On Farm Selling During Covid Greg Mar nelli Ag Sales Professionals
Focus areas for on-farm selling in today’s environment
The pandemic has no doubt caused crisis in our personal lives as well as our work lives. Selling in agribusiness is no excep on. Ini ally, we were frustrated that the whole world was shu ng down while we were s ll opera ng business as usual. Then it hit. Many of our offices, customers and peers shut down as Covid swept through. Most if not all events, trade shows and mee ngs were cancelled. Slowly life came back to a new virtual world un l late Fall when another wave of infec ons halted most inperson ac vity. One of the common topics I am asked about is how to sell during a crisis like this. During the first couple months, most salespeople were content to wait things out. Then April turned into summer, turned into harvest, and now we are one year into it. This ques on s ll comes up; “How or should we be out there selling today?”
As with any good salesperson, I avoid poli cs all together or as much as possible. Sure, I have opinions but they have no place in a professional selling experience. I’m there to represent my company, not to unload my poli cal opinions. The pandemic has brought on a series of poli cally charged areas. Wearing masks, allowing mee ngs, opening/closing schools, social distancing, medical repor ng of Covid cases. All have become hot topics in public opinion. Many of our customers are isolated on their farms and are anxious to share their poli cal opinions with us. Smile, acknowledge you are listening, and get back to the topic at hand: agronomy, equipment, feed, etc. Before weighing in on a topic when selling, ask yourself, “Is this perƟnent to the products or services I am selling?” If it is, great, then jump into the discussion. If not, avoid it.
Trends Here are a few trends to keep in mind as you head out. Some are posi ve and some nega ve. Either way, it helps to keep them in mind as you head out to sell. •
Less in-person mee ngs forced a surge in on line pla orm usage. This surge was mostly driven for personal reasons with producers. If they wanted to see the grandkids, they had to learn how to Skype or Zoom. Outcome: More people than ever before instantly became much more tech savvy with social media and webinar pla orms. Is it as good as being in person in front of a customer? Of course not, but this is where we find ourselves today. One more thing, pick up the phone and call more o en than in the past. This applies to current customers as well as prospects. While many producers may func on well in a more isolated world, most people miss the people interac on. A quick phone call or text lets them know you are out there and thinking of them.
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Focused purpose for actually mee ng in-person. With health risks at stake, the need for actual mee ngs were narrowed down to only essen al
Over the last year, I have compiled some thoughts and focus areas to help you with your sales. Some are technical or tac cal. While others are more of a perspec ve or mental angle. As you know, our attude, confidence and mental angle are some of the most important aspects when selling.
Safety & Poli cs I think we need to address these topics first. As salespeople, we are mingling with the public as part of our job, which puts us at higher risk. The disease is real as you well know. Many of us have had it or have family that have had it. It’s serious and not like ge ng the regular flu. So, I am not advoca ng that you skip personal safety to get out on the farm. I’m advoca ng that you follow your company’s safety guidelines as well as your own common-sense approach to how to be safe: masks, social distance, etc.
26 SPRING 2021