Three small changes for big market impact

 
  Best practices in marketing
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 Three small changes for big market impact
You’ve got a great product and your market stall is well-lit and well-stocked, but you’re still not making the sales you think you should be?

Try introducing these three small changes to your usual routine, they could make a world of difference:

1. Stand up. Standing at your farmers’ market booth signals to customers that you are open for business. Don’t read, text or craft while at market – focus on selling, good customer service and maintaining a great looking booth from the start of market through to the end.

2. Use a calculator. Trust is one of the many reasons why customers shop at farmers’ markets. Using a calculator to count out multi-item purchases is one simple way to instill and maintain customer trust. You may be a math whiz but how is a customer to know that?

3. Provide clear product pricing on signs, stickers or tags. People are hesitant to ask about price and are less likely to shop at a booth with unlisted pricing. One gentleman said that, “If a vendor doesn’t advertise their price, I assume it means there is an ‘insider’s price’ for regular customers, and a higher price for someone they don’t know.” A lack of price information introduces doubt. They wonder, “Can I afford it?”, “Why aren’t they showing their prices? “Does that mean it’s expensive?” The most-cited reason vendors have for withholding their product pricing information is because they think it is a great opportunity to engage with their customers. Our experience is that you lose more customers than you gain with that strategy.

People are very hesitant to be ‘sold to’ at farmers’ markets. Engaging customers should be an opportunity to talk about what makes your product unique, to tell your farm or business or personal story, or get people excited about something new you are offering. Do yourself, and your customers, a big favour – show your prices from the outset.

Check out additional marketing resources on www.explorelocal.ca under the Tools and Resources tab.

Extracted from the Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia Cooperative e-newsletter, October 27, 2016.
 
 
 
 
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For more information about the content of this document, contact Eileen Kotowich.
This information published to the web on September 25, 2017.