The Local Fish Store “LFS” and YOU

1. The Local Fish Store “LFS” and YOU

2. A Presentation for The Angelfish Societyby Charles HawksJuly 19, 2009

3. Today’s GuestTeresa Seaberg of Terre Quatics

4. Deciding your Objectives • The First Step is deciding and evaluating your objectives. The raising of angelfish from one or two pairs, maintaining or improving a line, is very different than multiple pair, cross/outcross/development situations.

5. Deciding your Objectives • In general, the less fish you maintain the more you should be to strive to produce angels of such exceptional quality that when available they are a must have.

6. Deciding your Objectives • That is not to say, if you have more fish, quality must suffer. BUT to sell more fish you will need variety in color, fins and size. Anyone who has approached a LFS to sell fish has heard “Do you have any Black/Koi/Gold?” when you have Silver/Marble/Blue Blushing. It’s not really about the color you aren’t offering it’s about presenting a wide variety of quality fish.

7. Deciding your Objectives • The different objectives also affect the fish you pair and keep. The hobby breeder might strive to make the “perfect” Black Lace by pairing two great Black Lace producing DD Black, Black Lace and Silver. The production breeder might be better served to pair Black Lace Ghosts producing DD Black/Ghost/Blushing, Black Lace/Ghost/Turquoise and Silver/Ghost/Blue Blushing, 9 related varieties vs. 3 helps fill in the need of the LFS to offer more, to increase sales.

8. Understanding the LFS Perspective • The LFS is buying a product from you, that product is compared to what they buy from their local wholesalers. It doesn’t factor in your time, effort and love for the fish. It does factor in price, quality, availability etc.

9. Understanding the LFS Perspective • Beating the price of pond raised imports, particularly in the warm weather months is a losing game, if you can figure out how to beat it begin writing your book immediately!

10. Understanding the LFS Perspective • Quality, on the other hand, is where you can shine. Fish that look better, adapt better, are hardier and active sell better. They also require less attention and time to maintain, less returns and losses, and sell more related supplies when people buy fish they can keep and enjoy. Quality angelfish, arguably the most recognized tropical fish, aren’t just a replacement, they can and should be an asset to the retailer.

11. Understanding the LFS Perspective • When you are in the store, if you are allowed the opportunity, make yourself an asset too. Answer angelfish questions, recommend products the retailer carries, help transfer your fish to the tanks, even grab a mop to give the owner a chance to help another customer and make a sale. If the owner is reluctant to be helped it’s their store, respect that, but know that your offer will be remembered and leave it at that.

12. Tips for Getting Started • Bring Samples, be professional, let them see the difference. • Learn how to bag and transport fish, practice until perfect, a Rolex looks cheap in a paper bag, fish in a Ziploc or a cloudy bucket of water undo months of work raising them. • Invite the buyer to see your fishroom and the care you put into raising quality angelfish, even if they can’t visit your willingness speaks volumes. • Be a customer, accept credit -particularly when starting out-, confident that as the retailer becomes comfortable with the product paying you cash isn’t a risk at all.

13. Tips for Getting Started • Attend and enter local fish shows, local club meetings, look at them as advertising, BUT never undercut or undermine the LFS, balancing individual sales vs. LFS, an individual might buy a dozen, the LFS may purchase as many as 100 a month for years to come, if you raise enough for LFS sales don’t sell to individuals so cheaply that you make it hard for the retailer. • LFS’s are not a place to “dump” your undesirable, runt or unhealthy fish – they need to be culled. They are a showcase for your hard work, a point of pride, every time you hear “My angelfish breeder” when a LFS owner is talking to a customer it makes the hard work and burden of raising the best angelfish a blessing and an experience I would wish for everyone.

14. Continued Relationships • For the LFS owner the store and everything in it is their livelihood, it represents years of struggling to sometimes barely break even. They are general experts in fishkeeping, your opportunity is to be their expert in angelfish. You know how to make angelfish look their best, how to cure disease and stimulate breeding. Make that expertise available to them and by extension their customers to achieve a long term relationship.

15. Continued Relationships • Visit if you can, or call, as the fish purchased are sold. Are they selling well? Are there any problems or concerns? Are they adapting well? Are they eating well? To continue selling fish to one or more stores consider matching their conditions. • If their water is harder or softer than yours and that’s causing a poor reaction, transition yours by the tankfull to those conditions before you bring them. • If they are taking time to readily eat what the store is feeding them, transition your fish to the same and save the owner and yourself time and effort. • Make yourself available to consult for any problems or questions the buyer may have, your knowledge may save a tank full of angelfish and a lot of headaches for the store.

16. Return to the Chatroom • Please return to the chatroom and welcome a special guest Teresa Seaberg. As a long time fish enthusiast, store employee and now owner of Terre Quatics she has as a special favor to myself and The Angelfish Society made herself available to answer your questions on anything related to LFS’s and angelfish breeders and sellers. I hope this presentation and Teresa’s wisdom can help you successfully enable you to market fish to your hometown LFS.