Selling strategies for local food producers
Abstract
"For many farmers, marketing and selling represent challenging tasks, especially when they sell directly to consumers. However, consumers increasingly appreciate tasty, healthy food purchased from farmers with whom they can talk, ask questions and build relationships. This trend makes directly marketing fresh and unique food products a rapidly growing opportunity for producers. For farmers to succeed at selling direct through farmers markets (see Figure 1), roadside stands and restaurants, they must hone skills in sales, marketing, production and financial management. In any business, marketing and selling go hand in hand. Marketing includes deciding what to produce and how to price, distribute and promote a product. Selling, on the other hand, describes the techniques used to entice buyers to purchase the seller's products. Developing strong selling skills is critically important to acquiring and keeping customers in a direct marketing enterprise. Although many farmers may be intimidated by selling, remember that selling skills - just like other skills - can be learned. The selling techniques described in this guide are customer-friendly and ethical. The guide provides practical advice on how to increase sales by building a loyal customer base. Its approach to selling - adapted from the book Win-Win Selling (Wilson Learning Library, 2003) - takes readers through a four-step selling process: (1) build relationships with customers, (2) discover customers' needs and preferences, (3) advocate for one's products and (4) provide quality service. Much of the information centers on selling face-to-face at farmers markets. In addition, a number of tips are appropriate for those who sell their products directly to consumers at roadside stands and to chefs and other food service professionals."--First page.
Rights
Archive version. For the most recent information see extension.missouri.edu.
OpenAccess.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.
Provided for historical documentation only. Check Missouri Extension and Agricultural Experiment Station websites for current information.