My Digital Farmer Podcast — Episode 355

"The 3 Mindset Blocks Behind Selling Your Farm Products"
Host: Corinna Bench
Date: February 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this insightful and reflective episode, Corinna Bench dives deep into the mental and emotional barriers that hold many farmers back from successfully selling their products. She pulls back the curtain on three recurring mindset blocks she frequently notices among farmers—specifically, hesitancy around self-promotion, tying one’s self-worth to sales outcomes, and assuming “good products should sell themselves.” Corinna shows listeners how these beliefs are rooted in identity protection and walks through practical “reframe” strategies to shift each mindset from self-limiting to empowering. The episode moves fluidly between real talk, personal experience, and actionable advice, aiming to make sales feel more like service, leadership, and stewardship rather than pressure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: The Real Bottleneck in Farm Sales

[05:04]

• Corinna asserts that farm sales issues are often not about tools or strategy, but “hesitation and imposter syndrome.”

  “Farmers who will build the product, they'll grow the email list, they'll do all the work. But then when it comes time to promote, they pull back. They shrink.” (05:38)

• She emphasizes that discomfort with selling isn’t just about marketing skills, but deeper beliefs about what marketing represents.

2. Mindset Block #1: Fear of Being Annoying

[09:10]

• Core Belief:
  • “I don’t want to be annoying. I don’t want to be salesy. If they want it, they’ll ask me.”
• Underlying Fear:
  • Rejection and social disapproval; risking belonging within one’s community.
• Corinna’s Reframe:
  • “Reminding people about my product is actually serving people. My job is not to pressure. My job is simply to remind people.” (12:44)
  • “Silence doesn’t make me more respectful, it actually makes me invisible.” (14:37)
  • “Annoying is when you’re pushing what people don’t want, but marketing is inviting people to what they already said they value.” (15:25)
• Actionable Shift:
  • View reminders as acts of care; accept that those truly annoyed are probably not your ideal customers.
• Memorable Quote:

  “If you believe that your food matters, then reminding them about the offer…is actually an act of service and an act of care. It’s not annoyance.” (13:22)

3. Mindset Block #2: Sales = Personal Worth

[17:58]

• Core Belief:
  • “If they don’t buy this offer, it means something about me. Maybe I’m charging too much. Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
• Underlying Fear:
  • Personal rejection; conflating sales results with identity and self-worth.
• Personal Story:
  • Corinna relates a session with her coach Rebecca, who said:

    “What if your yes lives in the land of no?” (21:36)

• Reframe:
  • Every “no” is data, not a verdict on your value.
  • Mature businesses treat “no’s” and low conversions as normal—a gateway to finding “yeses.”
• Tactics:
  • Approach every offer as a beta test.
  • Detach self-worth from outcomes; view every campaign as data to be studied.
• Memorable Quote:

  “It does not mean anything about you. So I want you to practice detaching yourself from the results and instead just be curious. Play in the sandbox.” (24:30)

4. Mindset Block #3: Good Products Should Sell Themselves

[29:15]

• Core Belief:
  • “If it’s really good, I shouldn’t have to sell it. Word of mouth should be enough. Marketing feels manipulative.”
• Underlying Fear:
  • “Integrity conflict”—a fear of feeling inauthentic or like a manipulator.
• Reframe:
  • “If I don’t explain the value, I'm hiding the value.” (32:12)
  • “People cannot value what they don’t understand. Marketing is actually education.”
• Actionable Shift:
  • Embrace promotion as clarifying and teaching—“promotion isn’t hype, it’s leadership.”
  • “Word of mouth works faster when I give people words.” (34:33)
• Memorable Quote:

  “Growing great food is step one, but communicating why it matters is step two, and they are very different.” (33:00) “Promotion isn’t hype, it’s actually leadership.” (34:45)

5. The Unifying Root: Identity Protection

[36:10]

• Corinna notes a breakthrough: all three blocks are about protecting our identity—likability, self-worth, and integrity—not about protecting the customer.
• Reframing sales as “service, leadership, education, stewardship” unlocks growth and resilience.

6. How to Shift These Mindsets

[37:10]

• Step 1: Become aware of which block(s) are running your business—catch yourself in the old thought.

  “If you spot it, you got it. No judgment, just notice it.” (38:08)

• Step 2: Practice the alternative thought, even though it feels weird or uncomfortable (“like wearing clothes that don’t fit yet”).
• Step 3: Consistency—over time, shifting beliefs and habits begins to feel more natural and authentic.
• Memorable Guidance:

  “You just keep doing it anyway until eventually you begin to start believing it a little bit more, like 10% more, 20% more. And that discomfort starts to go away. It’s not quite as powerful. And then it starts to feel more like you.” (39:07)

7. Final Thoughts & Calls to Action

[41:08]

• “Marketing is not about convincing people to want something that they don’t need. It’s about helping the right people see what’s already available to them.”
• Hiding your farm’s value is “withholding the life saving serum…your gifts, your power in the world.”
• Leadership in marketing is about conviction, belief, and persistence—not shedding your identity, but owning it with clarity and boldness.
• Reflective Challenge:

  “The question isn’t how do I stop feeling uncomfortable as I promote. The question is what belief would make promotion feel like service instead of pressure? What belief would make promotion feel like leadership instead of pressure? That is the work, that is the practice that I invite you into.” (43:14)

• Corinna encourages listeners to journal or discuss their own root hesitancy and to adopt empowering beliefs.

Notable Quotes

• “Silence doesn’t make me more respectful, it actually makes me invisible.” (14:37)
• “Every business will be required to go into the land of no. And mature businesses are not afraid of it…They analyze the numbers in the land of no.” (23:19)
• “If I don’t explain the value, I’m hiding the value.” (32:12)
• “Promotion isn’t hype, it’s actually leadership.” (34:45)
• “If you spot it, you got it. No judgment, just notice it.” (38:08)

Key Timestamps

• 05:04 — Introduction to mindset and bottleneck
• 09:10 — Block #1: Fear of being annoying, reframes, practical examples
• 17:58 — Block #2: Personal worth and sales, Rebecca’s coaching metaphor
• 21:36 — “Your yes lives in the land of no”
• 24:30 — Separating identity from outcomes
• 29:15 — Block #3: “Good products should sell themselves,” reframes
• 32:12 — “Hiding the value”
• 36:10 — All blocks protect identity, not customers
• 37:10 — How to shift these mindsets step by step
• 41:08 — Marketing as service and leadership; empowering beliefs
• 43:14 — Reflective challenge and episode wrap-up

Conclusion

Corinna Bench’s episode offers a candid, compassionate look at the mindset hurdles common among farmers learning to sell. By breaking down why these beliefs persist and demonstrating clear mental shifts, she equips farmers to promote confidently—so their offers become acts of service, rather than moments of discomfort or self-doubt. This is a must-listen (or must-read) for anyone wrestling with internal resistance to marketing within a values-driven small business.

Find more resources and show notes at:
mydigitalfarmer.com/355