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Where we go from here?

Wed, 10/06/2010 - 12:38 — Jeffrey Bordelon

Based on our closing discussion yesterday it is my understanding that the local grower group will reconvene with new participants sometime between now and the December, 2010 PlacerSustain meeting, at which time you will report out your progress and get some large group feedback/collaboration.

The questions we used yesterday are but one example of a means of focusing your discussions, and gave but a taste of the kind of interaction that would result in some kind of Strategic Action Strategy for the effort. We are interested in two scales.  A strategic action strategy for expanding the local food economy and supporting local growers is a big item that obviously involves a much larger community of interests.  That is at one level.  At the same time we are interested in working out a strategy to assist one grower/producer, Sinclair Family Farm, as a model of what the collaborative process can produce in a very concrete way.  These two scales, big and grower specific, inform each other.

In terms of some "actions" which may assist Sinclair Family Farms:

  1. The development of a marketing "Plan" (which can be published in some form, and be used as a template for other growers).  Karin may already have a written marketing plan that can be used as a foundation. Some things that could be included in a marketing plan follow.
  2. Identification of existing customer resources.
  3. Identification of existing other key peer to peer, technical support and other business relationships that are important.
  4. A communication strategy with these resources that develops and enhances the business relationships, i.e. develops the community of interest, including: regular blogs, newsletters, internet discussion forum for communication with customer base, telling the Sinclair Family Farm story, information about food, health, and nutrition that would be of interest of existing and potential customers, i.e. information as an "attractor" of interest in the business.
  5. Telling the story about what Sinclair Family Farms is doing in service TO the community.
  6. Identifying issues that affect the business that can and must be addressed for the business to be successful, e.g. processing, commercial kitchen, more technical support, financial resources for growers, reform of governmental regulations, a public awareness/education campaign on local food, etc.
  7. Determining the relationships necessary to address the issues affecting the business.
  8. A collaborative strategy regarding how to work with other growers and people/organizations in the Community to address these issues and develop/maintain the needed relationships.
  9. Creating periodic face to face meetings and events with customer and peer base that involves listening to what people want from the business, and helping people use new marketing tools and outreach.

Really, some of these concepts are applicable at all scales of the work.  Social networking for business is much more directed and substantive that the popular general usage of facebook, twitter, and linked in.  Customers need to see the actions which demonstrate that what they want and need is important, is listened to and responded to.  Once customers and peers get the idea and have experience using the face to face and web communications, it takes off with an energy of its own.  

Just some ideas.  Jeff

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