust you - you can start with good follow up to their inquiry.
8. Obtaining a Deposit : Never consider a horse sold til you have a deposit and signed purchase agreement. Typically, I have asked for a $500 non refundable deposit on my horses. Not only does this ensure that the buyer is prepared and ready to buy the horse, but it also gives the buyer assurance that you will not sell the horse to someone else. Accepting a deposit and signing an agreement is beneficial to both buyer and seller and makes the entire transaction a win-win situation.
9. Research hauling options: Here is another huge hang up. You have done step 1-8 and you have a buyer. Don't think it is all up to the buyer to find a hauler - if you want to set yourself above the rest, do your homework AHEAD OF TIME and get a list of reputable haulers that come to your area. Maybe it will mean hauling the horse to a pick up location, if so, be prepared to do so. Every little effort you can make to service the buyer builds a strong reputation and shows you are a professional.
10. Follow Up: Be sure to stay in contact with your buyer for the first 30 days after a sale. There maybe questions or concerns that a simple bit of communication can ease over that adjustment period.
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