For most farmers, selling is a challenge. This competence is not natural for most of us. We must try to make ourselves comfortable with the deed of sale.
And let me be totally honest with you. If you don’t learn to sell, you will go bankrupt before you start.
Fortunately, sales is a skill you can learn. It’s like putting on new jeans, it’s uncomfortable at first, but after a while, it fits like a glove. Selling is the same.
The most common complaint when it comes to selling or marketing is: « I am introverted and would rather milk cows than sell. I don’t know what to say. I hate to talk about myself or my products in a commercial way. »
These negative ideas about selling must be stopped. It is our job to share how our products will help someone else’s life. It is our job to get to know our customers and help them solve their problems.
So if you want to learn my most effective sales methods, this article is for you.
Here are the best ways to sell at home, on the market or on your direct delivery site.
1. Sell you
After observing the purchasing psychology of our customers for years, I noticed that my best argument was not the high quality of my milk.
Of course, the milk was excellent, hygienic, high in cream, our customer service was excellent, our farming practices were all the more organic.
But what I noticed was that when I met the customers in person, the sale was almost guaranteed.
When we met in person, trust quickly built up. And it was still working 10 years later.
No matter where I was (grocery store, grocery store or restaurant), I was able to communicate with people in a way that made them want to buy from me. Communicating with me, in person, guaranteed a high percentage of sales!
So I started creating opportunities to meet people, this personal contact changed the game and allowed me to gain experience in sales.
And, when you establish a relationship of trust, that customers feel good, then your slightly higher prices will not matter more.
2. Customers who buy again and again
The lack of regular customers is another problem for many farmers who market their own production. Customers buy once and never come back, even though you thought you had a good contact with them.
So you are always looking for new customers – I call it, « letting the 1000 franc bills pass to pick up small parts » and I see farmers doing this often.
We tend to think that once customers have bought from you, they are customers for life. This is simply not true, the customer is NEVER captive.
But you focus on finding new customers, which is time-consuming and exhausting work.
Good news. I have a solution for you.
The people you want to focus on are those who have already bought from you. The best way to increase sales is to encourage SAME people to buy from you week after week with an email mailing list.
Studies show that it is 7 to 10 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one.
To increase your farm’s sales, it is important to focus on customer retention.
3. Eliminate discounts and coupons
It is tempting to offer discounts and coupons in the hope of attracting new customers and increasing sales.
Bad idea! You can’t sell high-end products with the techniques to sell low-end products.
It just doesn’t work, that’s all. Words like « organic », « sustainable development », deserve higher prices and a high quality reputation.
You sell specialized products, handcrafted with love, that require a lot of work to create. Why sell this quality at a fraction of its price?
Here, I explained my 3 ways of selling that will allow you to be profitable in the long term.
It’s up to you….
