MARKETING WEAK LINK

            Whenever someone asks me “what’s your weak link?” my standard response is “marketing.”  Lots of folks think somehow I have a magical ability to sell stuff, that people flock to our farm products and we have to beat them off with a stick.

            Not true, folks.  We wrestle and struggle with marketing.  Getting people to stop and pay attention to your stuff, no matter how good it might be, is tedious and time consuming.  Nothing could be more untrue than the line “if you build it, they will come.”  No, they won’t.  They won’t even notice.

            That’s why many years ago Allan Nation, founder of Stockman Grass Farmer (SGF) magazine, put on the Purple Cow conference, named after the book by Seth Godin.  People WILL stop to look at a purple cow.  It was about how to have a differentiated product in a crowded marketplace.

            I’ve teamed up with Charlotte Smith, maven of marketing, to repackage that school as the SGF Marketing School and it’s being offered this year Oct. 26-27 in Jackson, Mississippi near the magazine’s headquarters.  The two-day school includes Charlotte’s latest social media techniques, a “how to write” session by me, as well as pricing, bundling, and messaging protocols.  The phone number to register is 601-853-7755 

            I just did a podcast for Herdquitter with Jared Luhman and he agreed that virtually never is production or money the weak link on farms; it’s marketing.  And yet it’s almost a taboo subject for farmers to talk about or research.  I won’t go into the reasons here, but I will share one of the most profound thoughts I’ve encountered recently:  “Whatever you least want to do right now is probably the thing you most need to do.”

            Reread that and let it sink it.  Make a list of things you’ve been putting off.  What’s the most dreaded one?  Now think about what a difference it would make in your life if you went ahead and tackled it.  Broke though.  Got it done.

            For many if not most farmers, marketing is at the top of that list.  Most of us would rather do about anything than sell things, and yet as Zig Ziglar always said, “nothing happens until there’s a sale.”  What good is growing all the tomatoes or eggs in the world if you can’t sell them?

            As we say in the school, you might not be the one doing the marketing, but if your outfit doesn’t do any marketing, you’ll never be successful.  Successful farms need someone to be thinking about marketing.  Yes, this is a pitch for the school.  Over the years, many folks have taken the ideas and returned home to great success.  I’m encouraging you to do this for your benefit.  Goodness, I learn from Charlotte every year.  Immersing in marketing for two days can revolutionize your farm business.  So don’t put it off.  

            Call today:   601-853-7755.  Thanks.

            What’s your biggest marketing breakthrough?