**3.3 Training and word of mouth**

 Once a new product idea enters into a market, in order to succeed, it is important that features, characteristics and advantages reach final consumers through available information. Word of mouth is the most powerful way [15, 16]. In consumers' perception the word of mouth reduces the risks and becomes the most important referring source especially when finding information on specific products is difficult. Nowadays [4] social influence is determining the success or the decline on the market of many products. All of us strongly trust what is communicated through the network. In the social, however, the new tendency is to jump in and out the Net to verify the information collected, strongly relying on the F factors: family, friends, fan and followers [4]. For this reason we believe that a strategy we pursued in the 2009 for Sicilian cheeses would be successful for other cheeses around the world. By collecting data on supermarkets, specialty shops and big distributions' point of sales, we realized that people working at the daily counter did not have expertise on dairy product. This was very common inside the big distribution. Therefore, we decided to start a collaboration with a local chain to support traditional cheese selling. We set up training on local traditional cheeses by combing training and awareness but most importantly *emotional experience* playing on sensorial aspects and environmental comfort. We tried to combine research knowledge and selling experience in a simple way to define consumer strategy approach. To involve emotionally counters that were daily in touch with final consumers, it was the main strategy to fortify their abilities in selling and in positively affecting consumers looking for specific information. Consequently, it turned to be a strategy to increase consumers' willingness to choose and buy these niche products. A positive word of mouth was generated on

*Optimal Procedures to Valorize High-Quality Traditional Dairy Products DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86831* 

### **Figure 5.**

*Multistep flow generated by technical training.* 

specific products, on counter service and on the distribution chain brand [17]. A multistep flow allowed at first on Sicilian cheeses and subsequently on other projects (i.e. Gbejna) to increase product awareness, selling skills and in turn selling volume and value (**Figure 5**). The high turnover of people employed as counters requires a frequent and continuous training in order to support and improve the selling volume of niche products sector that does not have the possibility to invest a huge amount of money in advertising and publicity.
