Increasing the Effectiveness of Field Agent Response to Producer Requests for Alternative Marketing Assistance

Increasing the Effectiveness of Field Agent Response to Producer Requests for Alternative Marketing Assistance

Summary

This project builds on the established Southwest Marketing Network (SWMN) that supports alternative marketing in the Four Corners States. A conference will be held each year to increase agents’ alternative marketing knowledge, build capacity to respond to inquiries, and establish working relationships among agents, specialists, and producers. Electronic communications among participants will be established and continued throughout the two years to maintain continuity in the discussions and learning. A guide to responding to requests for alternative marketing assistance will be prepared from the findings of the work sessions, disseminated widely, and posted on the SWMN website.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The project objectives are:
To increase the ability of agents (and similar service providers) to provide well-informed initial responses to producers asking for advice with alternative marketing questions, and to make referrals as appropriate.
To help agents better understand the unique marketing needs of small-scale and minority producers, and
To allow agents to establish familiarity and good working relationships across state and reservation borders in order to maximize resources available to assist producers.

The idea is not to make these agents into marketing experts, but to allow them as non-marketing specialists to help producers find the help they need. In addition to 30 or so agents from AZ, CO, NM, & UT, we will have several marketing specialists and producers to help identify needs, issues, effective techniques, and resources. We expect that all will be learners and all will be trainers in this project.

Information generated at the workshop will be used to produce a draft handbook and web materials for use by agents. Participants will be asked to review these materials to ensure their usefulness. They will be further tested and refined at a similar training workshop in the second year.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Since the last report in April, we have prepared the Marketing Assistance Guide and website resources following review by project participants. Since we have requested an extension in order to use remaining funds to get participants to an additional SWMN Conference in May 2008, we will continue to gather feedback from participants and expand and refine the products on an ongoing basis.

During this period we worked with marketing specialists in the region and gathered feedback from agents to refine the Marketing Assistance Guide which consists of two parts: a “Decision-Making Guide To Determining If, When, and How Much You Can Effectively Assist Producers With Direct Marketing Questions” and a “Tips on Referring Producers with Direct Marketing Questions to Appropriate Specialists.”

We also compiled several hundred web resources to assist agents and their clients with specific alternative marketing topics. Organized into 40 separate webpages on distinct topics, these “Marketing Topics” are a work in progress — to be updated continually.

Finally, we developed and tested with agents a “Directory of Expertise” of specialists in the region who are willing to be contacted personally — by agents or their clients. We developed this prototype with a few specialists for testing purposes. We have received favorable responses from agents and are continuing to receive listings from additional specialists. At this point, since the prototype seems to meet agents needs, we are moving to a web-based database system rather than this rudimentary set of linked files. This will allow easier searching and the addition of many more entries.

All of these products are on a hidden page of our website at this point which has been made available to our project participants at:
http://www.swmarketingnetwork.org/pdp.htm

The Directory of Expertise and Marketing Topics will be an integral part of our website, and they will be continually updated and enlarged. We appreciate the support of WSARE in supporting these essential web services for agents, their clients, and many more in our region

We will be using the extra time until the May SWMN Conference to further refine and add to these resources, to administer the evaluation to participants, and invite them to the May conference where we will have a special workshop on the products from this project along with about 25 additional workshops on alternative marketing and community food systems. The excess funds that we have will allow us to support with scholarships a group of agents to an additional conference beyond the two originally proposed for this project. This should greatly increase the outreach of the project and reach additional agents.

Since the last report in April, we have prepared the Marketing Assistance Guide and website resources following review by project participants. Since we have requested an extension in order to use remaining funds to get participants to an additional SWMN Conference in May 2008, we will continue to gather feedback from participants and expand and refine the products on an ongoing basis.

During this period we worked with marketing specialists in the region and gathered feedback from agents to refine the Marketing Assistance Guide which consists of two parts: a “Decision-Making Guide To Determining If, When, and How Much You Can Effectively Assist Producers With Direct Marketing Questions” and a “Tips on Referring Producers with Direct Marketing Questions to Appropriate Specialists.”

We also compiled several hundred web resources to assist agents and their clients with specific alternative marketing topics. Organized into 40 separate webpages on distinct topics, these “Marketing Topics” are a work in progress — to be updated continually.

Finally, we developed and tested with agents a “Directory of Expertise” of specialists in the region who are willing to be contacted personally — by agents or their clients. We developed this prototype with a few specialists for testing purposes. We have received favorable responses from agents and are continuing to receive listings from additional specialists. At this point, since the prototype seems to meet agents needs, we are moving to a web-based database system rather than this rudimentary set of linked files. This will allow easier searching and the addition of many more entries.

All of these products are on a hidden page of our website at this point which has been made available to our project participants at:
http://www.swmarketingnetwork.org/pdp.htm

The Directory of Expertise and Marketing Topics will be an integral part of our website, and they will be continually updated and enlarged. We appreciate the support of WSARE in supporting these essential web services for agents, their clients, and many more in our region

We will be using the extra time until the May SWMN Conference to further refine and add to these resources, to administer the evaluation to participants, and invite them to the May conference where we will have a special workshop on the products from this project along with about 25 additional workshops on alternative marketing and community food systems. The remaining funds that we have will allow us to support with scholarships a group of agents to an additional conference beyond the two originally proposed for this project. This should greatly increase the outreach of the project and reach additional agents.

Remaining Tasks:

Jan – Mar 2008: Additional feedback requested on a continuing basis from participants on website resources, Marketing Assistance Guide, and Directory of Expertise; adjustments and additions incorporated.

Feb 2008: Final evaluation survey administered to participants. Agents invited to May SWMN Annual Conference and scholarships offered.

May 2008: SWMN Annual Conference with dedicated workshop on this project’s products.

June 2008: Final invoices prepared by June 30 and project report prepared for submission no later than August 15 as per letter.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Once completed, this project should enable agents to assist producers in initiating and implementing alternative marketing strategies. This assistance will be extended either from the agent themselves, from those to whom the agent refers the producer, or a combination of the two. Successful implementation should help producers achieve greater diversification and hopefully greater profit.

In that the majority of alternative marketing initiatives are in response to consumer demands for safer, more nutritious food that is sustainably produced, consumers should benefit directly through products more aligned to their needs and values and indirectly through a healthier environment and community around them.

Collaborators: