Farm Products Stuck in your Inventory? Start Pre-Selling.
Too often, Farmers are left with products in their inventory - on the shelf, in the refrigerator or buried in the depths of their freezers. It is not an enviable position for any Farmer.
If you want to move all your Farm inventory, start Pre-Selling today. You can build consistent cash flow for your business, and satiate Buyers who don’t want to miss out on your products. It all starts with building FOMO - the fear-of-missing-out, on getting access to your Farm product Pre-Sales.
Pre-selling can help you secure Buyer commitments ahead of harvest, while also giving you peace of mind that your Farm products won’t go to waste.
Buyers Expect to Place a Pre-order
Your Buyers routinely purchase products ahead of time. It is normal to buy concert tickets or purchase a trip, well in advance. Even ski resorts pre-sell an entire “season pass” well before the snow arrives. Buyers don’t want to miss out, and often line up to be the “first” in line to secure their purchase.
When your Farm offers Pre-Sales, be sure to give Buyers plenty of purchase options - one-time-purchases, subscriptions and deposits. Buyers appreciate the flexibility to purchase ahead of time and know that your Farm products will be available at a later date.
Market your local Farm products for Pre-Order on social media and through email marketing campaigns. This will help your community learn where to find local Farm products, and access them year-round. Create a sense of urgency for Buyers by offering certain products, or a limited supply for a limited time. This will help increase FOMO and spur customers to place a Pre-Order today.
Utilize social media to create a “buzz” about your products and encourage customers to purchase soon or mark their calendars for an upcoming sale. Build urgency and reward loyal Buyers who purchase early, helping them to feel secure (while increasing cash flow for your Farm!).
Send out email marketing campaigns that remind Buyers of your low stock. Pre-Orders can ensure customers are “first-in-line” when inventory becomes available again. This encourages Buyers to buy your products early, so they don’t miss out.
Read: 5 Promos to Drive FOMO
Offer your Subscriptions for Pre-order
Buyers want consistency and convenience when accessing your Farm products. The average American has 9 subscriptions to products and services they love. Your Buyers are no different.
Offering Pre-Orders to your subscriptions is a great idea. If a customer is already interested in your products, you should assume that they want ongoing access (on a weekly or monthly basis). This will relieve any Buyer concerns about reordering your Farm products.
If you already have a base of loyal customers, up to 40% of Buyers may opt-in to Pre-Order Subscriptions ahead of season (often months in advance). To increase conversion, be sure to tailor your Subscriptions to different Buyer types. Some customers may live alone, while others may live in households of 2, 3, 4 or more people. Offering a variety of Subscription sizes for Pre-Order will help your Farm meet the expectations of any given Buyer.
Subscriptions will save your Farm time, give your Buyers peace-of-mind and improved convenience, while increasing your recurring revenue. Farms offering Subscriptions drive 2x more in average monthly revenue, versus Farms that do not offer Subscriptions.
Be Confident about Pre-Sales
Be confident that Buyers will be interested in a Pre-Sale product - you have nothing to lose. Leverage your loyal customers to help you build FOMO, by encouraging them to share their experiences, post reviews and pictures online. Farms across the country that have adopted the concept of Pre-Sales are going into the off-season with more Buyers commitments and cash in-hand.
Food security and empty store shelves are an ever-present concern for your Buyers. When you offer Pre-Sale food products, you’re giving Buyers assurance that you will feed their families.
You know your Farm production, so choose what products should be available for Pre-Order, whether it’s in high demand or a regular staple. Consider the timeline of your growing and harvest seasons, and your typical production from year-to-year. Be confident in your choices!
Many Farms Pre-Sell in excess of 50%+ of their expected harvest ahead of season! This enables Buyers to invest in your Farm business - as a partner in your success. The initial concepts of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and herd shares, were effectively vehicles for customers of your Farm to fund your business (instead of a bank).
Enjoy the benefits of consistent cash flow in the off-season by offering food Pre-Sales immediately before and after each harvest. By increasing cash flow throughout the year, your Farm can invest more wisely (financing new projects to expand or streamline your business). Pre-Orders are a great way to increase sales and save time by offering convenient purchase options for you and your Buyers.
Source from Other Farms
In the event that a Farm is unable to harvest products they pre-sold, they often choose to source from other local Farmers in the area. This ensures that your Farm can still meet its commitments, even when things don’t go as planned. Working with other local Farmers, too, is a great avenue to build partnerships in your community.
Sourcing additional add-on products from other Farms is a great strategy to increase the size and value of bundle boxes. Pre-Selling Meal Kits as a Rancher means you can supply the proteins, and then source complementary produce, spices and value-added products from other neighboring Farmers. This is easy and convenient for Buyers, while also providing an incentive to spend more on an all-in-one meal kit. You can also target holiday bundle boxes with products sourced from other Farms, and have those products sold months in advance with Pre-Sales.
You May be Nervous about Pre-sales, but your Neighbor is Not
There is a lot of money to be made by Farmers in the off-season. If you’re uncomfortable with Pre-Sales of your Farm Products, ask yourself why you’re comfortable making other financial commitments in the off-season?
As a Farmer, you must have faith in your ability to grow and harvest your Products, otherwise you’d never buy a house, a car or any farm equipment. There is risk in every business, but your Farm can reduce exposure by securing upfront Buyer commitments with Pre-Sales.
There is no harm in offering Pre-Sales for your Products. If you do not, other neighboring Farms will move ahead of you. While you wait for the season to arrive, your Buyers will be solicited by other Farmers, and may have already Pre-Ordered products for next season. Once a Buyer makes a Pre-Sale commitment, they’re unlikely to make a repeat purchase. By offering Pre-Orders, your Farm can stay top-of-mind in the off-season (even if your Buyers choose not to make a Pre-Order!).
3 Steps to Start Pre-Selling Today
(1) Offer Promotional Incentives
Offer Buyers a promotional incentive to place a Pre-Order today. When loyal customers pay upfront for the next season, reward Buyers with an attractive discount (e.g. 10%-20% off), exclusive access to high-demand products, or a special on-Farm event. Make the promotion available for a limited time and/or limited quantities. For your Pre-Orders to succeed, your Farm products must stand out in contrast to other available options in the market.
(2) Offer Seasonal Pre-Sales
When your current season ends, immediately start offering Pre-Sales for your next season. An ongoing cycle of Pre-Orders helps Buyers know what to expect from your Farm, while also encouraging a rotation of products (which is healthier, too). Seasonal Pre-Orders can help your Farm maintain a more consistent schedule. While it can sound daunting, Pre-Sales are a smart business move that can simplify your operations, too.
(3) Offer Bundles
Bundle boxes are a great way to pair high value products (e.g. Bacon) with those in less demand (e.g. Sausage). Offering a variety of bundle options for Buyers will provide more reasons to Pre-Order. Consider offering bundles that are tailored for holiday Pre-Sales (e.g. Christmas, New Years) or special events (e.g. Tailgate, Super Bowl). This will attract more Buyers, spur upfront Pre-Sales, while also helping to alleviate your Buyers’ stress at upcoming holidays and events.
Conclusion
Pre-Sales offer your Farm the potential to attract more Buyers in the off-season, improve your cash flow and streamline your operations. Whether it is a one-time purchase, a subscription or a deposit, selling your Farm Products ahead of harvest can give you more stable income, and give your Buyers peace-of-mind.
If you choose to skip Pre-Sales altogether, be aware that other Farms will not. Barn2Door encourages Farmers to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Ask Buyers for their patronage in the off-season. You may be surprised to learn how eager Buyers are to support your Farm business, by committing to upfront Pre-Sales. Learn more about how to Pre-Sell online with Barn2Door.
Barn2Door supports 1000’s of Farms in all 50 states serving more than 1+ million Buyers. If you’re curious to learn why successful Farms run on Barn2Door, watch this 5-minute video.
