I designed a survey for the readers of the
Profitable Horseman about their horse businesses a
few months ago. One of the survey questions asked
the readers what area of their horse businesses they
would like to improve the most. Forty percent
responded that they would like to improve their
marketing more than any other part of their
business.
Marketing is an area which professional horsemen, as
well as other business owners, should devote much
of their energy. Even if you have a good supply of
customers and clients today, there is no guarantee
they will be your customers for life.
A wise man once remarked, “the time to dig a
well is when its raining, not during a drought when
it’s too late.”
I’ve talked to many small business owners who have
felt secure with their customer base and let
marketing efforts take a vacation. Sadly, they found
out later when income had slipped that they were
busy trying to dig a well during a drought. Marketing
is so important, even when times are good, that I
include Marketing Methodically as one of the
key strategies for operating a successful business.
Simply defined, marketing is an ongoing process
or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a
product or service.
Of course advertising is one of the pieces of the
marketing pie, but advertising alone will seldom make
your business successful. Customers and clients
consistently buy from professional horseman because
a relationship has been built by the professional in
which the customer has had the opportunity to
know, like and trust him.
I saw a good example of marketing of this type this
past weekend at a local Horseman’s Fair put together
by an ambitious horse trainer. He and his wife saw
the value of a marketing event that would help not
only their business, but the businesses of their
strategic business alliances. They created a first time
event that included four speakers (of course the
trainer was one of the speakers) and a “trade show”
of about 35 vendors including: feed dealers, farriers,
veterinarians, barn builders, tractor dealers,
insurance agents, fencing contractors and boarding,
lesson, training farms. I was there also with a table
for Profitable Horseman.
This event creating a fantastic localized marketing
buzz for the local horse related business people who
met new people and renewed contact with old
acquaintances. It was the perfect opportunity to
work on the know, like and trust formula for
marketing. That formula says that prospects have to
know, like and trust you to do business with you.
The couple that put the Horse Fair together is Tom
and Debbie
Pinkowski. You can click here
for Tom’s website.
Get out there and create a marketing buzz about
yourself and your business!
