8/21/2025 - By Cort Hall

Early Order Programs (EOP) give business owners and professionals the opportunity to take advantage of savings through discounts and rebates from different distributors. Programs typically run from October to December, and customers can order all of the chemical products they will need for the coming year early.

Is EOP for LCOs?

Lawn care operators who are savvy and organized can use EOP as an opportunity to plan and buy products in advance to get better pricing. EOP allows you to build your program around a distributor, lock in pricing, and secure your inventory so that you can concentrate on other things during the upcoming spring.

EOP also has a payment term of May/June (the following year), allowing you to pay for the products you purchased the prior year, potentially, after they are used. This gives professionals the freedom to purchase their products ahead of time and prepare for the next season, without having to pull money from their bank account during the fall and pay incrementally.

How Does EOP Benefit LCOs?

EOP offers many potential benefits for LCOs, depending on your needs and which programs you decide to take advantage of. Any time you can save money on a product that is a staple in your program, it is wise to participate in EOP and get yourself set up with the products you need for next season. Buying ahead also brings you the bonus advantage of peace of mind. This allows you to put the majority of your focus into growing as a business and delivering the best service possible, instead of overthinking program details throughout the year, especially during the busier season of 2026.

Taking the Guesswork Out of EOP

Before Harrell’s sits down with a customer to talk EOP, we always look at their current programs from the previous year to get an idea of what works, what does not, the negotiable parts of the program, and the non-negotiable parts. This is just to make sure Harrell’s is on the same page as our customers in regard to the program before we start worrying about money being saved.

Once we have the program details figured out, Harrell’s always has a printout of what they purchased for the entire year, and how much of that was purchased before the payment terms were up. Harrell’s uses this as a tool to understand when and how the customer buys products. From here, we discuss current acreage treated and approximate growth for the upcoming year. At a minimum, Harrell’s would ask if a customer is planning to lose business; if not, then you should probably order what you did last year at a minimum.

How Can Harrell’s Help with EOP?

Harrell’s approach to program building gives you a better understanding of how the season could go with POLYON® controlled-release fertilizer and tools like the POLYGRAPH. Understanding the predictability of nitrogen release allows us to have more confidence in knowing we are making a suitable selection when building a program. That is a huge advantage and one you can count on. The agronomy and business understanding need to go hand in hand when making purchases and decisions, such as those made during EOP.

Further EOP Tips

You are able to make the smartest and most efficient/profitable selections when you have a very thorough understanding of your business. Understand your due dates and make small payments monthly so that everything does not come due at one time, which forces you into a bad position.

However, if done correctly, you can use the money that you would have had to pay all at once on other important things, still make your applications, get paid, and not lose any large sums from the account. The most important thing is to have an intentional plan for making payments once the money is flowing in from the applications that you are making.

Before you call a meeting, ask your Harrell’s rep if this approach applies to you. Maybe try it for a year on 3-4 items to learn the process before you take a big stance on EOP long-term. This is a game you are going to want to learn to play and take advantage of all the savings and discounts it grants you. Just be smart, know your business, and talk it over with your rep to learn more.