Is sales a struggle for you? Learn from The Plaid Horse publisher Piper Klemm PhD how sales in the equestrian industry are built on trust, relationships, and long-term connections rather than quick transactions.
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
Sales. Most horse business owners will tell me, “I get horses and even some people but I don’t get marketing and I definitely don’t like feeling salesy.”
We all know the analogy of the pushy used car salesman – nobody wants to be known as that guy. Me either!
But, the reality is, that to build a sustainable equine business, you need to learn how to sell.
Without sales, where’s your income? Without income, where’s your profit? And, without profit, where’s your business?
The good news is that sales, when done well, doesn’t have to feel salesy. And, most people are better at sales than they realize because they’re good at relationship building.
That’s why I’m thrilled to bring back a guest from Episode 41, Piper Klemm from The Plaid Horse, the premier horse show magazine in the hunter/jumper community.
In this conversation with Piper, you’ll discover sales strategies for equestrian entrepreneurs. Uncover what she’s learned about sales over the past 12 years of publishing a magazine, not to mention the years before that she spent buying and selling horses in the hunter/jumper space.
Plus, learn how sales in the equestrian industry are built on trust, relationships, and long-term connections rather than quick transactions. Isn’t that a relief?!
4 Sales Strategies for Equestrian Entrepreneurs
Reframe failure.
When you hear the word “no” learn to not take it personally. There are many factors at play here, and if you take it personally, you’ll stop making the ask.
If you can focus on learning from every “no” and not see it as a personal rejection of you, then you’ll be more willing to make the ask — and keep asking.
Be consistent.
As Piper said, “People who are good at things have repetition at a scale that you cannot imagine.” You often know this is true when it comes to riding or training or performing, but have you ever thought about it from the perspective of making the pitch and building your sales muscle?
Get on the phone more. Make the ask more. Give yourself the opportunity to grow by making the pitch consistently.
Practice the pitch.
Speaking of pitching, don’t let the actual meeting be the first time you put the words together to make the ask. Prepare ahead of time and then practice with trusted friends, team members, or family members. Be teachable! Ask them to critique your delivery and give you specific feedback. Then, practice again.
You can also build your sales skills (and confidence) by practicing your delivery on lower energy, lower impact things that will prepare you for the bigger pitches you want to make.
Keep the end game in mind. (Give it time.)
Being good at sales ultimately comes down to being good at relationships. Whether in a one-on-one or virtual setting, when you are only there for the sale, people can see through that. But, when you are there to truly build relationships and serve people and horses, they can also see that. Sometimes that means the sale will come immediately.
Sometimes that means it won’t be a good fit for you both until years later. But, a good salesperson can keep the relationship going in an honest, authentic way so that when it is a good fit, they choose to invest in you and your business.
Sales is just one piece of the marketing puzzle, but it's an important one. And, you'll sell better when you know your audience well. That's why knowing your audience is the first step to success in my FREE guide. 👇
Of course, you'll want to listen to the full episode to dig into each of the insights shared and discover how you can apply each one in your horse business!
Ready to set your equine business up for long-term success? Take the Reins 1:1 Coaching will give you a step-by-step roadmap to get there.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
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