Fall
1997
Keeping
Your Customer Happy
A successful business is always working on improvement. Here’s some food
for thought based on a work by B. Sanders.
12 Major Customer Turnoffs:
- Desired products not available. If you don’t offer what the customer wants the customer will go elsewhere.
- Help not available when it is needed. Today’s customers are used to immediate gratification--we want what we want when we want it. Are you open when customers want your product or service? How easy is it to reach you? If your business involves customers contacting you, how available are you? Do you return calls promptly?
- Employees who are poorly trained, uninformed, or distracted. Every employee should be viewed as an advertisement for your business/product. Take the time for adequate orientation and be prepared to update that orientation as often as necessary. This applies equally to part-time or seasonal employees and also to “family” draftees.
- Process and red tape. Strive to be user-friendly. Be an “explainer” not a “complainer”--tell customers why a process or procedure is necessary.
- Waiting. Customers don’t like waiting--in line, for calls to be returned, to see someone, to resolve a problem--and are more likely to remember the wait itself rather than the quality of the product or service.
- Information that is not easily obtained. Anticipate what the information needs of your customers are going to be and have appropriate materials ready. For example, if you are selling perennials, you should have simple, clear planting instructions ready to hand out. And remember to consider who your customer is--older folks appreciate larger type in printed materials. Business people are becoming more likely to have email access and may prefer to receive information that way.
- Misleading Advertising. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Never make claims that are not completely true.
- Value not consistent with cost. If you charge a premium price provide a premium product. Don’t apologize for your price but never sell a substandard product at the premium price.
- Quality that does not live up to the customer’s expectations. Know enough about your customer to know what they expect from your product/service. Provide free samples to new customers so they can judge your product for themselves and really listen to what they say.
- Failure to stand behind products or services. A happy customer will tell 2-3 people what a great business you are--an unhappy customer will tell 7-10 how awful you are. Don’t let a customer walk away dissatisfied if you ever want to see them again.
- Poor housekeeping. Dirt, disorder, safety hazards, inaccessibility and clutter all project an unfavorable image of your business. If you have any doubts about what type of image you are sending get an impartial person to do a walk-thru of your business and give feedback.
- Inconvenient. Location, layout, parking, and access are the big four. One (sometimes, even two) of these factors will not deter a loyal customer but if growth is your goal you should consider how convenient and welcoming your business is to new customers.
[Based on Fabled Service: Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Outcomes by B. Sanders (1995). San Diego: Pfeiffer & Co.]
Staff
Changes at WSBP
There are a few new faces around the WSBP offices these days. Pam Greene
is the new Director of the program. Claire Perrino is the new Site Coordinator
at the Lyndon site and Colleen Natale is the new Program Assistant at
the Trinity College site. Larisa Hulnick is now the Burlington Site Coordinator.
Whew! All that and they still keep smiling. Congratulations and Welcome
to all!
WAgN Loses
a Friend
With great sadness, the entire WAgN staff extends our sympathy to the
family and friends of Mary Lavoie. Mary passed away on August 8 after
a brief illness. Mary and her sister Marguerite Dorsey had a very successful
dairy goat farm in Grand Isle. Mary and Marguerite gave many hours helping
others get started and worked hard for the dairy goat industry. Mary served
on the planning committee for the development of WAgN and wrote a very
moving letter of support for the program. Those who knew Mary will also
know that she won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Upcoming
Workshops Scheduled
Fall and Winter workshops are being scheduled now. Thanks to a generous
contribution from Kraft Foods, Inc., many of these offerings will feature
low or no cost registration. Below we have listed the topics and locations.
For more information, contact Nancy Bruce at the WAgN Program Office.
- Financing Options (Brattleboro, Nov 19) Used wisely, credit can be an effective management tool. Find out about different credit options; what do lenders look for when evaluating a loan application; learn about your responsibility.
- Creating An Image: For You and Your Business (Springfield, Dec 2) For new and prospective business owners, this workshop covers the basics of creating and using a business image. First, how do you project a confident, professional image when your business is located in a back room of your house? Second, what constitutes a business image and how do you work with professionals to project the image you want?
- Equipment Safety: Advanced Chain Saw Use and Safety Clinic (Essex Jct., Dec 6) For individuals who have a basic understanding of chain saw operation but want to focus on use and maintenance. Space is limited to 6.
- Basic Bookkeeping (St Johnsbury, Dec 10) Starting a new business means wearing a lot of hats. Among the most important is tracking income and expenses. Learn the essential parts of bookkeeping so that you can set up a bookkeeping system that works for you, understand what you are recording and why, and explore what types of assistance are out there to help you.
- Pest and Disease Management for the Greenhouse (Rutland, TBA). For beginning greenhouse owners/ managers. We will cover prevention strategies and various options for coping with problems when they appear.
December
5 Deadline for SARE Producer Grants
Farmers in the Northeast again have an opportunity to apply for funding
to do on-farm research incorporating sustainable ag practices. This
project is funded through USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and
Education (SARE) program. In the past, grant awards have ranged from $300
- $6,000. Projects have ranged from biological weed and pest control to
livestock production techniques and alternative crops. WAgN staff are
available to help you with the proposal process.
December
1997 - Farmer proposals due.
For more information and application packets, contact the SARE Office:
Hills Building, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405-0082. Tel: 802-656-0471 or email:
msimpson@zoo.uvm.edu.
Previews of Coming Attractions...
Information
Sessions
Spring dates will be scheduled soon - call WSBP or WAgN for a Spring Schedule.
Getting
Serious
Lyndon: Tuesdays, Oct 28, Nov 4, 11, 18
Burlington: Wednesdays, Oct 29, Nov 5, 12, 19
Rutland: Mondays, Nov 3, 10, 17, 24.
Growing
Places
Cycle 6 is scheduled for March 1998, dates and location to be announced.
Growing Places is designed for individuals considering a farm or ag-related
business, especially for those who don’t have much experience in ag. Registration
materials will be available in mid-January.
Start
Up
Applications for Spring ’98 Cycles of Start Up are being accepted now!
For more info, call the WSBP office nearest you.
Burlington: 802-658-0337, ext. 372
Rutland: 802-747-9941
Lyndon: 802-626-6206
Other Related and Interesting Events...
November 7-8 - Northeast Regional Community Supported Ag Conference. Jiminy Peak, Hancock, MA. Workshops will include topics for both beginning and experienced CSA operators. For a brochure and registration materials, contact the WAgN program office.
November 17-18 - Practical Partnerships: A New England Sustainable Agriculture Conference. Portland, Maine. A dynamic New England conference to bring farmers together with agency personnel and educators to explore the steps we all have to take if agriculture is to sustain itself in New England. Workshops will focus on the following topics: Whole Farm Planning; Sustainable Commodity Production; Beyond the Farmgate -Community Connections; and Economic Vitality.
Farmers of all productions areas, experience levels, and farm size are encouraged to attend--scholarships will be available. For a full program brochure and registration information contact the WAgN program office.
December 16-18 - New England Vegetable & Small Fruit Conference & Trade Show, Sturbridge, MA. Contact: Alden Miller at 617-891-9065.
January 28-29 - North American Bramble Growers Associations, Hershey, PA. Contact: Richard Fagan at 301-724-4085.
February 2-5 - 1998 Northeast Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference, Sturbridge, MA. This is a terrific opportunity for anyone interested in direct marketing (farmers’ markets, farmstands, pick-your-own operations, subscription farming, etc.) to gain some new skills. Mark your calendar now!! More info will appear in the next newsletter.
February 21 - NOFA-VT Winter Conference.
February 28 - 2nd Annual Vermont Grass Farmers Association Conference. Speakers will be Charlie Opitz, a 1000+ cow dairy farmer from Mineral Point, Wisconsin and Gary Zimmer of Midwestern BioAg.
Internet
Updates
On the World Wide Web (WWW)... If your interest is wine check out
the Wine Institute home page at: http://www.wineinstitute.org.
This site covers wine agriculture, business and legal trends, consumption
stats, and new research.
If you’d like to try some on-line weed identification look up: http://piked2.agn.uiuc.edu/wssa/subpages/weed/weedid.html
Email Discussion Groups...As email gains in popularity there is an explosion
of topic-specific discussion groups forming. No matter what your area
of interest, there is probably a discussion group that addresses that
particular topic. For example, for graziers there is Graze-L which addresses
topics related to raising livestock on pasture. To subscribe, send an
email message to: majordomo@taranaki.ac.nz
Leave
the subject line blank and in the body of the text type the following:
subscribe graze-l
If everything works correctly, you will get a response that acknowledges
that you have been subscribed.
For plant problems, there is an email consultation service located at
McGill University in Montreal. The Horticultural Information Center is
available to gardeners, farmers, and horticultural enthusiasts. They give
advice on a wide range of topics ranging from apples to zinnias. They
deal mainly with Northeast U.S. and Eastern Canadian growing conditions.
You can reach them via email at: hic@AGRADM.Lan.McGill.CA
Non-Electronic Resources... Free-Range Poultry Production, Processing, and Marketing by Herman Beck-Chenworth and developed with the assistance of a USDA/SARE Producer grant. This book describes poultry and egg production using a free-range model which is somewhat different from the pasture poultry model. This 3-Ring binder is available directly from the author for $39.50 plus $4.50 shipping/handling at: Back Forty Books, 26328 Locust Grove Road, Creola, OH 45622.
Did You
Know?
Time spent on daily food preparation has declined from 3.5 hours one generation
ago to 35 minutes today.
For Sale: Lori Baker is selling two Alpine does, a mother and daughter. Mother is 3.5 years old, has horns, very gentle, good milker, produces 3-4 qts/day. Daughter is 6 months, dehorned, good temperament, good dairy bloodlines. $175.00 for the pair. Call 802-426-3800.
Free Sheep. 1 ½ year-old ewe, good wool producer, needs other sheep for company. Good with children, would make an excellent 4-H project. Present owner switching to dairy goats. Call 802-899-4507.
WAgN
Women's Agricultural Network
590 Main St., UVM
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-3276
or wagn@zoo.uvm.edu
 |
University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, notional orgin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. |