Promotion = Communication.   A communication model widely used in business marketing is AIDA; attention, interest, desire, and action.  Your great photos have brought the viewer's attention to your ad, your text has further increased interest and started the potential buyer thinking, "That's a nice horse!"  We've all found ourselves daydreaming of a particular saddle, horse, or whatever we have been wanting to acquire.  If your ad has perked up that interest, and gotten the viewer specifically interested in what you are selling, you're very close to SOLD! 

BUT!...How to remove any roadblocks to the potential buyer taking action to become the new owner of your offering? Can they contact you easily? Will they get clear answers to their questions and concerns? Will they enjoy doing business with you?  Will they tell their friends how well things went during the process, and be back when you have other horses or items for sale?

First, can they reach you?  A downside to doing business on the internet that we've all encountered is the spam, and all the email providers' spam-blocking efforts.  They generally do block spam, but may block legitimate correspondence as well.  BAENmail is sent from our server so that the advertiser's email is never shown.  Some email services will see the message from an inquiry, via BAEN, as spam and block it. Your best bet is to use one of the free, web-based email providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail for your internet business use.  Your current email service may be fine; please check via a test email from your ad if you have concerns.  To do away with email problems completely, check the "don't show email" box next to the email field on your ad's submission form.  This removes the "send email to advertiser" link from your ad's text; if you choose this option you must include at least one phone number or a web site address so buyers can contact you.  Using a telephone number or two is always smart; there are many buyers who are more comfortable using the telephone than using email, so multiple options increase the chance they'll make the effort to get in touch. Plus it's a good idea to have more than one contact method as a backup.  We're always willing to help solve contact problems.

Good information and developing trust get things off to a good start with a potential buyer, but there may need to be a bit of persuasion as well, especially in a very competitive market.  Almost no-one likes to "sell", but what can you offer?  Indoor arena to try the horse if it's rainy or hot?  Meet the buyer part way if you're at a distance from each other?  Throw in another goodie if they're looking at tack?  Price reduction?  Include delivery in the price?  It helps to think of what has worked to get you to buy something.  It can feel a little gimmicky, but is worth figuring out how you might sweeten the deal to get the sale done.

Once you've done your best at sharing information, helping the potential buyer to feel comfortable, baiting the hook a bit better, then don't forget to persevere.  Especially with smaller items, a potential buyer may get busy and finalizing the purchase may slip down their list of priorities.  A follow-up call or email never hurts, and most people will appreciate the reminder.

With good product preparation, grabby photos, text that builds interest, sensible pricing, going the extra mile to communicate well with potential buyers, and persisting in your efforts, you'll succeed in making your sales. 

Last but not least.... CONGRATULATIONS On Your Sale! Use the View/Modify link on your user control panel to mark your ads SOLD when your transactions are complete. You can also modify your ad title or text to include a short Congratulations message to your buyer. This is a nice courtesy to our visitors and excellent exposure for YOU, especially if you're advertising other horses or items on BAEN.  

Please feel free to ask BAEN staff for any assistance we can offer, we're always glad to help. Email us at info@bayequest.com or call us toll free at 800-943-8883 (925-484-0395).