Requirements of a successful equine nutrition consulting business
Published: April 13, 2007
By: BILL VANDERGRIFT - EquiVision, USA (Courtesy of Alltech Inc.)
Developing and maintaining a successful consulting business in the equine industry requires knowledge, experience, credibility, ethics, aptitude, commitment, dedication, enthusiasm and a willingness to go the extra mile. The client base of an equine consulting business will most likely contain a blend of individual breeders, trainers, owners and support companies such as feed and supplement manufacturers and suppliers. Regardless of what type of client you are working with or trying to add to your client base, the two most important credentials you must bring to the table are knowledge and credibility.
There is an old, but true story of a consultant called to a large industrial manufacturing plant to fix a very sophisticated piece of equipment. After examining the machine for less than two minutes, the consultant pulled out a standard screwdriver, turned a number 8 screw counterclockwise 3½ turns and returned home leaving an invoice behind for services rendered in the amount of $1,000.00 plus expenses. Upon receiving the consultant’s invoice, the plant manager was livid and asked the consultant to justify his fee for simply turning one little screw.
The consultant explained that he did not charge $1,000.00 for turning a screw, rather he charged $1,000.00 for knowing which screw to turn, which direction to turn the screw and how far to turn.
A parallel can certainly be drawn between this story and the equine consulting business. Clients of an equine consultant can get almost anybody to complete certain tasks such as formulating a feed, designing a feeding program for a particular horse or group of horses, or presenting educational information to employees, customers or themselves.
The one thing not in short supply in the equine nutrition business is advice. Walk into almost any stable and ask anyone how to feed your horse and you are almost certain to get an answer. Given this fact, what is it about a professional consultant that makes clients seek out his/her advice, and pay for it, when so much free advice is readily available? The reason is credibility built over time by experience.
A professional equine consultant must demonstrate that he/she can deliver positive results the vast majority of the time. Further, if there is any doubt in the consultant’s mind whether advice about to be given will provide positive results, he or she must have enough confidence and ethics to so inform the client. The client needs to know that while you may not be certain of the outcome, you are recommending a course of action based on your knowledge and experience at the present time.
Further adjustments can then be made as needed based on results generated. Anybody can feed a horse (or turn a screw); but knowing what to feed, how much to feed and when to feed it to produce a given result is what keeps an equine nutrition consultant in business.
How does an equine nutrition consultant become established? The knowledge and credibility required for a successful equine consultancy comes from years of working with horses and from years of education, formal and informal. An advanced degree such as a PhD has a certain level of implied credibility since the degree implies a certain level of knowledge. However, an advanced degree on its own will not provide enough knowledge or credibility to maintain a successful consulting business!
Potential clients demand advanced working knowledge in addition to academic knowledge. Working knowledge is much harder to come by, and can be a rare commodity. An experienced breeder or trainer will know within 30 minutes if you have enough working knowledge for credibility. It is what you say, how it is said and the way you handle yourself around their horses. A successful equine consultant must know horses at a level that only comes from years of experience with many different horses. Remember, many breeders and trainers have been in the business at a world-class level for over 30 years. What can you teach that they do not already know, or what service can you provide that they cannot provide themselves? You must have a reasonable answer to one or both of these questions to maintain a successful consulting business.
When working with support industries (such as feed manufacturers or suppliers of ingredients, products or resources) the same level of knowledge and credibility is needed as when working with professional breeders and trainers. The difference is that the emphasis is placed on education. Support industry clients will look to consultants for education.
At this point not only is a sound working knowledge of the craft needed, you must also be a good teacher and communicator. Successful consultants all have individual styles, but they have in common a professional level of enthusiasm for what they do and are thoroughly involved in all aspects of their craft. You must be able to evaluate and apply current research and educate clients to do the same.
A successful equine consultant has the experience and knowledge to provide positive results to breeders, trainers and support industries that is beyond information readily available within the industry. A successful equine consultant also has the ability to communicate this knowledge and experience in a manner that is educational and understandable. To be successful, the consultant must be at the cutting edge of his/her craft, applying innovative methods to age-old practices. Above all, a successful equine consultant produces positive results for clients, who ultimately own the horses we care so much about.
Author: BILL VANDERGRIFT
EquiVision, Perry, GA, USA
There is an old, but true story of a consultant called to a large industrial manufacturing plant to fix a very sophisticated piece of equipment. After examining the machine for less than two minutes, the consultant pulled out a standard screwdriver, turned a number 8 screw counterclockwise 3½ turns and returned home leaving an invoice behind for services rendered in the amount of $1,000.00 plus expenses. Upon receiving the consultant’s invoice, the plant manager was livid and asked the consultant to justify his fee for simply turning one little screw.
The consultant explained that he did not charge $1,000.00 for turning a screw, rather he charged $1,000.00 for knowing which screw to turn, which direction to turn the screw and how far to turn.
A parallel can certainly be drawn between this story and the equine consulting business. Clients of an equine consultant can get almost anybody to complete certain tasks such as formulating a feed, designing a feeding program for a particular horse or group of horses, or presenting educational information to employees, customers or themselves.
The one thing not in short supply in the equine nutrition business is advice. Walk into almost any stable and ask anyone how to feed your horse and you are almost certain to get an answer. Given this fact, what is it about a professional consultant that makes clients seek out his/her advice, and pay for it, when so much free advice is readily available? The reason is credibility built over time by experience.
A professional equine consultant must demonstrate that he/she can deliver positive results the vast majority of the time. Further, if there is any doubt in the consultant’s mind whether advice about to be given will provide positive results, he or she must have enough confidence and ethics to so inform the client. The client needs to know that while you may not be certain of the outcome, you are recommending a course of action based on your knowledge and experience at the present time.
Further adjustments can then be made as needed based on results generated. Anybody can feed a horse (or turn a screw); but knowing what to feed, how much to feed and when to feed it to produce a given result is what keeps an equine nutrition consultant in business.
How does an equine nutrition consultant become established? The knowledge and credibility required for a successful equine consultancy comes from years of working with horses and from years of education, formal and informal. An advanced degree such as a PhD has a certain level of implied credibility since the degree implies a certain level of knowledge. However, an advanced degree on its own will not provide enough knowledge or credibility to maintain a successful consulting business!
Potential clients demand advanced working knowledge in addition to academic knowledge. Working knowledge is much harder to come by, and can be a rare commodity. An experienced breeder or trainer will know within 30 minutes if you have enough working knowledge for credibility. It is what you say, how it is said and the way you handle yourself around their horses. A successful equine consultant must know horses at a level that only comes from years of experience with many different horses. Remember, many breeders and trainers have been in the business at a world-class level for over 30 years. What can you teach that they do not already know, or what service can you provide that they cannot provide themselves? You must have a reasonable answer to one or both of these questions to maintain a successful consulting business.
When working with support industries (such as feed manufacturers or suppliers of ingredients, products or resources) the same level of knowledge and credibility is needed as when working with professional breeders and trainers. The difference is that the emphasis is placed on education. Support industry clients will look to consultants for education.
At this point not only is a sound working knowledge of the craft needed, you must also be a good teacher and communicator. Successful consultants all have individual styles, but they have in common a professional level of enthusiasm for what they do and are thoroughly involved in all aspects of their craft. You must be able to evaluate and apply current research and educate clients to do the same.
A successful equine consultant has the experience and knowledge to provide positive results to breeders, trainers and support industries that is beyond information readily available within the industry. A successful equine consultant also has the ability to communicate this knowledge and experience in a manner that is educational and understandable. To be successful, the consultant must be at the cutting edge of his/her craft, applying innovative methods to age-old practices. Above all, a successful equine consultant produces positive results for clients, who ultimately own the horses we care so much about.
Author: BILL VANDERGRIFT
EquiVision, Perry, GA, USA
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