What to do when your customer is super busy – Planting & Harvest Strategies for the Ag Sales Professional
As Dave and I pulled onto the farm, we could see all the hustle and bustle going on. The weather broke, the planting window was open and this producer was in a full panic to get his fields planted before the window slammed shut with the impending rain. It was obvious this customer was in a hurry by the way he was moving, the tractors running and people scurrying about.
Dave was a 20+ year veteran of selling agronomy and he had a fairly good relationship with this customer. He sold them some product and was getting closer to becoming their main agronomist. Being a professional, Dave had a pre-call plan and a couple handouts to show the customer the products we were going to present. However, to me, it didn’t look promising for a lengthy sales presentation in the producer’s shop or office. The producer got out of his tractor, turned the engine off and greeted us by climbing under the tractor. He told us things had changed and he needed to keep moving as he started working on the tractor’s hydraulics. With only the customer’s feet visible, I thought Dave would acknowledge the change in plans and we would move on. No, not Dave. He steadfastly gave the presentation. Right there, as the customer turned wrenches on the hydraulic system. Whether or not that was the right thing to do or not was the subject of a lengthy discussion between me and Dave as we headed to the next call that day.
Planting is upon us. Scenarios like the one above will play out all across the nation. If you are in the agronomy business, that means you and your customer are busier than normal.
Here are seven strategies to use!
- Show the importance of “Why Now?” for the producer – not you or your company:
Don’t Say:
“Our (my company) deadline for this offer is through next week and I really want to show it to you?”
Why: Because, your customer isn’t concerned about your internal deadlines. They have their own to worry about. In their view – “If you wanted my business, you would have made the deadline to fit my schedule. Did you not notice it was planting time and everyone was busy?”
Do Say:
“There’s only a short window for this herbicide to work on the weed problem we have in this area. Can I come out and take less than 5 minutes to show you the info? I think it would help in several of your fields. I know you are busy with planting but I don’t want you to miss that window”
Why: Specific to a real deadline. Specific to this producer’s fields. Empathizes with the busy schedule of the customer. Promises to be less than 5 minutes.
- Be Prepared
This is no time to be fumbling around with papers, I-pads, cell reception or using unproven technology in your presentation. Have it all ready to go and practice it before getting on the farm.
Be prepared to have the farm call go from the full agreed upon time and place to anywhere else for any length of time.
– It might get reduced from 10 minutes down to 5
– It might be nothing more than walking alongside them to the tractor as they tell you things have changed and they need to get going.
– They may cancel or not show – As you know, many producers don’t use an updated Outlook calendar.
– It might rain and they decide to give you more time than planned. They want to know more about the product than you originally thought you had time to present on.
It happens – be prepared – see item #4
- Stick to the time agreed – better yet – use less time
This one is self-explanatory. Don’t- for any reason – go beyond the time agreed upon without asking permission.
It’s wise to start every sales call off with an understanding of how long you have with them. This shows respect for their time and yours. It’s tempting when the call is going good to just keep going and going and going.
I once coached a sales person that did this on every call. When I asked him if he thought this was a problem, he replied – “No, my customers know me. They know that’s just how I am and they accept it.” My follow up question was – “How many times do you think they didn’t answer your call or give you an appointment because you went way over your allotted time?”
If things are going good and the producer seems to be allowing you to go past the agreed upon time, ask if it is ok to continue since you agreed on stopping after 5 minutes.
- Have a One-Page Leave-behind piece
This is a good idea when calling on producers no matter if they are busy or not. Typically, they won’t remember all the details of your presentation like you do. The one page is great as a leave behind to provide an added reminder. Secondly, it’s great to leave if the meeting is cancelled and you want to follow up with a phone call later to go over the one-page.
- Have a Next Step:
Again, this is something you should always think through. However, when they are busier than normal, be very clear about what you want them to do next. These shouldn’t be deep thought provoking sales calls, since they are busy. These should be very directed, time sensitive presentations. That’s why the producer gave you the appointment in the first place. Have the steps clearly defined. If not, you’ll get the “Let me think about it” reply.
Sometimes, the material is not something you want in a leave behind document. Maybe it’s too complicated to explain or put on one page. Maybe you want to be there when the producer is learning about it so you can explain it correctly & answer questions. This is understandable, just let the producer know that you would like a follow up meeting after the busy season has passed. Sometimes, this is the only next step you can get.
- Develop Another Point of Contact with the Customer
Often, there are several people involved in an operation. One brother might take care of agronomy, the other the grain marketing and another the animal production. Or, Dad takes care of the decisions and the kids take care of actually executing on the use of the products. It can be a good time to catch them briefly and check to make sure logistics are going well. Often, the spouse handles the books. It can be a good opportunity to check in and make sure all the paperwork is flowing smoothly.
If the agronomy side of the business is busy with planting, might be a good time to bring out your feed sales person to talk with the brother that manages that side of the business. Just being involved and on the farm, can strengthen the relationship.
- Be Readily Available
Any successful sales person knows this is critical for keeping customers. You have to be readily available at all times. During your customer’s peak times, it’s even more critical. Not only available but you need to be extra responsive. This is no time for business as usual. Your customer is operating at a higher intensity than normal and may even be in panic mode. We’ve all had those customers that completely change under the stress of peak times in farming.
Do everything in your power to go above and beyond expectations to expedite your support.
In closing, good luck. For those in agronomy, July will get here and the pace will slow somewhat. Until then, use these 7 strategies!
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