How to Create a Positive "Farmers Market" Experience in Your Business

The farmer's market has been around for centuries.  The first US farmers market was held in Boston, MA in 1634.  Gadling.com recently published an article listing the top 10 farmer's markets in the US.  The farmer's market has generally been perceived as a positive experience for visitors.  Creating positive customer experiences is a strong opportunity area for businesses today.  I recently attended a farmers market on Marco Island, Florida and wanted to share some insights that could potentially transform your business:

1.  Front line employees need to have in-depth knowledge of your products and services so they can clearly communicate the value your business offers.  Many vendors had sales employees who were very knowledgeable about the business.  While visiting their booths, they engaged us, asked us questions about meals we were planning, and provided valuable tips on preparing the meals.  They went above and beyond the task of taking our order.  They provided value added service and information.  It was also evident by their high energy level and positive demeanor that they believed in their company and the products they were selling.  As a result of the recession, many companies have reduced the amount of training they provide for employees.  Make sure your business is providing front line employees with comprehensive training.  Think of it as an investment in your company, not just an expense.  Your front line employees have a real opportunity to create positive customer experiences.

2.  Show customers the quality that is built into your product.  One vendor was selling homemade mozzarella.  Most people would say that “cheese” is simply cheese, right?  She took photos of one of her employees making the mozzarella and had a storyboard hung on the booth that showed their entire production process.  You could clearly see the quality built in.  By the time we finished viewing the photos, our mouths were watering and we were ready to purchase the handmade mozzarella.  Is there an opportunity to visually showcase the production of your product or service in this manner in your marketing? 

3.  Ask  your customers for feedback and provide them with valuable information.  One of the more active booths was the City of Marco Island's display.  The city is planning to expand the bike paths on the island.  They had several attractive maps displayed with the current and proposed bike paths.  When you walked into the booth, they asked questions to learn about your leisure activities while visiting the island, specifically biking.  They gave you a nice map with current biking paths and asked you to complete a survey about the proposed new bike paths.  In retrospect, the city could have assumed they knew customer preferences and moved forward in finishing the bike paths.  But, they took an opportunity to stop and engage their customers in the process.  It has been my experience that customers like to be asked for their opinion.  They appreciate businesses that take an active interest in identifying and meeting their needs.  Look for opportunities to ask your customers for feedback on your products and services.  Customers will appreciate being asked and you may even uncover opportunities to expand your offerings.

Please visit Complete Business Strategies blog for additional ideas on business planning from the farmer's market.

Chrissann Ruehle is President of Complete Business Strategies, LLC. The firm specializes in management, process improvement and human resources consulting for businesses. My business helps companies streamline their processes, capture new business opportunities, and retain both their customers and employees.  I can be reached at chrissann@completebusinessstrategies.com or 513-443-2365.

Small Business Owners are Optimistic About the Economy - True or False?

It's impossible to miss all the news reports about the sluggish state of the economy.  The reports are on every tv station, newspaper, radio station and most internet sites.  It's a reverberating drumbeat.  Small business owners are holding off on hiring new employees and investing in capital improvements to expand their businesses.  As a result, the economy has stalled.  Business owners are anxiously awaiting the results of the upcoming election.  We're hearing a lot of hype about business owners being pessimistic about the economy, but is this reality?

A good barometer for monitoring optimism is the "Business Books Best Seller List for Small Business and Entrepreneurship" on Amazon.com.  By reviewing the titles, you can get a sense of the areas that business owners are focused on for growing their business and their outlook. 

Here is the top 10 from the list as of this morning:


1. Align Expand and Succeed by Christine Kloser and Lynne Klippel
2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins
3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
4. Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
5. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
6. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
7. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard
8. Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen, and Kenneth H. Blanchard
9. Do More Faster by Brad Feld and David Cohen
10. Rework - wireless version

How to Transform Your Business Through Knowledge

What's keeping you up at night in thinking about your business? Are you concerned about growing your business and attracting new customers? Or fully engaging your team so you can pursue new business?  I've been hearing these concerns a lot and received many comments from my post about Lessons on Creating Learning Organizations.  The common denominator was that business owners are working "IN" the business rather than "ON" the business.  It is critical to the success of the business that we examine vision and strategy of the firm, in addition to day to day activities.

The National Small Business Advocate published its Mid Year Economic Report in July 2010. 400 small businesses in different industries and states participated in the study. The goal of the survey is to provide a snapshot of how small businesses perceive the current economy.  It was surprising to learn that 59% of the respondents expect the economy to remain flat over the next 12 months. Small business owners do not have a lot of confidence currently.  According to the survey, the #1 challenge facing business owners is economic uncertainty (73%).  Other factors listed in the survey included: declining consumer spending, cost of health insurance benefits, federal taxes, and lack of available capital.

How are businesses addressing these concerns?
According to the survey, 37% are implementing new advertising and marketing strategies, 34% are expanding internet and e-commerce capabilities, and 30% are forming strategic alliances.

In reviewing this study, it appears that business owners are feeling a lack of control over the business environment. Business owners can increase their sense of control through the following initiatives:

1. Review/Revise or Develop your Business Plan. Pull your business plan out of the drawer and review it. Does it reflect your current business, or does it need to be updated? If you do not have one, now is the time to develop one.  It's time to think strategically about your business.

2. Refine or Develop your Marketing Plan. Given today's competitive marketplace, you need to have a marketing plan that effectively addresses your market, competition, market segmentation approach, marketing strategies, and metrics for measuring your success.  All of your marketing activities should work in concert to drive business for your company.

3. Develop relationships with your banking, accounting and finance professionals now. This will help position your firm so you have the relationships in place when you need to secure financing for your business. 

4. Develop a plan for retaining and engaging your employees.  It is important that you take good care of your employees and focus on creating a positive work environment to retain top talent.  The Cincinnati Enquirer recently conducted a survey of top workplaces in Greater Cincinnati.  The common denominator among top ranked firms included fostering cultures of trust, values, ethics and open communication.  Does your culture reflect these types of values? 

One key to growing and sustaining your business is working smarter and leveraging knowledge. As we say in our house, we all need to get better every day. Please feel free to drop me a line at chrissann@blacklabventures.com if you would like to share additional ideas.

Lessons on Creating Learning Organizations from the Dog Park

This weekend, I was teaching my young black lab, Jack, to swim at the dog park. Yes, you heard it correctly. My labrador retriever doesn’t like water. There were some young dogs at the park and they hopped into the plastic swimming pool without hesitation. On the other hand, Jack was terrified. I picked up his 60 lb. body, gently placed him in the swimming pool and offered words of encouragement. The other dogs were playing a splashing game and they engaged Jack in their game. Gradually, he forgot he was in water, his nemesis, and started to play. By the time they finished playing, he seemed to be more receptive to the water. He’s not 100% comfortable in the water yet, but he showed marked improvement. This event prompted me to begin thinking about my own assumptions about business and the vital role that learning plays.

As business owners, we often develop a high level of expertise in an area. Perhaps we are excellent chefs or hair dressers or carpet cleaners for example, and we assume we know how to manage a business. We have to be cautious that we do not allow this competence to distract our focus from the needs of the business. Successfully managing a business requires additional skills such as marketing, sales, accounting, finance, negotiations, and leadership, just to name a few. As business owners, we have several issues to consider in our decision making process.

1. Are you open to learning those new skills and do you have the time to invest in learning them? Or would your time be better spent focusing on your core business and utilizing someone else to handle those tasks?
2. Do you have the talent within your business to handle those tasks or do you need to look outside the organization? Does this talent currently exist or could it be developed over time with training, and/or experience?
3. If you wish to hire an outside professional, do you know the right questions to ask so that you can get answers that truly meet the needs of your business?
4. Do you have the financial resources to hire an outside professional to perform the task?
5. Regardless of which option you select, it is likely that you will need additional education and information. Where do you go to obtain the information you need?

In his book titled, The Fifth Discipline: the Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, Peter Senge states “Leverage often comes from new ways of thinking”. In order for businesses to thrive in our dynamic economy, businesses need to shift their thinking. The ability to learn and apply knowledge can serve as a measureable competitive advantage and provide businesses with the leverage needed to move past their competition. Here are some opportunities for learning:
 
1. Your local chamber of commerce. I recently attended a breakfast briefing at the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance that focused on “Tips and Advice for Securing a Business Loan”. Key leaders from the banking industry and SCORE provided business owners with insights they need to obtain financing in order to grow their business. In addition, chambers sometimes provide industry resources to serve as a sounding board, share business knowledge, and help you grow your business. As an example, I serve as a Chamber Advisor for HR for the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance.
 
2. SCORE – SCORE provides free one-on-one counseling to small businesses as well as workshops that focus on relevant topics for growing your business. I recently attended a Cincinnati Score Workshop titled “Score/Amex Speed Coaching” and gained valuable knowledge about marketing, social media and financing for your business. It was an excellent resource and one I highly recommend.
 
3. Local Universities – Depending on your needs and time commitments, you may wish to explore continuing education programs, professional certification or even a degree such as an MBA. I currently attend Indiana Wesleyan University’s MBA program on Saturday mornings and highly recommend it. There are several nurses in my class that decided to obtain the MBA degree so they can increase their business knowledge since they have worked for many years in nursing.

There are many opportunities and resources available in the community for small business owners to expand their knowledge. The key is to take action and reach out for them. Your openness and active engagement in learning is the lever that can propel your business forward.


I would love to hear of additional ideas for learning from you! If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to drop me a note at chrissann@blacklabventures.com.

Jack (black lab with orange collar) didn't stay in the pool long!