Sales Lists on Web pages

[Getitia]

We don't update on our own site, but rather pay for that service. A couple of years ago, when I was just marking "sold" on each of our horses listed on the sales page as it was cheaper and easier for "me" to do so - a customer wrote and shared with me that this practice is like visiting a retail store - with row after row of merchandise - nicely displayed - however you can't purchase anything that is "marked sold" and some things were sold years ago - but some things are not sold , I'll just let you the customer figure it out since you have plenty of time to do so. And dont' be disappointed when you see something you would have really liked to have purchased now - but missed out on (feel good about that one) - just keep walking up and down the aisle and try to figure it out. I'm displaying all of the stuff I have sold this year or in past years so you will see what a good sales person I am - please come back if you like something you see today that is marked sold - I may or may not have something similar in the future. Enjoy spending your time looking up and down the rows of merchandise - trying to find "something I have not yet sold" and thank you for stopping by to visit.

This person then asked me if I would ever go back to that store? After hearing that explaination as it made sense to me, I now pay the extra to have our sold horses removed immediately when sold.

- I'm wondering how many people like to scroll through a sales page of horses that are marked sold? As opposed to going to a link of "sold" horses. Perhaps the above customer who wrote to me is unusual and the majority really prefers the practice of just putting "sold" on the sales horses.

 

[mgtman]

Would like an opinion. We move all our sold horses off our sales page but they stay on the pages of the sex of the horses, stallions, geldings, mares, foals. If you click on our sale page it is current with only horses for sale. If you click on the foal page, for example, all the foals appear including those for sale, sold, and currently not for sale. Sold horses stay for 9 months on these pages and are then deleted. Do you feel this is acceptable? Thanks, Bob :saludando:

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

That's an interesting point I wouldn't have thought of

sometimes it costs a lot of money to change a website, even if its something simple. I do my own and that has its own problems (hence why I haven't updated it with my new horse or anything else in the last three months).

 

[HGFarm]

My sold horses that are still on my sales page are at the bottom. The ones currently for sale are always at the top, so no one has to scroll through info to find them.

I do understand about folks having to pay someone to update their sites (ouch) and the cost involved. But for sites not to be updated for well over a year or more when they are currently advertising horses for sale seems a bit much.. when you can't find a pic ANYwhere on the site of the horse they are selling.

Just edited to say: Getitia, if you left ALL your horses on your site, it would be ok with me cause yes I love to drool over them all, LOL

 

[Dona]

I understand that everyone has things that bother them.....I do too. (Sites that are 2-3 years out of date for one!

: ) But I actually enjoy seeing what breeders have bred AND sold. Let's me know what I might expect in a future foal. And it doesn't matter to me if they are all on the same page. If I'm really interested, I certainly wouldn't leave the site just because they didn't have a separate page for "sold" ones. And I have terribly slow dial-up & it takes me much longer to view sites than most of you!

As others have mentioned, there are varying reasons why people do this, and I can understand each one.

Heck...no matter what you do, you aren't going to please everyone. There are some who say they HATE music on the websites. Well, I enjoy hearing the music that accompanies different web pages, and I also have it on "some" of mine.

If your site is pleasing to the eye, easy to navigate, and doesn't take hours to download....then you are ahead of the game, and don't worry about pleasing EVERYONE.

:

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Getitia you put it perfectly! That is exactly how I feel and I've had others tell me the same when visiting a site with all solds! If it's all solds on a sales page or outdated and years old, I'm gone. If I want to know what was sold, I'll go to that page.

As for everyone mentioning it costs money to have your site updated - yes it does, but it is the 'window' to your business isn't it? Assuming most are selling their minis for a decent price, a monthly or quarterly update will keep your site fresh and hardly break the bank unless your webmaster is charging way to much!

To me, a fairly current site (at least within a few months) is part of doing business. The same as having all paperwork for a sale current - I hate paperwork that isn't completed or not done, etc. I wouldn't send a horses to a new home with an old worn halter either.

Someone had asked about keeping foals on that have been sold. We have a (example) 2005 foals - all are still there as they were born that year regardless of current status. But on the sales list only horses FOR SALE go there!

 

[Getitia]

Dona good point on not being able to please everyone - totally agree

: - My concern in asking the question is the customer focus aspect and what customers want to view, where and how. Our goal has always been to make it quick, easy (to upload) with the prices listed for customers visiting any horses we offer for sale - with up to date clear photos, brief information and so forth.

So I'll put you down on the side for no problem in viewing a sales page with the horses marked sold. I'm wondering if it would matter how many are on the sales listing that are marked sold - I'm thinking that 4 or 5 sold horses out of 20 may be viewed different than 30 or 40 marked sold with only 2 available? Even if those sold were broken out by mare/gelding/stallion. Is one years worth of "sold" horses acceptable - or two or three years worth of sold horses? Interesting discussion and really appreciate the different viewpoints.

I too am out in the country and have a new computer however old technology dial up (I suspect many rural families do as well since high speed is not easily available). A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting a web site and it took about 8 minutes on my computer for all of the photos to come up - and I'm guessing there were about 14 horses on the sales listing - all but 2 were marked sold.

Bob, I don't mind the sold on the foals pages at all and actually expect that to occur. It is a separate link typically and not advertised as "For Sale". To me that is a great way to showcase your offspring.

HGFarm - thank you

:

Edited to add: I was PMed by an individual who said he didn't want to post this information - however he works in a marketing role for a major company and shared his view - having a "for sale" button is "advertising" the item for sale - not already sold - as horses advertised in this manner and not being available for purchase can be perceived as false advertising (or would be in the retail world) . A customer enters a "sale page" expecting to find the listed horses (items) for sale - not sold - especially if the site also uses a "sold" link. Interesting viewpoint and one I had not thought of previous.

 

[Nathan Luszcz]

Yes, a website can be the window into your business, but there are companies out there that PREY on small businesses. They host your site, design it, etc. For a simple change, that would take 10 minutes, they can charge you upwards of $60. If you update a few times a week depending on how many animals that is, that adds up fast! And we all know how tight margins are in horse businesses... I plainly have no excuse to my site

but I can imagine how difficult that can make things for people who have hired companies like that. Plus then you have to explain how exactly you want it done, etc, and sometimes it just slips by. I mean, I hate it too, but I understand it. But DEFINATELY, I mean, at least once a year, PLEASE update your site, lol. I was just updating our vendor list for the short course participants and I came across one family of companies (MAJOR breeding supply companies) that look like they had a total of one update, back in 2001. Coming soon is slightly past, if your site is five years old and you have a total of six products advertised. (out of hundreds)

 

[Dona]

Dona good point on not being able to please everyone - totally agree

: - My concern in asking the question is the customer focus aspect and what customers want to view, where and how. Our goal has always been to make it quick, easy (to upload) with the prices listed for customers visiting any horses we offer for sale - with up to date clear photos, brief information and so forth.

So I'll put you down on the side for no problem in viewing a sales page with the horses marked sold. I'm wondering if it would matter how many are on the sales listing that are marked sold - I'm thinking that 4 or 5 sold horses out of 20 may be viewed different than 30 or 40 marked sold with only 2 available? Even if those sold were broken out by mare/gelding/stallion. Is one years worth of "sold" horses acceptable - or two or three years worth of sold horses? Interesting discussion and really appreciate the different viewpoints.

I too am out in the country and have a new computer however old technology dial up (I suspect many rural families do as well since high speed is not easily available). A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting a web site and it took about 8 minutes on my computer for all of the photos to come up - and I'm guessing there were about 14 horses on the sales listing - all but 2 were marked sold.

Bob, I don't mind the sold on the foals pages at all and actually expect that to occur. It is a separate link typically and not advertised as "For Sale". To me that is a great way to showcase your offspring.

HGFarm - thank you

:

Edited to add: I was PMed by an individual who said he didn't want to post this information - however he works in a marketing role for a major company and shared his view - having a "for sale" button is "advertising" the item for sale - not already sold - as horses advertised in this manner and not being available for purchase can be perceived as false advertising (or would be in the retail world) . A customer enters a "sale page" expecting to find the listed horses (items) for sale - not sold - especially if the site also uses a "sold" link. Interesting viewpoint and one I had not thought of previous.

You mentioned something that is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves Getitia. Sales pages that do NOT list prices. When I see that....I don't waste my time looking. I want to know right off the bat, what the asking price is...don't want to have to e-mail for it. :no: I'm glad to see that listing prices is one of the "goals" of your site that you mentioned. :aktion033:

 

[Tami]

Here is what bothers me about some pages. I go to the sales page and see a horse that wow's me and I inquire to find that the horse HAS been sold but the page doesn't say it has. I went to one site that I like several horses on. There were probably 10-12 horses on the page and when I inquired the owner said that all the horses on the sales page had been sold. Now that was last winter, they are STILL on the sales page now. I don't mind seeing a horse marked sold, I know not to inquire but to have a sales page that everything is sold and still looks like they are for sale will make me not want to go back. I hate inquiring about a horse on a sales page to find it was sold and it is not marked or removed.

 

[disneyhorse]

I am currently in the market for a Modern Shetland and I REALLY can't understand why a farm doesn't want a few thousand dollars from me (for the price of just a few to get their sales page updated).

Either the sales page has NONE of the horses for sale on it "yet" or it just says "please contact us to see what we have for sale" (and really, I don't want to take the time to contact, wait for a response, then request pictures and information and then find out it's not at all what I"m looking for and have to tell them that, when it could EASILY be put on a website for me to see within seconds).

I don't want to see SOLD horses I want to see what the farm HAS FOR SALE RIGHT NOW because I want a PONY RIGHT NOW!

Andrea