Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Thursday, June 21, 2007

[AlpacaTalk] book--MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS

For those beyond the sidewalk who need to sell things they grow, raise and create...

MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS: And How To Thrive Beyond the Sidewalk
By Ellie Winslow
http://www.beyondthesidewalk.com/marketing_farm_products.shtml

Step-by-step coaching in simple language, with clear information and how-to-do-it worksheets to help!
Money Back Guarantee if not completely satisfied!

Marketing can now be just another creative challenge—much like the creative challenges of growing good produce, breeding good animals, or creating great crafts and services. Marketing can becomean adventure!

Comments from readers:

"I hold a Business Degree in Marketing--Master's college degree level. This book gave me new views and options to look at. I strongley recommend it!!"

"Just bought your book--took it with me while visiting another farm, and couldn't get it back from her; so I need another one. From what I've read so far, it's definitely worth paying twice for."


"I've read everything out there on marketing. If you saw my library, it would make your head spin. It's nice to read something pertaining to farming...........just makes it sink in so much easier, and there were a lot of things which I read for the first time. It's obvious you've put a lot of work into this book and didn't hold anything back. ;-) "

"I'm reading Ellie's new farm marketing book right now and it's TERRIFIC! I'm learning soooo much (no wonder I've never been able to sell anything)."

"This is a much-needed book. As more people go back to the land, they need
to be able to handle the business challenges of running a farm."

"I was one of the people who proofread Marketing Farm Products and it is AWESOME! In fact, I'm ordering copies hot off the press for several of my friends. I can truly say I learned something new on almost every page and I'll be using Ellie's principles to sell my Storey goat book as well as several titles I plan to self-publish. If you sell anything--any sort of home-based product at all, honestly, you NEED this book. It's much, MUCH better than any other sales or marketing book I've ever read."

Chapter Headings:

Chapter One—What do you mean by Marketing?
Defining Marketing
Brief Historical Perspective on Marketing
Defining Your Success
The 4 "P's" of Marketing— the components

Chapter Two—The First "P" of Marketing–Product
What Are You Selling and How Good Is It?
Primary Farm Products—grow it, raise it
Secondary Farm Products—value Added
Tertiary Farm Products—create it
How's the Quality?

Chapter Three—The Second "P" of Marketing—Price
How to Determine the Right Price
Basic Economics
Cost Accounting
Whatever the Market will Bear
Market Research
Cost Accounting Worksheet

Chapter Four—The Third "P" of Marketing—Place
Where Shall I Do My Marketing?
Signs Ads

Handouts Public Events
Presentations Word of Mouth
Retail Space Miscellaneous
Merchandising Wholesale
Websites Indirect ideas

Chapter Five—The Fourth "P" of Marketing—Promotion
Promotion Begins With a Marketing Plan

Chapter Six—More Promotion
Marketing Basics
Marketing is about your customer
Facts vs. benefits

Chapter Seven—More Promotion
Benefits, Benefits, Benefits

Chapter Eight—More Promotion
Copywriting—The Art of Persuading in Writing
Headlines
Information
Asking for the sale
Rules for success

Chapter Nine—More promotion
Promoting with Color, Design and Fonts (Typography)
Color has feeling
Design Components
Emptiness & Symmetry
Unity
Gestalt
Dominance
Hierarchy
Fonts (Typography)

Chapter Ten—More promotion
Your Brand, Packaging and Label
Developing a Brand
Packaging & Labels

Chapter Eleven—More Promotion
Effective Websites

Chapter Twelve – More Promotion
Miscellaneous Marketing Strategies
Unbranded Marketing
Opening Price Point
Guarantees
Putting on Events
Writing a Press Release

Chapter Thirteen – More Promotion
Customer Service—The Heart of a Business
Golden Rule customer service
Smiling and Listening
Staying in touch strategies
The tough customer and complaints

Chapter Fourteen – More Promotion
The Psychology of Persuasion--The Practice of Influence

Contrast
Reciprocation & Concession
Commitment and Consistency
Authority
Scarcity
Conformity
Liking

Chapter Fifteen – More Promotion
Tools for Reaching People & Getting a Yes

Chapter Sixteen – How's That Working for You?
How Effective is My Marketing?

Chapter Seventeen – Overview Business Strategies
Business Plan
Personality & Team Building
Mentoring Your Team

Chapter Eighteen -- The Power of Positive Thinking

http://beyondthesidewalk.com Marketing Workshops and Books by Ellie Winslow
MAKING MONEY WITH GOATS New 6th edition
MARKETING FARM PRODUCTS
And the world's finest goat milk soap and bathing accessories

---------------------------------
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(and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.

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posted by Chaddo at 7:39 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Fiber shelf life


Oh, yeah, I forgot about those ancient textiles that have been found around the world.  Now I don't have to feel guilty about those couple fleeces I have from 2005 :)

Skirted a couple of this years fleeces today, and an getting psyched about working on some felting projects with the fiber from my old girls.  And I am determined to try to spin something decent on my drop spindle before I thow in the towel and buy a wheel.

Heidi

Heidi Christensen
WingNut Farm Alpacas
Graham WA
(253) 846-2168 or (253) 592-0200
www.wingnut-alpacas.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Heather Zeleny <alpacatalk@westwindalpacas.com>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 4:45 pm
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Fiber shelf life

I can't answer definitively, but I do know of wool textiles stored in
horrible conditions that survive from 35000 years ago. And rugs from
the central asia surviving from many thousands of years ago, I don't
know how many thousands off the top of my head. I would imagine that
barring insect and mold/mildew damage, raw fleece should hold up very
well for a few years, even decades.

Heather

Heather Zeleny
West Wind Alpacas
Eugene, OR

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
Home of Avatar's West Wind Scirocco, El Bello's Padré, Pluro grandson
Sienna Illusion, and true black full Bolivian Cosby of Chelsea Farms!
http://www.westwindalpacas.com/
http://www.alpacanation.com/westwind.asp
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AlpacaTalk/join

On Jun 21, 2007, at 4:29 PM, Heidi Christensen wrote:

> I posted this question elsewhere, but have gotten no bites yet. I
> think it was on this board that someone mentioned farms storing fiber
> in their barns or garages or whereever, and that this fiber is
> probably
> not usable now. I was looking through some ads for fiber, and came
> upon an ad for rovings from a 2001 clip. Assuming that is a corretc
> date, and that it is actually still for sale, is it really possible to
> keep a fleece for 6 or more years and still have it usable? Is there a
> difference between raw fiber, rovings, knitted, as long as bugs and
> mold are not present?
>
> Heidi Christensen
> WingNut Farm
> Graham WA
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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posted by Chaddo at 6:26 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Fiber shelf life

I can't answer definitively, but I do know of wool textiles stored in
horrible conditions that survive from 35000 years ago. And rugs from
the central asia surviving from many thousands of years ago, I don't
know how many thousands off the top of my head. I would imagine that
barring insect and mold/mildew damage, raw fleece should hold up very
well for a few years, even decades.

Heather

Heather Zeleny
West Wind Alpacas
Eugene, OR

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
Home of Avatar's West Wind Scirocco, El Bello's Padré, Pluro grandson
Sienna Illusion, and true black full Bolivian Cosby of Chelsea Farms!
http://www.westwindalpacas.com/
http://www.alpacanation.com/westwind.asp
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AlpacaTalk/join

On Jun 21, 2007, at 4:29 PM, Heidi Christensen wrote:

> I posted this question elsewhere, but have gotten no bites yet. I
> think it was on this board that someone mentioned farms storing fiber
> in their barns or garages or whereever, and that this fiber is
> probably
> not usable now. I was looking through some ads for fiber, and came
> upon an ad for rovings from a 2001 clip. Assuming that is a corretc
> date, and that it is actually still for sale, is it really possible to
> keep a fleece for 6 or more years and still have it usable? Is there a
> difference between raw fiber, rovings, knitted, as long as bugs and
> mold are not present?
>
> Heidi Christensen
> WingNut Farm
> Graham WA
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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posted by Chaddo at 4:45 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] Fiber shelf life

I posted this question elsewhere, but have gotten no bites yet. I
think it was on this board that someone mentioned farms storing fiber
in their barns or garages or whereever, and that this fiber is probably
not usable now. I was looking through some ads for fiber, and came
upon an ad for rovings from a 2001 clip. Assuming that is a corretc
date, and that it is actually still for sale, is it really possible to
keep a fleece for 6 or more years and still have it usable? Is there a
difference between raw fiber, rovings, knitted, as long as bugs and
mold are not present?

Heidi Christensen
WingNut Farm
Graham WA

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posted by Chaddo at 4:29 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] Great Pyreneese Puppies

We have 5 female puppies that are 8 weeks old, untrained but ready to
start their new career guarding your alpacas. Here's the deal. Take
one this week for $125 (expires July 1st). If you wish one after that
the price goes back to the original price of $250 until the age of 6
months. Speak up now and get yourself a wonderful livestock guardian.

Call us now at 606-303-2368.

Guy & Kathleen Lesperance

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posted by Chaddo at 1:14 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] Re: what can you do to help

OK, so I have just joined this group and have been diligently trying
to get online and read what I can.

I applaud all of you that are trying. Don't you each feel like a
small fish in a big pond? I know sometimes I do. I consider myself
quite entrepeneurial when it comes to marketing my products. I have
had a website for the past four years, have done postcard mailings
and tried brochures and art shows. I cannot say that any one thing
really worked. I am frustrated that I have almost acquired carpal
tunnel syndrome by spending the past three years crocheting up my
alpaca yarn, having them professionally photographed, participated in
an alpaca fashion show only to get ZERO response from the public!

I agree with all of you responding to this question. We need to band
together to get the word out that alpaca is a wonderful fiber with
many uses. How about starting at the state level and each state
affiliate start a fiber co-op. I know one alpaca breeder I spoke
with has 2500 pounds of fiber sitting in his barn because he hasn't
been able to strike up the "right" deal with any of the mills to
process his fiber and make product for him at a reasonable price. I
know there are more and more of these type of breeders out there
too. A mill owner told me that he had approached some of the "big"
(animal wise) breeders to see if he can make a deal with them on
their fiber (that they do nothing with). Oh they wanted it all
processed and returned, at no cost, and nothing to the mill owner!
That's going to get us far folks!

If we each talk one on one with other alpaca breeders who have no
interest in utilizing their fiber for full vertical integration on
their farm we can then maybe branch out and get into cottage
industries, finding spinners to work for us. I am purchasing one
farms fiber for $3.50 per lb, that is all her fiber blanket and
seconds. This year she gave me 1/2 of her fleece but I have to
return 1/2 of it as yarn to her, that was my suggestion. I realized
that as a sole spinner I could not possibly do her 40 fleeces next
year and my 20! It's a start for me and I'm having trouble here in
Texas finding any fiber shows. I thought I'd try doing some higher
end craft shows selling my fiber and yarns to 1. make money and 2.
educate the public. I would also be getting awareness of my farm out
to them also.

It's a long haul for us smaller farms to make an impact on the
fashion scene. We need to band together either with product, or with
the fleece. I agree that there is no such thing as waste with the
fiber but the sorting, skirting and cleaning takes many backbreaking
hours, I know!

If someone is willing to take the helm and find some others to help
start up some type of co-op then in time we could take it further
(like a franchise) and offer help to others in different areas so
they wouldn't have to go through all the negativism and pitfalls
before gaining success.

We all got into this business mainly because we love the alpacas. I
thought it might be a way to build a pension fund. Well the pension
fund is short coming as I've had 90% boys for the past 5 years. I
decided this year that I needed to get more serious in the fiber
aspect of this business and have been working hard all year getting
my inventory built up.

I'd love to hear what other people feel about this.

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posted by Chaddo at 1:13 PM 0 comments