Give It Away

Believe it or not, the downtown Newark Farmer's Market will be here before you know it. Today Vicky Crist, the Market Master, held a meeting with the vendors who have participated in past markets to discuss tips to make the 2009 market even better. I was pleased to hear all the good feedback she received from the vendors about not only our market, but about how they are treated by the committee. According to them, no other market does as much for the vendors as we do.


But what really caught my attention was a story from one of the vendors. She makes rhubarb jam. She said one day at the market, she decided to give away free samples. Guess what - she sold completely out that day. She said the previous week, when she didn't give anything away, she sold nothing. Not even one jar. I'm not sure why I was surprised at her story. It does make complete sense. And this strategy isn't just for products; it can be applied to services as well. Example - Zumba. I have written about my experience with my first class of Zumba before, but the lesson here is that because I had a coupon for one free class, I decided to try it. And I love it. Liz McCullough (our instructor) gained a returning customer by giving away a service.


One other example of how this business practice works is that a chamber member who does custom framing gave the chamber a very nice framed picture. It showed the quality of her work and we hung it up in the office. Today another member was looking to get some items framed and because we knew the quality of her work, we referred him to her. She now has a new customer - all because she gave something away.


We have all heard the saying that you have to spend money to make money. But you don't have to spend a fortune to get noticed. A jar of jam. A $4 Zumba class. Take some time to think about what you can give away that will get you noticed. As you can see, it really does work.