What’s a Testimonial Worth in the Horse Product Industry?
Horizon Structures Presents Series: What Is A Testimonial Worth?
Woohoo! It’s time to shop. Today’s marketplace is overflowing with every conceivable product and even large items like horse barns, dog kennels and outdoor living structures can be bought with a few simple keystrokes. Manufacturers are keen to take advantage of access to online audiences both local and nationwide, and there are tremendous advantages to utilizing online resources to select what to purchase.
Many folks rely on the product reviews posted on manufacturers’ websites, and social media and shopping platforms for advice on what to avoid and what to buy. The plentiful opportunities to manipulate the reviews received, even to fabricate them entirely, is cause for exercising due diligence when it comes to spending money. Especially for big ticket items.
Personal experience submitting reviews has outlined for many the manner in which only positive excerpts are taken from honest feedback provided, often without context and without inclusion of negative aspects of the purchasing experience.
Trust and Transparency
This overused term is bandied about with abandon in today’s marketplace. But what does it really mean? For the seller, feedback via reviews from customers is a valuable asset that can be leveraged in two directions.
Negative comments allow the manufacturer to learn about shortcomings in their customer service and shipping departments, marketing message and importantly product quality issues. The issues cited can then be addressed and ultimately by resolving the objections the manufacturer will operate a better business model that is more likely to succeed.
Positive comments that are taken out of context will not only anger the consumer that submitted them, they will also ring hollow in the discerning shopper’s ear. A list of entirely five star reviews will give pause to the shopper who quickly ascertains the reviews have been selected without transparency. Thus the seeds of distrust are spread.
The savvy consumer will look for reviews from multiples sources on the same product. Where issues with the product itself or the delivery of the item arise, a prospective purchaser will investigate how those shortcomings have been addressed by the manufacturer and how honestly the company has expressed its regret and made amends.
Testimonials should be more than just hot air, with a quick quote, a first name and last initial and a town and state noted if they are to be relevant.
Before splashing out on a major capital purchase it is wise for the consumer to do their homework. Companies that offer direct access to their customers with full details of location, type of product purchased and a verifiable method to contact the purchaser, offer true transparency. This may be in the form of an interactive map or case studies on their products that detail full contact information of the purchaser, in addition to posts on social media directly on their platform that identify the buyer and product.
Smart buyers check references, learn about the product by asking lots of questions of lots of people and follow their gut feeling about how honest the sales or customer service team are to work with. Follow up research on sample contracts if applicable, standard and extra services or upgrades available, warranties and ‘to the penny’ pricing, and availability of financing options all factor into the best way to make the best decision on a new structure.
Test out the testimonials! You won’t regret it and it can save a lot of heartache down the road. Consider it like the pre-purchase exam or health check you would do on a new horse or puppy.
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs. All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in less than a week. All our barn packages include everything you need –
Horizon Structures also sells chicken coops, equine hay feeders, greenhouses, dog kennels, 1 and 2 car garages, storage sheds and outdoor living structures and playsets.
Headquartered in South-Central Pennsylvania, Horizon Structures, LLC is owned by Dave Zook. Dave was raised in the Amish tradition and grew up working in the family-owned shed business. He started Horizon Structures in 2001 in response to an ever-increasing customer demand for high quality, affordable horse barns.
For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
