My Digital Farmer Podcast – Episode 333

Title: Finding Your Farm's Gateway Offer
Host: Corinna Bench
Date: October 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Corinna Bench explores the marketing concept of the "gateway offer"—a lower-cost, lower-barrier product designed as the first step for new customers. She details why this strategy is essential for farm businesses, how to identify your own gateway offer, and the practical steps to leverage it in your sales funnel to grow customer value over time. The episode is packed with actionable marketing advice specifically tailored for farmers looking to increase leads, sales, and lifetime customer value.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Importance of Gateway Offers

• Definition:
  A gateway offer is the product most customers buy first when they encounter your brand. It's often lower priced and designed as an accessible entry point into your business.

  “This is the product that most customers buy first when they meet your brand. It’s the entry point into your sales funnel.” (19:05)

• Purpose:
  The main goal isn’t profit up front but lowering the risk and barrier for new customers to ‘just try’ your brand.

  “Their [gateway offers’] marketing tools first. Profit generators second.” (29:43)

• Addressing Farmer Hesitation:
  Many farmers resist creating discounted or lower-margin entry offers, fearing lost profit, but Corinna reframes this as a crucial investment in customer acquisition.

2. Why Gateway Offers Matter

• Reduction of Customer Risk:
  New customers carry risk and uncertainty—will they like the product, will it be worth it? A gateway offer removes much of this friction.

  “Risk is a really big deal. You need to learn how to manage risk as a salesperson.” (32:00)

• Building Trust:
  The gateway product acts like a first handshake, beginning a relationship that can be deepened with subsequent, higher-value offers.

• Maximizing Lifetime Value:
  Instead of focusing on margins for the first sale, focus on the potential long-term value a well-nurtured customer can bring.

  “The value isn’t in that $5 or $10 they’re spending today, but it’s in the lifetime value of the customer.” (33:10)

3. Examples of Gateway Offers by Farm Type

• Vegetable Farms:

  • Pint of cherry tomatoes, bunch of carrots, salad bundle, salad dressing, CSA sampler box (e.g. a 4-week instead of a full season box).

• Meat Producers:

  • Chicken breast, ground beef, bacon, eggs, sausage pack, small grill bundle.

• Flower Growers:

  • Sunflower stems, petite market bouquet, DIY bucket of blooms.

• Value-Added Producers:

  • Jam jar, bar of soap, cheese curds, loaf of bread.

“Notice how each of these items…they’re not necessarily your most expensive product. They’re the ones that are easiest for people to take a chance on because they’re common, things they want to eat on a regular basis.” (23:54)

4. Identifying Your Own Gateway Offer

Steps:

• Anecdotal Assessment:
  Trust your gut—what product do most new customers buy? What do you most frequently recommend at market?
• Sales Data:
  Validate with data; your perceptions may be wrong or biased.
• Broad Appeal:
  The best gateway offers are things with wide appeal and low decision friction.
• Seasonality:
  Gateway offers can change with the seasons (e.g., strawberries in early summer, sweet corn in late summer).

Key Quote:

“You may have a couple, two or three, that you feel really confident leading with, but usually it’s like, not more than three.” (38:55)

5. Gateway PRODUCT vs. Gateway OFFER

• Product:
  The actual item—e.g., bacon, strawberries, “crack” carrots.
• Offer:
  The way you promote that product—e.g., adding a bonus, freebie, or limited-time discount.

“Gateway product is just like, what’s the actual thing that you pitch… The gateway offer is a little bit more of a distinction because you can take the product and then build an offer around it.” (43:35)

6. How to Market Your Gateway Offer

Practical Tactics:

• Emphasize in Copy:
  On your website, product listings, social media and email promotion, always signal, “This is the best way to start with us.”
• Staff Training:
  Ensure staff always point new customers to the gateway product.
• Testimonials and Recipes:
  Use social proof and content to make your gateway offer irresistible.
• Scarcity and Urgency:
  Highlight limited availability to create demand and FOMO.

  “If you want our market carrots, our crack carrots, you gotta be here in the first two hours because they sell out. And that caused people to know, oh, that's the thing everyone's crazy about.” (49:02)

7. Building the Back End—What’s Next After the Gateway Offer?

• Sales Funnel Progression:
  Guide customers into upsells or “graduated” products via nurture emails and backend automation.

• Examples:
  Carrots → Salad bundle → Salad dressing → 4-week CSA → Full CSA Petite bouquet → Deluxe bouquet → Subscription Ground beef → Burger pack → Quarter beef share

• Marketing Assets:
  Build nurture email sequences, sales sequences, social media campaigns, and store categories to shepherd customers forward.

Key Quote:

“So remember, the gateway offer is just the first rung on your product ladder. And your job is to help them climb higher.” (58:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On overcoming resistance to gateway offers:

  “So many people are reluctant to create a special gateway offer… they just see the lost dollars. And I just want to remind you, if this works the way it’s supposed to… you make your money on the back end.” (30:11)

• On investment and customer acquisition:

  “You are investing in acquiring a customer. Okay? Lifetime value, that’s the metric that matters.” (36:18)

• On personal experience and what to recommend:

  “Imagine a customer is asking you that, what should I try first? What do you say? That’s probably your gateway offer.” (41:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [19:05] – What is a gateway offer?
• [23:54] – Examples by farm type & why low-cost, high-appeal items matter
• [29:43] – Gateway offers as marketing tools, not just profit generators
• [32:00] – Managing risk and building trust with new customers
• [38:55] – How many gateway offers should you have?
• [43:35] – Difference between a gateway product and gateway offer
• [49:02] – Using scarcity and social proof in marketing
• [58:30] – The gateway offer as the first rung of the ladder—guiding customers forward

Action Steps & Final Challenge

• Challenge:
  Identify your gateway offer this week. If you already have one, test an additional offer or build seasonal variations.

• Questions to Ask Yourself:

  • Do I have a gateway offer?
  • Is it obvious to my customers?
  • After someone buys, what’s the next step, and am I coaching them into it?

“The gateway offer isn’t about today’s sale… it’s about tomorrow’s relationship.” (1:03:45)

Summary Takeaway

Your gateway offer is the essential opening to your farm’s sales funnel and long-term customer relationships. By identifying and promoting a compelling, low-barrier product, and combining it with backend marketing assets and progression steps, you’ll convert more leads, nurture loyal customers, and dramatically increase the lifetime value of each person you serve.

Show notes and more resources:
mydigitalfarmer.com/333

Connect with Corinna and Farm Marketing School:

• Email list: mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe
• Farm Marketing School: mydigitalfarmer.com/fms

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