“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be
part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”—Howard Schultz, Starbucks
You, a member of your local Farmer's Market, probably think, "Mission statements may be great for someone like Starbucks or Apple, but what does it matter for a local Farmer's Market? People know what we're doing. We sell local food in our area and that should be self-evidently important on its face."
We at Driving For Freshness think in response: "You sell food locally. So what? I can as easily drive to my super market or another fresh market to get similar goods. Why should I even bother to shop here?"
Your mission statement can go a long way in defining you for people outside and inside your market. Let's
take a look at a couple of statements to see what I mean:
"The CMVGA manages, educates and assists in improving production methods and direct-marketing strategies for its members through related partnerships with the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Grown Promotional Board."
Dane County Farmer's Market
The DCFM pursues the following goals:
• To give growers and producers of Wisconsin agricultural commodities and other farm-related products alternative marketing opportunities. • To promote the sale of Wisconsin-grown farm products. • To improve the variety, freshness, taste and nutritional value of produce available in the Madison area. • To provide an opportunity for farmers and people from urban communities to deal directly with each other rather than through third parties, and to thereby get to know and learn from one another. • To provide an educational forum for consumers to learn the uses and benefits of quality, locally grown or prepared food products. • To provide educational opportunities for producers to test and refine their products and marketing skills. • To enhance the quality of life in the greater Madison area by providing a community activity which fosters social gathering and interaction. • To preserve Wisconsin’s unique agricultural heritage and the historical role which farmers' markets have played in it. |
The first statement, found on the website for the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, is good but a touch broad. When I read it I think that my purpose in going to the market is to educate myself about local produce like it is a class and to acknowledge the organizations that put it together. On a Saturday morning I'm honestly not in the mood to go educate myself per say, I want to have an experience of interacting with farmer's. This seems like a very introverted statement that is meant for people within the organization. What about its customers?
The second statement from the market in Madison really lays out some concrete goals that can relate to all different parties. These are all great goals but it would be nice if it was prefaced with an overarching statement and each of the goals were more quantifiable. How do I know if we are getting close to our goals?
How did I come to these conclusions? I analyzed them along three measurements that I want to share with you: concreteness, direction, and support. When you get done reading these pointers, think about the mission statements that I pulled from these sites and see if you could come up with something better.
Point 1: Make it Concrete
Dan Heath, columnist for Fast Company magazine and writer of the book Made To Stick, warns that the first thing an organization has to be weary of is making the statement so broad that it is almost meaningless.
In the article "How to Write a Mission Statement That Doesn't Suck" he shows a statement by Sonicbids that uses concrete language:
"We want to help musicians get gigs, and promoters book the right bands...We're a bunch of people who think that music can truly change the world and make it smaller and better."
That statement is something tangible that you can really put your hands around depending on where you are in the organization. If you do not use concrete language then you can have your associates and customers sterilize the statement to where it loses all of its passion. This is why Dan contrasts Sonicbids with the mission statement from Exxon Mobil:
"Exxon Mobil is committed to being the world's premier petroleum and petrochemical company."
This statement talks much about what the organization drives to do but not much of what they plan to do for its customers and stakeholders. Try to rework this statement yourself and see if you can come up with something more akin to Sonicbid's statement. It might help you rework your own.
Point 2: Designate the Finish Line
Nancy Lubin at Fast Company in her article "How to Write A Mission Statement That Isn't Dumb" really stresses finding that long term goal for your organization that people can gather around. She writes, "Mission statements don't have to be dumb. In fact, they can be very valuable, if they articulate real targets." She gives the example of the Amazon Kindle, "Every book ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds." That is something exciting, broad, but can also be measured. In other words make your mission count.
Point 3: Gather the Input of Your Audience
Once you know where your going and what you want people to think of when they hear it then you add in the input of your audience. The difficulty can often be: Who is your audience? Is this something that you just want employees to know or be proud enough to showcase it at your market for your customers to see? Bounce it off of the people it matters to the most.
So now that you've got these pointers? What do you think about the mission statements above? What do you follow as the mission statement for your market? Do you even have one? Does anyone know about it? I would love hear comments about your experiences with mission statements. Please share.
If you want to read more about this subject please look at this article:
http://goarticles.com/article/How-to-Brand-A-Farmers-Market-for-Success/4689441/
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