Marketing or selling?

[blackpowder]

Why does everyone use the term "marketing"?
IMHO what we do is "selling"

[parsley]

Bartering.

Sales pitch:
"You wanna buy more blackberry/potash/frenchfries? We'll ship you cheap wheat."

[TOM4CWB]

Blackpowder,

Marketing and selling are actually two seperate functions.

Hopefully the 'marketing' is done and done well; BEFORE the selling!

Marketing is used to identify the customer, to satisfy the customer, and try to keep the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, it can be concluded that marketing management is one of the major components of business management. Marketing evolved to meet the stasis in developing new markets caused by mature markets and production overcapacity. The adoption of marketing strategies requires businesses to shift their focus from production to the perceived needs and wants of their customers as the means of staying profitable.


The selling of our produce, in return for money or other compensation, is the sale.

[TOM4CWB]

Blackpowder,

Perhaps this is why the CWB said no farmer can market their own board grains... in the 'designated area'... because we must sell our produce to the CWB. No commercial relationship, no negotiation in theory... one price only allowed for a sale at a specific point in time.

[wd9]

Marketing is something that we do to let people know what products we have to offer.

Selling is something that we do to show people that the products we have to offer are of value to them and close the sale.

We do both in different aspects in ag.

[blackpowder]

I often hear 'I market my wheat to Japan'

No, you sell it to someone else who 'markets' it to Japan. Perception.

Most farmers I talk to don't know the quality parameters of their product or the requirements of end users.
"What good does that do?" I hear a lot. Well I guess in our system you don't have to.
Lots don't even have accurate representative samples.
Shop it around?
I believe the human psyche looks at disposing of an asset very differently than accumalating it. Basic human nature. Thereby selling of an asset, (stocks, cows, unused machinery) is driven by emotion.
Anyways, most people go to one or two companys at best. Believe what we hear at coffee.
IMHO 'marketing' is a catchphrase introduced into mainstream to give us a better perception of what we do.
Not describe what we really do.

[blackpowder]

Just read above posts. I enjoy reading that which says it better than I do. Thank you.

But don't you get warm fuzzys being told you 'market' 'your' grain?

[charliep]

Perhaps where we fail are in logistics and execution. In your Japanese example,
I note the CWB has not been able to fill two Japanese tenders. This business
will be done elsewhere - the US supplies the vast majority of Japanese milling
wheat needs anyway. I know a difficult year because of quality but I suspect
there are higher quality supplies in farmers bins. The question then becomes
how do you match what is in farmers bins with a marketing activity for quality
wheat and a specific sale. The CWB system tries to do this without a price
signal/benefit to all members of the supply chain. Yes there are guaranteed
delivery contracts but no financial benefit to farmers at least (or a small one
like a trucking incentive).

[cottonpicken]

I think we are talking about if the sun is white or
yellow.

[furrowtickler]

good point cotton...

[blackpowder]

Perhaps it illustrates the illusion we've been taught by all other self interested parties that we are more than the producers of a raw commodity.
Being told we're good marketers allows everyone no matter where they rank on the 'Give a shit' scale to feel a little more complacent.

[TOM4CWB]

Blackpowder,

A sows ear cannot be made into a silk purse... without an effective efficient supply and quality management procedure.

This means people in the 'value chain' MUST know what increases value... and how to implement a cost effective logistics system to return that increased and value (with appropriate reward for extra risk) to those who deserve these rewards for the management of that logistics supply system.

Not simple?

That is why it is often simplest to dump and cut our risk. Let someone else extract the extra value... and absorb the extra risk.

Hind sight is always 20/20!

[buzz]

Good discussion. Marketing is a longer term
approach if I remember my business courses.

We all could be doing a better job on both and
make more money.

[Burbert]

Marketeers are the chiselers that you meet
downtown in the coffee shop, that wanna
buy your grain cheap and are excellent
whinners and snivellers, they are greedy
young white guys who are uninformed about
most things. Real farmers are men who
sell grain and take care of farm business,
that take pride in feeding the world

[TOM4CWB]

Burbert;

What a PERFECT DISCRIPTION of the Second Floor of 423 Main in Winterpeg!!!!!!!!

The only ones better... reside on the 8th floor... and claim to be Gods gift to 'designated area' grain growers!!!

"Marketeers are the chiselers that you meet
downtown in the coffee shop, that wanna
buy your grain cheap and are excellent
whinners and snivellers"