I thought it was a good time to revisit this since it is an often recurring question every person on my sales team gets asked when they are working in the field with clients. “What does the red shoe mean that you have in your ads? I see it at almost every show you guys are at displayed at your booth.”
(For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the red patent leather pump in question, it is part of our branding and we actually have a shoe in our booths – it’s very visually arresting and always stimulates conversation!)
The red shoe is actually the brainchild of my marketing department and was originally conceived to make a point. I actually have worn the red shoes when I come in to do presentations at various events – at the USDF Annual Trainer’s Conference, at the Global Dressage Forum North America, and also at Equine Affaire. It is always a good icebreaker to see me stumbling in on them – wearing thick white socks and my usual clothes, but these bright red shoes on my feet. They are actually size 16 men’s red patent leather pumps, and my wife managed to buy them on a transvestite website. Obviously, they don’t really fit me – and that is the point!
Too many times people follow fads because of what their friends do, their stablemates do, their trainers recommend, or the opinions of a chatroom population dictate is “IT”. The saddle of the moment, the breeches of the day, the training methods of the week. Read the full article here.
~ Jochen Schleese CMS, CSFT, CSE, courtesy of Saddlefit 4 Life
