Do "High Powered Catalogs" scare people away?

[Steve123]

An interesting discussion took place over Thanksgiving about the great looking sale catalogs that have come out.  Does a high priced catalog invite people to your sale or intimidate them.  Sometimes when I see the great catalogs I think 'this is out of my league' or do people think 'I gotta be there.'

 

[SKF]

Thats funny you asked this because we were having the same conversation this weekend. When I recieve one of those fancy catalogs that look more like a book I feel like those calves will be way out of my price range. I love looking at those catalogs but I feel if they spent that much money on the catalogs they are expecting to get some good money on the calves.

 

[dori36]

An interesting discussion took place over Thanksgiving about the great looking sale catalogs that have come out.  Does a high priced catalog invite people to your sale or intimidate them.  Sometimes when I see the great catalogs I think 'this is out of my league' or do people think 'I gotta be there.'

Interesting thoughts.  I used to think the same way - that the cattle would be way over my head.  But, I've found in reality that many times after the first few (the "spotlight lots") have sold, I'm able to make a good buy.  My bigger worry is that in some cases, the bids aren't really coming from good faith buyers but rather from people who are bidding them up for the sellers to get the prices up.  It's especially rampant in Reg. Angus biz.  Otoh, the picture of the Angus heifer that I posted a few days ago...well, that one I didn't think I could have bought (had I really been in the market) for anywhere near what I would be able to afford.  But, she went for quite a reasonable price and if I'd wanted to get back to Angus cattle with her, I could have.

 

[Bulldaddy]

It seems like those sales with really fancy catalogs often have really high floor prices on their cattle.  I still like to go to some of those sales since you never know what may happen.

 

[forcheyhawk]

Nah colorful catalogs are becoming the norm in this day and age.  I'm sure that the catalogs help the sale, but the averages at most of the ones I attend aren't impacted that much by the pretty catalog.  I think technology really helps more than the catalog.  Now eyes all over the country can view animals that a smaller operation may not have had the ability to market nationally.

 

[jbh]

I like this question.......and from a REAL FRESH perspective (No Bull Sale) let me add these comments...in a devils advocate sort of way.....


1)  Yes......a real fancy catalog can give a person the idea that they can't afford those cattle

1a) A plan unattractive catalog gets thrown in the trash without being opened!

2) Yes.....an awesome set of pictures can give a person the idea that they can't afford those cattle

2a) A poor set of pictures in a fancy or plain catalog gets thrown in the trash!

3) Most of the time....the catalogs are built by professional agencies who don't know any other way than perfection and awesome graphics

3b) This really has NOTHING to do with the cattle OR owners ....other than they approve the design before it goes to print!

I take pretty much all our pictures and build the catalog (which takes ALOT of time)....but by doing this I feel I can keep my own personal touch on the sale.....regardless of whether my catalog is considered FANCY or PLAIN....(I feel it's a happy medium) and I'll guarantee you that I try to do my VERY BEST to my ability in the design and picturing!

This year our sale averaged $3700 and set new RECORD highs for us......YET the majority of the breds sold from $1800-3000.  I knew the top end was gonna get crazy and even announced before the sale to get ready to pounce on the cattle whenever the smoke cleared off the top 6 or 8......YET....there were still AWESOME breds that sold for $2500 at the beginning of the sale.  Afterwards, NUMEROUS people were kicking themselves for not paying attention....hoping we had NO saled them......EVERYONE except the buyers that had the last bid and the heifers on their trailers headed home grinning from ear to ear. 

Plain and simple.....you've got to go look at the cattle in person or ask a sale consultant that you TRUST!!!.....there's NO SUBSTITUTES!

 

[McCauleyCattle]

A high quality catalog with good photos is very important... Marketing via the internet is good too...  I want to see photos have good write-ups will sell good quality cattle....  I think they help you make up your mind If you are going to spend your money there...

 

[feeder duck]

No they lay around the house and barn just like the cheap ones. After they they go in the trash just like the cheap ones. Sorry it is the truth.

 

[Show Heifer]

What I want in a catalog:

1. Defect TEST RESULTS.  Not some small print, but 2-3 words in every lot... Carrier.... Free
2. Pedigree at least 3 generations. Not that "commercial angus" or "half blood simmi" crap either, but real info.
3. A nice pic that isn't photo shopped.
4. Their EPD's. I don't care if you are selling a show heifer, I am buying a future cow.
5. At least 2 phone numbers that I can reach someone with questions.
6. In fantasy land, I would like photos of all lots, and I know that isn't realistic. But spare me the photo of their sire, unless he is a total unknown.... a pic of their mother on the other hand is great! (Don't care much about full/half sibs either)
7. Breeding info, and if possible CONFIRMATION of how the preg turned out.

A fancy catalog is nice, but well, I hope I am smart enough to see through the smoke and mirrors. Just give me the COMPLETE info in a straight forward fashion.

 

[GONEWEST]

I guess my catalogs don't ever go in the trash if it's something that might come in handy at some point. Like knowing that Lot 8 in the upcoming Holtkamp sale sold for $21,500 as a baby calf at the Cane Ridge Sale.

But  Brad is right on in that the catalogs I get that are plain and with poor pictures, or for that matter all those angus books that have few pictures of the cattle that are selling and lots of good ones of their $57,00 great grand dams and third cousins, go straight to the trash because I'm not looking for that level animal.

It's a business and a competition. You better have some stuff that is pleasing to the eye to ever get anyone to even look. If you have the BEST all the better. To me, just like anything else, you should strive to be the best. If you have the best materials then you at least give the appearance of having the good cattle. Everyone should want to buy good cattle.

One thing I think people should keep in mind about going to sales IF you are seriously in the market for something..........if you do it right, it's work, it's not play time or just a road trip.  You may be right that you can't afford some of the ones in that fancy catalog. But you HAVE to go or get someone you have trust in to be there. You may have to go to 10 sales with fancy catalogs in order to find one you can afford, but like Brad said, it will be there eventually. People who take pride in their sale materials generally take pride in the rest of their business and it's good to buy from people like that. They aren't the only ones that have good animals of course, but they are still good to buy from.

Speaking of catalogs, that "Dream Girls" sale book was really nice. Anyone have any results from that?

 

[Jill]

Have to agree with jbh and Gonewest, I have the The Exposure catalog sitting on my desk at the present time and it to me is the perfect example of what you are talking about.  There aren't many in this business that do a better job than Christy Collins, and yes, for the most part the upper 1/3 of the lots selling in that catalog are out of most people's budget, but there are a lot of cattle that sell in her sales that go in every price range, the trick is knowing what you are buying, knowing your price limit and sticking to it and being at the right place at the right time.  Marketing cattle is no difference than marketing in any other business, you generally get out of a business what you put in it and like the others, the cheap ones here usually hit the trash.

 

[justintime]

I agree with many of the replies previous to this. Most of us are pretty good at the production side of this business. The marketing side of the business is just as important, and a well done attractive sale catalog is just a part of proper marketing. I don't know why a so called high powered sale catalog would scare anyone away from the sale. We all have limits on what we can spend on cattle, so I don't see why you would not bother looking at a set of cattle that have been presented in a top end sale catalog. There are bargains in every sale, and sometimes they are not the lowest priced cattle. We all have to learn to evaluate value and attending sales is a part of the learning process.

 

[ploughshare]

Fancy to me is an attempt at creating value from something less.  I guess as a buyer I have some expectations of the seller regarding the way I can sort their cattle from the info provided.  As a buyer I want to know what is offered.  I hate it when a catalog does not list what is offered in a nice clean summary on the same page as the livestock publication reps. Honestly, I don't care who takes my bid.  I want to know the breeds, bulls, breds, genetics, etc.  Next, I want to easily find what I am looking for.  So many catalogs mix crossbreds with registered.  Maybe the Auctioneers could get together a decide on a standard print and electronic format.  Yes, I know, vanilla, but I buy cattle, not value or hype or marketing.  I'd  like to see pictures of what is offered, not the dam or the half sister. I understand that this is important, but moms and sisters all turn out different.  I want to know as much actual production info on the lot as possible, actual weights mostly even if an ET calf.  I could go on, but I think everyone can understand what I would like to see.  Needless to say, I probably will not sell a super high dollar calf.

 

[DL]

I want to be able to look at the page and know what is for sale - age, birthdate, BW, WW, 3 generation pedigree and appropriate testing - right smack in front of me - results pending for genetic testing is an automatic turn off - if you can't get your act together to submit your samples what else can't you get your act together to do?

Picture - real picture - not photoshopped - of the critter for sale or the dam - don't care about the great uncle four times removed or the maiden aunt in Nebraska - don't need to see Meyer or JPJ or some other famous bull 47 times in one catalog

Tell me about the critter - I don't care if you sold $10,000 from her first cousin ten times removed - especially if she can't walk

I got a catalog this past fall that was so full of stuff I couldn't tell what was for sale - sire, grand sire, daughter, sister, uncle cousin.....help me Rhonda...

Christy Collins does a beautiful job with her catalogs in terms of how they look, pictures and organization - they don't always have all the information I want...

there are a lot of catalogs that spend way too much time trying to be cute or play on words (and not enough time on the cattle) - they end up being kinda tacky

it should not be work to figure out what is for sale - if it is then the sale people have failed

 

[Torch]

Photoshopped pictures will loose my attention guaranteed. If I turn to lot 1 and there is an altered photo, the catalog goes in the trash. And it seems the fancier the catalog the more they alter the photos.

 

[cdncowboy]

The one thing in all these catalogs for bred sales that frustrates me is the listing of one, or several clean up bulls and no where in the entire catalog is any hint of a pedigree mentioned on them.  It is hard enough keeping up with all the pedigrees - especially in the clubby world - of the AI sires out there, let alone trying to figure out what the pedigree of "Joe Blow's super duper clean up bull, the best walking bull to never be seen" is.  Chances are every lot in the sale will not be safe to the AI sire, lord knows we love to brag about how that calf might revolutionize our herd or possibly the entire cattle business, then you get to the sale and ooops she didn't stick to that service. Now what can I expect, oh never mind - she's so great it doesn't matter what it she's bred.
Sorry rant over, I feel better now. 
Would have to agree though the fancy catalogs are becoming more of the standard.  Doesn't really make any difference to me personally - unless it is extremely cheap.  Like the one we got for a bull sale a few years ago that was photo copied pages of the registration papers stapled together- that one didn't last long!

 

[feeder duck]

I guess I rarely buy cattle by sale.

Reason 1. Name one auction crew that does not "run" you or pull bogus bids.

Reason 2. I sell 98% of all my cattle private.

Not all my sale bills go in the trash. I just do not need to know 3 years after a sale that a cow sold in a previous sale for a little or a lot of money. In this day and age I'm not buyin if I do not see them live.

They are fun to read,but I do not put a bunch of weight in a photo.

 

[GONEWEST]

JEFF,

Sure didn't mean to imply it was wrong of you to throw things away if you didn't want them. I guess we just need to know different things.

Never understood either, what difference it made if someone "runs" a bid or not. I can't see a problem with a seller putting a floor on an animal in an auction. The result is no different than if he priced it to you in  the pasture. If it fits your budget you can buy it and if it doesn't you don't have to.

I sure agree about seeing the cattle. I guess my point was that if you don't have nice sale materials and something to attract someones attention, no one is going to come and look at them.

 

[farmboy]

i don't look through anything hard unless its around Ohio.

If every catalog was like the Dream Girls catalog, that would be excellent. Catalogs with color pictures also are a plus.

 

[worthabit]

I always liked to have a hard copy to look through but I really like the "flip" catalogues you can view online now. It is almost like reading the real thing. Color pictures are definitely better.