How to compete with a well established taxidermist already in my region..

Stop competing with him.

Though you may think that's a smartassed reply, you have to understand that taxidermsits don't compete with YOU for anything. They compete for customers and they win customers by one of two things: quality or price. Sadly in today's word, price tends to overpower quality but eventually you'll gain QUALITY CUSTOMERS if you demand quality service and production. I have never "competed" with anyone. I chose that path because I insisted on getting a fair price in return for an honest effort Some of my best personal friends are local taxidermists and when one of us gets in a bind (as all of us do eventually) I'm glad I have them to count on.

"Competition" is a mind set. Only you can decide if you want to play or not.

 

I'm not in the business, so others know way more about your situation than I.

But I own a business in a very competitive industry. When we started almost 3 yrs. ago we wondered the same thing, "How do we get recognized".. First we did a website and along with that, paid a little extra to Manta, Weblistings and Traffic Booster help us "get found" in a web search. We didn't want to be buried on Pg. 200 of a search. We did a couple newspaper ads and I beat on a lot of doors too. The newsprint ads did nothing measurable for us. The website has been working and we have had multiple hits from 17 Countries and 24 States. The net is the new phone book, you need a site and direct people to it. I give out or just "forget" pens all over the place with our contact info on them.

The website has brought us 2 good clients so it's paid for itself many times over. But what really boosted our business was when we finally attended an industry trade show. That got us face to face with our potential clients. More than anything, that has made the difference.

Another thing we did this year was sponsor an ad on a Sports Calendar for the local HS. That calendar is a 2x3 poster that goes home with every student in school. There are 16 sports schedules on there and our ad is in front of a lot of parents who are or know potential clients. 1 hit and that ad pays off. Our Little League sells space for a sign on the outfield fence. That gets your name in front of a lot of hunters. Maybe thats an option. You have to be creative.

So bottom line is I don't know how you apply any of that in a taxidermy setting, but there's a few ideas of what we did. If you have any outdoor shows I would try to attend and introduce yourself to your customers. You have to find away to offer something better/different (other than price) like Customer service, turn around times, better final product, something. Get involved and be seen with whatever/wherever you can afford. It took us well over a year to get firm. More like 2 years, but it's starting to pay off.

Good Luck

 

LOL You've done better than some of our "homies" on here, but you'd better check that goose. You sure it was really a "canadian" or did it fly up there from our resident flocks?

 

Put out the highest quality work you can and improve on that every season. Charge for your work and don't worry about what others are doing. Have a good work ethic and take care of your clients, you will do just fine.

 

Completing work in a timely manner will win you over more clients than you can imagine. I have someone in my shop every week telling of having a specimen at another taxidermist for 3-5 years. Everything I take in with a full deposit goes out in less than a year, average turnaround is 6 months. My fiscal year is from Oct 1-Sept 30. By Jan 1 following the end of the fiscal year, the only things left are specimens waiting on deposits.

 

As far as the price on the goose. Do you have prices listed on the wall?

Ask the butcher or anywhere you think your name will be seen if you can advertise. Dont forget about your everyday transportation. Big sticker with your name, phone number and town. Even small freebie ones to customers will make it on a few cars.

 

I'm not a taxidermist, but I have owned a small business and I worked in advertising for small businesses and the best advice I can offer is this: Advertise to your customers. This is the biggest mistake I see small business owners make. It's much easier and cheaper to get an existing customer to come back than it is to find a new one. Send out christmas cards, thank you notes and a friendly reminder or two throughout the year, something that says "Hey there, remember us? We remember you, and we appreciate your business." Newsletters, emails, etc... When I was a small business owner I made a habit of calling my customers personally to make sure they were happy with my product, and those calls resulted in sales. Lots of sales. Don't worry too much about annoying people, most of your customers will be happy to hear from you a few times a year, especially if they enjoyed doing business with you. Consider using some kind of contact management tool so that you know when your customers made a purchase, what services they use, how often they use your services and how often you have contacted them. All competent small business owners know their customers well and maintain a relationship that goes beyond the exchange of money for services.