Basic HTML Version
Now that chick season has come and gone, I
have started to learn the ins and outs of the
mature bird season. While I am gearing up for
another chick season, I am also the assistant to
our Mature Sales Coordinator, Char Debroux,
who is sharing her secrets and valuable
knowledge with me. As of mid-November we
have delivered approximately 200,000 mature
pheasants and partridges throughout the U.S.
and Canada. Our drivers have made the long
haul to Canada sixteen times since the end of
August.
Coordinating the deliveries of mature birds
encompasses many details and cooperation
between customers. A full load of mature
birds on our freightliner trucks can vary from
2,500 rooster pheasants to 4,500 pheasants and
partridges. Truck loads can consist of a one
customer load to 8 customers in one load.
Char is a busy lady that everyone wants to talk
to; she is busy on the phone with customers,
having meetings, and coordinating loads. So if
you find that she is busy while you call, Char
is training me to assist you right away so you
do not need to hold. I appreciate your patience
while I am learning about your operations.
Other aspects involved in my training are
creating invoices and trip plans, which give
instructions to the drivers on what to do at
each stop; checking load plans, which
designate where the crates are loaded on the
trailer; and checking crate numbers so we have
the exact number of pheasants or partridges on
the truck. Besides doing the paperwork for the
In 2010 MacFarlane Pheasants purchased a
new delivery truck. The truck is a 2010 Ford
Super Duty F550 super cab equipped with
four-wheel drive. The addition of this truck
to our fleet of vehicles gives MacFarlane
Pheasants a welcome addition of a second
four-wheel drive truck. It was obvious that a
second four-wheel drive vehicle was
necessary, with the types of conditions in
which we deliver and the number of times
our delivery trucks needed to be pulled out
of a situation in the past three years. The
Ford 550 is equipped with an automatic
transmission, V8 diesel and manual locking
front hubs. It also has an eleven foot flat bed
with a standard hitch but also a gooseneck
hitch. With a payload capacity of over
10,000 lbs. and a towing capacity of over
16,000 lbs. on a standard hitch and 26,000
lbs. on a fifth wheel hitch, this truck will
make a hard-working delivery vehicle.
Ins and Outs of Mature Season
•
Sarah Pope -
MacFarlane’s New Addition to the Delivery Fleet
•
Art Schumacher -
Facebook is a website that you may have
heard of but are not familiar with how it can
help you. At MacFarlanes, we have learned
how it can have a great effect on our
business.
Facebook is what is called a ‘social media
site,’ it has over 500 million users and is
growing every day. You might be thinking
“why would social media matter and what
does Facebook have to do to with pheasant
production?” and that’s a good question!
MacFarlane Pheasants created our own
Facebook page last fall,
www.facebook.com/macfarlanepheasants,
and has had great success connecting with
people who want to learn about pheasant
production and products that we offer. And
that is what social networking sites are all
about – creating connections.
Facebook is important because it allows
businesses to connect with their customers
better than traditional media by bringing
companies and customers closer than ever
before. If you create a Facebook page for
your business be sure to communicate often
and engage your customers. Through
Facebook and other social media means,
MacFarlane Pheasants has generated sales
leads and sponsorship opportunities that we
would not have otherwise.
Keep in mind; however, for all the good
things that can come about using social
media, there is a downside. You must be
monitoring your site on a daily basis. Why?
Simply stated - if you have an unsatisfied
customer who chooses to air their
unhappiness on your site, you need to
respond quickly lest it lead to a landslide of
unhappy comments on your site. The lesson
here is that you need to be dedicated to
watching over your social media sites.
Though we are still navigating how
Facebook can improve our customer service
and relations, we are realizing it is changing
the way people interact and do business.
While MacFarlane Pheasants will continue
using traditional communication methods,
we also will change to engage consumers
with social media.
Facebook in
Pheasant Production
•
Cole Hardyman -
800.345.8348 • www.pheasant.com
5
deliveries, I am trying to learn the details of
our customers’ accounts and deliveries. Every
drop is different for customers: the time of
day, location, what day of the week, and how
the birds are delivered are all factors that play
a role in scheduling the deliveries. Char tries
to meet the wishes of every customer, and for
the most part, I think she succeeds!
Unlike chick season, Char schedules every
delivery the week of or even a day ahead of
time. Customers sometimes do not know the
number of birds they want until a day or two
before the delivery, which leads to many
changes in the number of crates per truck and
the schedule of the deliveries. This being said,
Char is always ready for changes in the
schedule and is very flexible with customers. I
think this is one of the reasons why she is
successful in meeting the wishes of every
customer.
I have learned many things while assisting
Char so far this mature season. The most
important thing I have learned is that we do
everything within our means to meet our
customers’ requests and needs. The mature
bird season is customer-oriented and
extremely detailed. The smallest detail can
affect a delivery and the condition of the birds
when they arrive to their destination. It may
take some time, but I hope to gain the valuable
knowledge that Char has accumulated through
her seventeen years as the Mature Sales
Coordinator.