The salesperson may need to talk to the producer frequently to get his or her guidance on what the final price will be. In the bigger markets, large consignments can be sold as a ‘parcel’, in which case substantial sums of money will be involved. Good communication is vital here.
Regular suppliers to the market know that the salesperson has to do a considerable amount of ‘canvassing’ before the products arrive on the floor. This involves the salesperson getting in touch with potential buyers – usually the day or evening before – to advise them what will be available the following morning.
Communicate frequently
The producer and salesperson should be talking to each other regularly, possibly several times during the day. Their exchange will cover not only current sales, quality and presentation issues, but packaging and planning incoming loads over the following few days. A professional salesperson will be able to advise the producer on the ‘state of the market’ and how this is expected to develop over the short term.
A professional producer can then plan a marketing programme accordingly. When both parties are communicating well and applying what they learn from each other, good results are almost assured. And these will apply not only to prices, but to moving stock at the right prices to the right buyers at the right times.This is the essence of good service.
Achieving the best price for produce
Conversely, there are some producers – fortunately not the majority – who send a consignment to market without telling anybody. They expect the salesperson to achieve top prices for them, but their contribution, apart from delivering the product, has been non-existent. Without this critical communication, how can they expect the results they were hoping for? In this age of cellphones and email, nobody has an excuse for not staying in touch properly.
Email Mike Cordes at [email protected]. Please state ‘Market floor’ in the subject line.
