Transcription
New ball python breeders are told all the time that they have to put in the work in order to have a shot at being successful in the ball python industry. But in my opinion, this advice has some major flaws. One, what exactly work do you need to do in order to have that shot at success? And two, even if you do know what the work is, how exactly is a new breeder supposed to go about doing it? So, for this week's video, we're going to define what I think the work is that most breeders miss when they get into the industry and my opinions on the step-by-step guide on how they can start putting in that effort. My name is Steven with Leviathan and let's get to it.
Jumping straight into it. The biggest thing that I think new breeders miss out when they're trying to develop a ball python breeding business is that they pay a ton of attention to the animals, breeding, all of that stuff. But they fail to put in the work for the marketing and sales aspects in order to get those initial customers, which are so important in establishing a business.
Also, quick shout out to Brett and John of Jersey Guys Balls. This last weekend I went up to New Jersey and we ended up filming for one of the documentary episodes that we are working on and they were amazing hosts and really it was a lot of the conversation that we had during the weekend about marketing and sales when it comes to the ball python breeding industry that inspired this video. So throughout all this I'm going to be throwing up some B-roll of my trip up to New Jersey. And again, huge shout out guys. I can't thank you enough for hosting me and I can't wait for your video.
Now, with this said, I think that so many people think that if they pay attention to the business side of the industry that it means that they don't love their animals. And in my opinion, this is 100% a false dichotomy. You can love the animals, you can love breeding, and you can love the business side. Just because you enjoy one or are trying to work and develop one of these different aspects doesn't mean that you don't care about the others.
So, when you very first get in, you are going to have a couple different challenges. One, you don't have a reputation. People don't know you. And in a lot of situations, it can be risky to trust a brand new breeder. And I don't necessarily mean that the entire industry thinks that new breeders are going to scam them. But let's say that you end up breeding some amazing animals that are worth 3,000, 5,000, maybe even $10,000 down the road. But if you have absolutely no reputation, if something goes south in that deal for your customer, they are probably not going to be confident that you are going to be able to take care of them and you're still going to be around in the industry. So because of this, I think that it is absolutely critical to become part of the community. That way people recognize your name and they're willing to trust you because if something goes wrong, they know that you are not just going to absolutely bail on them and you are going to be around to try to take care of them.
But getting integrated into the community can actually be really really tricky especially for new breeders. >> [music] >> An analogy that I have used in the past is that the ball python industry is kind of like a party where a lot of the people who are established in the community already know each other. So imagine that you are brand new. You got invited to this party, but you pretty much don't know anybody. So when you go to the party, often times new breeders are like the kind of people who stand in the corner and kind of watch everybody else have fun, but they don't know how to go up and they don't know how to make friends and interact with them because they feel awkward.
So in my opinion, one of the very first things that you should do as a new breeder is to go up and try initiating a conversation. And the way that you can do this pretty much from anywhere at any given time is through social media. So, pretty much every single night there is a live reptile podcast going on on YouTube or Tik Tok or Instagram. And I think that these are absolutely amazing ways for you to start dipping your toe into the reptile community without having to produce your own content. And the way to do this is that when you go to these live podcasts, all you need to do is be active in the chat. And when I say active, all that you have to do is go into the chat and leave a couple different questions for the hosts or the guests or other people in the chat. And as you do this, it's essentially like going up to different groups of people at that party and introducing yourself. And this doesn't mean that everybody in that chat and the hosts and the guests are instantly going to be your friends, but in a lot of them, these chats are really, really welcoming of new people and you'll probably get greeted as you jump in and you say hi. In addition, as the conversation is going on in the podcast, just like if there was a conversation going on at a party, if you simply add in a couple different insightful questions in order to further the conversation, that is going to show that you are actively engaged with them, you are interested in the topic. And if you do this over several weeks or months, you are going to become a known person in those teenytiny sub communities that are centered around the podcast. So, in my opinion, this is the very first thing that new breeders should do as they're trying to get integrated into the community in order to make a name for themselves.
Step number two, in my opinion, is to go a little bit deeper. If you only interact with people in live chats, it's probably not going to make a long lasting impact and they're probably not going to remember you if you end up making an animal and you post it on Morph Market. So, in my opinion, you should make a list of all of the people that you are interacting with either on the podcast itself between the hosts and the guests as well as the other people who are really active in the chats and you should go follow them on social media. And when you go follow them on Instagram, on YouTube, on Tik Tok, you should also leave some meaningful comments on their posts. So that way, if they see your name popping up both in the chat and on their own regular post, it is providing an additional touch point for them to remember you and your brand.
Step number three is once you've developed some level of relationship with somebody, whether that is again through public live chats or it's through one-on-one communication on somebody's posts, I think that it is really, really necessary to make a little bit of a deeper conversation with each of these individuals. And I would recommend reaching out to people through their DMs on Instagram. So, as you reach out to them on their DMs, you don't necessarily want to try to take up all of their time, but simply complimenting them on the things that you really appreciate and respect about their brand, whether that is social media or their animals, and then also letting them know that you are new and you are trying to get integrated in the community. And if you're ever at a show together, you would love to buy them a drink. I think that that simply is going to be low pressure and it's going to allow those people to make that connection with you because it is not going to be asking them to do a bunch of labor on their part such as giving advice which can be a little difficult when it comes to a new breeder because often times these people that are more experienced in the hobby don't know how you will react if they say that you are doing something that they don't agree with. So, in my opinion, if you're trying to make those one-on-one connections, don't ask them to do labor on their end. Instead, essentially offer them a reward just simply for the work that they're already doing.
Step number four is as you do this, you will likely come across some people that you really, really click with. And as you start messaging back and forth on Instagram, I think that it is really, really important to not just talk through text, but offer to give them a call sometime, especially if the topic of conversation is a lot and people are starting to send novels worth of messages back and forth. Because one, a phone conversation is going to be a more personal kind of relationship than just simply talking on Instagram. as well as if you have a phone conversation, it is going to be much easier to relay a large amount of information all at once versus trying to type it back and forth on your phones. So, I think that again, this step is really, really critical as you're trying to deepen those relationships in the hobby. >> [music] >>
Step number five is as you are making all of these different friends on social media, if you find out that you are both going to be at an in-person show, it is absolutely critical to meet up with them in person at that show and not only try to interact with them during the show itself, but if it is one of the larger shows, oftent times there is going to be a hotel bar that a lot of people will hang out at or there might be some dinners. So, inviting somebody out to dinner or out for a drink is going to be really, really important in order to establish those relationships, especially if that person is vending at the show. And I say this one because if somebody is there vending and you are their friend online, it can be a little stressful if the vendor is trying to interact with customers and you are essentially just wanting to hang out with them. So, in my opinion, it is great to meet up at a show and talk snakes, but if one of the people is a vendor, you should respect the fact that they are essentially there working and instead save the socializing aspect for more after hours and things like that.
Step number six for developing these really strong relationships in the hobby is even if you've met at shows or you've met at multiple different shows, if you only ever see somebody in one specific context, such as a reptile show, it limits the ability to really connect with them on a personal level. So, in my opinion, if you really want to make a strong, long lasting friend in the ball python world, you should find ways to engage with them in person outside of shows. This will allow you to form connections and memories with these individuals that are completely different than all of the other people that they talk to at shows. And if you do this well, it can create some really, really deep connections that form into genuine friendships that are completely beyond the industry. These people are going to refer others to you. They are going to help promote your brand. And as there's going to be opportunities that present themselves to them, they likely are also going to bring you along for the ride. Because as you develop these really deep, meaningful connections, your inner circle is going to 100% want to make sure that you succeed. And I say all of this because once you have done this really, really well, you will be one of the people at that party that already knows everybody else there. So if you happen to see somebody new come in and they're standing in the corner and they're being awkward, it is your responsibility to pay it forward and help bring them into the community, too.
Anyways, my name is Steven with Leviathan, and I hope that this video was helpful, but we will see you next week. >> [music]