Marketing At The End Of The Season
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Selling Those Youngsters
It's that time of year when you
expect most of the young birds
in the nursery and the weaning
room to have been sold or have
deposits on them. If you find
that you have a large number of
unsold and uncommitted young
birds, then you have to review
your marketing and sales
practices. Do you usually sell
to local markets and you have an
excess for those markets? Do you
need to expand your client base?
Have you established a
relationship with several local
pet stores? Are you advertising
through bird club newsletters?
If you are trying to reach a
national market, do you have
continuous ads in the major
magazines? Buyers feel much more
comfortable with breeders who
consistently advertise. Are you
looking into advertising birds
on the Internet? This provides
immediate access to one segment
of the buying public. Are you
utilizing reliable local
brokers? These people often have
nationwide contacts through
lines of communication different
than is available to many bird
breeders.
Are You Using Marketing
Tools?
Buyers are looking for a good
price, but generally more
important than the price is
quality. Buyers want healthy,
happy birds that will become
good companions for themselves
or their clients. Are you
informing your client of the
quality of the birds you are
raising? Are you telling them
about the handling, the
socializing and the veterinary
screening or health care you are
providing? Do they know you stay
current through attending
seminars and conferences? Do
they know you work with an avian
veterinarian to maintain flock
health? Have you generated an
attractive brochure or flyer
that provides basic information
about the birds and how they are
raised?
When you have an advertisement,
buyers will often ask for a
price list. Along with the
price, you will be more likely
to make a sale when you provide
incentives. A well-produced
brochure gives visible evidence
of the quality of your bird
business, as well as provides
additional information about the
birds and your business.
Potential clients across the
country need the reassurance
which is provided by continuous
advertisements and well-prepared
brochures or flyers. These
marketing tools should contain
specific reference to your
guarantees if you offer any type
of guarantee and your contract.
They should also provide
information about crating and
shipping if you will ship birds.
The more information you can
provide in written form, the
less time you will have to spend
on the phone.
