Laser Focus in Ag Sales

The 3 customers who are killing your sales productivity

Both light and water can be so focused that they cut through large blocks of steel.  Amazing when you think about it.  The same water that you swim in for recreation, can be focused through a high-pressure nozzle to cut steel.  The same light that you can’t even touch, can be focused to perform surgery or cut through hardened steel.

As an Ag sales professional, your use of time is no different.  You can spread it out over a wide swath of customers and prospects or you can narrow your focus to achieve your results.  How widespread or narrow you go is completely up to you.  Neither your manager, your peers nor even me can tell you exactly the correct focus.  But your choice will make all the difference in your results.

Think about it.  The only thing you have to offer your employer is your time.    Your time is what you exchange for compensation.  In sales, how you use that time is the difference between success and failure, or mediocre results, which allow you to just get by.  The struggle with just getting by is that your customer will soon see the lack of value in buying from you.  They will move their business to that salesperson who hustles a little harder.  They will buy from that salesperson who is more focused on them than you are.

TIME

I have always felt and preached that, “Time and pressure will win almost any customer.”  Often, people will ask what the secret to selling is.  They really feel jilted when they find out that it’s hard work.  In addition to hard work, it takes time.  We can help speed up the process by improving our products and services, or calling on a prospect more often.  Our competition might even help us out by making mistakes or somehow irritating their customers (our prospects).  However, we can only do so much to speed up time.  And that’s where pressure comes in.

PRESSURE

Pressure on the other hand is often looked upon poorly by salespeople.  “I’m not a high-pressure salesperson” they will tell me.  I understand and agree with the concept of what they are saying, but I disagree with their definition of pressure.  To them, they are referring to the kind of pressure where a salesperson becomes annoying.  And by annoying, I mean they just keep calling on the prospect with no real reason, other than to ask for the sale.  That’s not pressure.  That’s, well….. annoying!  However, I like to define pressure as doing your job as a professional salesperson so well, your prospect eventually sees the benefit of buying from you.  That includes increasing what you have to offer.  It includes knowing more about your industry and your customer’s industry than your competition does.  Pressure includes outworking your competition.  Study any of the great modern-day athletes and you will find one common thread (besides decent talent): hard work.  Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Drew Brees.  They simply outwork many of their teammates and certainly their competition.

As an Ag sales professional, Time is your greatest resource.  No one can tell you exactly how to use it.  You will constantly debate where to spend it.

• Current customers versus prospecting for new ones….As an Ag sales professional, Time is your greatest resource.  No one can tell you exactly how to use it.  You will constantly debate where to spend it.
• Selling the latest technology versus selling the tried and true work horse products….
• Going to collect on a past due account versus spending time learning about new technology in your industry.

How are you investing your time for the greatest return on it?

While I tried to spend some time with you today to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, it’s ultimately still up to you every morning when you leave your driveway…turn left or turn right.  The choice will make all the difference in your results!