TheProducerToolkits

The Producer Toolkit Six Modules to help you grow your company Mix and Match -

• Getting to know what you don’t know • Become more effective with your time and money • Grow your business in a sustainable and fun way

Sales beyond your front door

Marcus 07971 270299 marcus@atisanfood.club

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Marcus'and'an'introduction'

! Since!I!returned!from!Australia!and!1988!I!have!always!found!the!task!of!selling!relatively! easy.!!I!joined!a!company!in!Devon!in!the!early!90's!called!Genus!Breeding!which!is!when!I! discovered!that!my!calling!was!in!sales.!!In!my!time!between!1988!and!the!early!90's!I! listened!to!many,!many!hours!of!experts!talking!about!sales.!Audio!recordings!were!my! constant!companion!as!I!worked!on!farms!in!tractors!or!in!my!car!driving!anywhere!else.!!I! was!obsessed!to!know!about!how!the!whole!sales!process!worked!and!why!some!did!it!with! ease!and!some!would!break!out!in!a!cold!sweat!if!they!thought!about!it,!let!alone!tried!doing! it.!! ! Over!the!past!10!years!I!have!helped!many!artisan!food!companies!and!their!owners!get! better!at!selling!and!other!aspects!of!their!company!growth.!!I!have!decided!at!the!ripe!old! age!of!52!to!make!accessing!my!knowledge!easier!and!more!structured.!!To!do!this!I!have! started!to!put!together!6!x!1!hour!sessions!that!you!can!pick!and!choose!from!as!and!when! you!feel!you!need!help!in!a!particular!area.!! ! You!will!have!the!option!to!have!your!session!in!person!at!the!Alice!House!in!Queens!Park!or! via!webex!meeting!on!your!laptop!or!iPad.!!The!picture!above!is!a!screen!shot!of!a!meeting!I! held!on!webex!recently.!!You!both!get!to!see!each!other!through!the!computer!Webcam!and! you!see!the!slides,!video!or!other!material!simultaneously!so!you!are!working!live!as!you! talk.!!Either!option!you!will!have!a!great!interactive!experience.!! ! I!have!had!my!whole!working!life!in!or!around!food!with!the!first!20!years!in!farming!and!the! last!20!years!in!the!manufacture!and!sales!of!independent!food.!!For!a!period,!I!worked!for! my!Mums!company!Patchwork!Foods!looking!after!sales!and!export!with!my!highlight!being! setting!up!pate!manufacture!and!sales!in!the!USA.!!In!the!last!10!years!I!have!owned!and!run! the!Virtual!Farmers!Market!which!was!the!first!and!is!still!the!only!ever!interactive!virtual! world!food!market.!!I!also!created!a!range!of!sauces!called!"my!own!sauce"!and!sold!16,000! units!in!my!first!year!of!trading!before!stopping!to!focus!on!the!Artisan!Food!Club.!Through! this!time!I!have!owned!a!wholesale!company!called!Carter!Food!House!supplying!many! butchers!and!fish!shops!in!London.!This!broad!experience!I!believe!has!placed!me!in!a!great! position!so!that!in!the!last!3!years!developing!the!Artisan!Food!Club!has!been!from!a! position!of!knowledge!of!what's!needed!in!the!market!by!producers!and!shops!alike.!From!a! small!idea!I!had!about!creating!a!new!type!of!invoice!and!ordering!management!system!for! shops!and!distribution!model!for!producers!has!grown!a!collective!of!wonderful!people!that! all!love!food!and!are!proud!to!be!part!of!AFC.!!The!central!pin!of!the!club!is!to!allow!shops!to! work!with!more!small!start!up!food!companies!without!getting!frustrated!by!having!to!order! from!each!one!individually!and!the!cascade!of!invoices!that!would!inevitably!bring!to!the! shop.!!The!Food!Club!takes!care!of!it!all!for!the!shop!and!they!are!loving!it!as!a!service.!! Shops!tell!me!daily!that!central!invoice!and!introduction!orders!to!try!new!products!are! making!their!working!day!easier.!!

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Over!the!past!7!or!8!years!with!the!Virtual!Farmers!Market,!Carter!Food!House!and!Artisan! Food!Club!I!have!worked!directly!with!over!600!food!companies!many!in!start[up.!!Over!the! same!time!and!my!time!at!Patchwork!Foods!I!have!worked!with!well!over!1000!shops! directly!if!not!more.!!With!the!Artisan!Food!Club!I!am!one!of!the!very!few!people!in!the!UK! spending!my!time!talking!to!both!small!independent!food!producers!and!independent!shops! simultaneously!every!day.! ! I!see!time!and!time!again!the!same!patterns!that!bring!success!and!problems!from!both! sides!daily.!!It!is!a!fascinating!position!in!that!I!listen!to!a!shop!tell!me!why!they!struggle!to! work!with!multiple!small!suppliers!and!then!see!artisan!food!manufacturers!making!working! with!them!very!hard!for!the!shop.!!Shops!need!to!work!with!small!start[ups!from!all!over!the! UK!to!secure!a!local!point!of!difference!over!other!shops!in!their!local!area.!!I!can!help!you! make!working!with!independent!shops!a!much!more!attractive!proposition.!

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How to make a pitch (and make consistent sales to independent shops)

Making cold calls and upselling are skills, ones you need to know if you want to grow your company. This becomes especially true as you venture outside of your local area. Over the years I’ve learned that there are a simple set of practices to follow that help shops make a well informed and happy buying decision. In this session on successful pitching you get to fast track your learning and skip the pain of a trial and error approach by getting to ‘steal’ insights from those who have become masters of the pitch.

What you’ll learn about: 1. Setting up your approach

ü getting yourself prepared ü making the first call or visit count ü making sure your price list is working for you

2. Stepping into the buyers shoes

ü Understanding what the buyer would like to hear

3. Getting a feel for your proposal

ü reading the responses as you pitch ü maximise chances of closing the sale

If you follow Steven Covey’s the philosophy from his book “Seven habits of highly effective people” you will know it has to be ‘win-win’ or no deal

First 30 days new shop account program How you work with a shop in the first 30 days is key to making long term sales. A percentage of the shops you start trading with will do very well with minimum effort from your company. It is the other shops you need to have a cast iron plan to manage as your trading relationship grows. There is no point putting in new shops at one end of the ‘sales funnel’ if they are dropping out the other end quicker. Managing shops to make a great impact and impression in the first 36 hours is a fundamental stepping stone to a long term, profitable relationship and the first 30 days in total can be the difference between your company growing or going backwards. What you’ll learn about: 1. Managing new shops in first 30 days to minimise the risk of potential poor sales

ü making the first delivery count ü making a great first impression

2. Making a structured plan in your CRM to achieve a long trading relationship ü using technology to develop relationships

3. Knowing when you have to take extra action to avoid missing sales

You have to identify your future key accounts quickly as treating all shops the same is a costly approach. My 30-day program will help you know who to work with quickly to focus on growth and who to offer a ‘good enough’ service that’s win-win without taking huge resource or time.

Managing your customers This will be an interactive hour working with your companies actual live customer relationship management system (CRM). It’s not just the technology we’ll explore it’s actually the culture you need to create around it every day for it to be the backbone of your company. When everyone in your company is fully focused on using it as a tool for growth in any communication with a customer then magical things begin to happen. What you’ll learn about: 1. Setting up your CRM so it works for you every day to make you money 2. Understanding how CRM systems work and creating a culture to use it every day 3. Running through a live demo on both of our CRM to fully understand its power

The more you spend time building relationships with customers the happier they will be and the better time you will all have.

How to use social media effectively

(Facebook (B2C), Twitter (B2B) and your own website)

As much as I love social media I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea so this session is designed to make it more accessible to all. It is something you need to engage with at some level as it is becoming more and more part of your company message to shops and consumers. From small local shops to the big blue chip brands it is THE way of communicating to the public in 2016. Just think about the last time you caught a train or were waiting for an appointment at the hairdresser or doctors, what were people around you doing? I bet they were mostly on their phones. It’s the go to activity whenever there is space these days so we need to make sure to tap into it or we miss a massive opportunity. What you’ll learn about: 1. How to make sure you are using each platform to its full potential ü overview of your current accounts and use each day 2. Making sure you Tweet the right people and post the right posts ü identify your target market ü develop your online brand and tone of voice ü making sure your content is great 3. Live demos on both Twitter and Facebook with your social media as well as looking at your company website (over view only) I’ll share some very clear and simple rules to follow to help you maximise the time you spend. Your social media should be full of calls to action or it is just a newsletter hosted by Facebook or Twitter.

A health check for your company (it’s amazing what a fresh set of eyes can see) For new, established or start-up food companies

A fresh set of eyes looking over your company as a whole can be a great idea at anytime. We can look at your overall strategy or any specific aspect of your business you’d find value in looking at and chat it though. Reviewing your deliver practice and how you manage deliveries can be one area for example. An alternative might be that we could look at your current customer profile and who is making you money and how to find more shops to do the same. Whatever you choose we will delve into the area in a way that looks for what’s already working that we could replicate, any areas of risk and develop ideas together on improvements. What you’ll learn about: 1. We look at margins, costs, and sales needed to hit targets 2. Packaging, distribution, cost of shipping and order size 3. Where you are getting success and maximising this or looking to change your approach Sometimes just chatting over your day to day operations with someone can bring clarity, particularly if you work on your own some or most days.

How to make your trade show a success? (and save you wasting time and money)

Trade shows can work out to be very expensive if you attend for 2, 3 or 4 days and go home with enquiries and no orders. Knowing how to stop people as they walk past and converting them into a customer is a simple set of actions you need to learn then practice. That’s what this session is all about! Trade shows can be a fantastic opportunity to grow your company fast. Setting them up for success is sometime you need to do a 6/8/10 weeks in advance. Once the trade show has finished the real work begins following up leads and managing new accounts is king in the weeks after the show. In many cases months of work ensues as a result of you building your business pipeline. What you’ll learn about: 1. How to convert a visitor to the stand into a customer and avoid time wasters

ü killer questions to sort the wheat from the chaff ü build your confidence with ending conversations

2. Setting up your show offers and making your enquiry form work for you ü making your offer compelling ü getting the information, you need to close the deal

3. Understand trial closing and making sure your customers find you

Set up and follow up are things you need to master when you are parting with money to attend a trade show whether you’re a first timer or a seasoned show exhibitor.

Your Investment in growth Each of the training modules above will cost £100 or £75 to Food Club members. First meetings will be booked for an extra half an hour to allow time for me to ask questions as well getting to know your company. Many of you who know me know I have a very understanding approach with helping start-up food companies and I get great results. You are all on a very well-trodden path, you just need to make sure you are on the right path with the right walking shoes. Please phone, email or text me for more information or to book in your first module. I also do group training sessions for the companies with teams. 07971 270299 marcus@artisanfood.club I run the meeting on Zoom – you have the full PowerPoint to watch your side and we can see each other on webcam if you like

One on one or team meetings

I normally take payment using PayPal and I’ll send you to use request for payment

Check out zoom meeting - https://zoom.us/

Feed back after a sales training in May 2017 3 min long

If you are keen to understand how shops buy then any work we do together will see your company grow

Testimonials

Sam Rosenheim - Director - The Yummy Tummy Co Twitter @theyummytummyco

I met Marcus through the (Facebook) food hub originally after posting a matter I needed assistance and guidance with..... He showed a passion and direct interest in my worry/question! My self and Marcus met and chewed the cud of all things start up and dissected all my worries. I don't mix words but our short hour together was one of the most honest and frank meetings I have had. Marcus has such a wealth of experience in the food sector. It seems his speciality is in all things new businesses loose sleep over. He virtually knew everything I was worried about before I said it. He advised me in a direct and honest manner. Areas of my business that caused me worry for months he showed me to be a positive. Also mistakes I could go on to make he guided me in avoiding. I feel that my time with Marcus gave me a realistic view of the mine field that is a start up business. He also showed me the light and benefits of what we have already achieved and how bright a future we as a small company could have! If myself and Marcus had of met in our first year of trading, I would have more hair and look ten years younger! FACT! He will always be saved in my phone as "The Shepherd" Vanessa Bolosier – Owner – Carib Gourmet Twitter @vanessabolosier "Marcus has the ability to simplify and break down what it takes to be a successful food entrepreneur. When we focus on our craft, the taste and prestige, he will give us all the knowledge we need to make sales and healthy profits. He taught me about margins and the importance of packaging. He managed to make me empathise with shop owners and buyers and I then learned to compromise when appropriate and push when needed. He's always in your corner. You can literally pick up the phone to him and he will ALWAYS have a solution! He's the best mentor I've had and you can really trust him because he REALLY knows what he's talking about."

From: Mark Freeman Mark@olivesetal.co.uk Date: Monday, June 10, 2019 at 4:21 PM To: Marcus Carter Cc: Jessica Subject: Testimonials

“Marcus has many years of experience across many elements of the food industry. The training we received felt personal, was delivered with passion and provided a good blend of theory supported by anecdotal insights. It’s a great introduction to best practices and full of tips for anyone wishing to establish and grow profitable sales in the world of artisan foods. I especially enjoyed Marcus’ recommendations when working with new customers and the 30day formula!” Mark Freeman - Olives Et Al “Our recent training with Marcus provided a great insight into the artisan food industry and although the session focused primarily on sales, he touched on a number of other topics along the way. Marcus has huge knowledge of the industry and was able to provide us with pertinent, insightful examples to help us see where the methods and ideas he was discussing could work with our business. Overall the session was well structured and focused specifically on topics that were relevant to our business - all delivered in a fun and engaging way. Thanks Marcus!” Nick Mercer - Olives Et Al “Just a note to thank Marcus for his time when hosting a fascinating and engaging talk about the world of sales and the processes involved. Marcus’ experience was telling as he went in to expert details regarding the most important areas of customer management, account management and samples which was particularly interesting to listen to. His emphasis on the fear of loss for new customers and the importance on the 30-day account management are areas I will certainly begin to focus on further thanks to his enthusiastic mode of teaching.” Lewis Upsher - Olives Et Al Marcus gave us an interesting and engaging training session. He’s given me a new angle to consider when promoting a new product to a customer. I learnt to think about what information will be valuable to a customer… I shouldn’t just convince them the product is a great product, I should give them confidence in how the product will successfully sell and make them profit. Marcus was infinitely knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and we will be able to use what we learnt every day. Thank you Marcus! Jess Rajska - Olives Et Al

Mark Freeman Get in touch 01258 474300

olivesetal.co.uk | facebook | twitter | instagram

Olives Et Al Limited, 1 North Dorset Business Park, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2GA UK Company Registration

Stephanie Anderson - Owner - In a Pickle Food Co Twitter @alittlebitfood

Marcus is the Simon Cowell of the Artisan Food World, he will recognise the potential in a small business and nurture it along to bigger things.He has a wealth of knowledge and a very long contact list, so if he doesn’t know something he will know someone who does. His training is direct, fun and effective, giving real life scenarios as examples of how to do, and not do sales Belinda - Owner – Belinda Clark Confectionery Twitter @BCConfectioner Marcus understands the whole distribution chain and how to make sales work. He has been an invaluable source of advice and inspiration from day 1 and 4 years in he is still a key point of reference for my business. Gillian - French Dressing Co Twitter @FrenchDressingC Marcus champions the small producer. He has vast experience and is able to offer advice and suggestion when there is a problem. He appreciates how hard the small producer works and how you need to wear many hats! Marcus is generous with his time, approachable, practical, kind, sincere and ... ALWAYS available on the end of his phone. Ryan Tindall - Just Jelly Twitter @JustJellyUK One weekday in October 2016 I had a promotion/selling day for Just Jelly with Marcus from the Artisan Food Club. We visited numerous delis/food halls across London who I wouldn't have had access to if it wasn't for Marcus. The day consisted of us visiting the shops and promoting Just Jelly. Whilst out Marcus showed me the art of selling (not just the product, but yourself as well). Watching Marcus in action really makes you think about how you sell and what you need to do to make a sale. Overall the day was excellent and a real success. I'd highly recommend anyone in the Artisan Food industry to get in touch as these resources are something that aren't always available to us normally.

Matthew - Co-Founder Lashbrook Lassis Twitter @LashbrookLassis

"The Artisan Food Club is an invaluable extension to any small-medium sized food or drink business. They have the cumulative benefit of years of experience in the food industry and help AFC members build key relationships with new buyers. Where traditional food distributors can be demanding of new businesses and place unnecessary pressures on their finances; the AFC by contrast is innovative, forward-thinking and supportive of its members. We are very grateful to Marcus and his team for all their work and would encourage other small businesses to drop them a line!" Hiromi – Kinomi Nuts Twitter @KinomiNuts have been with Marcus and the Artisan Food Club for a couple of years now and I must say, he is my go to man for any question. He has a very practical approach to any problem and is just a wealth of information about all things food sales and customer service. I've learned so much and as a sole founder, it is great to have him both selling for you and holding your hand. A rare combination.