IG Live: Barriers & Sales
This month’s Instagram Live session is about “barriers” and harnessing more control over our sales. I think this is a really interesting topic because we generally think of barriers in a negative sense, but they can also be helpful for sales.
To begin, though I’d like to talk a little about barriers that prevent sales. If you’re having trouble reaching sales goals, it can be helpful to think about what is preventing people from buying from you, rather than which new thing you can do.
This sort of backward engineering helps us identify problems from our customers’ perspectives and work to solve those problems. I know I’ve mentioned it a couple times before— sales is really about problem solving.
Customer is in the dark.
First problem— Your customer doesn’t even know about your offering. It can feel like you’re operating in an echo chamber, but it’s important that you reach out and offer your goods often. A general rule of marketing is that a customer needs to hear/see your message 7 times before they make a purchase. Your direct messaging (email or personal communication) to customers is one of the best ways to connect.
If you want to sell more CSAs as gifts this winter— where/how do you reach the people who might buy them? Sometimes we need to interrupt their daily routine to reach them.
Cost is prohibitive.
If the cost is a factor (as it often is-we are talking about a luxury product). Try to find out what the right price point is. Poll your customers. Or offer a few price points and see what people latch on to most. Instead of lowering the cost of your product, make an adjustment that helps you get the same value for your work/goods. Make smaller wreaths or wreaths with only a small crescent of flowers. Make your CSA bunches with fewer stems. Use a smaller wrapper so that you still get the “look” you like.
Or— bring in the same amount of money— but let your customers pay in installments.
Receipt is prohibitive.
If you are too far away, or remote, or do not have easy parking for customers. Think about how you can solve that problem. Can you take your product to your customers? Can you place your products somewhere that is easy to access and on the main path of people during their daily routine. Can you offer a “loading zone” pick up?— like can your customer text you so you can run an order out to them instead of making them find public parking in a busy area.
Flowers don’t last long.
Teach your customers how to help flowers have a longer vase life.
Guilt.
The vast majority of our buyers were customers purchasing flower subscriptions for themselves (not as gifts). I noticed that for some customers, the subscriptions were more guilt-free than buying flowers for themself at the farmers market. Some customers would come every weekend to the farmers market and not buy flowers. They would stop by and chat, but wouldn’t buy. It was almost like they were too embarrassed to be seen buying flowers publicly. Do you have any customers like that? Some of those same customers WOULD buy the flower subscriptions though— and they’d go all in— an entire year of weekly flowers. In this way, a barrier was removed, and I might be able to reach customers by promoting this “secret” way to spoil yourself with flowers.
We also think of our flowers as great gift for people who say they “have everything”. Most people are thinking about manufactured hard goods when they share messages like this. They don’t want more clothes or jewelry or things or “clutter” in their homes. But healthy, local, fresh flowers can feel really different.
Another way to remove the guilt someone feels when buying flower for themself is to help them see benefits of the flowers to other people they may live with. In this case we’d promote the “wonder” of special flowers and the opportunity for learning that bringing an interesting piece of nature brings. We’d provide information or activities to go with the flowers. Maybe some weekly “fun facts” that we print out and share with the flowers. I do think that the “flowers make you happy” pitch is good and that it should be part of your sales line-up, but a lot of people aren’t willing to do something just because it might make them happy — again that may make them feel guilty/self-indulgent.
But they may hear “flowers transform a space” argument and run with it. With this pitch, you show a space with and without flowers. How a small, carefully curated collection, or an intentionallky placed bud vase warm a home. You might try showing enviable indoor environments and pointing out that they
We’d also work to help our buyers see how their purchases of our products support the local environment. We’d share information about pollinators and relationships between our plants and the region. We’d identify native plants in our bouquets and also share insights into which plants home gardeners might enjoy planting.
And we take time to explain how our customers support the people employed here. We’d introduce each person who helps here and how their role plays into the flowers. We might share a “meet the farmer” series of posts in social media or in emails that go out to customers.
How barriers can promote sales:
Urgency
-Create urgency with hype. Reach out to your customers and let them know ahead of time that a sale is coming. Advance notice of sales helps them to start thinking about your products and planning to make a purchase or to watch for more announcements. If possible, provide a means for them to mark their calendars with reminders. The countdown timer feature in Instagram stories is a great way to do that.
-Create urgency with time limits on your sales. Set a pre-determined end date for your sale and make that date public. Many people are encouraged to purchase/act when they have a deadlines. Some people (myself included) need a deadline to act.
-Create urgency with quantity limits. This is particularly easy for those of us who don’t have a lot of product to offer. If you have a small business, sharing your limited stock quantities isn’t a bad thing!
-Create urgency by actually increasing the value of products you’re offering by putting them together, rather than offering them singly. Packages and bundles create the perception of “ease” or completeness. They take away the task of decision making.
-Try using words that feel limiting “I never do this” this is “the first time” This is the “only time we’ve ever been able to do this, etc”. These “once in a blue moon” kind of phrases encourage people to act now before they miss out.
CASE Studies:
Here are some samples of marketing touch points you might consider for certain kinds of products.
CSA/Flower Club Membership launch:
(notice: this schedule of emails/marketing touch points is more condensed than my suggestion in the video (and above) to reach out by email about once a week — those emails are more for “regular times” when you aren’t necessarily launching something new, but rather promoting ongoing business. Here is a sequence you might consider preparing for a new product launch.
“Coming soon” announcement. (1 week from launch) Consider preparing your audience for your offering with a “coming soon email announcement” and matching social media posts. If you want to add mystery/hype/anticipation you can make this announcement without directly saying what the product/service is.
“Launching in a few days” announcement. (Make this announcement about 3 days before a launch and reveal the product if you haven’t already). (Make matching social media posts.)
“Launching tomorrow at _____ time” announcement. Include a countdown clock. Share news in your social media posts and in your Instagram stories. Add any “limiting” language you feel comfortable adding — like limited quantity, etc. (Make matching social media posts.)
“Sales are open!” announcement. Language similar to: Today is the day. Our sale is live! We have limited quantity and/or time to offer this sale. For memberships purchased as gifts, we’ll be sending a special card to you for presenting your gift to a loved one. (Make matching social media posts.)
Follow-up email week after launch: Looking for a gift for someone who has everything? Our flower clubs are a great way to bring a little wonder to everyone. And they support our farm (insert photo of your farm team/farming family/you at work). Share some bio info about yourself. (Make matching social media posts.)
Follow up email 2 weeks after launch: Last minute gift idea! We’ve got you covered. Our Flower Club is a great way to celebrate and honor someone you love this holiday season. And this thoughtful gift lasts weeks and weeks! (explain the subscription) (Make matching social media posts.)
“Final Offer” Sales are closing announcement. (Make matching social media posts.)
I generally find that 21 days (3 weeks) is about our limit for pushing a sale of a new product/a product launch. After that length of time, things don’t feel like a “launch” anymore. And the urgency is difficult to maintain.
Within the sale time, you might employ any number of techniques mentioned above to help people overcome barriers to sale or encourage them to purchase. I especially love subscription memberships that provide an experience along with a product. A compelling email announcement could be made to explain how your product is more than just a wrapped bunch of flowers by including a sample of the kind of activity/or short video story, etc. that you’ll be sharing with each batch of flowers.
DAHLIA TUBER SALE:
Here is a series of points that you might share by email and/or social media to encourage gardeners to purchase your dahlia tubers. Consider adding these points to a schedule similar to the one mentioned above for the Flower Club/Membership program. You might use them to help you draft emails and social media posts.
Take advantage of exclusivity: Here is an opportunity to grow the same flowers we grow here!
Take advantage of urgency: This is your one chance a year to add these to your garden.
Use the quantity limit: Quantities are limited and some varieties will likely sell out fast!
Overcome the overwintering barrier: We’ll handle all the winter storage for you and send only healthy tubers in the spring. (no risk of losing tubers to storage problems)
Overcome the black thumb gardener barrier: Our tubers come with a short, easy-to-follow grow along videos. I’ll show you how and when to plant in a video shared at shipping time, and I’ll follow up with a few other videos throughout the season so you can learn how to care for your plants.
Overcome guilt: “Gift your garden pollinators more flowers and food this summer!” Or “Bring the gift of fresh flowers to your family this season.” Make the purchase about helping someone or something else.
Make a connection: share an email for your sale that also tells your story and a photo of your at work and your love for this plant and maybe some fun facts about dahlias. People are more likely to buy from someone they feel they know and trust.
Promote a specific variety: If you have extra of a certain variety of dahlia tuber - collect your thoughts on the merits of that variety, even if it isn’t your absolute favorite. Maybe it is “classic” or “a must have” or “versatile” because it looks good with other varieties. Maybe it can be a good match for some reason to a variety that IS selling really well.
Put together a collection or pairing of your ball form dahlia tubers or mini pom dahlia tubers or dinner plate tubers or tubers by a certain color, etc. Consider making some popular varieties ONLY available in a collection and use them to help sell other varieties.
I hope this conversation was helpful. I LOVE the art and science of marketing and sales. If this all seems overwhelming to you— remember these are bunch of methods and techniques. I’m not suggesting you do them all and certainly not all at once. Work towards those 7 (at least) touch points to start and apply the messages that make the most sense for your and your business.
When push comes to shove, ask yourself “which problem am I solving for my customer with this email/post?”
“Am I helping them overcome guilt?” “Am I helping them overcome fear of killing plants?” “Am I giving them something to cure family boredom?” What is the purpose of this piece of communication, other than making me money?”
I’d love to talk more about this topic. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
