Tag: FMSP

Market Mindfulness

Market Mindfulness #12: Staying on Top of Your Game during Market High Season

CFA Admin

Managing a farmers market is hard work! As a market manager, you’re using a wide set of skills which draws upon your physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychological energies. As the season wears on and hits the busy peak of produce and customers, you’re frequently called upon to effectively manage a wide range of issues ranging from the minor, but annoying, to the true crisis. To effectively manage all of this, you need to have the energy and the physical, cognitive, emotional and psychological reserves for dealing with tense and fast-moving situations and to roll with whatever punches come your way. It may sound cliché, but you cannot pour water from empty cup.

This blog post will delve into strategies for taking care of yourself and effectively managing your market both throughout the rest of this season and in future seasons.

Strategies for taking care of you:

Self-care is often misconstrued as something that must take a long time (e.g. a week-long retreat) or be expensive (that hot stone massage) or must meet a certain “self-care” standard. The reality is that self-care is about what recharges you. If something that takes a long time or is expensive stresses you out, then it’s not recharging you. Choose something else. It could be taking a walk in the woods or around your farm. It could be saying “no” to something that you do not actually need to do and will only add stress. It could be getting together with a couple of friends to share a meal. Self-Care Bingo may help you think about self-care in a different way. If you think about the last week, can you get a bingo? If not, why? Was it an unusually stressful week? Are the items listed not activities which recharge you? Are you not taking care of yourself?

The reality is that there are only so many things that you can do during the season – particularly this time of the season as we’re all worn out and, in some cases, it’s just too late to implement something new. However, that doesn’t mean those ideas should be thrown out. Write them down, jot something in your phone’s note app, record a voice message to yourself. Do something to preserve that idea! Then, act on it. Some ideas for how to do this:

  • Make a plan to take better care of yourself next summer. What really drained you this summer? What irritated you the most? What recharged you the most? Step back and dig into these questions. Then use that information to make a self-care plan.
  • Figure out whether the item on your self-care plan is something that you can primarily do on your own or if you need to enlist the help of someone else.
  • If it is something you can primarily do on your own – exercise, drink more water, be tougher with the rules early in the season – give yourself plenty of time to develop your new self-care habit. According to the Lally study, it takes a while to turn an activity into a habit – generally 2-9 months depending on the person, activity, and circumstance. And, just because this is something you need to do primarily on your own, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t solicit some help. Maybe getting a walking buddy will help you stick to your routine. Maybe a whimsical water consumption app on your phone will help you drink more water. 
  • If it is something that will require assistance from others – maybe you didn’t get much help from your board, maybe you could have used a few days off, maybe different board members had different expectations and this caused confusion or way too much work – do your homework. Articulate the concern, figure out some possible solutions, build your argument, and then present it to the person or group who can make the change. There, of course, are no guarantees that this will work, but it definitely won’t if you don’t give it a try.

 

Strategies for market management:

Implementing new rules or new management strategies during the market high season in most cases, is not realistic. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies you can employ to help you successfully get through the rest of the season. A primary strategy is to not beat yourself up over the small things and to manage both your own expectations for what you and others can accomplish and your own stress level. It is doubtful that many people, if any, will notice the extra signs that didn’t put up or the five minutes extra you took to linger over your coffee and breathe which made you a few minutes to the market. And, neither one of those is likely to have a significant impact on the market, so don’t let it have significant impact on you.

 

Other market management strategies for this and future seasons include:

  • Schedule volunteers during the busiest hours of the market. It may be easier to get folks to commit to a two-hour time slot than a whole morning and why not try to schedule them when you are the busiest?
  • Make certain to schedule volunteers to help clean-up from special events and not just to help set up or run those events. 
  • It is okay to put up a sign at the information table saying “be back in five minutes” so you can deal with a situation that needs your attention. Prioritize market needs and communicate the prioritization to the people demanding your time and attention.
  • Consider entering data directly into FM Tracks at the market if you have cell or data access. If not, make certain you have forms on which you can capture all the data you need for FM Tracks. Also, make certain to set aside time each week to do your data entry. This will ease the stress of getting everything ready by the monthly reimbursement request due date.
  • Do not fill market board vacancies during the summer, unless it is an emergency. This takes time and energy that can be used for market operations.
  • Consider using Zoom or other video/phone conferencing application to facilitate board member participation in meetings. Make certain all documents used during the meeting are available to all members, including those participating from a remote location. Having documents available via Google Docs or in a community storage area (such as Dropbox) are one way to do this.
  • Have clear market policies. This eliminates confusions and provides a tool for you to use in managing the market, particularly when conflicts arise over rules.
  • Involve your farmers in making decisions. This empowers them and helps to strengthen their buy-in to the market and its policies and can insulate the market manager some in tricky situations. For example, asking the existing farmers what they think about a guest vendor bringing a truckload of corn to sell at Saturday’s market instead of making the decision yourself.
  • Have a clear process for farmers who wish to join your market. It could be relatively simple such as a short application and verification of appropriate training such as PBPT or it could be more extensive such as a longer application, a farm visit, and a vote by the board of directors.
  • Note what happens during the market in a logbook, in an audio note, or some other manner. In the off season, use these notes to get your ducks in a row. Identify issues and trouble spots and possible solutions and then work with the appropriate people to implement the agreed upon solutions.
  • Create a market calendar that is available to all farmers so they know what is going on at the market.
  • Consider implementing a rule that farmers cannot politic about the market at the market (e.g. change the re-sale rule, change market times, etc.). Then, provide a time outside of the market for farmers to do so.
  • Schedule time to worry. A Penn State study found that people who schedule a time to worry – 15 to 30 minutes in the morning or evening – and then tabled their worry the rest of the time were able to increase their productivity.
  • BREATHE!!!

 

The good health of your farmers:

It’s also a chaotic, exhausting time of year for your farmers and they are also likely more stressed especially in years like this when the weather has been crazy and they may have taken a financial hit from crops not planted or destroyed or not producing as they should. Perhaps they get more easily frustrated this time of year or they are more difficult to work with. How can you help them?

  • Take some time to chat with them and ask how they are doing or how their farm is doing.
  • Take a step back when they seem to be difficult and ask yourself if the situation is being exacerbated by the farmer’s stress level, your stress level, or both.
  • Observe how they interact with the market and if there are changes in their behavior.
  • Offer resources, as appropriate, to vendors or as general practice to all market vendors:
  • KCARD (Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development). Provides educational opportunities, technical assistance, and business support services to new and existing agribusinesses. https://www.kcard.info
  • UK Extension Office. Provides informal education in agricultural production and environmental stewardship. http://extension.ca.uky.edu/
  • NRCS (Natural Resources and Conservation Services). Provides technical expertise and conservation planning for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners wanting to make conservation improvements to their land. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ky/home/
  • Grow Appalachia. Provides gardening resource distribution and technical assistance, agricultural curriculum and hands-on training, high tunnel infrastructure and protected growing systems, and economic development and beginning farmer assistance. https://growappalachia.berea.edu

 

Looking for additional resources to help you manage your market? Check these out!

Market Mindfulness

Market Mindfulness #4: Discovering Your Brand

CFA Admin

By James Cochran, Farmers Market Support Program Manager

Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Branding is an oft-confused term.  Many immediately think branding consists of making a new logo and once the logo is made, the job is done.  Logos are only a small part of the equation, and they’re not nearly as important as you may think. Branding, in our specific world of farmers markets, also means understanding our values and standards while ensuring that we are communicating those effectively to the world. When promoting our market, it takes figuring out the who, what, when, how, and, why. These elements must be projected out to our audiences.  When farmers’ markets have their brand figured out, it helps sets the standard for vendors. Additionally, when a market is well branded, new customers will find it easily, return customers will appreciate the consistency, and partners will understand your “why”.

Now, branding is not rocket science, but it is definitely nuanced.  There’s a lot of meta-speak in this kind of work.  However if you do a few exercises we lay out for you, and stick to the outcomes as your best practices and references, you’ll find that your messaging will improve, and your customers and partners will develop a deeper understanding of your market. First let’s talk about what branding is and isn’t:

Your brand is more than just a logo, font type, color, and your company name. Brands are also not one size fits all. They highlight and include:

    • Your unique story, history and perspective
    • The why you do what you do
    • The message you want to share
    • The value you want to add and the feelings you want to emit
    • The energy around what you are about

These elements partnered with consistent copy and visuals, will build a successful brand platform.

Let’s get started!

Know Your History

In order to know where you’re going, you’ll need to look at where you’ve been. Begin your branding strategy by examining the past. In the case of the farmers markets we work with history can mean many things: a 30 plus year market history, or the history of the community, or the history of market ties to a specific industry.  We have a number of markets that either brand new efforts or revive a dormant market. So, when examining our place in the history of our communities, we cannot simply examine the history of a 3 year-old market.  We need to look back to what makes a particular community special, and why we want to be a part of its history.

Exercise 1: Take a deep reflective dive with other community members and explore the following questions.

      • What is the history of your community in the realm of local foods and agriculture? Is your community known for producing something specific?
      • What is the history of your farmers market? Location? Success? Variety of vendors?
      • What is unique about your community or farmers market history? Do you have a special event that community members take pride in?

These questions may feel mundane, or even unimportant to some of you.  However, they’re an important cornerstone of your brand, and will help you shape your message to a maximal effect within your community.  Knowing your history will help you plan for the future and overall create a more sustainable market.

Tell Your Story

What is the market’s place in your community?

Now that we’ve discussed the past, it’s time to focus on the present.  In this section of the branding exercise, we want to explore how your market stands out in your community.  By doing so, you will be differentiating your work, by setting the stage to show your values, your importance and worth to your community

Exercise 2: Thinking about the WHY

      • What does your market do that is unique to your community?
      • How do you do business differently?
      • What frustrates you about the market/competition you’re in?
      • How does your organization try to do it differently?
      • Why did the market start?
      • Why is it still in operation?
      • Who do you serve?
      • Why do your regular customers come back?

Establishing a greater understanding of the present workings of your market will prepare you to tell your markets story in an appealing way. You will also gain knowledge of your current audience and recognize what keeps your market moving.

Share Your Message

It’s time to work out your market’s values!

A great part of branding, that often is forgotten is common language. While you do not want folks to be robots, it’s good to lay a foundation and come up with an elevator pitch that is the example. Typically, and elevator pitch shares, briefly, the reason others should care about your farmers market.

If you have been following the exercises above, you have been through your market’s history and know the pieces of the story. Additionally, many of you have already discussed what “kind of farmers market” you want to be. Now, it is time to frame that in a way that can be explained effectively in a few sentences.

Exercise 3: Discovering your market values, and creating an elevator pitch. Take a few moments to revisit the answers to Exercises 1 and 2. Then respond to the following questions:

      1. What is most important to your market? Is it quality? Is it community? Is it events?
      2. What makes your market unique?
      3. What is better about your market than elsewhere in your community?
      4. What do you want to change in your community through the farmers market?
      5. Why do you do what you believe in the farmers market?
      6. Why does it matter?

The question list could go on and on when trying to sculpt an elevator pitch, but remember to always think about who you are talking to when you are delivering it. Bringing your audience to the forefront will allow you to tailor each message and will increase overall impact.

Lastly, Presentation Matters

This is where things get creative.  For some of us, we know that creativity isn’t our strong suit.  After all, many of us have found our greatest satisfaction in tangible tasks where progress can be monitored through the entire process.  Branding, typically, seems to be all objective.  Nevertheless, in direct marketing settings like farmers markets, it is impossible to ignore the importance of the “first impression”.

How many of you have seen customer walk within 30 feet of your booth, size up your offerings, move right along and never explore what’s for sale?

Most of you have been guilty of doing that a time or two. And we’ve all seen booths (especially messy ones) suffer from that first impression.  We’re using this point to illustrate this:  How we present ourselves matters. The energy, vibe, feel we emit really makes a difference in how we are received in the mind of a customer, both consciously and subconsciously.

Exercise 4 will focus on how we want customers to feel when they think about our markets.

      1. How do you want people to feel about your market? Other than “happy”, Describe three feelings you’d like to evoke.
      2. What kind of aesthetic can be applied to these feelings? Are there design examples or markets you have visited that have the vibe you are looking for?
      3. Design some visuals with the feelings/aesthetics that convey your market’s atmosphere or the atmosphere you are seeking to show. Canva is a great FREE online tool that has some basic templates you can manipulate for this.
      4. Test It: choose your favorite pairings and use them on social media or display them at the market to see what kind of public response you get.
      5. Put it all to use. Once you’ve got a handle on the image you want to put out as a market, keep the visuals consistent and update them regularly.

Now, you have explored your history, told your story, shared your message, and thought about your first impression. Armed with these four key elements, you can now your exercise responses for reference when creating new promotions, events, materials, signage, and even a logo, color scheme, and more! Always remember, your brand speaks for you before you ever say a word. Building and cultivating that silent spokesperson will keep your market moving.