Switching Dog Food Customers            It was the end of my first month in sales, many years ago. I was all set up at the best spot in one of my dealer’s store locations with my card table of pet food samples of all kinds…large dog, small dog, overweight dogs and even a cat food […]
Tough times in the Ag market can lead to higher A/R and more write offs            Times are tough. I should actually say times are tougher, as we tend to feel like times are always tough. As margins narrow and producers & Ag retailers operate extremely close to or below break-even, paying their bills gets […]
Sales Territory Organization Last week, I spoke to the importance of getting organized in your territory. I broke that organization into five categories. Those five categories of organizational skills are: Customers, Technology, Supplies/Equipment, Seasonality and Geography. See last week’s blog for the info on Customer and Technology tips on organizing your Ag Territory Supplies/Equipment – […]
Sales Territory Organization While it doesn’t sound like a very exciting or important topic, trust me that it is extremely important in being able to grow your territory beyond your dreams. Does this describe you or one of your Ag sales reps? A truck full of promo gear to hand out, feed or grain contracts […]
The Knowing-Doing Gap The number one reason you need to coach your Ag Sales Professional is the Knowing-Doing Gap. If you are an Ag Sales Professional, the number one reason you want someone to coach you is the Knowing-Doing Gap. Unless you are brand new and haven’t been through any formal training, most sales people […]
Burned out? Been there done that? Been to the rodeo one too many times? Your sales career “Jumped the Shark”? (Happy Days reference). Are you stuck in that rut of…Every Tuesday, I call on Joe, then Ed, then the feed store in Springfield? Wednesday is the coffee shop crew, then … It happens to the […]
I don’t want to discount all the work that goes into creating logos, mission statements and slogans because those are critical for overall brand recognition and advertising purposes. Those elements definitely have their place in a business. However, to your farmers, to your grain & livestock producers, to your Ag retailers & feed dealers, “You” […]
One of my best customers used to have fun by frequently referring to me and my competition as “feed peddlers”. I think he was just having fun as he did continue to buy from me and we had a good working relationship as well as a friendship over the years. His insinuation that we were […]
Better yet, let’s prove how Invaluable (beyond calculable or appraisable value) you are! Paperwork gets lost – orders don’t get entered – drivers put products in the wrong bin – sales people forget to write down the correct price – farmers pull feed from the wrong bin – products are mixed incorrectly – seed is […]
Last time, I wrote about the number #1 quality farmers looked for in their sales person. The Purdue research polled over 1600 grain and livestock producers, large and small. That survey revealed that Honesty was the #1 quality. Sounds easy. Don’t’ lie, just be honest. However, I think it goes way beyond that. Farmers, anyone […]
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