Hets a shaky venture?

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Well not just me but if you were to just see some Joe at a local expo with like %100 het pieds and het clowns and het hypos and so on. What would make you go you know I really need to add a het clown I like that one. Instead of waiting and getting one from Kara or Ralph or Adam.

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If I saw some Joe at a local expo, and hadn't heard of him before, but I was interested, I'd likely get a business card or name and not purchase AT the show. I'd do some research on him/her and then contact them out later if they passed all my "smell" tests and I was still interested in their animals. I would never impulse buy a het at a show from someone I knew nothing about.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

If I saw some Joe at a local expo, and hadn't heard of him before, but I was interested, I'd likely get a business card or name and not purchase AT the show. I'd do some research on him/her and then contact them out later if they passed all my "smell" tests and I was still interested in their animals. I would never impulse buy a het at a show from someone I knew nothing about.

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Fair enough. What kinds of things are in your smell test...for me its an updated (some what that is) website. Pics of their breeding location, and being able to ask about them and not get the "WHO IS THAT" response.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Fair enough. What kinds of things are in your smell test...for me its an updated (some what that is) website. Pics of their breeding location, and being able to ask about them and not get the "WHO IS THAT" response.

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Well, one is something I can't help you with - women's intuition after communicating with someone. If it doesn't feel right, I don't go any further. I ask trusted members here if they've heard of them, I check out the BOI to see if there's any feedback on them. Website says a lot as well, as you mentioned. If there's no feedback on them, and no one has ever heard of them, I probably would pass as well.

Let's take TSE for example. When I first came into the hobby, he had an awesome reputation on the BOI. What didn't pass the "smell" test for me is that he didn't have any pictures of his adult breeders, and you couldn't pick out the animal you were purchasing, he didn't have pictures of them. It set off all sorts of warning bells for me, and it turns out in the end, I was right to trust that "eh, eh - don't do it" voice in my head.

I'll just add a bit to some of this wonderful advice. Just from the perspective of having a table at a small show which might well by our first venture into face to face sales some day (Taylor, MI type thing). I think if you present yourself honestly, professionally, have very good customer service skills, proper business cards and in the end, show you have a true passion for your snakes, the sales will come. Pictures, documentation of your breedings, ID tracking on the morphs/hets, etc. are part of that professionalism I think. Maybe the sale won't come that day but this isn't about fast turnover and dumping inventory (or it shouldn't be).

You can be the most honest person in the world but if your table appears slapped together, your snakes aren't nicely and properly presented, your people skills suck big time and you aren't willing to "talk snakes" then you probably won't do well. Adam taught me something long ago before I ever thought of breeding or selling a snake...that this is about passion but it's also about business. In business, especially this one, you are selling you as much as your snakes so it should be in a nice way not coming off as some flim flam artist with some maybe hets or possibly healthy hatchlings or "buy today or it's gone tomorrow" crapola.

If I show you I'm a knowledgable person who cares deeply for ball pythons and values them highly, then you'll buy. Maybe not today....maybe not tomorrow...but in the end...someday I'll have what you want and you'll remember the nice lady from that small show (or at least I hope you will :) ) who took the time to let you hold some snakes and probably talked too much but really loved her snakes.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Fair enough. What kinds of things are in your smell test...for me its an updated (some what that is) website. Pics of their breeding location, and being able to ask about them and not get the "WHO IS THAT" response.

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Ed, again I'll go from a different angle...the show angle not the online purchasing angle. Things that wouldn't pass my personal "smell" test....

- poorly displayed animals in overcrowded conditions
- messy looking sellers who look like they just rolled out of bed, tossed some snakes in a bag and hopped in the truck to head to the show
- someone who pushes me to buy now and doesn't want to let me think about it
- someone who if I hesitate starts slashing the snake's value down fast (big arse red flag for me - if you don't value your snake, why should I?)
- any smaller breeder that immediately starts bad mouthing the "big boys" of the BP breeders world (jealousy is very off putting!)
- little thing but it makes me wonder if they don't have hand sanitizer, just a little thing but it's like they don't care if germs go around at the show
- someone who doesn't have a business card - even a simple one so if I buy I have some way of getting hold of them later
- unsexed snakes w/o feeding records or a clue when they were hatched and a seller that acts offended you should even ask for this information
- flim flam slick willies who talk big but stink bigger
- people who treat women like we don't "get" snakes
- everything on the table is a "show special" and they act like taking the snakes home is the world's worst hassle
- snakes at shows that have swollen bellies full from just being fed (mites and crud I shouldn't even have to list)
- somebody who acts like every big breeder is their best buddy/life mate/partner in business/soul mate but funny enough hasn't a clue where most of these breeders are actually located

Great advice guys keep it coming. I am working slowly to get things the way I want them. "Any thing worth doing is worth doing right". When I got to my first show I don't expect to present a NERD or BHB class table but I also don't want it to look like flea market table either. I have a couple of ideas and things that I have gotten all ready that will allow me to better serve my customers. So the advice is really helping me stir my mind up. Thanks. :D

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

- poorly displayed animals in overcrowded conditions I hate this too
- messy looking sellers who look like they just rolled out of bed, tossed some snakes in a bag and hopped in the truck to head to the show Ditto you run a business act like it
- someone who pushes me to buy now and doesn't want to let me think about it Noted
- someone who if I hesitate starts slashing the snake's value down fast (big arse red flag for me - if you don't value your snake, why should I?) LOL the price is negotiable but not liquid
- any smaller breeder that immediately starts bad mouthing the "big boys" of the BP breeders world (jealousy is very off putting!) Most of my mentors are these bigger breeders
- little thing but it makes me wonder if they don't have hand sanitizer, just a little thing but it's like they don't care if germs go around at the show or PAM to show they use it
- someone who doesn't have a business card - even a simple one so if I buy I have some way of getting hold of them later A must
- unsexed snakes w/o feeding records or a clue when they were hatched and a seller that acts offended you should even ask for this information I can't even imagian people trying to sell these animals
- flim flam slick willies who talk big but stink bigger LOL
- people who treat women like we don't "get" snakes :D Never!! in todays world women control %95 of all house hold money be nice to the ladys besides women are great
- everything on the table is a "show special" and they act like taking the snakes home is the world's worst hassleI'll be selling my pets they could all come home
- snakes at shows that have swollen bellies full from just being fed (mites and crud I shouldn't even have to list)If I wouldn't ship it I wouldn't bring it
- somebody who acts like every big breeder is their best buddy/life mate/partner in business/soul mate but funny enough hasn't a clue where most of these breeders are actually located

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I can't say I've heard of Kara Glasgow or Kevin McCurly

LOL I love your responses! I think there's a fine line between professing to be Kara's new best buddy and saying "I've met Kara at a show or in a forum and I really respect the lady for her contribution to the world of bp breeding". If you are someone's friend then you are, if you aren't don't suck up to their rep is basically what I'm driving at.

If someone asks you for references, take this as a good thing from a responsible purchaser and have the information at hand. Always make sure you let anyone know you are using them as a reference (just like you would do on a job application). I think that's always best, a sign of courtesy and respect to ask if they mind if their name is used by you.

Oh one more thing that came up awhile back in another forum. Have the paperwork there for every snake that has special genetics so the seller takes it home with the snake that day. The old "oh I forgot the paperwork and I'll mail it to you when I get back home" just isn't going to cut it with me. You want to sell me a snake that is het for something, hand me the paperwork or I'm not handing you the cash...simple as that. When this person on the other forum posted that the paperwork was "going to come"...I just thought..."yah right it will, right after hell freezes over most likely". Maybe I'm picky here but what's a file with some paperwork in it going to take to bring to a show where you expect to sell higher priced snakes. I don't think that's so much to ask from a seller.

SHOOT! I x'ed off the wrong one. I meant to check off the first one, but I checked off the "They couldn't." one. :(

Paper work on that animal is a major key in writing IMO and also who produced it.