Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
confident that as long as the potatoes arrived in a box with that name and
logo, they did not have to worry about quality. That grower had it made. By
maintaining a high level of quality and good customer relations, as well as
by clearly identifying his product and setting it apart from his competitors,
he had customers coming to him.
Selling
If you have taken care of the steps that we have already discussed, selling
will be easy. You will have produced something for which there is a viable
market, your product will meet quality and delivery standards, you will have
established contact with your prospective customers, and you will have
clearly set forth sales terms. There will not be any surprises for you or your
customers. You have something they want, and you are willing to provide it
for a fair price. The only thing left is the exchange. There are literally hun-
dreds of topics and training programs available on how to sell, and you may
benefit from reading some of them. You are, however, already an expert on
the subject by having made thousands of purchases of your own.
Make the exchange quick and professional. Always provide receipts. For
wholesale purchases, work out the details, such as delivery and payment
schedules, in advance. Meet your end of the bargain and provide clear, con-
cise invoices. Keep your records and accounting meticulously accurate. If you
need to charge sales tax, then do it. Never bend the law for anyone. Doing
so can land you in deep trouble with the authorities and will only damage
your reputation with customers. They know that if you are willing to cheat
the government, you are probably also willing to cheat them.
Developing a Business Plan
According to an old adage, “If you do not know where you are going, then
you will never get there.” This is especially true of creating and running an
orchard business. A business plan is simply your road map. It gets you star-
ted in the right direction and helps you make mid-course corrections when
you run into detours and dead ends.
