Ag Sales Professional's Podcast by Greg Martinelli

Says every farmer in today’s economy

If you call on farmers or livestock producers, then you hear that quote far too many times on your sales calls.  So often that you believe it’s true.  So often that you hang your head and struggle to make sales calls on current customers, let alone cold call on prospects.  You just know that you will get a shotgun blast if you cold call on a farmer and try to sell them a $600,000 piece of equipment, or building!

If this is you:

• Don’t lose hope. 

Instead, Listen in to hear 4 thoughts for building your confidence in what you do as a salesperson

Ever been asked to complete a SWOT Analysis?

Ever wonder why?  Or what you should do with it?

SWOT stands for:

• Strengths

To complete one, you first pick a subject.  This could be a product, a competitor, or most often, yourself.  Then, in a four-box diagram, you identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to your subject.

A SWOT is a great way to evaluate anything in your business.

Listen in as we discuss how to actually use the information you put into your SWOT Analysis

3 ways to help stubborn customers

Farming is tough business.  And it just got a lot tougher in the last 12 months. 

This means selling to farmers is also tough!

Many times when selling to a farmer, we are asking them to change the way they farm.  We are often introducing new products, services, or technology to them.  

While we are convinced it is a great solution to their problems, our stubborn customers may not.

What to do when your stubborn customer says,

“Well, Dad farmed here successfully for 40 years, and he never used your products…..or used that technology…..or farmed that way.”

Click on the audio player below to listen to the podcast to learn 3 ways you can help stubborn customers step out of Dad’s shadow.

Selling to farmers in tough times.

Farming is always challenging, but right now it’s tougher than usual, with profitability under serious pressure for farmers.

This means those selling to farmers are feeling the strain too.

Recently, I had the privilege of collaborating with Margy Eckelkamp from Farm Journal. Together, we outlined seven actionable steps that ag sales professionals can take to support their producers, offering real solutions rather than just commiserating about the tough times.

Margy did an excellent job capturing our conversation in a concise article, which I think you’ll appreciate.

You can read it here: 7 Ways to Be a Lifeline to Farmers

Or click below to listen to my audio version of the article.

And what is your role as their salesperson when they do?

Your farmer customers are struggling to stay afloat right now, more than probably ever in their farming history.  Unless they farmed through the 1980’s, right now is their most difficult time.

Your role as their salesperson or more importantly, their trusted advisor has never been more important. 

Here are 4 thoughts on a farmer’s decision-making that can help you to help them:

1. Avoiding bad decisions versus making good decisions:

Listen in as we cover the details of these four decision making concepts, so you can help your farmer customers make better decisions!

How many of them are you?

1. A salesperson they like: work on this first.  Before going after the sale.  Start by getting to know them as a person and then know them as a business.  Key = Be genuine

Good luck and let me know how it goes

Are you calling on the right prospects in the right places? Are your salespeople calling on the right prospects in the right places?

You might want to double check with them as I find far too many of us in agribusiness are “Fishing in Swimming Pools” Lots of activity but no results.

Ask anyone of your salespeople to describe the ideal prospect. How close do their answers match between salespeople or between what you have in the business plan? After eight years of asking thousands of Ag salespeople this question, I still find too many who can’t clearly identify the customer segment they serve best.

Click on the podcast below to listen in as we discuss the importance of customer segmentation

Dairy Boots and getting “Robbed”

Every customer has a customer! 

This is so important for salespeople to understand that I want to repeat it.  Every customer has a customer! 

If you sell to an agribusiness like a feed mill, grain elevator or Ag retailer, then that is obvious.  However, you might be thinking that since you sell direct to farmers, this doesn’t apply to you.  But think about a farm.  It’s a business.  Yes, they might be the end user of your fertilizer or tractor, but the consumer chain is just getting started.

Listen in as we discuss why it is so important to focus your sales efforts on your customer’s customer!

Do this fun and easy exercise to build one of your most important selling skills

A critical component to building connections with prospects and customers is the skill of empathy. 

You might be wondering why I called empathy a skill and not some built in talent or ability.  That’s because I think you can develop empathy by practicing it. 

Knowing how important this skill is in sales; I violated the rule of Strength Finders. I set out on a mission to fix my weakness. 

One exercise that I developed and practice frequently helped me in many ways. 

Listen in as we learn how to develop this critical selling skill!

How to outsell your competition without the lowest prices, the best technology, or biggest marketing budget

In the 1975, Van McCoy released a hit song and dance called “Do the Hustle”.  The lyrics are very simple and so is today’s message.  The lyrics were literally, “Do the hustle”.  The irony is that it’s also the secret to outselling your competition. 

Your competition might have better prices, technology, or marketing.  They may have more sales reps, stronger brand recognition, or more free giveaways. However, you have one thing you can always control….Your level of hustle.

Listen in as we go over the 5 ways to hustle harder for your customers and earn their business!