Placerville, California

Notes from Presentation

Farmers have sometimes become lazy when it comes to marketing. There is a new kind of marketer/farmer who views marketing as an integral part of farming.

Grow the Niche-Market Crop

Define your niche, whatever customers cannot find in the supermarket! Diversity --the main trend is towards diversity. Thirty thousand kinds of edible fruits and vegetables. Specialty crops do not have to be exotic.

Farmers' Markets as Theaters

Roadside Market not a convenience store or a supermarket. Restaurants, tents etc. Retail: try to find local independent retailers, Wholesale Frieda Caplan is an example of Community Supported Agriculture. (Ultimate in personalizing the product)

Educate the Customer

The more they know of your product, what went into growing it & how to use it, the more willing they are to pay a premium price. Direct Marketing: Talk to customers, obtain information about varieties, growing methods, storage, cooking, serving & nutrition. Health food items will be eaten as much for their health benefits as for their taste.

• Recipes
• Newsletters
• Samples once they try, they will buy

Wholesale/Retail material/educational flyers & brochures/educational arts to media/product information on labels with nutritional information/storage tips.

Make the Sales Call/ Get the Accounts

• Oldest, most effective way to sell your product/People
• make buying decisions
• Prospecting New Accounts
• Sell in winter months
• Go after top of the line (fancy restaurant or retail store with top of the line products)
• Qualify Customers
• Evaluate markets 80/20 rule drop bottom 10%; Increase the order size
• Prepare to Sell
• Know yourself & the product
• Buyers' concerns: Quality & Inconsistent Supply;

Tell buyer: When available/Volume can supply; Product size & quality (show samples if possible).

• Price List
• Know your product
• Sales' Call
• Ask questions. Objective is to listen and talk until you have learned about customers' needs & how to satisfy them.
• If you want to sell/then ask, do not tell.
• Repeat & meet formula: repeat needs, meet needs.

Features/Benefits: Home grown = fresher, tastier, supports local economy

• Restaurants
• Affordable labor big problem (do as much pre-prep of products as possible)
• Stress specialty varieties, 3 days a week delivery
• Offer convenience packages

Retail

Work with produce manager first in intro of new products, buyer wants to see your investment in promotion and education of customer/POP materials/free samples & demos

Guarantee sales: offer to take back products that don't sell, Offer unique, smaller volume items in a convenience package/Offer retail pack of tomatoes with different sizes

Roadside and farmers' markets, turn employees into frontline salespeople

Promotion & Advertising

• Advertising does not work very well. (Use free publicity and promotion before spending $ on advertising). Free Publicity: Kind of advertising money cannot buy;
• News Releases: Always looking for stories (lots of space or air time to fill) News Release Subject Matter: Unique or new/Make it news, not advertising Examples: Free events, Human Interest, Uniqueness, Recipes, Current events, Business news.

Word of Mouth (WOM)

• Powerful! (Last movie you went to) Campbell Soup survey: 90% of consumers try new soup when someone personally recommends it.
• Ohio Roadside Market survey: 50% came to roadside markets based on WOM
• Positive WOM should not be left to chance; Make it a happy experience and positive WOM will follow
• WOM really takes off with the unusual
• Negative feedback should not be left to fester. Go all out to get customer feedback even before complaints start;
• Quality goes in before the name goes on

Things To Do To Promote WOM

• Group Promotion
• More attractions in an area, the better
• Regional Marketing Associations
• Services can provide:
• Developing a logo
• Cooperative Advertising
• Farm Trail Maps
• Tasting Events
• Finding a commercially certified kitchen
• Educating consumers about the value of buying local products

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