During a meeting with a new client this week, we
talked about the importance of photographs and
how people love to reconnect with the happy
experiences they have had with their horses and
the people around them.
It got me thinking about the laminated baseball card
size photograph Charles showed me after his last
soccer game in the summer season. His
coach, a thoughtful volunteer, had taken the
time to photograph the team and make a small
photocard for all of the members.
Charles
told me the
cool thing was that he and another teammate weren't
at the game when the group shot was taken by the
coach. Clever coach had "photoshopped" both of
them into the picture with more skill than the cover
creator of "National Enquirer".
Photographs are powerful emotional triggers.
And like a good wine, they just get more valuable with
age. No doubt about it, horse owners usually have
boxes and boxes of silly snapshot photographs of
their horses. But since the owner is usually the
photographer, very few good shots of horse and
owner together are included in the photo
collection.
You can imagine the joy of a horse owner receiving a
"team photograph" of herself and favorite horse as a
surprise gift. Can you see her beaming with pride as
she tells admiring coworkers about the new team
photo on her desk of her horse and herself sent
by her instructor, trainer, coach?
I have a hard time correctly spelling
psychology let alone understanding it, but I do
know something magical happens to the ego when
others send a photograph of ourselves and a four
legged "significant other." It's a form of approval: " way
to go, an attaboy or attagirl!" from someone whose
opinion is valued separately from compliments from
family and best friends.
So here is where you fit in. As a professional
horseman, you, an assistant or volunteer can take
digital photos of your clients with the horses in their
lives. Cull the bad shots with the delete key and print
the winners.
Photo opps:
- Students and their favorite lesson horses for
holiday gifts
- New owners and their just purchased horses for
your website
- Clinic participants
- Group shots
- Candid horse show shots
- Trail rides
- Barn events
- And whatever your imagination dictates
Why bother and take the trouble?
As a business person, you spend most of your
working day with left brain revved up for logical
thinking. Your thoughts focus on: cut costs, raise
revenue, efficiency, less labor, do the important
things. . . .
It's not hard to have your thoughts swirling with the
business of business.
But when you stop to think about your clients' way
of thinking you realize that for most of them, their
horse connection is purely recreational and
emotional.
And can you think of a better way to communicate with
their emotional sides than a thoughtful photograph?
