KTHT Marketing

(Updated May 2010 )

This is from the main Business Development plan created by the directors.

“The Marketing Leader is accountable for making certain that the hard, objective, concrete, visual, emotional, functional, and financial pieces of the enterprise puzzle come together in an integrated definable, manageable, measurable, emotionally compelling and, most important, replicable way.”

Michael Gerber, E-Myth Mastery

1.1 Marketing Report – Plan

We will develop a Marketing Plan for each Year.  Marketing Manager to present this to the Annual Meetings.

The plan will continue to assess:

The need for a bread & butter package with its own booking office, but with us as the marketing agent.

The development of high profit products.

What have we done that needs development

The need for something new?

The marketing manager can work on the questions  from the e-myth website quoted here.

• Why do they buy from you?
• Who is your best customer?
• What differentiates you from your competition?
• What components make up your marketing strategy?
• Your Trading Area
• Locating your target markets
• Your Most Probable Customer
• Customer Perceptions and Behavior–How your customers think and make decisions
• Positioning and Differentiating Your Business–Setting your business apart from the rest
• Company Image and Sensory Package–Making the right first impression on your customers
• Your Marketing Strategy–Setting the course for customer satisfaction
• Marketing Fundamentals Review–Charting your next steps

1.2 Customised and Standardised Group Rides

A high volume, low cost Standardised Group product, the “bread and butter” part of the business at this stage, can combine well with the high profit products, the “cream”.

All the products have the KTHT standards of Natural Horsemanship inherent them and the Group rides are not an inferior product, though people pay less and join a group.

Full capacity does the same thing financially as exclusivity which is dropping off 2010

Group Rides

Public Rides cost less to the consumer and they can be reduced further through Ride to the Maxxx cards, special package deals or through club membership.

The Group Rides have a fixed structure: Starting time and Finishing time, and are matched to trails to suit.

Various “products” can combine to fill a Group Ride.  For example the Wfrs Orientating staff and some NHS clubs and holiday programs.

Looks as if they will come into their own in Akaroa.

Variety of products – see 2009 Marketing update.

High Profit Products

The Exclusive Rides have given way to an emphasis on high volume. However the products are still on offer.

1.3 Booking Offices

With our website and brochures with our email addresses and the 366 8155 and 329 0160 numbers we are the booking office for most of our rides.

Sherwood, Mt. Lyford Lodge and Otahuna Lodge are referrers.

We have centralised the phones to one place, so all Mt Lyford calls and Otahuna calls come to the same number. Both 03 3156361 and 3290160 are answered by the person on phones. This number can be shifted and changed from person to person without interrupting the numbers or the continuity of the booking office, which is actually this follow me number, 3290160 and the person answering it. Procedures for answering the phone and maintaining good lead conversion are available to the booking person on phones.

Dedicated phone person to answer the centralized phone number 24 hours.

Further assesssment is required to implement booking plan at Akaroa.

1.4 Product Development

We make a product assessment 27 June 2004

A Product  Assessment includes initial steps towards developing the product:

• a vision
• a budget
• an answer to the question: Is it an opportunity worth pursuing?

As we work on developing these Products we will also develop the systems by which we develop them.

Each product has three central components:

Teaching-How Horses think

Partnering up-Leadership and communication development

Activity-trekking or learning to ride

Many different products can be grafted and developed onto this central structure.

From the Staff Orientation Program  (Orientation-Staff-040608.sxw) :

The connection we make with our customers is central to the success of KTHT and will ultimately secure your position. We organise riding for customers, but we sell the experience of “connection” to them. Connection to  the horses, the environment, nature and each other.  Just as we communicate with the horses in their own language we talk with the riders in theirs knowing that they come with a desire to interact and fulfil themselves.  We want them to experience connection more than they expect to.