The brand of a business is the sum total of its services, marketplace reputation, day-to-day practices, ability to get the job done and meet the customer’s expectations. In a nutshell, it’s how existing and potential clients understand what you do and how you can help them.
In Part One (Pages 61 to 64 in the January/February 2013 issue of American Farriers Journal), we looked at various brand features and characteristics, and how to begin establishing your own brand whether you’re new to the industry or a longtime shoer. In this issue, we’ll examine how two farriers have branded their own businesses and what they do to maintain those brands on a daily basis.
Many Irons In This Shoer’s Fire
Located in the area of Big Timber, Mont., Dr. Katie Cosgriff of MT ChiroSports is a fourth generation farrier who’s been shoeing for 16 years in the northwestern United States. She also is board certified as a human/animal chiropractor and a certified strength and conditioning coach. Cosgriff’s equine interests extend to driving and jumping. These not only shaped her personal interests and her career but also how she runs her business.
“I have a passion for such a variety of things — that’s why I have my website, so I can include information on all the things I’m involved in and all the services I offer,” she says. “It allows people to absorb the details over time. When you first meet people, their attention span can only absorb so much information, so I give them my business card and tell them they can go online to learn more.”
That approach to sharing information about her footcare business is something Cosgriff is very aware of when it comes to how she markets herself.
“I’m not one to try to sell people on my passions or push things on them, but I’ll talk with anyone to any level of detail if they’re interested, such as how the tendons in the foot relate to the muscle balance in the rest of the horse,” she says. “I let people come to me, and then if they ask about something they’re curious about or interested in that I’m doing, I might bring it into the conversation.”
When Branding Is Personal
One benefit of having such a multi-faceted practice is that Cosgriff’s horseshoeing clients often become her chiropractic and strength-coaching clients, and vice versa.
“Some farriers focus on one product or idea, and they put everything into it and that works for them. I have a wider variety of services and a seasonally-based business, so I’m under less pressure than most. There’s time for people to get to trust me, something that’s important in an agricultural area where building a business depends very much on word of mouth and who knows you.”
Cosgriff’s clients have priority and they know it (she’s sometimes shod horses in a garage at 11 p.m. so clients could move cattle the next day). Because of that trust, they also understand when she’s occasionally needed on her family’s ranch on short notice.
“A lot of my clients know that when things happen on a ranch, it’s often dependent on the weather I might have only a few days heads up. Although to avoid problems I make sure to find out about show dates or when they need to have something done,” she says, adding that she doesn’t hesitate to “make it right” if problems arise.
“If I’m late due to my error, I just give a discount as I’m writing out the bill and explain that it’s due to my mistake. It doesn’t happen often, so I don’t worry about it.”
Her Marketing Toolkit
Cosgriff’s branding approach includes fair business practices and consistent follow-through on promises, a willingness to educate her clientele, keeping her website information current and being active in her community. She’s only recently gotten onto Facebook, and while her website is through Farrier’s United, she still does a lot of her record keeping and invoicing on paper. That’s something she’s working to change.
In the past, she’s sent Christmas cards that included her business card as a refrigerator magnet. When she’s competing in sporting events or other activities, she’s also self-advertising. “I’m getting to know people, and they’re getting to know me,” she says.
However, her brand continues to evolve over time. One recent change is a trademark for her business name, and she’s shifted away from her self-designed logo (a horseshoe with a snowboarder in it) to instead focus on photographic images of mountains or Montana life.
“I just got approved for MT ChiroSports, and to me that encompasses everything I do — the people, the horses and the dogs. It’s whatever keeps you working and playing in Montana!”
As for promotional tools, Cosgriff has found the use of business cards and a website to be a winning combination for her practice.
“The website is a tool that a client will forward to a friend as a link. Having that website also means that if someone is intrigued, they can go and check me out, and see if they agree or disagree with the information before they go further.”
Trimming Under The Big Top
Mike Hayward got his start in the foot business in a big way — he’s a former elephant trainer and “pedicurist” with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He also has worked in a number of wildlife and safari parks and zoos, taking care of the feet of these giants.
As his career progressed, Hayward spent time-sharing knowledge with other foot professionals including equine farriers. After attending the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School and graduating at the top of his class, he now shoes horses in California’s Bay Area, with a focus on hunters and jumpers (including a number of successful 3-day eventers) and lameness/therapeutic cases.
Hayward says he’s built his business on what he discovered in farrier school. Punctuality and thoroughness is part of his brand.
“When I was in horseshoeing school, I learned that the number one client complaint is that shoers don’t show up, or they don’t stick to appointments or even make them,” he says. “If you can make appointments and pick up the phone to call people, whether you’re running late or just returning customer messages, you’re already ahead.”
Hayward, like other farriers who call to notify clients of tardiness, gives a time frame for when he will arrive.
“Unless you’re the first appointment of the day, I won’t know exactly what time I’ll get there, but I can provide a 2-hour window.”
Technology Is This Farrier’s Friend
To reinforce his brand traits of proactive client communication, reliability and organized business processes, Hayward has embraced a variety of electronic tools to help him smoothly run his business. That includes keeping clients in the loop on his whereabouts.
California farrier Mike Hayward finds that clients wearing clothing with his logos and his vanity license plate are effective contributions to the development of his brand.
“I have a GPS with all my clients’ addresses programmed in. As my day progresses, I can call or text them with a more precise arrival time,” he notes, adding that his iPad also receives daily use.
Every first-time client fills out an information sheet that Hayward developed. This completed form provides phone numbers, email addresses, barn location, veterinarian and emergency information, etc. He then creates a record for each client so he’s got the information and uses it at each appointment.
“While my associate farrier, Fernando Roman, is finishing up, I take the client to my rig ‘office.’ We go over things on my iPad, and I give them one of my business cards every time. When I get home, I sync my iPad with my home computer and my mobile phone and then I send bills by email using an online billing system called Invoice2Go.”
The Electronic Bill
Converting to an Internet-based invoicing system has had several benefits, including sending invoices directly to each client’s email inbox and avoiding negative confrontations from overdue notices delivered in person. It’s also helped Hayward better understand his bottom line.
“I used to do my billing the old-fashioned way, but having all the information in different places made things really difficult. Once I put it all together, it showed me things like who owes me money, how much I’m owed and how long it’s overdue,” he says.
“I shoe too many horses to drive around looking for checks. If clients owe me money I try not to shoe that horse until I’m paid. That’s something I also tell clients at the beginning, so they know what to expect.”
Hayward’s use of technology extends to how he gets paid, too. Offering multiple payment options is a convenience for his customers, but he’s also benefitted, through more timely payments.
“There’s a link on my email bills, and clients can pay me directly through PayPal by clicking on that link. I also use the Square credit card reader [via an attachment to his smartphone] which accepts all major credit cards, or someone can mail me a check if they prefer,” he adds. “I get dinged a little [via fees] with the credit cards or PayPal, but it’s better to get paid sooner rather than later.”
Striking A Balance
Hayward has also embraced Facebook, with a personal page plus one for his business. In addition, he owns a miniature horse (Bam Bam) and maintains a Facebook page for him, too.
“Bam Bam’s page is a fun way to connect with people, but on my professional page I’ll post things like an article or something I’ve read. I’ll also use Facebook to get in touch with other farriers,” he reports.
While Hayward has added his name to several online farrier directories, a common approach for shoers today, he feels a business website is a must.
“If I need to shop for something or find someone to do something for me, I go to my smartphone or my computer and do an Internet search. It’s what most people do now,” he says. “We’re in the service industry; you have to let people into your world, let them see that you’re a nice guy. A good website is a way to do that.”
One of his website features is a “Respective Responsibilities” document he adapted from the one at Esco Buff’s site (www.escobuff.com). “It’s such a great idea and helps weed out prospective clients that aren’t a good fit. Many thanks to Esco for coming up with the idea, and for allowing me to use it.”
And lest you think that all of this shoer’s branding happens virtually, rest assured that he’s also attentive to the in-person details.
“I keep a professional image, with clean clothes and a clean, well-organized rig. I’m British, and my license plate is “UKSHOER,” so from the moment I pull up people know what I’m about,” Hayward adds.
Name recognition also extends to what he wears — Hayward’s had polo shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts printed with his name, logo, website and phone number on them. He sells them to clients in addition to wearing them as a uniform, but his primary focus is on building a professional, easily known identity.
“Every time we go out in the truck, we wear our ‘uniform.’ I think a lot of farriers, when they’re at a barn, you don’t really know who they are. For me, when my name is on the back of my shirt, people can call me by my name and that builds familiarity and comfort for them.”
These farriers built a positive reputation over time, paying attention to the details and making sure they live up to that reputation on a daily basis. The good news is anyone can use a similar strategy — just be sure your brand qualities and marketing tools honestly and authentically reflect you and your horseshoeing practice.
Why is that authenticity important? It’s because the “equestrian grapevine” is still alive and well today. Horse owners talk to each other, and word will get around about your business practices.
Are you frequently late to appointments when your website says you’re always on time? Do you treat horses with the care and concern that their owners would appreciate? Do your clients feel good about you at every interaction and recommend you to others? Focus on what’s positive and true in developing your brand, and evaluate your behavior regularly to see how you’re measuring up.
Shortcuts can be tempting, however, if you think simply adopting the tactics of others is a good idea, think again. Without investing the time and self-assessment efforts needed to develop a well-respected brand or business reputation, that approach could backfire, or at least could become a burden.
