Issue No 7, January 1997.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

10.8 Grower initiated marketing

The secret of any new enterprise or business is not what can you produce, but what can you sell. In Australia, we can produce just about anything but ultimate success depends on identifying reliable markets which are sustainable. (There was a fello w who made a fortune selling Pet Rocks, but it was a fad, the market was very short-term and certainly not sustainable!).

Marketing involves many things, right from choosing the right idea to suit you, through to banking the money from a sale. Below is a checklist of points which you should carefully answer before you rush off and start investing your hard earned cash on your latest brainwave to make a million.

Choosing the right idea for you - Does your location limit your markets?

Do your skills match your idea?
Can you devote all or only part of your time to the business?

Define exactly what your business is - sounds simple but many people fail to focus on their main customers.

Carry out a feasibility study of the market (commonly known as marketing).

Who and where are your potential clients?
How big and sustainable is the market?
What is the precise product they want?
How do they want the product or service delivered?
Who and what is involved in your industry?
Who are your competitors?
What are their advantages? What are your advantages?
Can you compete on price?

Organising the production phase.

Can I produce quality products?
How can I guarantee top quality all the time?
Can I produce a regular supply of product?
How can I keep improving my product(s)?

Finance

How can I finance my idea?
How am I going to monitor and control my finances?
How much am I risking? Can I afford it?
Remember, cashflow is the lifeblood of all new enterprises.

Marketing

What advertising and promotion do I need to do?
Who is going to distribute my product?
How should I present or display my product?
How am I going to offer top quality customer service?

If you write down the answers to all these questions, you have the basis of a Business Plan which is simply a checklist to ensure you have thought of everything.

Remember, the success of new businesses, especially in the agricultural field, depends on:

Quality of products
Being able to maintain a regular supply
Having top quality customer service

It is that simple! However, it will involve long hard hours of work to get your business up and running.

Contact:
Greg Cahill
Telephone: (054) 304 444
Facsimile: (054) 484 982

Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF