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2011
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Think outside the barn.
In today’s marketplace,
you cannot depend upon prospects coming to
you, especially when they have been considering
the deal they can get at an alpaca fire sale. Think
about ways you can go to them. Some breeders
from the Pacific Northwest recently told me how
they met some potential buyers and, instead of
first having them come to their farm, they went
to the property owned by the prospects. There
the breeders made fencing and other recommen-
dations, and then had the prospects visit their
ranch, where they showed them a pen of six
alpacas they determined would be good for this
breeder and their set-up. The prospects bought
the entire pen of animals at full price.
Get layered exposure.
The more different ways
your prospects hear about you and your unique
marketing message, the better they remember
you and begin to trust your credibility in terms of
quality stock and customer support. In addition
to the traditional marketing you have been doing,
make sure you have built a website that is truly
an inquiry-generating tool and not merely an
online farm brochure. Take full advantage of the
powerful public opinion influencing tools that
select social media can be, without the high cost
of traditional advertising. Generate good public-
ity and recycle it in print and online to expand
the positive third party endorsement it gives you.
Most breeders having fire sales cannot justify the
investment in layered marketing communications.
Practice SMART marketing.
There is a long list
of smart marketing actions you can take that will
increase your inquiries from qualified prospects
without depleting your marketing budget. Start
with the little things, such as your voice mail,
email signature, or vehicle signage. Check past
issues of
Alpacas Magazine
or online newslet-
ters for articles about additional proven market-
ing techniques. Fire sale breeders will not be as
detailed and diligent. If time will not allow you to
implement your entire alpaca business marketing
action plan, consider hiring reputable assistance
with marketing and sales. Your good reputation
and your ability to attract buyers despite the com-
petition will be just reward for your efforts.
Although alpaca herd sell-outs sometimes seem to be
spreading like forest fires on a drought-stricken land-
scape, they are not taking all your potential buyers.
There are prospects out there, ready to be educated
about buying quality stock, developing a sustainable
alpaca business, and enjoying the lifestyle. Your job
is to help them find you and to give them compelling
reasons to buy from you. With good marketing, well-
executed sales skills, and attentive follow up, you can
be the fire hose. Low price sales, be doused!
istockphoto.com
JulieWassom is the owner of Grand Champion Marketing in
Aurora, Colorado, and is the author of The Alpaca Marketing
Success Library, a collection of books and other marketing
resources. She writes the free e-newsletter,
Wassom’s
MarketingWisdom,
available at
www.juliewassom.com.
She can be reached at 303-693-2306, her website, or in
care of
Alpacas Magazine.