DAY 1 MORNING: UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET AND WHY POSITIONING MATTERS
Session 1: The Commodity Trap – Why Competing on Price is Risky
- What makes produce unique versus all other products
- Global and local realities facing fresh produce growers
- Case studies: Growers who moved beyond commodity pricing
- Discussion: Your observations from your markets
Session 2: How Buyers and Consumers Make Decisions
- Understanding your sales and distribution channels & defining your target market
- Using ‘category management’ to increase category & buyer understanding
- The role of your category: retail importance and consumer importance
- Standing in the buyers' shoes – understanding their needs
- Competition analysis – local and international
DAY 1 AFTERNOON: FINDING YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS
Session 3: What Makes You Different? (And Why It Matters)
- Understanding differentiation and why it is important
- Ways to create ‘meaningful differentiation’ in fresh produce
- Guided worksheet: What makes you/your company/your product unique
Session 4: Creating and Determining Your Value Proposition
- Restating what makes you unique
- Understanding trends and how they influence your positioning
- Creating your value proposition: now versus future
- How to express your difference simply and clearly
- Small group or individual work: Drafting your value proposition
DAY 2 MORNING: BUILDING YOUR POSITIONING STRATEGY
Session 5: Positioning Your Produce in a Crowded Market
- Claiming and communicating your niche
- Determining your focus: trade versus consumer
- Positioning matrix exercise: Where are you today vs. where could you be?
Session 6: Turning Positioning into Practical Actions
- Marketing ‘meaningful differentiation
- How to bring your positioning to life (packaging, labeling, communication, relationships with buyers)
- Examples of low-cost/high-impact improvements
DAY 2 AFTERNOON: ACTION PLANNING AND NEXT STEPS
Session 7: Building Your Differentiation Action Plan
- Simple framework: Goals, Actions, Measures
- Review of action plans (peer or individual)
Session 8: Overcoming Barriers to Change
- Addressing common challenges (limited budgets, buyer resistance, lack of brand knowledge)
- Discussion: What support and resources are needed to move forward?
Closing : Key Takeaways and Commitments
- Each participant identifies one positioning improvement they will make within the next three months.