Kyle Pérez with Pérez Cattle Company and Tonya Pérez with Pérez Cattle Company AgTown Technologies, a marketing and web and graphic design company, told me what they felt made a successful livestock sale.
After many years of working together to put on successful production sales for their Hereford operation, they know the “do’s and don’ts” of a great sale. From a breeder standpoint, Kyle says, “A good product, breeding program and sought-after genetics helps bring people to your sale. You also need to be a sound breeder with honesty and integrity.”
Kyle hosts his sale in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and thinks it is good for customers to be familiar with their program. He also adds, “If the quality is there, people will come.“ The day before the sale is crucial to having a successful sale. Kyle centers his day around making sure the cattle are well presented for potential buyers.
The logistics
Aaron Kiser of Wilkes Ranch prepares most of his paperwork well before the sale so he can focus solely on the cattle the day before. Tonya provided an insight into what goes on with the advertising and administrative paperwork. The week before the sale she sends e-blasts to buyers to remind them of the sale and promote the sale across all social media outlets.
The day before the sale, she makes sure all tables and chairs are organized and ready for the meal, the penning sheets are ready, and the different methods of bidding during the sale are good to go.
During sale day, Kyle makes sure cattle are comfortable, fed and penned correctly. Kiser starts sale day at 4 a.m. to sort cattle into their sale pens and do final checks to make sure everyone is prepared. It’s also very crucial for the owner to be on hand to meet and greet new and old customers so you have plenty of time to have their questions answered and make them feel comfortable.
“The key to a successful sale is quality livestock and a well-organized marketing plan,” Kyle says. Tonya adds, “A consistent and professional look with your marketing really helps you stick out. Your pictures are worth a thousand words. If it is done right and well, it will aid in your success.”
Jared Shipman of Shipwreck Cattle Company operates a comprehensive livestock marketing service. He deals mainly in registered and high-quality production sales. He explained the process of coming onto someone’s ranch and the logistics of setting up for a sale.
Shipman begins by evaluating the quality of the cattle in order to develop a marking strategy that will best benefit his customers.
One thing Shipman stresses is, “Initial ads and presentation are everything.” If people aren’t drawn to it, they probably aren’t going to give it much attention.
Shipman’s typical services include helping his customers navigate the potential obstacles of planning and putting on a sale, such as good organization and presentation of the cattle for viewing, creating a sale order, disseminating the information to potential buyers and videoing the cattle. He also helps sellers transfer registration papers to buyers and getting animals insured if the buyer desires.
Shipman is unique in that he videos the cattle beforehand and has monitors set up in front of the auction block on sale day showing the video of the current lot selling.
This helps him move the sale along more quickly, reduces the risk of injury to animals and people, and creates a lower-stress environment. The only downside is not being able to see cattle in person at the time of bidding, although cattle are available to view prior to the sale.
Shipman, being a licensed auctioneer, says this helps “give him more validity as a businessperson,” also adding, “The more detailed you can be, the better suggestions you can make.”
Shipman explains how having amenities such as clean restrooms, dinner or a concert helps bring more people to a sale. He says, ”The concert and dinner help promote fellowship and cultivate the atmosphere of a big event. Any extras you can provide for your customers make it a good event, period.”
Making sure your customers are taken care of is the number one priority when hosting or helping host a sale.
Moving to online marketing
With many producers moving toward their production and feeder calf marketing online, Clint Petzold of SC Online Sales says the basics remain the same; it boils down to “simply customer service.” He also says, “We treat our customers the way we would want to be treated, and we focus on selling and promoting their cattle as if they were our own.”
Expense and exposure are some of the advantages he feels marketing online instead of in person allows you to have. Online marketing has already changed the cattle marketing landscape, Petzold says. “Online sales allow the breeders who might not have the most recognizable name in the industry to still get their cattle in front of a large number of buyers.”
“Before online sales, these buyers wouldn’t make the drive to just anyone’s place to view their set of cattle. Online sales benefit everyone, from the largest purebred operations to the smallest producers.”
Petzold explains how they tackled the obstacle of servicing the marketing needs of their customers when distance is a problem. He says, “We typically have an SC Online Sales representative evaluate the livestock so we can be that outside source of information from the buyer and represent the cattle to the best of our ability. As a team, we work together for the seller and the buyer.”
SC Online sales provides top of the line technology from the videos and pictures to the programming required to conduct a sale and take bids online. 
Stephanie Lastovica Marburger is a freelance writer based in Texas.
