Our approach to selling rams has totally changed over recent years
No trimming or pampering, but plenty of performance. Our ram selling starts now and will last until early November, writes Robyn Hulme.
Although as a family we have been selling Suffolk rams for 60 years, our approach to selling changed totally seven years ago.
In the old days we would attend the summer shows in order to promote our stock. The West Mid, where the Suffolk competition was always ferocious, was followed by trips to the Royals and other local shows.
Our rams were mainly sold by auction, starting with the big pedigree breed society sales and ending with Builth Wells in September. Appearance was key to successful sales, so massive effort was spent in washing, dipping and trimming.
Everything is now so different. We still go out to promote our sheep but now it is to specific sheep industry technical events.
This year we have had a stand at events in Carmarthen, Dingwall, Harrogate and Devon and we still have to go to Northern Ireland and the Royal Welsh.
Not only do we display our own sheep but we also show customers' sheep with lambs sired by our rams in the different areas.
So in Wales we showed Welsh ewes with lambs by our Suffolk and Texel rams whilst in Scotland it was the turn of a North Country Cheviot ewe and her Suffolk-sired lambs, brought 100 miles south from Thurso by a client to go on our stand.
Apart from these events we are using all sorts of other ways to promote ourselves. We send regular summer and winter newsletters to clients and to anyone who has appeared to be a potential client.
Our website brought nearly 30 new sales last year and on the advice of the younger generation I have just embraced Facebook and Twitter, although this is proving a bit of a challenge for someone of my advancing years!
However, the biggest change is the actual selling process. Every sheep is now sold off the farm and over 40 per cent are sold to people who have not even visited us but just ring up and order their rams.
No trimming or pampering but plenty of performance data and discussion about how a particular animal will best meet the needs of that particular client. At the end of the day there is probably as much work as there ever has been in achieving sales, but it is just a different kind of work.
* Robyn Hulme, from Pikesend Farm in Ellesmere, is founder of Easyrams – the United Kingdom's only NZ Suffolk breeders
