I was a lucky kid growing up. Lucky, because I had a big back yard. It was about 28 acres big. My siblings, friends and I spent many days exploring, building, digging and hiding in the vast outback.

Geographically disadvantaged as a flatlander, there were no rushing mountain streams or flowing rivers in the valley for exploration and water play. There were only a few ditches that the rain and snow runoff would eventually pool in to create a kid's river.

Kids' rivers are navigable by toy boats and are only inches deep at flood stage. It was in the kids' rivers of the flat lands that I began to understand the principles of controlling flow.

Mudding about in the puddles and ditches, I could easily create my own mini rivers, dams and lakes with just a shovel. One of the few things that man has been able to count on through time is the fact that water usually runs downhill in the path of least resistance.

Prospects and customers like a little help from gravity and love low resistance just like flowing water. They almost always choose the easy way, the shortcut, whenever they make their purchase choices. As an example, the drive-in window for morning coffee attracts more customers than the walk-in convenience store. And the mall parking lot is preferred over that tricky parallel parking on the street. The business that offers consistent, friendly service attracts lifetime customers.

Creating the path of least resistance to divert the flow of prospects and customers to your horse business front door can be done easily. Here are some suggestions:

1. Create well placed, easy to read professionally lettered signage. That not only includes at the road but also directional signs at the ranch or farm.
2. Add Mapquest or a similar directions link to your website to show people how to find your facility for the first time.
3. Maintain easy, convenient and puddle-free parking for boarders, students and visitors.
4. Use large type for telephone numbers on printed material and business cards.
5. Keep the barn and arena entrances well lit, clean and inviting.
6. Have an answering machine or voice mail with a friendly greeting for after hours messages and for unmanned telephones during business hours.
7. Provide comfortable chairs in the waiting or viewing areas and hot and cold beverages.
8. Ask your customers what else you can do to make it easy to do business with you.

Understanding the path of least resistance for your prospects and customers is simple and low cost and much like child's play.

Start working on diverting more of the customer income stream into your business today.

Need a speaker about the horse business for your horse organization?

Talk to me about talking. Keynotes and workshops available. (716) 434-5371

"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it."--Lao Tzu

"Water is the driving force of all nature."--Leonard da Vinci

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it."--Norman Maclean

This week, I've been looking for a new (used) vehicle; the process is the modern version of horse trading.

Lots of promises, lots of posturing and many tactics engaged in the art/science of negotiating.

I feel for the used car salesperson. With most negotiations starting with a reference to one of the online car pricing sites, the margins are not quite as large as they used to be before easy internet accessibility.

As a buyer, the decision making process is much easier with the support of abundant information.

From the professional horseman's point of view, it's a good thing there is no "blue book" for horse values.

Buying and selling is still more art than science and a good looking and well trained horse can be sold with a fair profit for the professional horseman.

I'll grant you, all purchase decisons are based on emotion and backed by logic. But when the right buyer finds the "right" horse, emotion puts logic in the back seat.

I work with Professional Horsemen who are struggling with the business half of the horse business.

Just like a top performing horse has a strong foundation, so does a top performing horse business.

If you've had enough with not enough: time, money or the right people in your horse business, call or e-mail and we can talk, no fee, no pressure, about your business and how I may be able to help you.

The first step to improvement is up to you.

Welcome to new subscribers this week. If you know other horsemen who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them!

I appreciate your help !