Newsletter: Farrier Industry Report | May 2008

Fellow members of the Farrier Industry Association:
Thanks for being a part of this great organization. The current Officers, Board of Directors and Committee members are very excited about the future of our industry and our Association. We are looking forward—creating a modernized Web presence, demanding more from our Association management firm, and working hard to balance the professionalism of the Trade Show against the interests of a carefree, clinic-style MarketPlace (which we all enjoy). Our mission is to create greater public awareness of the Association, and thereby, its members.

First, we would like to address our position on the FIA/AFA Trade Show at the annual AFA Convention. We strive to provide a relaxed move-in and move-out. This necessitates some rules, and in the interest of the entire Association, some of the rules mandate specific times when you commence both set-up and tear down. ALL TRADE SHOWS HAVE THESE RULES. They are intended to impart a level of professionalism to the Show itself, and to keep the event organized. Attendees need to know specific hours the show is open so that they can plan their day. Please be certain to view the hours of move-in and move-out; they will be strictly enforced for the betterment of the vendors and attendees. If these dates and times do not meet with your schedule, you need to make arrangements for someone to take care of your booth.   

Second, Saturday Horsemans’ Day. This began in Chattanooga and we will have it again, next year, at the 2009 AFA Convention in Chattanooga. Unlike previous years, both the AFA and FIA have agreed to hire a professional promoter to help market this event. We have never put enough resources into this event, but in Chattanooga we intend to change that. We will have marketing materials for all FIA members who want them, and together with the AFA, we have approved a $10,000 marketing budget to launch this event for the benefit of the Trade Show attendees as well as members of the FIA.  It is believed that when properly marketed, this event should make our Saturday Trade Show have healthier attendance. If not, then we will not revisit this in Portland in 2010. We promise—but we feel it will be a success in Chattanooga!

Third, the FIA, if not at the time you receive this letter, soon will have a completely revamped Web site, designed to target both the professional farrier and the horseowner. Our focus is to create greater public awareness of the FIA and, thereby, its members. Together with the Horsemans’ Day, this Web site should be the beginning of a new and stronger public awareness campaign.  Look for our site at www.farrierindustry.org.

Fourth, we have many new folks involved with the organization and they are excited about where we are heading. Together with the Trade Show committee, our Marketing Committee has proposed some ideas that include themes for the convention, Web site ideas, and other creative marketing ideas—watch for them!

Please remain patient and, more importantly, positive as we strive to take our Association to a higher level of public awareness. We all value the importance of visiting with old friends and having fun at the Convention. We ask you to join us as we move to be a more positive and proactive Association, while retaining the camaraderie we all treasure so much. Help us help you.

See you in Chattanooga, if not before!

Your Farrier Industry Association

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How Do You Grow Your Business | by Rick Segel
If there is one question that I am asked more than anything else, it is the question about how to grow your business and take it to the next level. The answer is relatively simple, yet I am amazed at how few people look at their business in the way I am about to share.

1. Sell new customers your current products and services.

That seems to be the path that most businesses adopt. They are on the constant quest for new customers. There is nothing wrong with that. It's just that there are other ways to grow a business. I could write a quick 50 pages on the different techniques to employ here but that's not what this article is all about.

2. Sell your current customers more of your current products and services.

Many times we have customers who have the ability to buy more from us than they are buying. There are a few different methods to address this issue. First is to sharpen up your employees' selling skills. Are they suggesting additional items or are they just happy selling one item to a customer? Start to look more carefully at their UPT numbers. Units Per Transaction are the average of individual items that are sold per transaction. If  salesperson #1 waits on 3 customers  and sells the first customer one item, the second customer 2 items and the third customer 3 items, then the Units Per Transaction number would be 2. However, if Salesperson #2 also sold 3 customers but they only sold two of the customers one item and the third bought, their Units per Transaction would only be 1.3. You start to multiply that by 30 days in a month and over a year, you have a significant difference.  But that's only one approach. The other approach is to send messages to existing customers reminding them of things they might need or want. This is where a good database marketing system works effectively. It is not about sending slick advertising pieces but rather messages in the form of friendly reminders. Many times a simple message left on a customer's voice mail or answering machine is all it will take to bring that customer back into the store. This approach works equally as well in selling new products to old customers.

3. Sell your current customers new products or services

This is very similar to selling existing customers more of what you have, but the difference is you have a more compelling reason to communicate to them. New! That's the best reason of them all. People love new and different products. Are you constantly on the lookout for new and interesting products to offer your customers?

4. Sell new products and services to a new group of customers

This is very similar to selling your customers new products or services. The difference is you are now marketing to a brand new group of people. Years ago I added a department that just sold bridesmaid dresses. It was a new product line and a whole new set of customers. This is similar to starting an ecommerce business. You are targeting (in many cases) a brand new group of customers. The problem here is that it just takes time to develop. All of us get impatient and then lose interest. We get all excited about a new idea but we forget that it takes time to create the necessary buzz to make word of mouth advertising work.
Yes, we have all heard of the overnight successes and they do exist but those are more of the exception than the rule.

5. Buy it...expansion through buying another business

This is the approach taken by larger companies through mergers and acquisitions. Can it work for smaller businesses? Yes, but unless you have the right people you can trust, it will not work.

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Letter from the President
I’d like to say thank you. Thank you to all of those who have stepped up and given of their time to help this association. There is not room here to go back to the very beginning. So, I will start with our immediate past president Michael DeLeonardo and thank him for the splendid job he did for us in his year as FIA president. Michael has great leadership abilities and it was smooth sailing during his tenure.

Dave Erb is another past president of the FIA who has served many terms on the Board of Directors (BOD) and continues to chair the By-laws Committee. Thank you Dave for all of your years of service and your insightful input.

Richelle Hochstatter bravely implemented many new MarketPlace procedures as the chair of the MarketPlace Committee. Richelle’s tenure was short lived, as she had to step down due to personal reasons. Thank you Richelle for taking on the hard task of seeing through some tough policy decisions. Stepping up to the plate to co-chair the MarketPlace Committee are Marguerite Paige & Emily Schwartz. Marguerite has been an active member of the FIA serving as a director, treasurer, president and now as our current vice president. Her experience and grasp on issues have always been assets. Emily is in her first term as a director. Her exuberant personality has been an infectious influence in the running of the FIA. Emily also serves on the Marketing Committee. Thank you ladies for all of your work for our association. By the way, as of May 3rd Emily Schwartz is now Emily Bull. Congratulations!

Steve Hoselton, the man with the money, FIA treasurer that is. Steve is another past president currently serving the FIA in another capacity. Although Steve was new to the industry when he was asked to run for president, he never hesitated. Steve is not new to volunteer associations, he knows how things work and get things done. Thanks Steve -- you are a terrific resource to our group.

The most thankless job of any association has to be that of the secretary and are we ever fortunate to have Alice Musser to fill that position. Alice is always there with any bit of information we need along with fresh ideas and enthusiasm. Talk about ideas, Alice also chairs the Member Benefits Committee and just wait till you see some of the fantastic things she and her group have come up with. She also serves on the MarketPlace Committee. Alice, what would we do without you? Thanks for all that you do!

Molly Franco is the newest member of the FIA BOD. Molly is another relative newcomer to the industry. I don’t know Molly well, but look forward to working with her. I applaud her for stepping up and getting involved in her industry association. Molly serves on the Member Benefits Committee.

Two other committees — the Business Conference Committee and the newly formed Marketing Committee are chaired by Amy McLane-Fitzgerald and Tab Pigg respectively. Many of you know Amy and the bang-up job she has done in organizing thought-provoking conferences in new and exciting locations. Tab, the newest committee chair is very excited about the potential of the FIA and its influence in the equine world. Two good people for two very important jobs, I really appreciate their service!

If any of the membership would like to be more involved, please, don’t hesitate to contact any of these committee chairs or officers. Speaking of involvement there is one last committee chair to thank. Lee Green has been in charge of conducting FIA elections since its very beginning. That’s right, every year since 1986, Lee has made sure nominations were in, ballots sent out, and counted in a timely and professional manner. That’s dedication, Thanks Lee! Next year when Lee sends out those nominations forms, keep his involvement in mind and get your name on the ballot.

At the beginning of this novelette, I said there wasn’t room to thank everyone by name who has served the FIA, but I would be remiss not to mention those who sat in a room at the AFA convention held in Jackson, MS, in 1986 and formed this Association. This initial meeting was the brainchild of the late Jim Linzy and our friend Scott M. Colson. Thanks goes out to these two gentlemen for their vision and leadership.

Finally I need to thank you, the FIA membership, for having the faith in me to elect me as your president. I am honored to serve. I am very excited about the future of the FIA. As you can see by the list above, I am very lucky to have such a qualified and dedicated group of individuals as my fellow officers, board and committee members. I feel very confident that the FIA has some very thrilling times ahead. Thank all of you for being FIA members.

Bob Bachen
President, Farrier Industry Association

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MarketPlace News
We have completed yet another successful MarketPlace in Lexington, KY, and we are looking forward to even higher attendance for the coming year in Chattanooga, TN.

For those of you who may be unaware, Richelle Hochstatter has resigned from the MarketPlace Chair due to personal reasons.   Emily Schwarz with Monetta Farrier Specialties, and I will co-chair the MarketPlace preparations, move-in and move-out, ensuring a seamless MarketPlace for everyone.

Thank you to the Board Members, Committee Members and each of you who have offered suggestions for the continued growth of the FIA.  We have heard and recognized each suggestion and would like to take a moment to address a couple of them.

For the past three years, we’ve invited equine professionals, owners and enthusiasts to join us. The FIA Board feels we have a great marketing opportunity to the horse owner public and we are making every effort to make Chattanooga, TN, Horseman’s Day a huge success.  We have allocated marketing monies specifically for the growth of horse owner day and will direct-market to the horse owner public within the Chattanooga area.

For our upcoming FIA/AFA MarketPlace, we will continue to move forward with innovation and offer each attendee free food on one specified day inside the Markeplace.  During this scheduled time, all lectures will be paused to allow for the full benefit of traffic flow.

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming MarketPlace, please contact either Emily Schwarz or myself.

Respectfully,
Marguerite Paige

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New FIA Members
Champion Titanium Horseshoe Co.
Crossroads Farrier Supply
Evoshoe
Fastrack Conklin Company
Firefly Hollow Enterprise, LLC.
Gallery B & White Horse Jewelry
Gemini Farrier Toolbox, LLC.
IHorseshoe.Inc
Kaeco Group Inc.
Mobile Milling Service, Inc.
NTRA Advantage
Penn Equine Gear, Inc.
Premier Equine Health Products, Ltd.
Promat, Inc.
ReLiv International
Scottsdale Farrier Supply South
Sound Horse Technologies
Southern Forge
Sparkles
Temagami Outfitting Company
Thoroughbred Times