How to Talk to a Consumer

How many of you know how to pick the perfect cut of beef for your meals but never offer your expertise to consumers at the meat case?

I pride myself on being handy, thrifty, and in general, a pretty good consumer, especially when it comes to beef. However, I'm not as good at sharing my tricks with others, and it's a shame. In a society that's consumer driven, we need smarter consumers.

The main reason for starting this blog was to help everyone be better beef consumers and advocates, and that starts with changing my attitude.

Last Thursday, I helped beef consumers at Ray's Apple Market in Manhattan, Kan. The meat case was buzzing with activity.

I was at the store for two hours and talked with a dozen consumers. Two knew what they were looking for at the meat case, and the majority of consumers welcomed my advice.

The experience taught me that consumers want to know what they are doing. We want to be empowered to make our own purchasing decisions, but sometimes we are afraid to ask for help. If you know a thing or two about beef, offer to help.

After talking to two or three consumers, I realized each experience had the same key elements. I have a few guidelines to help you out:

1. Casually scan the meat department and find a consumer that is struggling with their purchase decision. This may sound funny, but these consumers aren't hard to spot. Only a handful of people looked like they were in command of their purchasing decision when I was at the store.
2. Introduce yourself, share your qualifications (beef lover, cattle rancher, chef, foodie, etc.), and ask them if they need some help. Don't be offended if they say no. Sometimes people simply like independence, but I was surprised at how many people accepted my invitation for advice.
3. Ask them three questions: Why are you at the meat case? What is important to you in finding the right beef cut? What meals are you hoping to prepare?  These questions are essential. Some people might be making a one-meal stop. Other consumers are looking to stock up for the week. One person values flavor while another consumer desires simplicity. I realized most of the consumers I talked to knew what meal they were preparing but couldn't find the right cut to go with it. That might be the biggest pointer you can have in being their beef expert.
4. Share a few simple facts on beef's role in a healthy diet. Beef is a valuable source of zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins (ZIP).  
5. Talk about the differences in good fat and bad fat. In my opinion, marbling is a consumers best friend. It offers consumers a health benefit, and more importantly it improves beef's juiciness, flavor and tenderness. It can be a huge benefit if consumers have a habit of overcooking beef.
6. Make your advice personal. Share stories about specific meals you like, the beef cuts involved and your experiences with beef.

No one experience went the same as the next, but each of them offered opportunities to share some of these points.

Scan the meat case the next time you are at the grocery store. You might be surprised at the audience you will find.

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/ member jarred_