Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

Basic Marketing Worksheet

Use this worksheet to think about marketing your product/service. You can revise as you learn more about markets for your products/services.

1. Product/Service

a. Our main products or services will be:

b. The main benefits of our products/service are:

c. Our main competitors are:

d. Advantages of our products/services over those of the competition:

2.  Location and Type of Market

a.  Our market is/will be (mark all that apply):

__local __multi-county __statewide __multi-state __national

__international __other (describe)______

b.  Our typical customer is/will be (mark all that apply):

__a household __a foodservice business __a retail store __a distributor

__a governmental unit __a food processor/manufacturer

c.  Our typical customer is/will be located in (mark all that apply):

__a rural area __a small town __a medium-sized town __a suburban area

__a metropolitan area __other (specify)______

3. Typical Household Customer (complete if household is marked in 2.b. above)

a.  Our customer is/will be (mark all that apply):

__male __female __has small children __has school-aged children

__young __middle age __senior __other characteristics (specify):______

______

b.  Our typical customer’s income level is/will be:

__high __middle __low

c.  The majority of purchases are/will be made:

__weekly __seasonally __for special occasions

d.  Our product will be sold to household customers through (check all that apply):

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

q  Farmers’ Markets

q  Roadside Stands

q  On-Farm Retail Outlet

q  U-Pick

q  Subscription Service or Community Supported Agriculture

q  Internet Sales/Mail Order (using U.S. mail or delivery services for shipping)

q  Other (specify)______

______

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

e. The principal reason a household customer will buy our product/service is:

4. Typical Business Customer (complete if foodservice business or retail stores are marked in 2.b. above)

a. Our typical foodservice customer is/will be (mark all that apply):

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

q  Fast Food Restaurants

q  Family Dining Restaurants

q  Fine Dining Restaurants

q  Bed & Breakfast’s

q  Hotels

q  Hospitals

q  Nursing Homes

q  Schools

q  Colleges/Universities

q  Business & Industry Cafeterias

q  Caterers

q  Government Units (prisons, military bases, etc)

q  Other (specify)______

______

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

b. Our typical retail customer is/will be (mark all that apply):

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

q  Convenience Stores

q  Club/Discount Retailers

q  Conventional Grocery Retailers

q  Upscale Grocery Retailers

q  Natural Food Retailers

q  Natural Food Co-ops

q  Butcher Shops/Locker

q  Other (specify)______

______

Page 3 of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003

Chapter 3 · Marketing

c. The principal reason a business will purchase our product/service is:

5. Promotion

a. Our principal means of promotion will be:

b. In addition, we will promote ourselves by:

c. The target audience of our promotion will be:

6.  Price

a.  We will set our prices using: ___cost-based[1] pricing strategy

___competition-based[2] pricing strategy ___customer-based[3] pricing strategy

___other pricing strategy (describe):______

______

b. If our prices are higher than the competition, customers will buy our products because:

[1] Basing prices on the full costs of production and marketing, plus a profit percentage.

[2] Basing prices on those set by competitors.

[3] Basing prices on the willingness of customers to pay based on their perceptions of the product’s value.