Six suggestions that will entice customers to choose your barn as home for their horses.
By Kaycie Timm
When it comes to selecting a training facility, your potential customers face a multitude of options. First impressions can mean the difference between gaining a new customer and developing a negative reputation. So how can you create an enticing atmosphere that’ll keep current clients happy and attract new customers? Present a pleasing facility by making your barn attractive, safe and functional, and avoid common blunders by adhering to these simple standards.
We spoke with non pros, owners, and pros—Leslie Weibel, Lyndsey Jordan, Rick Clark, Patrick Flaherty, and Kole Price—to see what really matters when attracting customers to your barn and keeping them for the long haul. Here are the six top tips.
Part 1: Make Cleanliness a Priority
Part 6: Create Separate Spaces
Create Separate Spaces
Why it matters: In a full-service facility, different horses and riders often conduct various tasks simultaneously. Thus, allotting separate areas for specific activities—such as wash racks, a grooming space, and an office—keeps the barn running smoothly and helps avoid unnecessary conflict. While flexible spaces offer some benefits as well, clearly defined spaces allow assistants, customers, veterinarians, and farriers to conduct important duties without interference. And, including areas designed for owners to watch their horses in the arena or relax with fellow non pros encourages a relaxed, friendly environment.
Non pro observations: Clark appreciates keeping his horses in a facility with separate areas for different activities.
“I like a place with good wash racks, a good area for the when the veterinarian comes, and a farrier area. All that stuff shouldn’t meld in the same place.”
Clark also finds having an office extremely beneficial in creating a strong relationship with his trainer and developing a plan for success.
“It’s nice to be able to get out of the barn and sit down with your trainer,” Clark shares.
In Ohio, where temperatures drop low in the winter and soar in the summer, Jordan relies on indoor wash racks to keep her horses ready for competition.
“Wash racks are really important,” Jordan says. “I love having hot and cold water.”
Without this additional area in her trainer’s barn, cleaning horses after a workout would prove a daunting task, especially in the cold winter months.
Professional perspective: At his facility, Price’s tack room includes a gathering place for customers, complete with a fridge and countertops. But, for those who’d rather relax in an area away from horse equipment, he provides an office space as well as a viewing room and kitchenette. Outside, a patio area located beside the arena offers another place for his clients to mingle.
“I want them to feel like they can hang out as long as they want,” Price says. “That welcoming environment is what makes people comfortable and makes them want to come back.”
By offering a variety of separate areas to suit different needs, Price has created a facility that promotes a healthy balance of productivity and relaxation for his customers.
Read the rest of this article at the links above.
