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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Marketing
  • Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2005 22:13:50 -0700


You teach workshops for an industry that doesn't exist? And what do you
call all the public relations and ad firms in this country, that do a
3-billion dollar business, if there is no marketing industry? And do we
really need to be told that marketing is a necessary part of food selling?
You admit that despite all your research it still came down to luck. So
much for fancy workshops ---

-paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com
http://largocreekfarms.com
http://medicinehill.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 2/9/2005 at 8:22 PM Steven Rogers wrote:

>There is no "marketing industry". Marketing is a busines function
>that every business does no matter what size. Often, people are
>marketing when they don't even know it. When you make the decision
>to sell your goods at a farmer's market or a farm stand etc you have just
>made a marketing decision.
>I have taught several workshops on marketing, and it always scares me
>to see how many people don't even know what marketing is. Marketing
>is not loading your harvest into your vehicle and setting up a stand at
>the market. That is selling an merchandising, not marketing.
>Marketing is a long term strategic business activity. Sales is a
day-to-day
>operational activity. You can't have sales without doing some marketing
>even if you are unaware that marketing is what you are doing. You can have
>marketing and not generate any sales. Marketing defines your market where
>the
>sales activity will take place. My market is a very tightly defined niche
>market:
>I sell only to fine dining restaurants in the downtown Portland area who
>will buy on
>average more than $200/week from me. Someone else's market may be much
>broader: 10 farmer's markets in the greater Metro area, produce markets,
>restaurants
>and internet sales of select items. Your price points and margins are
>determined
>by marketing. Your product selection is determined by marketing. I
>performed
>a one year long marketing study before starting my business. It consisted
>of,
>among other things, Checking prices monthlty on a variety of produce items
>to track pricing trends, interviewing produce managers, farmers,consumers,
>anyone who would talk to me. Then I ran the numbers, built some proformas
>and went for it. The numbers were conservative and it looked marginal at
>best
>but I caught some luck and the sales came in.
>
>
>Steven Rogers
>singingpigfarm AT earthlink.net
>EarthLink Revolves Around You.
>
>
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