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

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)______

of 3 New Food and Farming Ventures - Resource Manual Sept. 2003 Chapter 3  Marketing 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):

 Farmers’ Markets  Internet Sales/Mail Order (using  Roadside Stands U.S. mail or delivery services for  On-Farm Retail Outlet shipping)  U-Pick  Other (specify)______ Subscription Service or Community Supported ______Agriculture

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):

 Fast Food Restaurants  Colleges/Universities  Family Dining Restaurants  Business & Industry Cafeterias  Fine Dining Restaurants  Caterers  Bed & Breakfast’s  Government Units (prisons, military  Hotels bases, etc)  Hospitals  Other (specify)______ Nursing Homes  Schools ______

. . . and justice for all The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964. 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):

 Convenience Stores  Natural Food Co-ops  Club/Discount Retailers  Butcher Shops/Locker  Conventional Grocery Retailers  Other (specify)______ Upscale Grocery Retailers  Natural Food Retailers ______

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-based1 pricing strategy

___competition-based2 pricing strategy ___customer-based3 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.