Friday, April 28, 2006
Win-Win
Several years ago I had a coworker friend who was teaching his son to play chess. While some people believe they should go easy on children and even lose on purpose, he believed that doing so would undermine his son's confidence in the long run. Instead, he chose to give his son Alex a second chance before making moves. When Alex indicated he was going to make a poor move, his father would talk with him about the move and explain the downside to him, giving him the choice of making another move instead.
Once Alex was able to beat his father from time to time, his dad made fewer comments. The idea was that once Alex could play as well as his dad, then they'd play strictly by the rules and Alex wouldn't have liberal do-over privileges.
I remember a time when a breeder with less than a years' experience was giving away some rabbits. A couple of breeders showed me a gorgeous junior doe that one of them had gotten for free. With the breeder's permission, I went back to the new breeder and told her that she should keep that doe - she was one of the best she had produced to date. I considered her to be like Alex - new to the game and in need of a full explanation before she made her move.
I feel that most youth breeders are also like Alex. Even though many of them have more experience at rabbits than I do, they just do not have as much life experience as an adult. If a youth offered me a very nice rabbit for $10, I could say, "Thank you very much and here's your $10." But that would not be ethical for me to do. If the rabbit is nice enough to be part of my herd then I really have two choices. First, I should explain to the youth why this rabbit is so nice and tell him or her to keep it as part of their own herd. Or, second, if the youth really has too many of these really nice rabbits to keep, then I should pay the true value of the rabbit. Anything else would be taking advantage of a youth.
Of course, youth are not the only ones taken advantage of.
I talked recently with a relatively new breeder who purchased a nice doe from an experienced breeder. She kills her litters; the doe, not the breeder, that is. She was purchased as a proven doe. It is possible that she just picked up the habit of killing her kits when she was purchased. Perhaps she had live litters for the original breeder. But I doubt it. My guess, and the guess of the newer breeder, is that the doe has always done this. There was no full disclosure at the time of the sale.
And this story could have involved a seasoned breeder as well. We rely on each other for full disclosure at the time of a sale. If a doe has babies on the wire, that should be disclosed. If a doe has only had dead litters, that should be disclosed. If a rabbit has had a broken bone, dislocated hip, or other injury, that should be disclosed. If a breeder feels that they cannot sell the rabbit if they tell the truth, then the rabbit should not be sold, but rather culled in another way.
Stephen Covey, the author who became popular for his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, believes that effective businesses seek win-win solutions with their customers. His opponents respond that the win-win solution is not workable. His answer: a win-lose arrangement with your customers will certainly not work. Customers who lose in a deal not only refuse to do further business with you, but they share their dissatisfaction with others.
I believe that full disclosure or a full explanation of the situation is required for the win-win outcome in a rabbit sale. That means not taking advantage of new people and youth. That means revealing hidden characteristics in rabbits. That means not selling rabbits who have no real value, even though they appear to.
Sure, you can do better in the short run by overselling a rabbit, hiding a problem, or taking advantage of naiveté. But in the long run, you will do better by seeking the win-win outcome with your customers.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:37 AM
Once Alex was able to beat his father from time to time, his dad made fewer comments. The idea was that once Alex could play as well as his dad, then they'd play strictly by the rules and Alex wouldn't have liberal do-over privileges.
I remember a time when a breeder with less than a years' experience was giving away some rabbits. A couple of breeders showed me a gorgeous junior doe that one of them had gotten for free. With the breeder's permission, I went back to the new breeder and told her that she should keep that doe - she was one of the best she had produced to date. I considered her to be like Alex - new to the game and in need of a full explanation before she made her move.
I feel that most youth breeders are also like Alex. Even though many of them have more experience at rabbits than I do, they just do not have as much life experience as an adult. If a youth offered me a very nice rabbit for $10, I could say, "Thank you very much and here's your $10." But that would not be ethical for me to do. If the rabbit is nice enough to be part of my herd then I really have two choices. First, I should explain to the youth why this rabbit is so nice and tell him or her to keep it as part of their own herd. Or, second, if the youth really has too many of these really nice rabbits to keep, then I should pay the true value of the rabbit. Anything else would be taking advantage of a youth.
Of course, youth are not the only ones taken advantage of.
I talked recently with a relatively new breeder who purchased a nice doe from an experienced breeder. She kills her litters; the doe, not the breeder, that is. She was purchased as a proven doe. It is possible that she just picked up the habit of killing her kits when she was purchased. Perhaps she had live litters for the original breeder. But I doubt it. My guess, and the guess of the newer breeder, is that the doe has always done this. There was no full disclosure at the time of the sale.
And this story could have involved a seasoned breeder as well. We rely on each other for full disclosure at the time of a sale. If a doe has babies on the wire, that should be disclosed. If a doe has only had dead litters, that should be disclosed. If a rabbit has had a broken bone, dislocated hip, or other injury, that should be disclosed. If a breeder feels that they cannot sell the rabbit if they tell the truth, then the rabbit should not be sold, but rather culled in another way.
Stephen Covey, the author who became popular for his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, believes that effective businesses seek win-win solutions with their customers. His opponents respond that the win-win solution is not workable. His answer: a win-lose arrangement with your customers will certainly not work. Customers who lose in a deal not only refuse to do further business with you, but they share their dissatisfaction with others.
I believe that full disclosure or a full explanation of the situation is required for the win-win outcome in a rabbit sale. That means not taking advantage of new people and youth. That means revealing hidden characteristics in rabbits. That means not selling rabbits who have no real value, even though they appear to.
Sure, you can do better in the short run by overselling a rabbit, hiding a problem, or taking advantage of naiveté. But in the long run, you will do better by seeking the win-win outcome with your customers.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry
Holland Lops Of Distinction
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun ¶ 9:37 AM
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wow, that was nicely put Laurie! I totally agree with this. I probably agree too much, LOL, I am soo paranoid about someone not being happy with a bunny with my name on it, I will just find other ways to cull my bunnies and not sale as many, especially when I feel like it isn't something that I would want to keep in my herd.
Alison
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Alison
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