Rethinking your Ag Business... If Not?

Challenges are facing the ag industry. It is critical to evaluate, rethink, and align your business to meet those challenges.  Significant business may be lost if appropriate changes are not made.  Considering the action items is important, specifically those below:


Farmer Segmentation: 
Typically, there are 3 grower segments: Traditional, Progressive, and Transactional. The Progressive farmer segment makes ROI type decisions, is willing to try new products and services, and wants customized solutions at competitive pricing. It is important to target much of the time and effort towards the segment.

Data-Driven Decisions:
Farmers have so much more to deal with these days, from markets to regulations and having to spend more time figuring out how to make a profit, or more accurately, how to avoid a loss. With that, they need or demand better data-driven digital technology insights to help them make better decisions for their farming operations. They need more than "creating pretty maps" of data to more insightful recommendations drawn from the data.

Communications:
The progressive segment, and especially younger farmers, want timely digital communications on management recommendations, crop input planning and in-season crop conditions, (text messaging, web site, emails, etc.). As an example, texting to a farmer(or post on YouTube) a 2-minute video, weekly on current diesease challenges, commdity pricing, and market and crop conditions (in the field), builds that trusted-advisor status.  Using digital communications at times can be a very efficient use of time for your farmers too.

There are specific steps that can be taken that may assist to ensure these action steps are achieved.  Some of these steps include:

• Grower Segmentation involves ensuring needs are be so you can be more successful in developing win-win business relationships. This involves investing in understanding what the progressive growers in your market area want from their agronomy supplier and agronomy & seed salesperson.
• Sales Alignment involves providing your growers top-notch service and retaining them as loyal customers is the result of successfully executing on your agronomy business plan. This includes a dedicated and focused employee team is critical in carrying out the business plan.
• Sales Team Development and Coaching involves designing group and individual training and coaching plans that develop core competencies aligned with each grower market segment, will produce “Trusted Advisor” grower relationships and better sales results.

Check out the following informational video interview segments discussing each of these responsive steps more.

  Grower Segmentation Part 1
  Grower Segmentation Part 2
  Sales Alignment Part 1
  Sales Alignment Part 2
  Sales Team Development and Coaching Part 1
  Sales Team Development and Coaching Part 2