4 Times The Customer Isn't Always Right

We've all heard the saying "The Customer Is Always Right..." and in most cases, we really do try to follow that at RHD. After all, we are consumers too, and we like to be treated with respect and courtesy just as much as the next person. But sometimes, admit it, we've all be in the situations where sometimes, the customer isn't always right.

Face it, graphic designers, advertising professionals, and many marketing experts are snobs. We know what works and what doesn't. We know how things are usually done yet we are always looking for ways to do something differently or better. So when a customer goes against what we recommend, it's hard.

Now let me back up by saying, never once in my entire career have I ever had like a knock down drag out with a client over something that they wanted, and we didn't recommend. Most of the time, if there is something we disagree on, we respectfully tell them what we don't recommend, and why, and then go from there. If it comes to be a big issue, we usually go with what the customer wants and simply don't put our logo on the ad or project, or don't really advertise that we did that project.

(Any of our customers who are thinking right now...wait...there's no RHD logo at the bottom of my print ad...don't get worried!. Honestly we have done so many print ads sometimes we just simply forget to put it on there. Don't freak out.)

So here are some of the top things we tend to have to disagree with our "customer is always right" rule, and why.

1. USE OF ALL CAPS. Unless you are Cindy Cagwin. Then you can all-caps it all day long, because you're Cindy Cagwin and you're the bomb. The reason we tend to avoid ALL CAPS is because that is viewed as YELLING AT THE READER. It's also kinda viewed as spammy. So avoid all caps. And we get pretty firm about this.

2. Use of Crappy or Over-Used Fonts. It never fails, one designer finds a really cool new font, then within 3 months every other designer on the planet is using it. In 2007 it was Bleeding Cowboys. Honestly I'm pretty sure Stephanie Steck first found this, and used it in the August Show Circuit for one of her clients. By the Fall Sires edition, every ad in there was using Bleeding Cowboys. Then it was Myriad Pro, a simple but totally awesome font. Now it's the LHF fonts. Everyone has them. So, we just tend to avoid those at all. Or wait 5 years til people are over that font, then re-introduce it again. And our cardinal rule. We will NEVER, ABSOLUTELY NEVER, use Comic Sans :)

3. Copyright infringement or other ethical concerns. This is another one we are really firm on, and through the years, has cost us some clients. Usually this occurs during bull promotion season when someone has a bull named after a popular brand, entertainer, or movie. They come to us and say...I named by bull after (INSERT CURRENT BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE NAME HERE) and I want his bull banner to look just like the movie poster. Yeah, not gonna happen with us. Unless things are done above the board and done correctly. For example, years ago we did a promotion for a bull named Bazooka Joe. We had to go through that firm's legal department to get clearance. Same for when we originally promoted Monopoly. We had to get a written sign-off from Hasbro, and if you notice in some of the early ads there was a disclaimer that Monopoly was a registered trademark of Hasbro.

4. Unrealistic Demands. On a few rare occassions, we have clients who are so creative that they are actually more creative than what we are. And in these cases, we just have to honesty say "We can't do that". For example, one time I had a client tell me that they wanted to use an ad background that had a father and son walking in a pasture, with a barn with a Texas flag painted on the side, with the father pointing to a black baldy calf, and the son looking up at the dad wearing a (RANCH NAME) baseball cap, and the daughter doing a cartwheel in the grassy bluebonnets next to the calf. Okay the cartwheel part I made up. But I was like...."Okay are we going to stage this photo shoot?" and the client said..."No, can't you find a stock photo like that?" Ummmm, sure. There are tons of stock photos out there of little kids wearing baseball caps with your ranch name on it that I can find online. And no I'm not that good at Photoshop. So, sometimes, we just have to say...that's beyond our capabilities.

Of course, other than these 4 areas I mentioned above....we definitely feel that the customer is always right :) And we work our tails off to do everything possible to make sure that each and every customer knows that at the end of the day...we work for you, and thus, you're always right! 

Top 5 Marketing Tools for Club Calf Producers

The fall season is often times the ‘make or break’ time of year for club calf producers. Since most producers use the fall to market their calves, usually the business’s entire year of cash flow can come down to a few days before, during and after the sale. Ranch House Designs, Inc. recommends the following five tools as key to finding success in marketing club calves.

Start With A Quality Product. This is the basic fundamental of success in any cattle operation. Producers must strive to raise high quality cattle that others will desire. In the club calf business, an easy way to do this is to utilize semen from the most popular sires in the busines, which are usually readily available and affordable. In order to be successful, club calf producers should buy the best breeding animals they can afford, and then breed them to the best sire they can afford. Owning quality livestock is a way to continually build and grow your cattle assets over time. Only quality reproduces quality, and as time goes by, the net worth difference between great livestock and mediocre livestock continually becomes larger and larger.

1. Quality Photos and Videos are a Necessity
Just as good cattle are the fundamental to having a good marketing program, good photos and video are the next step. Today’s consumers want to see a photo, and preferably a video, before making a drive to come visit your farm in person. In some cases, especially in online auctions, some buyers may even purchase cattle based on the photo and video alone. For this reason, we recommend hiring a professional photographer or video team to photograph your cattle for your sales.

2. Word of Mouth Advertising
The club calf business is a people business just as much as it is a cattle business. Word of mouth advertising is the most effective means of advertising your cattle.  Personal communication such as telephone calls, texts, a letter, an email, or most effectively a personal visit, help build relationships and strengthen a marketing program. Letting others know about your product should be your #1 job in marketing. Attend shows and talk about your cattle. Share your news with your friends and neighbors. Utilize your marketing network such as semen distributers, customers, and neighbors. Remember the old adage, No Tell = No Sell.

3. Year Round Exposure Through Your Website
By today’s standards, every club calf producer should have, at minimum, a website that can be used as the building block of their marketing program. At it’s basic level, the website is used as a constant online reference for people to find your phone number, contact information, and learn about your program. Every producer should have their own address (i.e. mattlautnercattle.com) and a stand alone site. The website should also be the go-to place that unites all of your online efforts such as social media, email blasts, and blogs. Every club calf producer should also purchase a link on www.showsteers.com that directs the viewer to back to their own site. While once thought of as a high tech marketing tool, today a website is a basic requirement for all marketing efforts in the club calf business.

4. Social Media, Blogs & Email Advertising
Once club calf producers have their own website established, it is now necessary to take your online advertising to the next level by integrating social media, blogs, and email blasts into your online mix. Online advertising is affordable, sometimes even free, and reaches the mass public instantly.

Facebook, twitter, and blogs are three very common marketing tools currently being used by club calf producers, but may be viewed as challenging by older producers. This is a great opportunity to involve wives and children in the farm’s marketing efforts.

Blogging is also a useful tool, but may not be for everyone. Even if you do not blog personally, producers should take advantage of the blogs of others in the club calf business. Many farms and bull owners have blogs where they gladly feature their clients photos free of charge. Producers should most definitely take advantage of this shared marketing exposure.

Email blasts are also crucial in promoting club calf sales. Generally email blasts costs less than $300 and reach tens of thousands of producers. The ideal email blast strategy should include 2 email blasts. The first should go out approximately 2 weeks before the sale, or as soon as photos of the sale offering are posted on your website. The second blast serves as a reminder of the sale and should go out approximately 3-5 days prior to the event. If a producer uses online sales, a third blast should be sent the day that the online auction closes as a final reminder.

5. Print Advertising During Key Times of the Year
Print advertising, though expensive, is still considered a marketing must due to the exposure given during select times of year. RHD recommends advertising during key times of year in relation to your marketing schedule. For example, if you host a fall sale, you must advertise in the August show publications of your choice. If you sell semen on club calf bulls, spring advertising is a necessity.

Good print ads include excellent photos, usually taken by a professional, and pertinent information such as sires represented and sale information. When there are 300 other ads in a magazine, you must do an excellent job of convincing the reader why they should pick your farm above the other 299 ads in the magazine.

Most club calf producers will find that 1-2 ads per year will give them the exposure needed. However, simply running an ad alone won’t get the job done. The print advertising should be one part of the total marketing efforts. Producers should have their website in place prior to running a print ad so that the website URL can be boldly referenced in the ad for readers to access for more information. The print ad should also be email blasted as the sale date approaches.

Putting it All Together
A good rule of thumb is that a club calf producer should prepare to spend 1 to 5% of their gross annual sales in advertising, with the website being the most important tool in the marketing mix. Successful marketing involves planning, implementing, maintaining, and evaluating. For more on marketing, we recommend purchasing the Livestock Merchandising book, available at www.ranchhousedesigns.com > Shop.

Proper Cattle Showmanship Attire

Over the past 3 days I have heard more discussion on "What is proper showring attire" than I have heard in the past 3 years. This is mostly due to the creation of Stock Show Wonka...a new twitter handle that is dead-on as far as writing hilarious, but often very true, comments about stock shows.

Back in my day as a junior showman, no one ever thought of me as a fashion trendsetter, or even one of the "hottest" girls on the junior show circuit by any means. But they did think of me as a darn good showman, and I'm proud to say I won multiple national showmanship titles in two breeds (Brahman & Shorthorn). I think Blake Bloomberg can top me and say he was champion showman of three breeds, but I don't think there are many other people out there who can claim those honors. 

So what is proper showring attire? According to StockShowWonka, (whoever that is) it isn't Wranglers, isn't a cowboy hat, isn't Miss Me Jeans, isn't bling, and it isn't Sperrys. Some of that I agree with, some I disagree with.

So, here is my opinion of what is appropriate showring attire:

1. Dark jeans that are boot cut and proper length. Skinny jeans are not acceptable. Limit the bling on your jeans (see below). If you are a boy, don't wear bling jeans. Starched or neatly pressed jeans look best. Jeans should be long enough to avoid being "high waters" but should not be dragging the ground either. Here in the south, we still show in Wranglers, a lot. So to me, Wranglers are just fine for guys, especially in open shows.

A great ladies showmanship outfit - Kendall Bauman

2. A collared shirt, preferably button down, and in showmanship, preferably long sleeve. Different schools of thought say you have to wear long sleeve all the time, but that is a preference. I personally do not think long sleeves are required in the summer. But others out there are adamant that long sleeves are a requirement in showmanship no matter what time of year. Make sure your shirt tail is long enough to stay tucked in throughout the show. A trick my grandma taught me is that you can get those press on velcro strips and use them stuck to the shirt-tail of your shirt and the inside of your jeans if you need it. A starched or neatly pressed shirt look best. In the winter, a solid color sweater or sweater vest worn over a button down shirt also looks very nice.

A great young men's showmanship outfit - Jake Bloomberg

3. Boots. In my opinion boots are also a requirement, and casual shoes like Sperrys are not acceptable at all.  The boots should be dark colored, and not too flashy. Do not ever tuck your jeans into your boots, no matter what.

4. A Belt. A western-type belt such as a plain leather belt, or hand-tooled leather belt always look professional. The belt should go through your belt loops. If you have a concho belt, sometimes this is not possible because the conchos are too big, and that's okay as long as the belt is at your waist. However the fashion belts that fit snugly over your ribcage are not acceptable in the ring. If you want to have some bling, the belt is the best place to do it. More people down south tend to wear belt buckles, but up north it seems belt buckles are not as common.

Cowboy hats and Wrangler jeans are still
very popular in open shows

5. A cowboy hat? Yes or no? This is certainly acceptable, especially the further south you go or if you compete in open shows. A rule of thumb we use here in Texas is that you start wearing your felt hat around Dallas (State fair of Texas - early October) and you start wearing your straw hat sometime after Houston (late March). This is important, you don't want to wear a felt hat in the summer and look out of place. Cowboy hats are almost a staple in the show ring for men at some of the more traditional western stock shows like Denver or Fort Worth. 



6. Hair and Makeup. Hair for ladies should be pulled back out of your face, either in a pony tail, or partially pinned back so that your hair isn't constantly getting in your eyes and distracting you. Guys, hair should be neatly cut and at a proper length. If you like to grow your hair out longer, but you have a big show coming up, unfortunately you're going to need to get that hair cut! No respected judge is going to use someone with a Justin Bieber haircut in the showring, especially not in showmanship. For ladies, your makeup should also be done tastefully.

Proper equipment is just as important as your outfit in showmanship. Your show halter should have a lead strap of preferably 3-4 feet or longer. Never show with a lead strap that is 6 inches. It doesn't make you look cool. This is fine if your calf is gentle, but even the gentlest calf can get spooked and in that case, you are going to need the extra lead strap.


Your showstick should be solid in color. You might like a pink zebra print showstick, or a camo bling showstick, and that is fine, but use a different showstick in showmanship if that's the case. Obviously a guy would not want to use a bling showstick, but girls should avoid this too. Seriously, can you picture Christy Collins (or Shirley Watts for us Brahman people) showing with a bling zebra showstick? HA. Definitely not.

These ladies have very tasteful outfits, and both have
won their fair share of showmanship competitions.

And finally...Limit the bling. A little bling is just fine, for example a flashy concho belt or a tastefully bling-y belt. Limit the bling on your jeans. If you are a boy, don't wear bling jeans. Ladies, careful when wearing extremely large hoop earrings or chandelier earrings, both for safety and professionalism. You don't want your jewelry to be distracting, you want it to complement your outfit and your calf. 


Bling on your show halter or show harness can be done if done tastefully. I say as a good rule of thumb, if you have more than 6 gems of bling anywhere on your equipment or your body, that is too much. (A bling belt counts for 1 piece of bling.) You might get away with one or two rhinestones on your harness, or maybe even one or two on your show halter. 


For me, I prefer no bling at all, other than a concho belt. But, I'm probably no-bling-extreme. Here's a tip, get to know your showmanship judge and their preference. Obviously if a lady like me, Deb Core, or Christy Collins is judging, you would tone down the bling. Most older, male judges who are real-life cattleman also tend to think negatively of all the bling. But, if your judge is a college age judge or those judges who may tend to dress a little more flashier themselves, you could probably get away with more bling. 

My typical outfit for any stock show is usually the same,
whether I'm just attending or showing. 

Some might say my opinion on proper showring attire is dull and boring. Some might even say that I personally dress dull and boring, which is probably true because my standard outfit is usually Silver jeans or 7 jeans, a starched solid color button down Ralph Lauren shirt, a leather cowboy belt and belt buckle, and Rios of Mercedes boots. So no, I'm not a fashionista by any means of the word. But in showing cattle, you should look the part of a showman, and by showman, I mean a cattlewoman or a cattleman. Go change back into your normal outfits as soon as you get out of the ring, but when you're showing cattle, you need to look the part of a stockman.

And, I love you @StockShowWonka , but I'm curious to know how many showmanship contests have YOU won? :)

Social Media Tips from Emily

Check out our latest video blog featuring Emily Forgason - our social media director. She'll give you some tips on facebook plus explain how facebook almost cost her her job back in the day...

Livestock Merchandising Kindle Book

Livestock Merchandising, my new book, is now available as a kindle book! How exciting to be on Amazon!

If you're a techhy person with an iPad or Kindle, you can download the book now. You can also get a good preview of the book on Amazon too and download a sample. 

What makes a great livestock ad?

Ever wonder what makes a great livestock ad? Since 1999, we've designed some of the cattle business's most memorable and well known livestock ad campaigns for the various clients we have the honor to work with. Rachel Cutrer shares the RHD philosophy on the four most important components of making a great livestock ad!

Thanks to Ideal Video Productions for working with us on this project!

More than a web site...a web PRESENCE

While visiting with Victor Guerra of LaMuneca Cattle Company recently, we discussed how today businesses need more than just a web site, they need a WEB PRESENCE.

The days of just putting up a web site and then forgetting about it are over. With the trend towards more viral, constantly updated online material, it's time to really take a good look at your web presence and bump things up a level. And as always, RHD is here to help our customers.

First, yes, definitely you need a web site. That's a must. With the affordability, speed, and ease of getting a new web site going, this is a no brainer. Having a web site costs very little, especially when compared to print advertising. Your web site cost for one year will usually be at or less than what you pay for one full page color ad. Web sites are instantly updated, allow for unlimited photos, and unlimited updates.

In addition to just having a web site, the top marketers will use a total online presence, of which a web site is just one component. Besides a web site, here are some other tools to use for your online marketing efforts:

• A blog - These are currently the "cool" thing to add to a web site. Everyone has a blog! The best blogs out there are the ones that are very frequently updated. While a blog usually won't replace the need for a web site, it gives a lot of advantages. One, blogs are a lot more casual. You can post things on a blog that you would probably never post on your web site...like funny photos, quotes, text messages, pictures taken on your camera phone, videos taken on your phone, etc. Most people can also update their own blogs through the easy to use web-based blog software. You can actually even update your blog from your cell phone. Blog sites like http://www.blogger.com/ (the one we use) are free, and easy to set up. RHD can help you in this area by designing matching blog graphics to go hand in hand with your web site. We can even do the initial set up of your blog, have it all ready to go, then just turn you loose with it.
• A Facebook page - I swear any day now I figure that even my dad will get a facebook account. Everyone has them. Businesses should create a facebook page where friends and fans can like and share with your business. This is also free. Through your facebook page, you can also use facebook advertising, which is also extremely affordable and extremely targetted. For example, you can place a facebook ad to target everyone who lists "showing cattle" as a hobby. You can also target by states. So to take it even further, you could place a facebook ad that only appears to people from Texas, age 18 and under, who list showing cattle as a hobby. Again, while these pages are very easy to set up and maintain, sometimes you just don't have the time to do it, or have other priorities. This is where we can help once again. RHD can set up your facebook page for you, design custom graphics, then turn it over to you to handle the updates. And, if you don't even want to do the updates, we can do that for you too!
• A Twitter account - Twitter and Facebook are different, and it's important to understand that. To me, twitter is more news, information, and discussions with people that you most likely don't know, and never will know. For example, last week I re-tweeted a twitter post by Adam Levine of Maroon 5. Pretty sure if I asked to "friend" him I'd get a big IGNORE. But with twitter, you can follow, or be followed by, just about anyone in the world. For me, Facebook is more for connections with my friends that I actually know. Like know well enough to go to lunch together. My personal rule for accepting friends is that you have to be someone I know well enough to know to have a real live conversation in public. For my stock show friend invitations, my rule is that I would at least say "hi" to if we were standing in line together at the Louisville Freedom Hall concession stand.
• Patricipation in the online community - It's all about social interaction! So get involved! Don't be afraid to hit that "like" button in facebook, or to re-tweet something. Or better yet, post comments on some of your favorite blogs and join in on discussions on message boards. These are great ways to interact with others in the online comunity. Remember that comments should be relevant, useful, polite (even if you disagree with the posts), and not self-promotion.

Now of course, we're all strapped for time. And these four tools are just a few of the thousands of ways you can build your online presence. We recommend trying one or two out, until you feel comfortable with them, then maybe try adding more. As we always say, if you're going to put yourself out there on the web, you have to stay involved and stay current. Nothing is worse than a blog that hasn't been updated in a year. So, make the commitment, and give it a try. And remember, we're here to help along the way!